Setting Riff - Magic of the Underground

Jürgen Hubert · 01-27-2015, 04:19 AM

This thread on RPGNet got me thinking about an interesting setting idea.

Start with a typical D&Desque fantasy world. However, magical energy - mana - radiates from the of the planet. The surface has low mana, but as you go underground, the mana reaches normal - and deep into the Underdark, the mana level reaches first high and then very high mana (which is as far as anyone has gotten - it is possible that there is nothing but magma further down).

So... mages will likely live in caves, artificial or not. But there is more - bring back stones suffused with mana from the depths, and you will be able to raise the local mana level - for a time, as the mana gradually drains out of the stone. And all the best alchemical or magical ingredients can be found deeper underground, where mana is plentiful. So mages - and others on the surface who want access to magical power - are constantly sending expeditions to the depths in order to secure magical resources. But of course, the deeper you go, the more powerful the natives and the more horrible the monsters.

What are your thoughts on this? Any further ideas how to embellish this?

fifiste · 01-27-2015, 06:44 AM

It fits nice giving you a good reason for the adventurers to go and find out dungeons to plunder.
It also gives a really easy way to explain how large subterranean ecosystems could work - at least the bottom of the foodpyramid is manavores.

It also gives an opportunity to fight horrible powerful monsters (the more powerful and more horrible the more levels you descend - what a nice bonus esp. for level based rpg-s) - with a nice explanations of why those powerful monsters haven't destroyed all the human civilisation - they are mana dependent.

(It might bode I'll for places that rise their mana levels by exporting aforementioned stones from deep - esp. if they have easy connections to the underdark)

Nereidalbel · 01-27-2015, 06:50 AM

I'm just curious how volcanoes would interact with this. Would they be fountains of high mana?

Jürgen Hubert · 01-27-2015, 07:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nereidalbel

I'm just curious how volcanoes would interact with this. Would they be fountains of high mana?

Could be. Though I'd probably not make volcanic stone that forms at the surface particularly useful - stone which has formed on the lower layers has had much more time to absorb mana.

Jürgen Hubert · 01-27-2015, 07:11 AM

Further idea: Magical ingredients from the depths of the world allow you to compensate for the -5 penalty for low mana:

If you use something from the "normal mana" zone, the penalty is reduced to -4. If you use something from the "high mana" zone, the penalty is reduced to -2. If you use something from the "very high mana" zone, you suffer no penalty.

The spell ingredient is consumed in the casting.

01-27-2015, 04:19 AM	#1
Jürgen Hubert Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Oldenburg, Germany	Setting Riff - Magic of the Underground This thread on RPGNet got me thinking about an interesting setting idea. Start with a typical D&Desque fantasy world. However, magical energy - mana - radiates from the of the planet. The surface has low mana, but as you go underground, the mana reaches normal - and deep into the Underdark, the mana level reaches first high and then very high mana (which is as far as anyone has gotten - it is possible that there is nothing but magma further down). So... mages will likely live in caves, artificial or not. But there is more - bring back stones suffused with mana from the depths, and you will be able to raise the local mana level - for a time, as the mana gradually drains out of the stone. And all the best alchemical or magical ingredients can be found deeper underground, where mana is plentiful. So mages - and others on the surface who want access to magical power - are constantly sending expeditions to the depths in order to secure magical resources. But of course, the deeper you go, the more powerful the natives and the more horrible the monsters. What are your thoughts on this? Any further ideas how to embellish this? __________________ GURPS Repository • Sunken Castles, Evil Poodles - translating German folk tales into English!

01-27-2015, 06:44 AM	#2
fifiste Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Estonia	Re: Setting Riff - Magic of the Underground It fits nice giving you a good reason for the adventurers to go and find out dungeons to plunder. It also gives a really easy way to explain how large subterranean ecosystems could work - at least the bottom of the foodpyramid is manavores. It also gives an opportunity to fight horrible powerful monsters (the more powerful and more horrible the more levels you descend - what a nice bonus esp. for level based rpg-s) - with a nice explanations of why those powerful monsters haven't destroyed all the human civilisation - they are mana dependent. (It might bode I'll for places that rise their mana levels by exporting aforementioned stones from deep - esp. if they have easy connections to the underdark)

01-27-2015, 06:50 AM	#3
Nereidalbel Join Date: May 2013 Location: Ellicott City, MD	Re: Setting Riff - Magic of the Underground I'm just curious how volcanoes would interact with this. Would they be fountains of high mana?

01-27-2015, 07:11 AM	#5
Jürgen Hubert Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Oldenburg, Germany	Re: Setting Riff - Magic of the Underground Further idea: Magical ingredients from the depths of the world allow you to compensate for the -5 penalty for low mana: If you use something from the "normal mana" zone, the penalty is reduced to -4. If you use something from the "high mana" zone, the penalty is reduced to -2. If you use something from the "very high mana" zone, you suffer no penalty. The spell ingredient is consumed in the casting. __________________ GURPS Repository • Sunken Castles, Evil Poodles - translating German folk tales into English!