What the heck are "Oerthmagic" and "qullan?" - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

What the heck are "Oerthmagic" and "qullan?"

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
zombiegleemax
Sep 17, 2003 18:18:58 The LGG entry for Blackmoor states that "The lands of Blackmoor are steeped in magic , often called Oerthmagic, the source of which has not yet been identified." How does this Oerthmagic work exactly?

Also, it mentions a race called the qullan which are "elite nonhuman shock troops" for the Egg of Coot. What is a qullan? Where did they come from, what do they look like and how do they behave?

Thanks.
#2
erik_mona
Sep 17, 2003 19:52:30 Oerthmagic is a kind of natural magic that has something to do with the Land of Black Ice. It had never, to my knowledge, been mentioned prior to the LGG, and was more or less a throw-away reference for DMs to develop themselves. Something about Oerthmagic has a power over Iuz, and he will not move against Blackmoor because of it.

From the Living Greyhawk Journal, issue 4: "Qullans are seemingly insane humanoids adorned with tattoos, warpaint, and ritual scarring. They wield longswords sharpened to an incredible edge.
"Never wearing armor and either travelling naked or clad in animal skins, qullans are primitive beings that glorify destruction and chaos. Eight or more feet tall, they ritually scar themselves and adorn their battle scars with tattoos and warpaint. Filled with hate for other intelligent creatures, qullans never cooperate with other creatures and attack beings of all alignments. Despite their limited skills in metalworking, they have an innate talent for sharpening swords until they strike more accurately than any masterwork blade."

They're Large humanoids with 2d8+4 HD. They have a confusion aura (Su) equal to a confusion spell in a 5 ft. radius. Other qullans are immune to this effect. They also provide anyone attempting to mentally control them with a nasty shock of mental feedback, and have a secret method of sharpening weapons, giving them a +3 bonus to attack (with a 20% cumulative chance of ruining the weapon with each hit made).

There's some more info in the magazine, which also details the Silent Ones of Keoland, dune stalkers, the necrophidius, and new creatures called Nyrrian boatcrushers. The issue also includes an article on Greyhawk's Clerkburg written by yours truly.

--Erik Mona
Editor-in-Chief
Dungeon Magazine
#3
zombiegleemax
Sep 17, 2003 21:09:34 Not to contradict my esteemed editor,

But I think this is all of a kind, with the Oerthblood, ley lines, Dweornite, Helices, and other magical "substrates" hinted at by Carl Sargent in his works....as well as the magical substances mentioned in Greyhawk Ruins.

My theory:

There are pockets of magical stuff (think of it as "raw elemental magic") buried in the Oerth, like veins of ore.....joined together by "ley lines". The more concentrated this stuff is, the more special the place, like the Land of Black Ice, Causeway of Fiends, Blackstone, or beneath Castle Greyhawk. Perhaps this is the purpose of various stone circles marked by the Flannish Old Faith. Those in the know, such as various Archmages, Quasi-Deities, and Fiendish Magnates, seek these places out to control them and draw power from them. Sometimes the power proves their undoing....

-PSE
#4
grodog
Sep 17, 2003 21:25:30 Well said PS. Let's not forget that Oerthblood (which relates to Oerthmagik how, if at all?) has ties to various artifacts, relics, and sites of Infinite Cosmic Power like the Fortress of Unknown Depths.

For the curious, here are the Oerth X references of relevance on this subject (from, as always, Jason Zavoda's index):

Oerth Stone [ITM]
DRG#294 Pg# - 93

Oerthblood [ITM]
DRG#294 Pg# - 93
RTO8 Pg# - 2,33,47,48

Oerthmagic [?]
LGG Pg# - 34

Oerthmagik [BK]
DRG#200 Pg# - 39,41

See also some comments in the LGJ #10 artifacts article in Dragon 294....
#5
Argon
Sep 17, 2003 23:09:04 I always enjoyed the idea of gnolls in Blackmoor. In Fact I made them the main species of Blackmoor. Now you can say that the Oerthmagik is the true source of blood magic. But unlike traditional blood magic Blackmoor feeds only upon Celestial or Demonic entities. The lands of Blackmoor are godless as no standing clergy of anytype is evident their.
These qullans that you speak of could be as previous described or an off shot of gnoll. The reason for their unusal amount of insanity could be a direct effect of the abundance of Oerthmagik apparent in Blackmoor. One theory states that the magic the old gods used to encase Tharizdun was laced with high levels of the Oerthmagik. Another theory could be that Oerth magik has a side effect on extraplanar creatures either returning them to their place of origin or drawing upon ecclesiastical essences to sustain Oerth herself.
Which ever of these theries you choose is up to you. You may even come up with one of your own. That's one of the thing's I enjoy about a world. Secrets, yes, secrets this is what makes the game a little bit more interesting.
#6
zombiegleemax
Sep 18, 2003 2:22:40 Ooh, I like G's theory. Here's some more postulations :D

Imagine, if you will, a bolt of lightning, solidified and emanating out from the core of the planet. This is the nervous system of Oerth, the tendrils along which power crackles and magic is drawn. Being a natural occurance (for this planet), they follow natural proclivities such as being eroded and following various subterrenean routes and creating junctures of power. These are known as ley-lines. Theories of ley-lines in the real world say that they are actually subterrenean flows of water, aquifers, so associating them with the Underoerth (many caverns are created by water or at least have water flowing through them) and the elements also gives it that primordial feel.

Oerthblood would have to be different... oil? A substance like oil that flows through the oerth, bring life and energy to every part of the planet and taking away the decaying and dying to be rejuvenated at the planets core (the heart), much like a real circulatory system works.

That way, you could have two types of Oerthblood: one that gives life and one that takes it away. Such is the nature of nature.

Some people dared mine Oerthblood (IIRC, Tenser is the one mining it with his tower, right?) and Oerthstone, seeking the power for themselves, and have tapped into a power beyond mortal reckoning, a power that can make and destroy whole worlds, and as such, few ever survive the process of dealing with it and those who do, usually end up insane or lost forever from the prime material plane; power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Such is why places like the Causeway of Fiends and the Cauldron of Night have become places of such horror, isolated from all but the foolhardy who seek them out. Such is also why Oerth, though living as much as any other organism in the universe, has no conscious mind (Beory, in this case, would not be the personification of Oerth), and is thus utterly neutral.

Cool stuff, I reckon.

It could also tie in with the whole, 'Magic is waning' theory on Oerth. The fact that these resources have been plundered and corrupted could be acting like a cancer on the world, slowly sapping its strength until it dwindles into nothing. And without magic, there would be no Oerth. Of course, the redoubtable Pluffet Smedger would be in a period when though magic has dwindled to virtually nothing, the planet is merely in a coma and as such will not fall apart for at least a millenia. Planet death takes a long time you know...
#7
erik_mona
Sep 18, 2003 13:22:19 I should note that I've been rereading the LGG (starting last night), and I agree with Gary about the Oerthmagic. I think there is a tie to the other things mentioned, and perhaps also the Oerth Stone in Castle Greyhawk (although I'm not such an expert on that bit of lore).

--Erik Mona
Editor-in-Chief
Dungeon Magazine
#8
zombiegleemax
Sep 19, 2003 12:34:04 I like Delglath's extrapolations.

In theory ley lines are flows of magical potential (to continue the electrical analogy.) These special places on Oerth, are like pools of this stuff, or "capacitors" as it were. Zagig built his Castle on top of one of the largest such storage places on the planet. Tenser discovered another and no doubt the Obsidian Citadel sits near another.

But I also like the idea that this stuff (elemental magic as it were)is highly miscible and transformable with regular matter. It can "crystalize" (dweornite and oerthstone), "liquify" (oerthblood), "aerosol" (Helices), or even just "radiate" (Hool Beacon, the Phostwood). More provocative is that it is not just an inert, neutral substance... that it can in fact be corrupted and become tainted with evil (or good to become a healing pool or fountain of youth) especially if some great evil act occurs in proximity to this stuff. Perhaps it was a torrent of this stuff launched that launcherd the Rain of "Colorless Fire"!

Perhaps, this might also explain why Underdark races are more inherently magical, due to their "exposure to magical radiation". It also reminds me of the black metallic substance that the drow mine to make their extremely powerful weapons and armor that distintegrates in sunlight.

Anyway, cool stuff. We should collect these musings together and make a coherent write-up of it.

-GLH
#9
zombiegleemax
Sep 19, 2003 20:15:00 Coherency is overrated, I prefer incomprehensible blatherings :D

Whenever I post to a forum, it's always 'stream of consciousness' stuff, or however you spell it. Everybody must suffer through my lack of grammar and spelling skills in my posts due to this lack of forethought or self-editing.

Anyhoo, I've changed my mind and much prefer the idea of this power source being mutable, as you explained. Taking so many forms and yet all being part of one thing: magic. I also like that magic be so intrinsically linked to the planet itself as this sits nicely as an answer to the many questions which pop-up in a fantasy world, such as how the subterranean races are more powerful, mano a mano, than their Oerthly counterparts.

And being so mutable it also allows for so very, very, very many possibilities and adventures. In fact, you could possibly write an entire series of modules relating back to this stuff, with all sorts of bizarre and wonderful connections and correlations. From druidic socities who seek to protect the various junctions of power (I would see true druids as being those who DON'T tap into this power, beyond using normal magics, as to them it would be like sucking the life out of the planet) and even seek to destroy those who utilize them (so THAT'S why there's a druid grove in Greyhawk city!), to dark druids (bah! so what if FR uses them, not like they didn't steal the concept from elsewhere...) who DO utilize the power. And tie-ins to the Seelie and Unseelie courts, the original elves, the first fae, created when the Oerth was young and conduits of such energy were abundant and flowed freely through the many forests and natural places. Oooh... and the encroachment of the other races, races who destroyed the natural places, yet another reason why magic is dying! The trees! The trees! Let's all become hippies and hug an Ipt tree for it is the only way to save Oerth!

Anyhoo, mutable is cool.
#10
zombiegleemax
Sep 21, 2003 16:48:48 Delgath, you just turned Greyhawk into a Darksun Campaign. You must atone by reading ALL of one of ROSE ESTES novels. Cover to Cover.
#11
zombiegleemax
Sep 21, 2003 20:35:05 *blink*

Huh?

I know very little about Darksun but I'm sure it doesn't have blood in the form of, and I quote, "But I also like the idea that this stuff (elemental magic as it were)is highly miscible and transformable with regular matter. It can "crystalize" (dweornite and oerthstone), "liquify" (oerthblood), "aerosol" (Helices), or even just "radiate" (Hool Beacon, the Phostwood). More provocative is that it is not just an inert, neutral substance... that it can in fact be corrupted and become tainted with evil (or good to become a healing pool or fountain of youth) especially if some great evil act occurs in proximity to this stuff. Perhaps it was a torrent of this stuff launched that launcherd the Rain of "Colorless Fire"!"

I think you're Rose Estes publisher and you're just trying to make me buy one of her books! :P
#12
zombiegleemax
Sep 22, 2003 0:50:41 I was referring to your druid vs dark druid ideas. It rings very close to defiliers vs. preserves in Darksun. There, Magic-Users (pre-Wizard and Sorcerer) draw energy to cast spells from the nearby plant life to cast spells. Draw to much, all the Plants wither and die and nothing grows in that area for hundreds of years. You should definately check out some material on it if you're going to develop Oerthmagic along those lines.
#13
zombiegleemax
Sep 22, 2003 5:44:37 Ah, ok, I didn't get the parrallel until you pointed it out. I guess there are similarities, however I was viewing it more from the opposite end of the stick. In other words, it's not really possible to draw so much energy that you'd kill off an area. When you think about it, it's a little ridiculous anyway. The way I was thinking about Oerthblood is more that it's like an ocean. If you drink five thousand litres in one second, it doesn't create a hole, since the ocean just fills up the area and it's not really even a... drop in the ocean.

It's hard to explain, I guess. To me, one litre of this stuff is powerful enough to create an artifact just by dipping a sword into it. But condensing enough of it to form a litre is difficult at best. Ninth level spells would use probably a tenth of a litre of such a powerful thing.

So the idea that an entire area could be made lifeless just by casting a spell is silly in this scenario. Such would require more power than even the gods wield. That doesn't discount spells that do such as this (I'm sure there's one in Tome & Blood that does something like this) as it's not the same thing. That's introducing negative energy into an area, not sucking the life out of it.

The Rain of Colourless Fire could've been the destructive result of utilizing an entire gallon of the stuff... perhaps it was the focus of a circle spell (several magi working together), maybe in its crystalized form, perhaps the crystal.

And as for the whole druid vs. dark druid thing... again, it's not unique to Darksun so I hardly think they deserve to lay claim to it.

Also, the idea that magic is waning as a result of planet's **** is wholly different from Darksun in that it is occuring in the opposite direction. It is not because magic is utilized that it is dying, it's because the world is being destroyed and being made lifeless that magic is waning. In fact, I see it as being that if you use magic, you are strengthening the bond between planet and magic, not weakening it. It's technology and a population which does not live in harmony with its environment, destroying and pillaging all its resources which makes magic weaker.
#14
Argon
Sep 22, 2003 6:07:42 Birthright took the view on magic that the less developed the land the more magic or untapped magical enegies were at your disposal. So Greyhawk City would have a low level while the towns of One Ford and Two ford would provide a mage with more resources to draw from. This could be another reason mages tend to stay clear of major cities. Dark Sun I see as being close to the Final Fantasy theory. Where the constant drilling of their magical crystals was leading to the death of their planet. In Dark Sun it was Defiler's that took from the land while Preserver's refrained from such world harming magic's. If you place this theory with the Birthright one you could explain things as follows.
Every aspect of magic is stronger in areas with little to no development, while it suffers in more developed areas. Preserver's are attuned to this and gauge their magics based on the Ley Lines which flow throw the land they preside upon. Defiler's draw up what ever enegies they need to complete their castings and many times the surrounding land suffers because a defiler over draws the natural flow of magic in the area.
In this way both theories support each other.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 zombiegleemax Sep 17, 2003 18:18:58	The LGG entry for Blackmoor states that "The lands of Blackmoor are steeped in magic , often called Oerthmagic, the source of which has not yet been identified." How does this Oerthmagic work exactly? Also, it mentions a race called the qullan which are "elite nonhuman shock troops" for the Egg of Coot. What is a qullan? Where did they come from, what do they look like and how do they behave? Thanks.
#2 erik_mona Sep 17, 2003 19:52:30	Oerthmagic is a kind of natural magic that has something to do with the Land of Black Ice. It had never, to my knowledge, been mentioned prior to the LGG, and was more or less a throw-away reference for DMs to develop themselves. Something about Oerthmagic has a power over Iuz, and he will not move against Blackmoor because of it. From the Living Greyhawk Journal, issue 4: "Qullans are seemingly insane humanoids adorned with tattoos, warpaint, and ritual scarring. They wield longswords sharpened to an incredible edge. "Never wearing armor and either travelling naked or clad in animal skins, qullans are primitive beings that glorify destruction and chaos. Eight or more feet tall, they ritually scar themselves and adorn their battle scars with tattoos and warpaint. Filled with hate for other intelligent creatures, qullans never cooperate with other creatures and attack beings of all alignments. Despite their limited skills in metalworking, they have an innate talent for sharpening swords until they strike more accurately than any masterwork blade." They're Large humanoids with 2d8+4 HD. They have a confusion aura (Su) equal to a confusion spell in a 5 ft. radius. Other qullans are immune to this effect. They also provide anyone attempting to mentally control them with a nasty shock of mental feedback, and have a secret method of sharpening weapons, giving them a +3 bonus to attack (with a 20% cumulative chance of ruining the weapon with each hit made). There's some more info in the magazine, which also details the Silent Ones of Keoland, dune stalkers, the necrophidius, and new creatures called Nyrrian boatcrushers. The issue also includes an article on Greyhawk's Clerkburg written by yours truly. --Erik Mona Editor-in-Chief Dungeon Magazine
