Adaptors - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Adaptors

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
zombiegleemax
Jan 19, 2007 12:33:25 A wondrous race of shapechangers appeared in D&D Master Set, adaptors. They are not native of Mystara. They are planars. Maybe. They have strange adaptations powers and stranger weapons (flaming tubes and the like), that seem to be technological. But they are also skilled swordplayers...

Today, I'm Spelljammer and Planescape wise. And I wonder if adaptors have a place in the TSR cosmology.
Where are they from? What level of technology do they have?
#2
havard
Jan 19, 2007 12:57:16 Multipost, please ignore and see below:
#3
havard
Jan 19, 2007 13:11:03
A wondrous race of shapechangers appeared in D&D Master Set, adaptors. They are not native of Mystara. They are planars. Maybe. They have strange adaptations powers and stranger weapons (flaming tubes and the like), that seem to be technological. But they are also skilled swordplayers...

Today, I'm Spelljammer and Planescape wise. And I wonder if adaptors have a place in the TSR cosmology.
Where are they from? What level of technology do they have?

Years ago, there were some discussions about there being a civlization of Adaptors close to the Galactic Federation, near the Mystaran Galaxy's core. I think it may have been Cthulhudrew or Marco who suggested this.

I could easily see the Beagle having brought a few Adaptors with them to Mystara and they could have survived all this time...

I also had this theory about a race of shape changers creating the myth of the 'Eldar' from the Dragonlord Trilogy. In the DL books, it is said that elves and dragons both descend from the Eldar a race which could take both elven and draconic form. I never liked this, so my idea was that another race who could indeed take both dragon and elf form had created this myth to give themselves power. The Adaptors could be involved here too...

Not really answering your question though, am I? :P

Havard
#4
ripvanwormer
Jan 19, 2007 13:20:16
And I wonder if adaptors have a place in the TSR cosmology.

No, they've never appeared anywhere but the Mystara Monstrous Compendium Appendix and one or two of the modules in the Immortal series. This is a shame, as I think they're a very intriguing monster. Planescape didn't even mention them (which is strange, as most other Mystaran planar creatures did get mentioned in Planescape).

My personal theory links them to the keepers from the Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix II. The keepers are mysterious, alien Man in Black-type beings whose purpose is to surpress information. They were said to originally come from another reality, brought into this one by a man who had the ability to find the universe that had - out of all the infinite possible realities - exactly what he thought he was looking for. He wanted beings that would protect the secret of searching alternate universes, and he found the keepers. They did their job too well, though, protecting the secret by killing the only person who knew it - the man who had summoned them. Now they wander the planes, still following their ancient directive by picking secrets almost arbitrarily and destroying or intimidating those who know them.

My theory is that the man who summoned the keepers also summoned the adaptors - the adaptors, as we know, are driven to collect knowledge, so they seem obvious complements to the keepers. They search the multiverse to collect knowledge that might have been useful to their long-dead summoner, and the keepers appear later on to make sure that no one else knows what the adaptors know. They might war with the adaptors, too, at this late date - surreptitious skirmishes, quickly covered up and never spoken of outside the two races.

It's said the adaptors no longer know exactly where they came from, and the thing they're really searching for is the secret to their own origins.

From the perspective of Frank Mentzer's cosmology, they probably come from an obscure technological Outer Plane related to the Sphere of Thought, maybe destroyed in a battle with an Immortal of Entropy. But that's not nearly as interesting.
#5
Hugin
Jan 19, 2007 16:46:18 I love that theory, Rip! I'm not very familiar with details of Planescape, but I sure do like this idea for Mystara. Adventure ideas are already forming in my head. Have you developed this any further?
#6
ripvanwormer
Jan 20, 2007 0:52:28
Have you developed this any further?

Not really. I had some other ideas for things that might have been discovered/created by the same person (the Arcane/mercanes, Sigil, the Lady of Pain...) but it's all just wild speculation.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 zombiegleemax Jan 19, 2007 12:33:25	A wondrous race of shapechangers appeared in D&D Master Set, adaptors. They are not native of Mystara. They are planars. Maybe. They have strange adaptations powers and stranger weapons (flaming tubes and the like), that seem to be technological. But they are also skilled swordplayers... Today, I'm Spelljammer and Planescape wise. And I wonder if adaptors have a place in the TSR cosmology. Where are they from? What level of technology do they have?
#2 havard Jan 19, 2007 12:57:16	Multipost, please ignore and see below:
#3 havard Jan 19, 2007 13:11:03	A wondrous race of shapechangers appeared in D&D Master Set, adaptors. They are not native of Mystara. They are planars. Maybe. They have strange adaptations powers and stranger weapons (flaming tubes and the like), that seem to be technological. But they are also skilled swordplayers... Today, I'm Spelljammer and Planescape wise. And I wonder if adaptors have a place in the TSR cosmology. Where are they from? What level of technology do they have? Years ago, there were some discussions about there being a civlization of Adaptors close to the Galactic Federation, near the Mystaran Galaxy's core. I think it may have been Cthulhudrew or Marco who suggested this. I could easily see the Beagle having brought a few Adaptors with them to Mystara and they could have survived all this time... I also had this theory about a race of shape changers creating the myth of the 'Eldar' from the Dragonlord Trilogy. In the DL books, it is said that elves and dragons both descend from the Eldar a race which could take both elven and draconic form. I never liked this, so my idea was that another race who could indeed take both dragon and elf form had created this myth to give themselves power. The Adaptors could be involved here too... Not really answering your question though, am I? :P Havard
#4 ripvanwormer Jan 19, 2007 13:20:16	And I wonder if adaptors have a place in the TSR cosmology. No, they've never appeared anywhere but the Mystara Monstrous Compendium Appendix and one or two of the modules in the Immortal series. This is a shame, as I think they're a very intriguing monster. Planescape didn't even mention them (which is strange, as most other Mystaran planar creatures did get mentioned in Planescape). My personal theory links them to the keepers from the Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix II. The keepers are mysterious, alien Man in Black-type beings whose purpose is to surpress information. They were said to originally come from another reality, brought into this one by a man who had the ability to find the universe that had - out of all the infinite possible realities - exactly what he thought he was looking for. He wanted beings that would protect the secret of searching alternate universes, and he found the keepers. They did their job too well, though, protecting the secret by killing the only person who knew it - the man who had summoned them. Now they wander the planes, still following their ancient directive by picking secrets almost arbitrarily and destroying or intimidating those who know them. My theory is that the man who summoned the keepers also summoned the adaptors - the adaptors, as we know, are driven to collect knowledge, so they seem obvious complements to the keepers. They search the multiverse to collect knowledge that might have been useful to their long-dead summoner, and the keepers appear later on to make sure that no one else knows what the adaptors know. They might war with the adaptors, too, at this late date - surreptitious skirmishes, quickly covered up and never spoken of outside the two races. It's said the adaptors no longer know exactly where they came from, and the thing they're really searching for is the secret to their own origins. From the perspective of Frank Mentzer's cosmology, they probably come from an obscure technological Outer Plane related to the Sphere of Thought, maybe destroyed in a battle with an Immortal of Entropy. But that's not nearly as interesting.
#5 Hugin Jan 19, 2007 16:46:18	I love that theory, Rip! I'm not very familiar with details of Planescape, but I sure do like this idea for Mystara. Adventure ideas are already forming in my head. Have you developed this any further?
#6 ripvanwormer Jan 20, 2007 0:52:28	Have you developed this any further? Not really. I had some other ideas for things that might have been discovered/created by the same person (the Arcane/mercanes, Sigil, the Lady of Pain...) but it's all just wild speculation.