The Pristine Tower can be used as an origin for someone wanting to play a warforged, shifter or changeling from the Eberron setting. Or maybe the player wishes to play a race that has shown up in one of the books of Races or some other sourcebook. All races, as far as I'm concerned, are available as a one-shot deal. They would be the only one with those stats in the game. The uniqueness of the concept could really appeal to many players. Not to mention some of the roleplay you can get out of it.
It doesn't even have to be a literal translation either. Someone could take the stats of an ogre but descibe himself completely different. Using the stats could just be the jumping off point. The Pristine Tower strikes me a great plot device for the game.
Thoughts?
Because of the novels, I struck upon the idea of making a New Race template, something that would not only account for the PT stuff, but also evolutionary jumps and mutations that as prevailant in DS.
I have not worked on it much lately, due to other committments on on-going projects, but it is something that I have not abandoned.
As far as allowing players to play a New Race, as long as it was quite a bit different than anything currently established in Dark Sun I think I'd let a player go with it. I haven't done so, but now that you mention it it's a good idea. The only "non-DS" race anyone has ever asked to play is an Elan (I don't have 'em in my campaign), but that's not really something appropriate for a New Race anyway.
As far as the New Races in general are concerned, if I'd ever needed any (which I haven't yet, but I've definitely thought about it) I was just going to apply templates, most likely those from Savage Species. Keeps the idea that the New Races were once something else while still adding the New Race "complete makeover" to 'em.
I remember an interesting set of options used under the skills and power set of 2ed. You could really customize and tweek a Tower Freak. Not sure about any 3.5 stuff that does that. it might be out there though.
I draw a comparison between The Pristine Tower and the force of Chaos in the Warhammer setting. The Pristine Tower will mutate and warp anything in it's vicinity and the Pristine Tower was the cause for the creation of the Rebirth Races.
I have old 2ndE New Race rules that allowed for all kinds of mutations. They were rarely used but for the occasional NPC, but really fun when I did use them.
A veritable walking treasure hoard on two legs ! :D
I agree with Brax though, a Pristine tower / swamp mutation article would be very interesting.
Dregoth Ascending Part III: The Ascension has the Pristine Tower as the location of the final showdown. The adventure also contains a table with possible mutations.
When is that going to be released?
http://www.athas.org/releases/dregothascending/DA_part3.pdf
It is still in the play test version, as I think thee are some fixes yet needed and the much promised stats for the other 3 SKs were, IIRC, to be added to the adventure too - well at least in one oo the 3 DA adventures were susposed to have them in it.
I think I've looked at that page 50 time without seeing the links at the bottom.
The pristine tower is certainly a possible origin for any strange creature (ones inspired from other settings included), I would be careful to remember that they are not actually a member of said race, though and have none of the heritage and cultural background of that race. It would also be a good idea to put a few little twists in the character to make them really feel like they are a new race and not merely a Drow on Athas or what have you.
Everyone wants to play the Drow...
Everyone wants to play the Drow...
That is why I choose it as my example;)
http://www.wizards.com/d20/files/msrd/FutureMutations.rtf
Yeah... I'm feeling dumb. I totally was thinking 'Were the hell is that adventure?'
:D np man! We all have days like that...some of them just actually last for a few months in a few cases ;)
The big mystery I would like to know that is mentioned in DA I is this ( and I have asked this question SEVERAL times), but where is the RIFT spell that is mentioned in DA I that Dregoth uses on his undeady giant bodyguards!!!
Oh - and to keep on topic - I will have the New Race template done sometime soon. I am also currently working on a revision of some Epic material with "someone", and have a few new PrCs and an undead template on the burners - which will be much more actively worked on after I get the Appendix II to Jon (which will be this Friday the 15th).
IMO, Drow's an excellent example of what *not* to do with the Pristine Tower mutations. Innate magical abilities on a generic elf, with, gasp, different skin color. :D
He would be very very short by DS standards as well.;)
True. But can we agree that innate magical power isn't something that comes from a random PT mutation? Or am I missing something?
I agree with that - at this point in Athas' history I think that innate psionic powers could possible be spawned, or at least the potential for future generations of said New Race (assuming more than a single one of 'em is created) to be born with psionic powers is there, but *definitely* no magical powers.
I'm pretty sure that every single DS source relating to the New Races and Pristine Tower mutations has described them as being purely physical, so I'd hope no one expects a beholder to pop up.
On the other hand, *somehow* Athas did wind up with Rebirth races that were magical in nature, have special abilities, etc. But I think that was a little different than the New Races - seems to me like the NR's tend to be "born" with no better evolutionary direction than a very basic organism type - reptilian, plant, bird, etc. - which "modifies" whatever their natural shape would otherwise be.
IIRC there are also swamp-related mutations, and I don't have a problem with any of those giving innate magic or psionics.
Psionics were aways meant to take the place of spontaneous magical ability in the setting.... and I know this might not be the best source according to some, but Cinnabar Shadows featured a character that was a new race and manifested unique psionic abilities.
I think just from a conceptual stand point, it wan't intended for living creatures on athas to ever be innately magical unless they were infused with the power of one of the elements or had a direct connection to the spirit of the land. Since niether of those can be accomplished via the pristine tower's mutanagetic effects, innate magic is out of the picture.
Out of the PT picture, but check out Reggelids. The swamp has its own mutagenic effects, and innate magic seems to be in the picture.
Psionics were aways meant to take the place of spontaneous magical ability in the setting.... and I know this might not be the best source according to some, but Cinnabar Shadows featured a character that was a new race and manifested unique psionic abilities.
I very much liked that one. But she was a product of design, not a random tower mutation.
Psionics were aways meant to take the place of spontaneous magical ability in the setting.... and I know this might not be the best source according to some, but Cinnabar Shadows featured a character that was a new race and manifested unique psionic abilities.
I believe that was Mahtra. There was, if I'm not wistaken, the character Magnus in the Amber Enchantress, who was an elf who had been changed by the Pristine Tower. He had the abilities of an earth cleric, I think. There may have been others, but it has been over ten and close to fifteen years since I read the books.
Out of the PT picture, but check out Reggelids. The swamp has its own mutagenic effects, and innate magic seems to be in the picture.
Well, I suppose there are a few exceptions.
I believe that was Mahtra. There was, if I'm not wistaken, the character Magnus in the Amber Enchantress, who was an elf who had been changed by the Pristine Tower. He had the abilities of an earth cleric, I think. There may have been others, but it has been over ten and close to fifteen years since I read the books.
I hope that you are not implying that because he was a creature twisted by the PT, that it was this factor that gave him clerical abilities? The Elemental Lords give their power to those who have made the Pact - I think that the easiest explanation for his powers was the he worshipped the elements.
I hope that you are not implying that because he was a creature twisted by the PT, that it was this factor that gave him clerical abilities? The Elemental Lords give their power to those who have made the Pact - I think that the easiest explanation for his powers was the he worshipped the elements.
agreed
I hope that you are not implying that because he was a creature twisted by the PT, that it was this factor that gave him clerical abilities? The Elemental Lords give their power to those who have made the Pact - I think that the easiest explanation for his powers was the he worshipped the elements.
Hardly. I was only pointing out that I remember him having the abilities of an earth cleric. I never implied that this was due to his race or anything else. In game terms I would assume that he had levels of cleric. Now, that being said, it is possible that as a new creature that his changes gave him benefits towards being an earth cleric, but I don't think that he gained cleric abilities from the Pristine Tower. Clearer now?
I hope that you are not implying that because he was a creature twisted by the PT, that it was this factor that gave him clerical abilities? The Elemental Lords give their power to those who have made the Pact - I think that the easiest explanation for his powers was the he worshipped the elements.
While I absolutely agree that Magnus had his powers through worship, just like any other elemental cleric, the prevailing theory now as I understand for the SKs' ability to channel spell energy has to do with the Pristine Tower. I don't quite understand why that's the prevailing theory, given the older stuff on living vortices.
Magnus was a Windsinger, the Elven tradition of Air clerics, not Earth.
Ah, well, there you go. I thought it was earth. Haven't read the Amber Enchantress for close to fifteen years.
Hardly. I was only pointing out that I remember him having the abilities of an earth cleric. I never implied that this was due to his race or anything else. In game terms I would assume that he had levels of cleric. Now, that being said, it is possible that as a new creature that his changes gave him benefits towards being an earth cleric, but I don't think that he gained cleric abilities from the Pristine Tower. Clearer now?
