quanitifying Rajaat's power - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

quanitifying Rajaat's power

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
Mulhull
Jul 12, 2004 23:52:41 Ok, first of all how many sources of magic are there on Athas?

There are the two obvious schools and sources, preserving and defiling, taking life energy from plants or living beings.

I know there are more, but the only other 2 I know of are necromancy invented by Gretch in the deadlands (before that necromancy was simply a school of magic within preserving and defiling, take a look at the city state of Tyr books pre-revised dark sun boxed set) , and magic from Tyr storms which can be harnessed.

Rajaat as described in the Cerulean storm would absolutely smoke 2nd edition Iuz or 2nd edition Vecna, the 3rd edition Iuz has 750 hit points, the 2nd edition one only has about 150, and Iuz and Vecna are both demi-gods in 2nd edition, so even though Rajaat doesn't fit the traditional definition of god, that he isn't powered by worshippers, would you say he's godlike definitely, divinely powerful? I suspect that in the Cerulean storm, he unlike the SK's can use the elemental power of the living vorticies that the SK's use to empower thier templars, which is how he created the cerulean storm and flooded Ur-Draxa.

Would you say that like gods he is beyond stats and would not give him any, as I said he's more powerful than 2E demi gods, and we haven't seen the stats for 3E SK's I believe.
#2
zombiegleemax
Jul 13, 2004 0:48:59
Would you say that like gods he is beyond stats and would not give him any, as I said he's more powerful than 2E demi gods, and we haven't seen the stats for 3E SK's I believe

I would certainly say that anything like Rajaat that is a prime plot device for your games should be beyond stats. Heck, even the SKs in my game are beyond stats, so my thinking isn't neccessarily about power levels, but importance to the overall story. And comparing Rajaat to the dieties of other worlds is an apples and oranges arguement. He is not a god, but may very well be more or less powerful than one. Its a moot point really.

Ok, first of all how many sources of magic are there on Athas?

Lifeforce; defiling and preservering both tap the same power source, and of which sun magic can be said to be the highest form. The elemental planes (via divine magic). The Cerrulean Storm (as stated in the preservers and defilers book). The Grey, which is also necromancy. The Black, also called shadow magic.

So, by my count, there's five.
#3
zombiegleemax
Jul 15, 2004 7:35:50 ALL magic on Athas, be it arcane or divine, ultimately comes from one source: Lifeforce energy.

Regular arcane magic taps into the lifeforce of the world's ecosystem.

Athasian necromancy calls upon the residual life energy found in the Grey.

Cerulean sorcery calls upon the infinite lifeforce of Rajaat, as manifested in the Tyr storms.

Druidic magic calls upon the lifeforce of a spirit of the land.

Clerical and templar magic calls upon the lifeforce of the elemental and paraelemental planes.

--in essence, all magic on Athas is vampirism NB
#4
jon_oracle_of_athas
Jul 15, 2004 8:18:45 1. Quantify the power of the GM.
2. Multiply the result from above by 2. ¨

Now you've got an approximate value for Rajaat's power. ;)
#5
dawnstealer
Jul 15, 2004 13:30:19 For Rajaat, no stats. Let the players kind of get a lick in, then he destroys them outright once he notices that they've been hitting him with a vorpal sword for two hours.

For SKs, I give them horrendous stats and then "accidentally" leave them on the table for a while. The fact that all the blood has left my player's faces when I return (and the fact that they never, never, never cross paths with an SK) is priceless.
#6
elonarc
Jul 15, 2004 13:45:19
For SKs, I give them horrendous stats and then "accidentally" leave them on the table for a while. The fact that all the blood has left my player's faces when I return (and the fact that they never, never, never cross paths with an SK) is priceless.

Superb. Mind if I steal the idea?
#7
dawnstealer
Jul 15, 2004 14:12:06 If I was afraid of theft, I wouldn't have posted it; steal away.
#8
zombiegleemax
Jul 15, 2004 15:32:48
Athasian necromancy calls upon the residual life energy found in the Grey.

