The Seventh Column [Archive] - Wizards Community

The Seventh Column [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Lyinginbedmon
08-24-07, 11:21 AM In the adventuring guild, there are presently six different columns of member (Red, Blue, Black, Green, Yellow, and White), which are spliced together to form parties for specific tasks, with each column providing specific talents.

I'm now considering the future of the guild, and adding a seventh column. I already have a few details worked out:
The column will consist of two different kinds of member: Yureis and Orases.
Yurei members will centre around using permanently-dominated thralls, whilst Oras members will centre around magic jar in similarly controlled thralls.
The thralls ("Puppets", until I can think of a better name) will be kept in several storehouses, heavily guarded, each composing thousands of individual thralls, either immortal or provided for. Each thrall has a grade that determines the rank of member that can use them.
The puppets themselves will be largely volunteers, people who purposefully subject themselves to the processes involved, and ex-enemies (People who are too dangerous to be left to their own devices, but too useful to be left to waste)
As a member advances through the column, their clearance improves. Using this clearance, they are able to gain access to other puppets, of a specifically predetermined quantity and grade. The quantity will depend on a variable factor I have yet to determine, but will purposefully prevent a member from gaining a personal army.
Puppets will ordinarily stay in the storehouses, but somehow the member will be able to summon them from said storehouse when needed, and they return once done. For a single member, teleportation circle would work (One there, one back), but this is potentially thousands of members that the puppets could be used by.
Because of the logistical issues involved, this is a purely NPC columnAnyone have any thoughts on this? My largest issue is the transport. Whilst a couple of puppets could conceivably be transported in things like Bags of Holding, sending them back and forth to the storehouses is much more problematic.

I'm considering teleportation circle at the least for the back part. Each thrall/member has some item or clothing that has a circle on it leading back to a storehouse. For puppets, this would lead right back to their cell. For members, there might be a number leading to several storehouses, each landing in an area where they would be escorted back to their quarters and returned to storage.

Another option is a unique Summoning spell selection, going through all the levels, each member gaining a new grade with each spell level (I through IX, maybe even X), with the spells allowing them to summon a well-known puppet from storage, where they could conceivably return once done.

As for controlling the thralls themselves, the Yurei members would likely receive an item of controlled-use monstrous thrall. The item could only be cast upon a puppet they know well and are registered to, so they couldn't meander about gaining puppets willy-nilly. For Oras members, it's a simple matter of having them fail their initial saving throw to magic jar, which could easily be one of the first commands given to them upon entrance into a storehouse ("Allow any Oras member of X rank to possess you" or somesuch).
nimblewright93
08-24-07, 05:07 PM Make the puppets warforged so they can move on there own take away the warfogeds intellegence to act on there own accord and presto transportation solved
Lyinginbedmon
08-24-07, 05:11 PM I don't consider it wise to have thousands of puppets wandering back to the storehouses completely unchaperoned.
nimblewright93
08-24-07, 05:15 PM who said there couldn't be a couple hundred Guards
Lyinginbedmon
08-24-07, 06:56 PM And these couple hundred guards per puppet come from where? This looks to be a logistical nightmare. First you summon the puppet to your aid and finish up, then you need to summon a hundred guards to chaperone it right back to its cell in the storehouse, potentially months away, during which time you or anyone else can't summon it. This looks to be something that requires either extremely expedient or instantaneous travel.
Lyinginbedmon
08-28-07, 01:53 PM I hate doing this...:bump:
Dog_O_War
08-28-07, 05:45 PM This sounds like it is too magic heavy.

What you could do is just have them 'commandeer' puppets in the field; no transport needed, just good ol' determination and skill.
Lyinginbedmon
08-29-07, 05:58 AM This sounds like it is too magic heavy.

What you could do is just have them 'commandeer' puppets in the field; no transport needed, just good ol' determination and skill.

