These amulets (the most likely device) would be carried by the King's (or Queen's) defilers and would draw spell energy directly from the Tree(s) of Life rather than from the surrounding terrain.
Now, the Sorcerer monarchs would not want their defilers to gain too much power, and would need to restrict these amulets in some fashion. Two limitations spring to mind: a distance limitation, at which point the amulet would no longer function, and a spell limitation, which would limit which spells the amulet would power (because you don't want your pet defilers pointing fireballs and disintegrate spells at you).
I imagine the basic amulet would limit the functioning distance to within the city's walls, or perhaps even to the closest of the city's farms. The reason being you do not want a defiler going rogue on you, and still being able to use your precious Trees of Life for his own purposes, outside your control. A more advanced form of the amulet might allow the connection to be made from any distance, for those times when the King needs to send their defiler on some mission far afield, but I suspect these would be given with great care, and revoked lightly, if not heavily enspelled to ensure their return or use.
Any amulet would likely be keyed to only a specific list of spells; to cast any spells not keyed to the amulet would require the defiler to pull energy from the surrounding terrain as normal, which (I imagine) the Sorcerer monarchs could easily detect and thus punish within their own city.
It is also likely the Sorcerer monarchs would not inform their pet defilers exactly what the amulets do specifically, beyond explaining their ability to provide the energy for specific spells.
I realize this is not a complete idea at this point, so, has anyone created this sort of item before? Any comments or further detailing anyone would like to give to them?
A surge of translucent veridian life energy arced through the air from some distant site to strike down upon black-robed Kelvar, swirling around him in a horrid vortex that sounded of dying screams, and vaguely hinted at skeletal claws and jawless skulls never quite glimpsed. The snarling lion's-head amulet hung in plain view upon his chest drank in the spectral, emerald vortex as it whirled, and began glowing like the flame of a brilliant bonfire.
But few had time to ponder or appreciate such subtle aesthetics, for the energy of the spell was released as quickly as it came. Dark bolts laced with thin veins of crackling jade streaked towards their targets to consume their flesh in dark flames tinged with the same sickly jade flickers and flashes.
Kelvar lowered his hands and smiled grimly at the charred, pain-twisted corpses...all that remained of these rebellious citizens who had dared plot against their Sorcerer King and interrupt Kelvar's secret rituals. He allowed the last few tendrils of life energy to course through him and curl down around his fingers, his face slack from the ecstasy...and yet the ground at his feet bore no signs of his **** of life energy.
Far away, a tree moaned and shuddered.
So, what do SKs do with them to ensure that city defilers won't be able to defile from the middle of a park unnoticed?
Maybe all of a SK's ToL are so young their aura never goes beyond the walls of the SK's inner sactum. Heh, maybe the SKs trim the trees on purpose, keeping them small forever.
But why stop with only defilers being able to access the spell. I could see a simular item that could be given to a good preserver by a druid for defending their guarded lands, effectivly allowing a spell caster to cast spells anywhere and not have to worry about the possibility of defiling. The preserved would gain alot from such an item due to the fact that if a defiler did draw too much during a day of heavy spellcasting, they could kill the tree, whereas a preserver would not.
I like the idea and it is close to the Rod of Spell Fuel that I created Greyorm- but more powerful due to it being linked to a living Tree of Life.
Greyorm's amulet will be specifically mentionned in the writeup as the only method of gathering energy that works against that material. The stream of life energy simply arcs above or around the material to get to its destination (unless of course the tree of life is enclosed in a spherical wall made of this material).
Its still in a "first pass" phase, so we will need all the help we can get from the rule-moguls out there to work out the kinks and streamline the wording. In the mean time, enjoy!
Sanctum Amulet: This wooden amulet is carved in a form symbolic to the Sorcerer-Monarch that has commissionned its creation. It is used to give a royal defiler access to a tree of life from the Sorcerer-Monarch’s personal grove, thus protecting the vegetation of the monarch’s city and surrounding fields while still giving the defiler the power to fuel his spells. The amulet must be carved from a piece of wood taken from a still living tree of life. Because of this link, if the tree of life is ever destroyed, the amulet loses all its powers.