I've used this idea myself in 2e, but had rather forgotten about it. In it, a dragon's defiling magic, which drains the life energy from living beings, can actually render someone permanently dead should their life be entirely drained away. Their spirits will not be found in the Grey, because there was nothing left of the person to make the journey. Thanks for the reminder on it.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Mulhull Jul 12, 2004 23:52:41	Ok, first of all how many sources of magic are there on Athas? There are the two obvious schools and sources, preserving and defiling, taking life energy from plants or living beings. I know there are more, but the only other 2 I know of are necromancy invented by Gretch in the deadlands (before that necromancy was simply a school of magic within preserving and defiling, take a look at the city state of Tyr books pre-revised dark sun boxed set) , and magic from Tyr storms which can be harnessed. Rajaat as described in the Cerulean storm would absolutely smoke 2nd edition Iuz or 2nd edition Vecna, the 3rd edition Iuz has 750 hit points, the 2nd edition one only has about 150, and Iuz and Vecna are both demi-gods in 2nd edition, so even though Rajaat doesn't fit the traditional definition of god, that he isn't powered by worshippers, would you say he's godlike definitely, divinely powerful? I suspect that in the Cerulean storm, he unlike the SK's can use the elemental power of the living vorticies that the SK's use to empower thier templars, which is how he created the cerulean storm and flooded Ur-Draxa. Would you say that like gods he is beyond stats and would not give him any, as I said he's more powerful than 2E demi gods, and we haven't seen the stats for 3E SK's I believe.
#2 zombiegleemax Jul 13, 2004 0:48:59	Would you say that like gods he is beyond stats and would not give him any, as I said he's more powerful than 2E demi gods, and we haven't seen the stats for 3E SK's I believe I would certainly say that anything like Rajaat that is a prime plot device for your games should be beyond stats. Heck, even the SKs in my game are beyond stats, so my thinking isn't neccessarily about power levels, but importance to the overall story. And comparing Rajaat to the dieties of other worlds is an apples and oranges arguement. He is not a god, but may very well be more or less powerful than one. Its a moot point really. Ok, first of all how many sources of magic are there on Athas? Lifeforce; defiling and preservering both tap the same power source, and of which sun magic can be said to be the highest form. The elemental planes (via divine magic). The Cerrulean Storm (as stated in the preservers and defilers book). The Grey, which is also necromancy. The Black, also called shadow magic. So, by my count, there's five.
#3 zombiegleemax Jul 15, 2004 7:35:50	*ALL* magic on Athas, be it arcane or divine, ultimately comes from one source: Lifeforce energy. Regular arcane magic taps into the lifeforce of the world's ecosystem. Athasian necromancy calls upon the residual life energy found in the Grey. Cerulean sorcery calls upon the infinite lifeforce of Rajaat, as manifested in the Tyr storms. Druidic magic calls upon the lifeforce of a spirit of the land. Clerical and templar magic calls upon the lifeforce of the elemental and paraelemental planes. --in essence, all magic on Athas is vampirism NB
#4 jon_oracle_of_athas Jul 15, 2004 8:18:45	1. Quantify the power of the GM. 2. Multiply the result from above by 2. ¨ Now you've got an approximate value for Rajaat's power. ;)
#5 dawnstealer Jul 15, 2004 13:30:19	For Rajaat, no stats. Let the players kind of get a lick in, then he destroys them outright once he notices that they've been hitting him with a vorpal sword for two hours. For SKs, I give them horrendous stats and then "accidentally" leave them on the table for a while. The fact that all the blood has left my player's faces when I return (and the fact that they never, never, never cross paths with an SK) is priceless.
#6 elonarc Jul 15, 2004 13:45:19	For SKs, I give them horrendous stats and then "accidentally" leave them on the table for a while. The fact that all the blood has left my player's faces when I return (and the fact that they never, never, never cross paths with an SK) is priceless. Superb. Mind if I steal the idea?
#7 dawnstealer Jul 15, 2004 14:12:06	If I was afraid of theft, I wouldn't have posted it; steal away.
#8 zombiegleemax Jul 15, 2004 15:32:48	Athasian necromancy calls upon the residual life energy found in the Grey. I've used this idea myself in 2e, but had rather forgotten about it. In it, a dragon's defiling magic, which drains the life energy from living beings, can actually render someone permanently dead should their life be entirely drained away. Their spirits will not be found in the Grey, because there was nothing left of the person to make the journey. Thanks for the reminder on it.