Caithness Mages : Adventure Seed

[Mad Douglas]

G...F...Y....S

[Captain-Captain]

Uber mages in low mana are built on a point scale that dwarfs typical Pc ranges. If other types of characters are built on the same point allotment your low mana wizards are relatively weak.

I seem to recall Banestorm setting M3 as the normal max and putting a pretty hefty Unusual Background cost for higher levels of Magery.

If we start with M3 IQ 14 characters who have Hard spells at 15 for 1 pt and VH spells at 15 for 2, we find Hard spells cost 16 points to be raised to 20 (net increase of +15 CP per spell) and 20 points to raise a VH to 20, a net increase of 18 cP per spell. Looking over a 150 pt wizard I made I see 34 spells, 33 Hard and one very hard. 35 pts spent.

raising those spells to 20s adds a measly FIVE HUNDRED AND THIRTEEN CP to the character's cost!!!! The 150 pt wizard who more or less is equal to 150 pt characters who aren't wizards. Now I have a 663 pt wizard who is about equal in power to a 150 pt now-wizard character - IF THE GAME TAKES PLACE IN CAITHNESs, which is the default conditoin your thread supposes.

Even if we move to Mealos and normal mana, the wizard hasn't gotten that powerful. The Rule of 16 prevents the higher spell scores from being used for contests and resistance rolls. The wizard gets a time reduction but most spells are one second and these days you can't cut that any further. He does get an extra point off on energy costs, which does help but a two fatigue discount doesn't let you cast 5 energy spells left and right.

And regular spells get an effective five yard range increase.

Not a hell of a lot of benefit for five hundred plus points.

[Icelander]

This sounds like it could be a very scary cult.

Fanaticism for vengeance, a quasi-religion venerating pain and suffering and a very high level in all known spells.

Sounds like the perfect enemy for a group of PCs grown too complacent with their opposition.

I would introduce these mages by letting the PCs see (if they are far enough away not to interfere) or hear about a Megalan battle wizard being torn to pieces in a swift and terrible spell duel with a stranger.

Make the cult members scarred and tattooed, as well as slightly deformed and savage-looking. Wild and bloodshot eyes. Piercings and animal sacrifices.

Introduce some nuisance effect with their magic, so that every time they cast a spell they are hurt, but that the pain revitalises them instead of weakening.

New and exotic spells are a given.

I submit that their name be the Forsaken, or something similarly bright and lovely. Maybe the Tormented. Other possibilities are:

The Brotherhood of Life ("Only in pain can you truly feel alive!")
Arcane Order of the Sacred Blood
Esoteric Sages of the Luminous Spirit
Immaculate Order of the Rapture
Ascetic Order of the Arcane
The Illuminated Masters

[Captain-Captain]

A few weeks back I posted a 4th edition write up of Strix from Blood Types.

A slight variant. Those cultists have +5 Magery as a result of a Pacgt with a demon or other evil critter. They've sold their souls for mystical power.

Problem: The Great Forest is not low mana, (See map, Banestorm .176 or at the back of the banestrom maps pdf*) so the presumed story effect of these guys having normal magic in low mana isn't applicable. . It's technically outside of Caithness and held by Elves who would make things difficult for your wiazrd cult.

And there's no reason these guys couldn't be in the Blackwoods and thus be closer to their target.

*The pdf is MUCH easier to read. The green and blue green colors don't contrast that well on paper and the image is scalable in acrobat reader another help.

Note to SJG people: REd, Yellow, Blue, Green. Bright versions of all 4 of these colors, if you please. Mathematicians have PROVEN that you only need 4 colors to handle a map. Therefore there is NO reason not to stick with colors found in the standard Crayola 8 pack. Those of us whose eyesight isn't what it was when we were 20 would appreciate this VERY VERY MUCH!

[Bruno]

I've actually noted in my campeign something sort of related to this...

There are few know wizards in Caithess, but the mana level doesn't stop magery from cropping up in the human population at it's normal frequency. It's just the general cruddy mana prevents them from being discovered, and discourages the lesser talants from persuing as anything other than a hobby and diversion.

Which means the only native wizards are likely to be those who are naturally gifted - high IQ, high Magery or even Archmages (the Unusual background for >3 magery), good cardiovascular health... There obviously aren't a lot of them.

They tend to find the tiny spots of Normal mana in Caithness and build frickn great towers on them to keep other wizards out. The Feudal heirarchy politely grants them the land as a holding in exchange for the wizard not just sitting on top of the mana spot, drunk with power and cackling wildly, and hurling lightning or fireballs or whatever at anyone who comes near them.

I find this contributes nicely to the old fantasy trope of knights in armor on horseback, mysterious powerful wizards in towers, etc.

[Paul]

Originally Posted by Bruno

I've actually noted in my campeign something sort of related to this...

There are few know wizards in Caithess, but the mana level doesn't stop magery from cropping up in the human population at it's normal frequency. It's just the general cruddy mana prevents them from being discovered, and discourages the lesser talants from persuing as anything other than a hobby and diversion.

Which means the only native wizards are likely to be those who are naturally gifted - high IQ, high Magery or even Archmages (the Unusual background for >3 magery), good cardiovascular health... There obviously aren't a lot of them.

Exactly the thought process I had when I designed my Return to Castle Defiant game, allowing (nay, encouraging) unlimited amounts of Magery with modest UB. One wizard took M4; the other took M7.

[Phil Masters]

Originally Posted by Bruno

I find this contributes nicely to the old fantasy trope of knights in armor on horseback, mysterious powerful wizards in towers, etc.

Why do you think we put that setup in the book?

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by Phil Masters

Why do you think we put that setup in the book?

Oh, I know I know! :D

When I pointed it out to my players (who were a tad confused about the Low Mana) the looks of dawning realization were priceless.

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by Paul

Exactly the thought process I had when I designed my Return to Castle Defiant game, allowing (nay, encouraging) unlimited amounts of Magery with modest UB. One wizard took M4; the other took M7.

The party wizard has Magery 4, IQ 15, some Extra Fatigue, and a singleminded devotion to the Lightning Bolt. Unfortunately he has a DX of 9 and really didn't invest enough in Innate Attack (projectile)...

He can cast free 1d lightning bolts all day in Caithness and is capable of monstrous 12d bolts in Emergencies... but he usually misses, and in one glorous occasion dropped it on his foot.

He's a cross between an archmage steriotype, and comic relief.

[Captain-Captain]

My point being though that the Great Woods have a force (elves) patroling it more or less who would actively oppose your cultists while the Blackwoods are notably NOT patroled that well by Megalos. The thing man ws not meant to know that resides in the Blackwoods might well tolerate them as de facto allies or even be their patron! There they have the benefits of normal magery and proximity to their enemy.