I'm in shock. I actually never knew Orcus used to be mortal. I looked it up, but it mostly seems to be FR lore that says that. But Iggwilv is Greyhawk. Is it true across the settings?
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Most Demon Princes used to be mortals, for a very loose definition of "used to be".
How direct the link between mortal and Demon depends on the edition. In 5e, chaotic evil souls are absorbed by the Abyss, which then produces Demons. Orcus is not described as one of the Demon Princes who are exceptions to the usual, so we can assume it is how he came to be Orcus.
(In any case, 5e Orcus would be sincerely disgusted by the suggestion he ever participated in the creation of something living, and the identity of the mortal who got digested until the Demon who eventually became Orcus is likely not very relevant).
You are 100% correct, but I did say 'for a very loose definition of "used to be".'
Demons dying in the Abyss are reabsorbed by it, and it'll eventually spawn new Demons, so it can be said that all Demons are made from Soulyent Green, just more or less processed.
There's also at least one confirmed case of a mortal exteriorizing some of the chaotic evil in their soul to not have to deal with it, and that part of themselves turning into a Drecht as a result
The MM text also says:
Meaning that most Demon Lords got their might from being the rare Demons able to ascend again and again, rather than just emerging from the Abyss that strong.Quote:
A demon might spawn as a manes, then become a dretch, and eventually transform to a vrock after untold time spent fighting and surviving in the Abyss. Such elevations are rare, however, for most demons are destroyed before they attain significant power. The greatest of those that do survive make up the ranks of the demon lords that threaten to tear the Abyss apart with their endless warring.
I admit my explanation was either too unclear or overstating the case, though.
Merchants and smiths don't actually keep magic items in stock. They have a supply of high-quality mundane pieces on display and the ability to imbue them, provided the proper magic source and incantation are used: after the adventurer provides the (surreptitiously tested) coin for their purchase, the vendor will insist that they give that ring/sword/armor "just a quick touch-up" before it leaves the shop; in reality however, the courtesy pass with the 'cleaning fluid' (the energizing infusion) and the tuneless ditty they sing as they work (the binding charm) are the final step in the enchantment process. This makes robbery virtually pointless, and since the reagent and the charm are specific to each item and property, even torture isn't a reliable means of insuring an easy magic haul. Additionally, most magic retailers are actually fronts for arcane crafting syndicates or powerful wizards who don't want hordes of unwashed vagabonds pestering them for 'Like, a totally badass pigsticker, dude!', so murder hobos would be well-advised to keep their customary anti-social tendencies in check.
Warlock pacts are contracts that can be traded by the sponsoring entity, or even usurped by a rival or greater power, depending on how the politics of the particular realm work. You drank the trothwine with The Dancer upon The Starlight Meads, that is true, but they offended the Vortex Incarnadine, and since the Fey are too preoccupied with their own affairs to be drawn into another pointless brush war with the Fiends, your pact was bundled up with a sheaf of others and gifted as a peace offering. Meet the New Boss, etc.
On some worlds, Godzilla, Skynet, and The Man in Black are Patrons. Trying to pact with Galactus is considered a bad idea, however.
Dragonborn isn't a race, it's a class, landing somewhere between Monk and Sorceror in its mechanics.
Chaotic Spelljammers are known to occasionally load their vessels with great quantities of astral ice and go joyriding past primitive worlds. When they reach the correct distance, they start releasing the ice, creating a new comet in the sky and terrifying the unsuspecting denizens below.
Power Word: Ni!
One of the most common misconceptions about Dragons is that the size of the hoard is commensurate with the power of the monster. In fact, a Dragon's growth and abilities are limited by the amount of treasure they accumulate: they are literally unable to get stronger without increasing their wealth. No non-dragon understands the exact mechanism behind this, though numerous theories have been proposed over the ages. Some sages think that gross weight is the determining factor, others claim that volume is the critical measurement, while more mercantile-minded scholars argue that a dragon's size and ability is dependent on the market value of their treasure-bed. The artificial scarcity created by removing mass amounts of coinage from circulation inflates both their wealth and their girth. These conjectures rapidly get weighed down by calculations of the interrelationships between local exchange rates, spot prices, shipping and storage costs, and the effects of national monetary policies and international trade treaties, so proponents of this position are rarely able to find an audience willing to sit still long enough to hear them out.
Wouldn't keeping this a secret mean it doesn't do much to prevent robbery (since the robbers won't know it was for nothing until they've already done it)? I suppose it might prevent repeat robberies, but it might be better to put up big sign saying "MAGIC ITEMS WON'T WORK UNTIL ACTIVATED" or whatever.
@Batcathat: sorry, was changing some wording when you quoted me
Once word spreads that the last crew that tried to pull a snatch-and-grab at Weyland's World of Weapons not only ended up with a bunch of glamored-up munitions-grade kit instead of the high-ticket items they thought they got, but were mysteriously vaporized by lightning right in the middle of the Mudlark's Market without a cloud in the sky, people will get the message.
