What are the 3.5 stats for King Tithian?
What are obsidian orbs?
Who or what are the Mind Lords?
Is there some sort of barrier that is preventing beings from leaving the Prime Material Plane on Athas? Or preventing them from planar travel?
I understand that Wizards and Sorcerers have to take the Defiler Feat to use magic on Athas. Does this mean that they have no need of spell components?
Would a cleric from Oerth, or another prime material world, lose their ability to cast divine spells? Would they have to become Elemental Priest at some point?
What is the Cerulean Storm as far as it being a spell, a person or thing?
It's a thing I suppose. The details of its creation are found in the novel of the same name in the Prism Pentad series of books.
What are the 3.5 stats for King Tithian?
As far as I know, there aren't any. But also see the above mentioned novel for a possible reason why.
What are obsidian orbs?
Physically they are carved spheres of obsidian of various sizes. Metaphysically, they are foci for the spells of powerful defilers and have some sort of mystic connection to psionics in general. Shadow giants also apparently use them as eggs.
Who or what are the Mind Lords?
A trio of uber-powerful, epic psions living in the lost city of Saragar. The boxed set Mind Lords of the Last Sea has more details.
Is there some sort of barrier that is preventing beings from leaving the Prime Material Plane on Athas? Or preventing them from planar travel?
Tricky. According to 2e rules as found in say Defilers and Preservers, you can access the Elemental planes and the Ethereal plane without much difficulty. The Astral and Outer planes are blocked by the Athas-unique plane, the Gray. This means, among other things, that it's difficult to reach Athas from elsewhere, to go elsewhere from Athas, or to use the Astral plane for much of anything.
Many people (myself included) prefer an Athas that has no Astral plane at all, and no corresponding outer planes. That is, Athasian cosmology consists of the Prime Material plane, the Grey/Ethereal plane, the (Para-)Elemental planes, and maybe a few more for good measure (Positive energy plane, the Black, etc). This means you can't go elsewhere because there's no elsewhere to go to.
I understand that Wizards and Sorcerers have to take the Defiler Feat to use magic on Athas. Does this mean that they have no need of spell components?
They actually don't need a feat, unless you're using some rules I'm not familiar with. But even if you have a feat like that I don't see why you could skip the spell components.
Would a cleric from Oerth, or another prime material world, lose their ability to cast divine spells? Would they have to become Elemental Priest at some point?
They would lose access to their spells according to most canon. Some sources indicate that they might retain access to 1st and 2nd level spells (supposedly these come from your personal strength of faith, not your god). Presumably they could become an elemental cleric, but if they left Athas, they might lose those powers and their old god probably wouldn't be too happy.
Later,
Sidestepper
Many people (myself included) prefer an Athas that has no Astral plane at all, and no corresponding outer planes. That is, Athasian cosmology consists of the Prime Material plane, the Grey/Ethereal plane, the (Para-)Elemental planes, and maybe a few more for good measure (Positive energy plane, the Black, etc). This means you can't go elsewhere because there's no elsewhere to go to.
In my version, the Grey is the Astral and Outer Planes - or, at least, what was left of them after Rajaat was done with them. But them I am of the heretical sect that has Gods during the Green Age of Athas that are destroyed during the Cleansing Wars.
What is the Cerulean Storm as far as it being a spell, a person or thing?
A "thing", I'm thinking. Though the spirit of Tithian is trapped within it, perhaps bound to it. Maybe they've blended into one being.
What are the 3.5 stats for King Tithian?
No clue.
What are obsidian orbs?
They can be used to help (em)power spells or psionic effects. It's been a long time since I looked at the rules, so I don't have specific details.
Who or what are the Mind Lords?
An incredibly stupid plot device?
Technically, three psionic intelligences who rule the city/region of Saragar on the Last Sea.
Is there some sort of barrier that is preventing beings from leaving the Prime Material Plane on Athas? Or preventing them from planar travel?
No and yes.
Depending on how you wish to run the world, the crystal shell surrounding Athas (if you are familiar with Spelljammer) is nearly impossible to penetrate. Athas is also nearly cut off from the outer planes, so traveling to them or to other Prime Material worlds is extremely difficult (only a 5% chance of success or something similar).
Or you can run the world as a separate cosmos, my preferred method, meaning there are no other planes -- outer or prime -- to travel to, excepting the standard Athasian ones ((para)elemental, black, gray).
I understand that Wizards and Sorcerers have to take the Defiler Feat to use magic on Athas. Does this mean that they have no need of spell components?
Spellcasters still require spell components. They do not take a "Defiler Feat" in order to cast, but they may choose to defile to power their spells and they gain bonuses for doing so. In the 3E rules, characters can select from various defiling feats that emulate the increased power that comes with defiling.
Would a cleric from Oerth, or another prime material world, lose their ability to cast divine spells? Would they have to become Elemental Priest at some point?
Yes. If they still wanted to gain can cast spells, yes.
However, in 2nd Edition, a character could pray and gain 1st and 2nd level spells according to their faith without needing access to a deity. This might have been a ruling from the Spelljammer setting.
Many people (myself included) prefer an Athas that has no Astral plane at all
Do you really want teleport not to work?
Athas is also nearly cut off from the outer planes, so traveling to them or to other Prime Material worlds is extremely difficult (only a 5% chance of success or something similar).
The original rule in Defilers and Preservers was very dissimiliar indeed. Exactly, the result was determined by d100 roll modified with the character level as follows:
Result Outer/Astral Inner/Ethereal
Lost 01-15 01-08
Failure 16-95 09-65
Success 96-100 66-100
Therefore, even a 1st-level chararacter had a 1/3 chance of success.
What are the 3.5 stats for King Tithian?
This is something I made for my campaigns, not official by any means (it's not on alphabetical order, since I just translated it back to English)
Tithian of Mericles, King of Tyr CR 17
Huma male templar 8/telepath 5/wizard 4
NE Medium humanoid (psionic)
Init +6; Senses Listen +2, Spotr +2
Languages Common, Dwarf, Elvish, Tyrian
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
AC 20, touch 12, flatfooted 18
(+2 Dex, +8 armor)
hp 75 (17 HD)
Fort +9, Ref +6, Will +18
Speed 30 ft. (6 squares)
Melee +2 steel longsword +11/+6 (1d8+1/19-20)
Base Atk +10; Grp +9
Atk Options Psionic Endowment
Special Actions secular authority 6/day, Inquisitor
Combat Gear scroll of fireball (CL 7th), scroll of dispel magic (CL 5th), scroll of suggestion (CL 7th), scroll of nondetection (CL 7th), scroll of invisibility (CL 5th), scroll of teleport (CL 10th)
Wizard Spells Prepared (CL 4th):
2º—eagle's splendor, invisibility, resist energy
1º—mage armor, fear (DC 17), disguise self, charm person (CD 17), protection from evil
0—detect magic, read magic, sending, resistance
Power Points/Day 37; Psion Powers Known (ML 5th):
3º—mental barrier, false sensory input (DC 19)
2º—aversion (DC 18*), detect hostile intent, read thoughts (DC 18), mind lock (DC 18)
1º—call to mind, demoralize (DC 17*), mindlink, conceal thoughts, telempathic projection (DC 17)
*The save DCs for these powers might increase with the use of augments
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Abilities Str 9, Dex 14, Con 13, Int 21, Wis 15, Cha 17
SQ compartilhar magias com familiar, elo empático com familiar, fazer magias de toque
Feats Psionic Endowment, Scribe ScrollB, Skill Focus (Diplomacy), Improved Initiative, Investigator, Inquisitor, Negotiator, Persuasive, Efficient Raze, Iron Will
Skills Bluff 20 (+25), Concentration 18 (+19), Knowledge (arcana) 12 (+18), Knowledge (local) 15 (+21), Knowledge (history) 10 (+16), Knowledge (nobility and royalty) 10 (+16), Knowledge (religion) 10 (+16), Diplomacy 20 (+34), Disguise 0 (+3) (+5 to act in character), Spellcraft 8 (+16), Psicraft 6 (+12), Intimidate 10 (+17), Literacy (Common), Spot 0 (+2), Gather Information 12 (+19), Listen 0 (+2), Search 0 (+4), Sense Motive 20 (+24)
Possessions combat gear plus ring of freedom of movement, bracers of armor +8, +2 steel longsword, Kalak's bag of holding
Spellbook spellbook plus 0—all; 1º—all; 2º—all; 3º—all
Do you really want teleport not to work?
Either way. Teleport is a hassle. But it's also very simple to say you move through the Gray instead. Or not even require another plane as conduit. It's magic after all, it doesn't need an explanation.
Either way. Teleport is a hassle. But it's also very simple to say you move through the Gray instead. Or not even require another plane as conduit. It's magic after all, it doesn't need an explanation.
And if it does need an explanation, there's no reason why the Athasian version of Teleport uses the same mechanism as, say, the one used in Forgotten Realms. So long as you leave point A and appear at point B...
it's not on alphabetical order, since I just translated it back to English
Slacking a bit? It's not like you have anything else you are working on... :P
This is something I made for my campaigns, not official by any means (it's not on alphabetical order, since I just translated it back to English)
Tithian of Mericles, King of Tyr CR 17
Huma male templar 8/telepath 5/wizard 4
NE Medium humanoid (psionic)
Init +6; Senses Listen +2, Spotr +2
Languages Common, Dwarf, Elvish, Tyrian
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
AC 20, touch 12, flatfooted 18
(+2 Dex, +8 armor)
hp 75 (17 HD)
Fort +9, Ref +6, Will +18
Speed 30 ft. (6 squares)
Melee +2 steel longsword +11/+6 (1d8+1/19-20)
Base Atk +10; Grp +9
Atk Options Psionic Endowment
Special Actions secular authority 6/day, Inquisitor
Combat Gear scroll of fireball (CL 7th), scroll of dispel magic (CL 5th), scroll of suggestion (CL 7th), scroll of nondetection (CL 7th), scroll of invisibility (CL 5th), scroll of teleport (CL 10th)
Wizard Spells Prepared (CL 4th):
2º—eagle's splendor, invisibility, resist energy
1º—mage armor, fear (DC 17), disguise self, charm person (CD 17), protection from evil
0—detect magic, read magic, sending, resistance
Power Points/Day 37; Psion Powers Known (ML 5th):
3º—mental barrier, false sensory input (DC 19)
2º—aversion (DC 18*), detect hostile intent, read thoughts (DC 18), mind lock (DC 18)
1º—call to mind, demoralize (DC 17*), mindlink, conceal thoughts, telempathic projection (DC 17)
*The save DCs for these powers might increase with the use of augments
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Abilities Str 9, Dex 14, Con 13, Int 21, Wis 15, Cha 17
SQ compartilhar magias com familiar, elo empático com familiar, fazer magias de toque
Feats Psionic Endowment, Scribe ScrollB, Skill Focus (Diplomacy), Improved Initiative, Investigator, Inquisitor, Negotiator, Persuasive, Efficient Raze, Iron Will
Skills Bluff 20 (+25), Concentration 18 (+19), Knowledge (arcana) 12 (+18), Knowledge (local) 15 (+21), Knowledge (history) 10 (+16), Knowledge (nobility and royalty) 10 (+16), Knowledge (religion) 10 (+16), Diplomacy 20 (+34), Disguise 0 (+3) (+5 to act in character), Spellcraft 8 (+16), Psicraft 6 (+12), Intimidate 10 (+17), Literacy (Common), Spot 0 (+2), Gather Information 12 (+19), Listen 0 (+2), Search 0 (+4), Sense Motive 20 (+24)
Possessions combat gear plus ring of freedom of movement, bracers of armor +8, +2 steel longsword, Kalak's bag of holding
Spellbook spellbook plus 0—all; 1º—all; 2º—all; 3º—all
Thanks for taking the time to post these stats. It may take me awhile to figure out the sources of some of these abilities. I would assume Athas.org
Later,
Sidestepper
And if it does need an explanation, there's no reason why the Athasian version of Teleport uses the same mechanism as, say, the one used in Forgotten Realms. So long as you leave point A and appear at point B...
When questioned by players about this, I usually say pretty much the same thing, that it works like an Arcane version of Psionic Dimension Door, minus the ability to keep the door open. For visual descriptions, I show them frames from the Marvel Age of Apocalypse saga, or the Exiles series, where the mutant Blink is shown using her teleportation powers(Looks a lot like a Portable Hole)
In my version, the Grey is the Astral and Outer Planes - or, at least, what was left of them after Rajaat was done with them. But them I am of the heretical sect that has Gods during the Green Age of Athas that are destroyed during the Cleansing Wars.
That sounds cool, is there anymore to your altered cosmology/history then this?
Jack
That sounds cool, is there anymore to your altered cosmology/history then this?
Jack
Essentially, during the Blue Age, there were four very powerful gods - Earth, Air, Fire and Water. Essentially, all the elemental forces combined into one being per element. There wasn't much of a division between the Elemental and Outer planes, as they were bridged by the Elements. These gods were each as powerful as an entire pantheon, but in many ways diffuse and formless.
The change from Blue Age to Green Age changed the spiritual world as much as it changed the physical world. The four Elemental Gods were, depending on how you look at it, killed or simply fragmented. The Elemental Planes are the remnants of the "bodies" of the Elemental Gods, and the Outer Planes (the Astral and the various afterlives) were formed from their "minds". From them came a pantheon of lesser gods, each aligned with the elements of their "parent".
In other words, the Green Age has a fairly typical D&D pantheon of gods. If you were to play a Green Age game, it wouldn't necessarily be obvious, but each god is aligned to Earth, Air, Fire or Water. The Elemental Planes are now separate places, but the servitors of the various gods would come from there.
During the Cleansing Wars, Rajaat wasn't just trying to turn the physical plane of Athas back to the Blue Age, but the metaphysical world as well. That's why he doesn't show up in the accounts of the Cleansing Wars - he's off in the various Planes trying to wreak major changes.
I've often imagined a Green Age campaign or Big Fantasy Trilogy, all Epic scale, where the stakes are so high, that if the heroes fail, the very heavens themselves will fall, and the world will end! Only, as we know, the heroes do fail, the heavens fall, and the world dies. Rajaat's scheme was doomed to failure; instead of restoring the ancient powers, he instead ends up collapsing the Outer Planes into the Grey, killing all the gods. Only the shattered remains of the Elemental Planes, and a few Elemental Vortices, are left.
And that brings us to the original Boxed Set. Everyone's living on what is essentially the decaying corpse of the world - Athas isn't dying, it's dead. To begin with, it seems there is no hope, except living as well as possible before everything finally falls apart. However, as the Avangion transformation becomes known, the possibility of life springing anew arises...
Athas is one of my favorite worlds and Darksun was my "first Love" of settings. Dragonlance is my focus now but Darksun holds a special place.