#3 zombiegleemax Sep 17, 2003 21:09:34	Not to contradict my esteemed editor, But I think this is all of a kind, with the Oerthblood, ley lines, Dweornite, Helices, and other magical "substrates" hinted at by Carl Sargent in his works....as well as the magical substances mentioned in Greyhawk Ruins. My theory: There are pockets of magical stuff (think of it as "raw elemental magic") buried in the Oerth, like veins of ore.....joined together by "ley lines". The more concentrated this stuff is, the more special the place, like the Land of Black Ice, Causeway of Fiends, Blackstone, or beneath Castle Greyhawk. Perhaps this is the purpose of various stone circles marked by the Flannish Old Faith. Those in the know, such as various Archmages, Quasi-Deities, and Fiendish Magnates, seek these places out to control them and draw power from them. Sometimes the power proves their undoing.... -PSE
#4 grodog Sep 17, 2003 21:25:30	Well said PS. Let's not forget that Oerthblood (which relates to Oerthmagik how, if at all?) has ties to various artifacts, relics, and sites of Infinite Cosmic Power like the Fortress of Unknown Depths. For the curious, here are the Oerth X references of relevance on this subject (from, as always, Jason Zavoda's index): Oerth Stone [ITM] DRG#294 Pg# - 93 Oerthblood [ITM] DRG#294 Pg# - 93 RTO8 Pg# - 2,33,47,48 Oerthmagic [?] LGG Pg# - 34 Oerthmagik [BK] DRG#200 Pg# - 39,41 See also some comments in the LGJ #10 artifacts article in Dragon 294....
#5 Argon Sep 17, 2003 23:09:04	I always enjoyed the idea of gnolls in Blackmoor. In Fact I made them the main species of Blackmoor. Now you can say that the Oerthmagik is the true source of blood magic. But unlike traditional blood magic Blackmoor feeds only upon Celestial or Demonic entities. The lands of Blackmoor are godless as no standing clergy of anytype is evident their. These qullans that you speak of could be as previous described or an off shot of gnoll. The reason for their unusal amount of insanity could be a direct effect of the abundance of Oerthmagik apparent in Blackmoor. One theory states that the magic the old gods used to encase Tharizdun was laced with high levels of the Oerthmagik. Another theory could be that Oerth magik has a side effect on extraplanar creatures either returning them to their place of origin or drawing upon ecclesiastical essences to sustain Oerth herself. Which ever of these theries you choose is up to you. You may even come up with one of your own. That's one of the thing's I enjoy about a world. Secrets, yes, secrets this is what makes the game a little bit more interesting.
#6 zombiegleemax Sep 18, 2003 2:22:40	Ooh, I like G's theory. Here's some more postulations :D Imagine, if you will, a bolt of lightning, solidified and emanating out from the core of the planet. This is the nervous system of Oerth, the tendrils along which power crackles and magic is drawn. Being a natural occurance (for this planet), they follow natural proclivities such as being eroded and following various subterrenean routes and creating junctures of power. These are known as ley-lines. Theories of ley-lines in the real world say that they are actually subterrenean flows of water, aquifers, so associating them with the Underoerth (many caverns are created by water or at least have water flowing through them) and the elements also gives it that primordial feel. Oerthblood would have to be different... oil? A substance like oil that flows through the oerth, bring life and energy to every part of the planet and taking away the decaying and dying to be rejuvenated at the planets core (the heart), much like a real circulatory system works. That way, you could have two types of Oerthblood: one that gives life and one that takes it away. Such is the nature of nature. Some people dared mine Oerthblood (IIRC, Tenser is the one mining it with his tower, right?) and Oerthstone, seeking the power for themselves, and have tapped into a power beyond mortal reckoning, a power that can make and destroy whole worlds, and as such, few ever survive the process of dealing with it and those who do, usually end up insane or lost forever from the prime material plane; power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Such is why places like the Causeway of Fiends and the Cauldron of Night have become places of such