When worn by a wizard in the process of casting a spell, the amulet takes the life energy directly from the tree of life it is linked to in lieu of the wizard’s energy gathering, as if the wizard were casting the spell within the tree’s aura of protection; the wearer can amplify his arcane spells or nullify the effects of his defiling radius, but cannot sustain vegetation within that radius.
The wood that composes a sanctum amulet ages at the same rate as the tree of life it is linked to. A least sanctum amulet that reaches 25 years of age, for example, can be enchanted anew to become a lesser sanctum amulet.
Each amulet functions within a set range, beyond which the wizard using the amulet must power his spells using his energy gathering. The amulet can be used until there is only 1 HD left to the tree of life, at which point the amulet stops functionning until the tree heals at least one negative level.
Sanctum Amulet, Least: A least sanctum amulet must be carved from a tree of life of at least 1 year of age and can be used to power spells of 3rd level or lower, up to 1 mile away from its linked tree of life.
Faint transmutation; CL 3rd; Craft Wondrous Item, hand of the sorcerer-king; Price 10,000 Cp.
Sanctum Amulet, Lesser: A lesser sanctum amulet is identical to a least sanctum’s amulet, except that it comes from a tree of life of more than 25 years of age and can be used to power spells of 6th level or lower. This amulet can be used up to 5 miles away from its linked tree of life.
Moderate transmutation; CL 9th; Craft Wondrous Item, hand of the sorcerer-king; Price 50,000 Cp.
Sanctum Amulet, Greater: This amulet is one of the most powerful available, trusted only to the most loyal of royal defilers. A greater sanctum amulet is identical to a least sanctum amulet, except that it comes from a tree of life of 400 or more years of age and can be used to power spells of 9th level or lower. This amulet can be used up to 100 miles away from its linked tree of life.
Strong transmutation; CL 15th; Craft Wondrous Item, hand of the sorcerer-king; Price 100,000 Cp.
A surge of translucent veridian life energy arced through the air from some distant site to strike down upon black-robed Kelvar, swirling around him in a horrid vortex that sounded of dying screams, and vaguely hinted at skeletal claws and jawless skulls never quite glimpsed. The snarling lion's-head amulet hung in plain view upon his chest drank in the spectral, emerald vortex as it whirled, and began glowing like the flame of a brilliant bonfire.
But few had time to ponder or appreciate such subtle aesthetics, for the energy of the spell was released as quickly as it came. Dark bolts laced with thin veins of crackling jade streaked towards their targets to consume their flesh in dark flames tinged with the same sickly jade flickers and flashes.
Kelvar lowered his hands and smiled grimly at the charred, pain-twisted corpses...all that remained of these rebellious citizens who had dared plot against their Sorcerer-King and interrupt Kelvar's secret rituals. He allowed the last few tendrils of life energy to course through him and curl down around his fingers, his face slack from the ecstasy...and yet the ground at his feet bore no signs of his **** of life energy.
Far away, a tree moaned and shuddered.
Ok, here is Greyorm's item, made by Methvezem with very little feedback from me.
Its still in a "first pass" phase, so we will need all the help we can get from the rule-moguls out there to work out the kinks and streamline the wording. In the mean time, enjoy!
Thanks Pennarin for the editing and the posting.
Greyworm, your short story was very inspiring and I wanted from the very first to design this item you were writing about.
As Pennarin said so eloquently, this item is still in its first stage of development, so I need feedback and comments from you all.
Question- can the defiler increase the DC and caster level of his spells with this item- like if they were drawing energy from a verdant area- such as a forest.
I think this would be a very important thing to mention for this item.
I might also change the name to something like Amulet of the Life Tree or something else due to the fact that I see no reason that a preserver would not be able to use the item- as I said in my first post on this thread. Just my two bits though.
Here is another question- I think that the spell discription of Create Tree of Life has it as only being a cleric/druid spell. Are there any plans on changing this to allow wizards to create them. My only reason for asking is that several of the SK's have alot of these trees, and I just do not see a powerful cleric or druid willingly making these for the biggest defilers on the planet. Just a thought.
Are there any plans on changing this to allow wizards to create them. My only reason for asking is that several of the SK's have alot of these trees, and I just do not see a powerful cleric or druid willingly making these for the biggest defilers on the planet.