No problem - I just wanted to be sure :D
And I agree with you - it is possible that his New Race type gave him an edge in being a windsinger - maybe a higher natural Wisdom, keen ears, ect...
The New Race template is underway and I can already see that this is going to be quite a task, but I think it will be great when all is said and done. It is not really a template as I am making it - templates are things added to existing creatures. The route I am going will allow for building a New Race from the ground up - skipping a base race or creature. That is not to say that I am totally skipping have material that can be taken and applied to base creatures, but I am allowing for a huge variation in creatures.
I have 2e charts for randomly generating New Men races that may help. You're more than weclome to them Kal.
Sure - thanks!
You got my e-mail so just send me what you got
The party was up around level 14, and we had really ****** off Draj by ruining his domination plans and were currently running away from... Well, an army of undead. One of his mages managed to intercept us near the Pristine Tower, but I won initiative.
I went for the trip attack (DM rolls his eyes). Of course, the ranged touch was no problem, but for the opposed trip roll, I got the ever sought-after Natural 20! The DM looked at me with a shocked smile, which quickly took a malicious turn.
The mage's turn was used to dominate my half-giant friend who picked up the halfling and used him as a club against a big rock.
I didn't die, but the DM gave a very graphic detail of my bones all breaking and moving to the outside of my body over the next few days and then reforming into a solid exoskeleton, along with four additional arms growing out of my sides. (Insectile Template)
I think just from a conceptual stand point, it wan't intended for living creatures on athas to ever be innately magical unless they were infused with the power of one of the elements or had a direct connection to the spirit of the land. Since niether of those can be accomplished via the pristine tower's mutanagetic effects, innate magic is out of the picture.
The swamp has its own mutagenic effects, and innate magic seems to be in the picture.
Both of these statements make some sense to me.
The Pristine Tower was created by the nature-masters significantly prior to the existence of arcane magic, so it probably wouldn't induce innate magical ability of that sort. And off hand I can't recall any mention of clerics being involved in the project, so maybe not their sort either.
On the other hand Rajaat invented arcane magic so it doesn't seem out of the question to me that his experiments would grant some abilities along those lines.
Maybe this is old hat to the folks around here, but) I always used to think that the Pristine Tower's mutational effect was kind of a random set of bells and whistles tacked on to make it more "ooh" mysterious and pad the story length. But recently I'd been reconsidering and it actually makes more sense to me now:
The Tower was created by life-shapers, folks who, though talented in certain ways, didn't have alot of the fancy inanimate-world-altering abilities provided by "magic". Since they wouldn't have had "magic" as such to employ how does the tower work? My pet theory is that the tower is some sort of powerful mutagenic vector directed at the sun.
In the life-shaper's way of thinking maybe the sun it's self is alive in some way, and since they could alter living things (apparently using "life force" as a mediator in some cases) they could in some way shape the sun as well. They just needed a powerful enough tool to help with the task. Something like the Pristine Tower.
In this light it the mutational effects of the tower make more sense to me. If it was originally designed to cause one extremely powerful mutation, it's not too tough to believe that the random mutations to individuals are a sort of recoil or sprayback from this effect.
It would also make sense then that the tower would be a useful tool for the later arcane magic rituals that came about, specifically any powerful ritual that involved changing one creature into something else. You've got all the power you need right there, the only trick would be to constrain what the creature in question is being changed into.
The big mystery I would like to know that is mentioned in DA I is this ( and I have asked this question SEVERAL times), but where is the RIFT spell that is mentioned in DA I that Dregoth uses on his undeady giant bodyguards!!!
Rift-10th level spell in Dragon Kings. I haven't read DA so I don't know if its the same spell, but the one in DK is a necromantic spell that improves the abilities of undead.
Does it need to be? From the sounds of it, rift has the same effects as a desecrate or an unhallowed spell.
Rift was much better than Desecrate or Unhallowed. The undead have their hp total multiplied by 9, so a 5hp Skelie is 45hp. It wouldn't be hard to recreate it under Epic casting, as it's one of the most basic of the psionic enchantments...
Speaking of Psionic Enchantments, has there been an official release of them besides the Advanced Beings?