horror, isolated from all but the foolhardy who seek them out. Such is also why Oerth, though living as much as any other organism in the universe, has no conscious mind (Beory, in this case, would not be the personification of Oerth), and is thus utterly neutral. Cool stuff, I reckon. It could also tie in with the whole, 'Magic is waning' theory on Oerth. The fact that these resources have been plundered and corrupted could be acting like a cancer on the world, slowly sapping its strength until it dwindles into nothing. And without magic, there would be no Oerth. Of course, the redoubtable Pluffet Smedger would be in a period when though magic has dwindled to virtually nothing, the planet is merely in a coma and as such will not fall apart for at least a millenia. Planet death takes a long time you know...
#7 erik_mona Sep 18, 2003 13:22:19	I should note that I've been rereading the LGG (starting last night), and I agree with Gary about the Oerthmagic. I think there is a tie to the other things mentioned, and perhaps also the Oerth Stone in Castle Greyhawk (although I'm not such an expert on that bit of lore). --Erik Mona Editor-in-Chief Dungeon Magazine
#8 zombiegleemax Sep 19, 2003 12:34:04	I like Delglath's extrapolations. In theory ley lines are flows of magical potential (to continue the electrical analogy.) These special places on Oerth, are like pools of this stuff, or "capacitors" as it were. Zagig built his Castle on top of one of the largest such storage places on the planet. Tenser discovered another and no doubt the Obsidian Citadel sits near another. But I also like the idea that this stuff (elemental magic as it were)is highly miscible and transformable with regular matter. It can "crystalize" (dweornite and oerthstone), "liquify" (oerthblood), "aerosol" (Helices), or even just "radiate" (Hool Beacon, the Phostwood). More provocative is that it is not just an inert, neutral substance... that it can in fact be corrupted and become tainted with evil (or good to become a healing pool or fountain of youth) especially if some great evil act occurs in proximity to this stuff. Perhaps it was a torrent of this stuff launched that launcherd the Rain of "Colorless Fire"! Perhaps, this might also explain why Underdark races are more inherently magical, due to their "exposure to magical radiation". It also reminds me of the black metallic substance that the drow mine to make their extremely powerful weapons and armor that distintegrates in sunlight. Anyway, cool stuff. We should collect these musings together and make a coherent write-up of it. -GLH
#9 zombiegleemax Sep 19, 2003 20:15:00	Coherency is overrated, I prefer incomprehensible blatherings :D Whenever I post to a forum, it's always 'stream of consciousness' stuff, or however you spell it. Everybody must suffer through my lack of grammar and spelling skills in my posts due to this lack of forethought or self-editing. Anyhoo, I've changed my mind and much prefer the idea of this power source being mutable, as you explained. Taking so many forms and yet all being part of one thing: magic. I also like that magic be so intrinsically linked to the planet itself as this sits nicely as an answer to the many questions which pop-up in a fantasy world, such as how the subterranean races are more powerful, mano a mano, than their Oerthly counterparts. And being so mutable it also allows for so very, very, very many possibilities and adventures. In fact, you could possibly write an entire series of modules relating back to this stuff, with all sorts of bizarre and wonderful connections and correlations. From druidic socities who seek to protect the various junctions of power (I would see true druids as being those who DON'T tap into this power, beyond using normal magics, as to them it would be like sucking the life out of the planet) and even seek to destroy those who utilize them (so THAT'S why there's a druid grove in Greyhawk city!), to dark druids (bah! so what if FR uses them, not like they didn't steal the concept from elsewhere...) who DO utilize the power. And tie-ins to the Seelie and Unseelie courts, the original elves, the first fae, created when the Oerth was young and conduits of such energy were abundant and flowed freely through the many forests and natural places. Oooh... and the encroachment of the other races, races who destroyed the natural places, yet another reason why magic is dying! The trees! The trees! Let's all become hippies and hug an Ipt tree for it is the only way to save Oerth! Anyhoo, mutable is cool.
#10 zombiegleemax Sep 21, 2003 16:48:48	Delgath, you just turned Greyhawk into a Darksun Campaign. You must atone by reading ALL of one of ROSE ESTES novels. Cover to Cover.
#11 zombiegleemax Sep 21, 2003 20:35:05	blink Huh? I know very little about Darksun but I'm sure it doesn't have blood in the form of, and I quote, "But I also like the idea that this stuff (elemental magic as it were)is highly miscible and transformable with regular matter. It can "crystalize" (dweornite and oerthstone), "liquify" (oerthblood), "aerosol" (Helices), or even just "radiate" (Hool Beacon, the Phostwood). More provocative is that it is not just an inert, neutral substance... that it can in fact be corrupted and become tainted with evil (or good to become a healing pool or fountain of youth) especially if some great evil act occurs in proximity to this stuff. Perhaps it was a torrent of this stuff launched that launcherd the Rain of "Colorless Fire"!" I think you're Rose Estes publisher and you're just trying to make me buy one of her books! :P
#12 zombiegleemax Sep 22, 2003 0:50:41	I was referring to your druid vs dark druid ideas. It rings very close to defiliers vs. preserves in Darksun. There, Magic-Users (pre-Wizard and Sorcerer) draw energy to cast spells from the nearby plant life to cast spells. Draw to much, all the Plants wither and die and nothing grows in that area for hundreds of years. You should definately check out some material on it if you're going to develop Oerthmagic along those lines.
#13 zombiegleemax Sep 22, 2003 5:44:37	Ah, ok, I didn't get the parrallel until you pointed it out. I guess there are similarities, however I was viewing it more from the opposite end of the stick. In other words, it's not really possible to draw so much energy that you'd kill off an area. When you think about it, it's a little ridiculous anyway. The way I was thinking about Oerthblood is more that it's like an ocean. If you drink five thousand litres in one second, it doesn't create a hole, since the ocean just fills up the area and it's not really even a... drop in the ocean. It's hard to explain, I guess. To me, one litre of this stuff is powerful enough to create an artifact just by dipping a sword into it. But condensing enough of it to form a litre is difficult at best. Ninth level spells would use probably a tenth of a litre of such a powerful thing. So the idea that an entire area could be made lifeless just by casting a spell is silly in this scenario. Such would require more power than even the gods wield. That doesn't discount spells that do such as this (I'm sure there's one in Tome & Blood that does something like this) as it's not the same thing. That's introducing negative energy into an area, not sucking the life out of it. The Rain of Colourless Fire could've been the destructive result of utilizing an entire gallon of the stuff... perhaps it was the focus of a circle spell (several magi working together), maybe in its crystalized form, perhaps the crystal. And as for the whole druid vs. dark druid thing... again, it's not unique to Darksun so I hardly think they deserve to lay claim to it. Also, the idea that magic is waning as a result of planet's **** is wholly different from Darksun in that it is occuring in the opposite direction. It is not because magic is utilized that it is dying, it's because the world is being destroyed and being made lifeless that magic is waning. In fact, I see it as being that if you use magic, you are strengthening the bond between planet and magic, not weakening it. It's technology and a population which does not live in harmony with its environment, destroying and pillaging all its resources which makes magic weaker.
#14 Argon Sep 22, 2003 6:07:42	Birthright took the view on magic that the less developed the land the more magic or untapped magical enegies were at your disposal. So Greyhawk City would have a low level while the towns of One Ford and Two ford would provide a mage with more resources to draw from. This could be another reason mages tend to stay clear of major cities. Dark Sun I see as being close to the Final Fantasy theory. Where the constant drilling of their magical crystals was leading to the death of their planet. In Dark Sun it was Defiler's that took from the land while Preserver's refrained from such world harming magic's. If you place this theory with the Birthright one you could explain things as follows. Every aspect of magic is stronger in areas with little to no development, while it suffers in more developed areas. Preserver's are attuned to this and gauge their magics based on the Ley Lines which flow throw the land they preside upon. Defiler's draw up what ever enegies they need to complete their castings and many times the surrounding land suffers because a defiler over draws the natural flow of magic in the area. In this way both theories support each other.