It was done intentionally.
If you look under the Gulg entry in Veiled Alliance, you'll see in the section on the background history of Portynx that Aukash moved around a tree of life from one place to another, proof that a SK can steal a tree of life created by others.
I might also change the name to something like Amulet of the Life Tree or something else due to the fact that I see no reason that a preserver would not be able to use the item- as I said in my first post on this thread. Just my two bits though.
These items are specifically made by SKs. Any other wizard could create them, but the people who developped these items, and most commonly use them, are SKs and their lackeys, why everyone who knows of these amulets knows their background.
Also, I'm not sure a druid would make such an item for a preserver friend. Preserving has nearly no effect on the land, and if a druid already doesn't like a preserver, its not an amulet that's gonna save the preserver.
Question- can the defiler increase the DC and caster level of his spells with this item- like if they were drawing energy from a verdant area- such as a forest.
Kalthandrix, the item says you draw energy from the tree as if you were inside its aura of protection, so I invite you to read the tree's ability again:
Aura of Protection (Su): A tree of life extends a protective aura to nearby vegetation in a radius depending on the tree’s age, as noted on the table below. The aura has two effects.
A tree of life amplifies arcane spells cast near it as though they were cast in abundant terrain, but it nullifies the effects of a wizard’s defiling radius on plants and living creatures. Each time the tree provides energy for a spell cast by a defiler, it takes one negative level per spell level. The energy for a spell cast within range of multiple trees of life is supplied evenly by all the trees, and any negative levels are divided among them.
In addition, the ground within the radius is able to sustain vegetation, as the rejuvenate spell, growing a carpet of green grass at the very least. The ground is fertile regardless of previous damage by a defiler’s radius. Weather does not harm the tree or any terrain within its protective aura.
A couple of questions/considerations:
Why put a 100 mile limit on the greater amulets? It seems too short a distance to me. Why not unlimited?
Perhaps make a notation that the Sorcerer-kings who create the amulets also usually ward them further, to prevent the casting of specific spells with them, to bind them to the owner they've given them to, to explode if the Sorcerer-king wants the wearer dead, etc. But that these are additional enchantments placed upon the object by the SK, not inherent properties of the item.
Also note, in the short story, I have described the energy as visibly arcing through the air from somewhere else (from the tree, obviously). You may wish to add this notation to the description.
but cannot sustain vegetation within that radius.
Perhaps I am being dense, but what does this statement mean?
I don't know how to say it better than that...
It refers to the ToL's Aura of Protection: it regenerates terrain within its radius. It specifically does not do that for the amulet wearer.
Why put a 100 mile limit on the greater amulets? It seems too short a distance to me. Why not unlimited?
I guess its a way of controlling the wearer: he has to stay within that radius to use the amulet. It makes it impossible for such a wizard to use the power in the service of another SK by defecting. Makes it easier for the SK to find the wizard if he goes rogue.
Also note, in the short story, I have described the energy as visibly arcing through the air from somewhere else (from the tree, obviously). You may wish to add this notation to the description.
DS3 does not mention how the energy looks and behaves when its gathered by a wizard. As such, I'm not describing it either. A DM can say the energy is teleported or that it travels the distance really really fast.
Perhaps make a notation that the Sorcerer-kings......usually ward them further......these are additional enchantments placed upon the object by the SK, not inherent properties of the item.
If someone can come up with such a description, very short, i could put it in, but it would have to be very streamlined.
Perhaps I am being dense, but what does this statement mean?
I don't know how to say it better than that...
It refers to the ToL's Aura of Protection: it regenerates terrain within its radius. It specifically does not do that for the amulet wearer.
I think you can leave that out entirely. If people are interpreting the amulet in that way it is the fualt of their insanity
, not a failure on your part to explain. :DAlso note, in the short story, I have described the energy as visibly arcing through the air from somewhere else (from the tree, obviously). You may wish to add this notation to the description.
DS3 does not mention how the energy looks and behaves when its gathered by a wizard. As such, I'm not describing it either. A DM can say the energy is teleported or that it travels the distance really really fast.
To think of it, the ToL entry in TotDL does not mention or attempt to describe how the normal energy gathering process of a wizard is replaced by the aura of protection, just that it is.