Elves and Dwarves don't actually mature that much more slowly than humans.
Elves being chaotic don't actually have formal schooling for their children and they don't normally allow Elvish children out into the world until they have sufficient knowledge. This is usually around a hundred years of age. Since Elves have such a long life there's no reason for Elves to be worried about your kid spending a hundred years or so finding themselves. And that fits their Chaotic Societies.
Dwarves on the other hand have a ton of responsibilities. You have your required military service, the amount of time you're supposed to serve as an apprentice in a trade, basically free labor. Their schooling is longer than human schooling, although it's not inherently better just intended to ensure conformity.
Headcanon:
The drow magical item Tentacle Rod was originally designed by a jaded aristocrat for erotic encounters.
During development - similar to what happened at 3M with the adhesive that ended up on those yellow sticky note pads, or the blood thinner Viagra - things didn't quite work out as projected and they ended up better suited as something else: in this case, a weapon.
Something that I am still griping the implications of:
Arcane Magic in D&D is a creative pursuit, as much artistry or performance as it is applied knowledge.
I think this has lead to or has sprung from my just not groking the sorcerer vs wizard divide. It feels like something that just wouldn't have as sharp a division at the very least.
I don't see sorcerers as being particularly artistic. Rather, they brute force their way with draconic blood or wild magic.
Bards, now... The way the wizard Gale of BG3 speaks about the Weave, how from an early age he could "compose it much like a musician or a poet", I have no hesitation respeccing him as a bard. Well, I could also see him as a sorcerer, but because of his more recent and more explosive circumstances.
Arcane magic in the Vancian System is a akin to charging a capacitor with a kind of chaotic energy. The preparation/reading process is the charging process. The release is the burst of arcane power. Over time you develop the ability to handle more, and larger, capacitors. Mishandling the capacitors or the energy when charging them is dangerous.
Elric was a Melnibonéan Paladin, and Stormbringer was his Holy Avenger ... from a certain point of view. (Thanks, Obi Wan! :smallyuk: ) Elric rode a dragon ...
And about dragons.
(a) Dragons have bones made of an unusual material: extremely strong and light (the bone version of titanium that is also ductile). The bones are mostly hollow. (If you look at the rotor mast of Huey you'll find a hollow metal (steel) tube). This helps them deal with the Cube/Square law...but it isn't the whole solution. Dragon scales are very strong and thin (think carbon fiber composites) yet fairly light.
(b) In general, dragon's are far more lean than bulky. See the original Chinese folk lore dragon/golden dragon model rather than the buffed/steroid using dragons from Elmore to the 5e MM. (Heck, see Tolkien's original illustrations of Smaug. Lean, not buff).
(c) Dragon tails have something like fans/feathers at their tip that spread out in flight, offering improved stability and directional control in flight. When not flying the collapse down to a tip.
(d) The magic of a dragon is mostly held in its bone marrow. That's the truly magical stuff, and it's why older dragons can command more powerful magics/spells than younger dragons. More marrow. The marrow is kept moist by the soul energy of the dragon; when a dragon dies the marrow turns to dust as the 'fluid' of the soul, and its energy, energy vacates the body and heads into the afterlife. Dragon marrow is still prized by artificers and wizards who make magical items, which informs the centuries long vendetta between some of the dragon clans and wizards...(in my version of the World of Greyhawk).
(e) Dragons eat pine trees as breath mints.
Chromatic and Metallic dragons are actually the same. For example, Fire Dragons can have either red or gold scales, but both "red" and "gold" dragons belong to the same species. Note that not all animals of the same species and age category have the exact same stats, so, for example, the Monster Manual can include statblocks for two different ancient fire dragons with slightly different stats. It just so happens that one of those examples has red scales and the other one has gold scales.
Some splatbooks have included species of chromatic dragons without corresponding metallic dragons. Those are either because
a)There actually is a corresponding metallic dragon, but the monster manual didn't have space to show it, or
b)That particular species has a narrower gamut of scale colors than other true dragon species.
I am pretty sure that is what activation phrases are for. So head canon:
An arcanist casts Identify to find out the phrase immediately. Any IDing of magic items past this is just standing x amount of time in front of the item and yelling any feasible phrase you can think of.
Yes, to a very silly movie called Spaceballs.
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/36/87/e1/3...696b261d0d.jpg
YOU GO TO YOUR ROOM. You know what you've done.
Oddly, every time I see this thread, I actually have a Rifts thought: the Northern Gun giant robot with a railgun as a head. Looks something like this:
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/54/ad...92d2b04b3d.jpg
ObDnD: If I ever writeup my homebrew D&D game, the Dragonlance Minotaurs from Taladas and the Mystara Winged Minotaurs from the Savage Coast are going to be cohabitants of a decently run Empire, along the lines of Enlightened society in Al-Qadim.