Whilst that's true, it leaves them pretty vulnerable. Their skill is largely based on the people the command, notably that they be willing, which would amount to almost no-one in the field. Perhaps a specialised summoning spell...
yellowdingo
08-30-07, 09:32 AM You missed it with the fith column: traitors, terrorists and spys
Lyinginbedmon
08-30-07, 11:27 AM You missed it with the fith column: traitors, terrorists and spys

Wrong genre
nimblewright93
09-08-07, 02:12 PM a gaurd or to per puppet:ahem:

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Lyinginbedmon 08-24-07, 11:21 AM	In the adventuring guild, there are presently six different columns of member (Red, Blue, Black, Green, Yellow, and White), which are spliced together to form parties for specific tasks, with each column providing specific talents. I'm now considering the future of the guild, and adding a seventh column. I already have a few details worked out: The column will consist of two different kinds of member: Yureis and Orases. Yurei members will centre around using permanently-dominated thralls, whilst Oras members will centre around magic jar in similarly controlled thralls. The thralls ("Puppets", until I can think of a better name) will be kept in several storehouses, heavily guarded, each composing thousands of individual thralls, either immortal or provided for. Each thrall has a grade that determines the rank of member that can use them. The puppets themselves will be largely volunteers, people who purposefully subject themselves to the processes involved, and ex-enemies (People who are too dangerous to be left to their own devices, but too useful to be left to waste) As a member advances through the column, their clearance improves. Using this clearance, they are able to gain access to other puppets, of a specifically predetermined quantity and grade. The quantity will depend on a variable factor I have yet to determine, but will purposefully prevent a member from gaining a personal army. Puppets will ordinarily stay in the storehouses, but somehow the member will be able to summon them from said storehouse when needed, and they return once done. For a single member, teleportation circle would work (One there, one back), but this is potentially thousands of members that the puppets could be used by. Because of the logistical issues involved, this is a purely NPC columnAnyone have any thoughts on this? My largest issue is the transport. Whilst a couple of puppets could conceivably be transported in things like Bags of Holding, sending them back and forth to the storehouses is much more problematic. I'm considering teleportation circle at the least for the back part. Each thrall/member has some item or clothing that has a circle on it leading back to a storehouse. For puppets, this would lead right back to their cell. For members, there might be a number leading to several storehouses, each landing in an area where they would be escorted back to their quarters and returned to storage. Another option is a unique Summoning spell selection, going through all the levels, each member gaining a new grade with each spell level (I through IX, maybe even X), with the spells allowing them to summon a well-known puppet from storage, where they could conceivably return once done. As for controlling the thralls themselves, the Yurei members would likely receive an item of controlled-use monstrous thrall. The item could only be cast upon a puppet they know well and are registered to, so they couldn't meander about gaining puppets willy-nilly. For Oras members, it's a simple matter of having them fail their initial saving throw to magic jar, which could easily be one of the first commands given to them upon entrance into a storehouse ("Allow any Oras member of X rank to possess you" or somesuch).
nimblewright93 08-24-07, 05:07 PM	Make the puppets warforged so they can move on there own take away the warfogeds intellegence to act on there own accord and presto transportation solved
Lyinginbedmon 08-24-07, 05:11 PM	I don't consider it wise to have thousands of puppets wandering back to the storehouses completely unchaperoned.
nimblewright93 08-24-07, 05:15 PM	who said there couldn't be a couple hundred Guards
Lyinginbedmon 08-24-07, 06:56 PM	And these couple hundred guards per puppet come from where? This looks to be a logistical nightmare. First you summon the puppet to your aid and finish up, then you need to summon a hundred guards to chaperone it right back to its cell in the storehouse, potentially months away, during which time you or anyone else can't summon it. This looks to be something that requires either extremely expedient or instantaneous travel.
Lyinginbedmon 08-28-07, 01:53 PM	I hate doing this...:bump:
Dog_O_War 08-28-07, 05:45 PM	This sounds like it is too magic heavy. What you could do is just have them 'commandeer' puppets in the field; no transport needed, just good ol' determination and skill.
Lyinginbedmon 08-29-07, 05:58 AM	This sounds like it is too magic heavy. What you could do is just have them 'commandeer' puppets in the field; no transport needed, just good ol' determination and skill. Whilst that's true, it leaves them pretty vulnerable. Their skill is largely based on the people the command, notably that they be willing, which would amount to almost no-one in the field. Perhaps a specialised summoning spell...
yellowdingo 08-30-07, 09:32 AM	You missed it with the fith column: traitors, terrorists and spys
Lyinginbedmon 08-30-07, 11:27 AM	You missed it with the fith column: traitors, terrorists and spys Wrong genre
nimblewright93 09-08-07, 02:12 PM	a gaurd or to per puppet:ahem: