[3.5] The Destruction of Empires - Chaos

[Gavinfoxx]

Valen has prepared for this question, and promtply, eagerly responds. "That's a very good question. The main issue with that argument is that, by directly casting spells, there are limits to the sorts of things which can be done. For example, a device which most people would make for, say, Fabricate, would simply be useful to take some raw materials and make finished materials. As long as the Fabricate boon-traps are mostly kept behind closed doors, damn near no-one is going to come up with the idea to use it to make arbitrary things. Here's why: the idea that you can use Fabricate to make truly real matter ex nihilo is not a known part of the spell, becasue it isn't a part of the spell. Any description of Fabricate will not list that amongst it's capabilities, and if you look in a book for a spell that does that, you would find references to True Creation instead.

"The only way you would figure out that you can use Fabricate to do this would be if you made a deep study of magic items from that angle, and realized that there is a generalizeable formula which allows one to use extra amounts of expensive material components in making a magical item, like a stave or a wand, that requires material components, and did the math to figure out a way that you can use it on a Wondrous Item that casts any spell with expensive material components that you could possibly want. And also have the insight to realize how that would, unexpectedly, interact with Fabricate and what that would mean! No one is doing this, and having a lot of 'traps' of Lesser Restoration or Create Food and Water or Purify Food and Drink or Mount so people don't need to sleep as much or can get however much food and pack-creatures, which may or may not themselves be edible I haven't checked, that they want doesn't necessarily lead to people figuring out the 'money' exploits.

"And even if they do start to figure that out, you'll already be two steps ahead, with all of the other techniques that don't have anything to do with 'distributing an item which casts spells', and you will by then have ownership of all the means of gathering and distributing materials for making magic items, actually just used Fabricate traps in directly making those materials, have already started to use Lantern Archons to corner the market on items of Continual Flame, have since cornered markets on glass, iron, salt, granite, marble, alchemical acid, anything made from those components, as well as any invisible variants of all of those components, and be well on your way to using Simulacrum of Djinn to corner the market for all plant-based reagents, obscure and rare plant-based foods, alchemical components, spices, plant-based medicines, various magical woods, medicinal plants, et cetera. Not to mention the fact you'll have power over everyone whose reason for influence and power relies on controlling the means of taxing, producing, and the distribution of these items.

"And then if people start to catch up with that, you'll already have locked in the only way to get large-scale access to Ergs of lifeforce without having to actually drain people's real lifeforce, and also the means of producing airships that aren't terrible, and actually useful golems cheaply, and floating cities, and own all of the new means of communications, the centralized infrastructure to run it, as well as own the hub-and-spoke based new teleportation infrastructure, and be the experts on the only semi-reliable ways of defending against hostile teleportation and scrying, and then you'll have done one of the ways to have infinite Wish spells with all that implies, and I can go on and on and on.

He pauses for a moment. "Yes, people will start taking some of these ideas. But they won't, and can't, get everything, and you will be using your innate lead, natural monopoly, and pre-planning to map out exactly how you will use your foreknowledge to take ownership of everything that matters. And the reason I am just handing this to you all is not because I think you'll be great at governing, but because I think you all have a vested interest in 'rocking the boat' if the benefit is big enough, and can understand that yea, the little guy should get his slice of the pie too."

He thinks for a bit, and grins, "Also, try Combust instead for the extra heat. It's a better base spell when applying Metamagic, which you can use with various Rods which you will soon be able to afford. Might I suggest Maximize and Empower, with something to have it work at range as well?"