Ideas on the home plane of a transmuter [Archive] - Wizards Community

Ideas on the home plane of a transmuter [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Grymar
01-15-08, 11:27 AM Wondering if I can get some inspiration. In my game the party is going to meet up with a satyr wizard who has been doing some....experiments (aka. Fleshweaver type). I'm thinking that his lab is a manifest zone to a plane which helps his experiments. The result of the encounter may have the party plane shifted to this plane. The question is, which plane?

<Note: I've never run a non-prime plane adventure, so that worries me. The party will probably be 8th-10th level when this happens>

Thelanis is an obvious choice since it is the home of satyrs, but it seems to feel a bit clean and good for an adventure. I want something more alien, I think.

Lamannia is interesting since it is wild and would be a fun place to adventure, but it doesn't quite tie in correctly with the alteration/transmutation effect I think it should have.

Kithri is a great choice for the chaotic, altering magic that would come through a manifest zone, but I think it might be rough to have an adventure there, especially for mid-level characters.

Any thoughts or tips would be appreciated.
Edymnion
01-15-08, 12:22 PM Thelanis is an obvious choice since it is the home of satyrs, but it seems to feel a bit clean and good for an adventure. I want something more alien, I think.Have you read Keith's novels yet? Thelanis is a mighty alien and freaky place.

Realm of eternal twilight, but remember, while pretty, twilight is also the threshold for the coming darkness. It is the dying of the light, and the precursor for darkness sweeping across the land. You can still stick some sick, twisted stuff in there.
Siran Dunmorgan
01-15-08, 01:04 PM Thelanis may be more than you know. ;)

There are stories told of Thelanis that are not comfortably told on nights when Red Aryth lights the skies. Not all the Faerie Courts look on mortals as equals. Some see us as toys. Some see us as prey. Thelanis is a land of wonders, but even Wonderland had its Queen of Hearts.

Look past the fairy tales cleaned up for the children of the Quality of Breland or Aundair. Remember the story of the little girl whose shoes danced her to death? How many tales are told of princesses transformed into monsters by a wicked fairy's curse? Who finds the Wild Hunt a thing of clean and good? Do you remember the tale of the Beauty and the Beast? Where a supposedly good fey transformed a hapless prince into a horrible beast for decades simply to teach him a lesson in humility? Tales of the fey—and of Thelanis—are rife with changes of shape and hue, many of them forced unwillingly on mortals.

Beyond that, try thinking outside the box. As you have said, Kythri is also a good choice for transmutation, though a bit rough. Though there are no longer any manifest zones of it, there are still a few ways to get to Dal Quor, and that place has a strong air of transformation.

One under-used possibility is Shavarath: if the wizard is sufficiently potent, the ethical and moral flux of that plane can provide a poignant backdrop for a fleshweaver, though the long-term effect of that plane on someone native to another is a matter of conjecture—and concern.

Of course, any plane with a nature that supports transformation—Fernia, Kythri, Xoriat, Dal Quor, Shavarath, Lammania, or Thelanis could be made to work.

Personally, I'd use Thelanis for this purpose: the wildness of the darker fey is most strongly manifest there, and there is a wealth of literature to draw upon for imagery and inspiration.

For a more outré flavor, you needn't have them plane shift if the manifest zone is sufficiently creepy: Xoriat works very well for this purpose, particularly if the Eberron side of the adventure is located in someplace known for its isolation and desolation, such as the Shadow Marches. Throw in a lot of manifest zone effects like time-perception issues, and the usual detritus that accompanies fleshweavers—references to mostly unseen scrabbling presences, and oddly distorted animals in the vicinity of the fleshweaver's lair—and you don't have to go to another plane to make matters otherworldly.

In point of fact, you don't have to deal with other planes at all. You could set the whole thing in the Demon Wastes. It's possible to really creep players out when they realize that there are no safe, comfortable planar boundaries between enlightened civilization and the hell that once engulfed the world.

—Siran Dunmorgan
Edymnion
01-15-08, 07:31 PM Look past the fairy tales cleaned up for the children of the Quality of Breland or Aundair. Remember the story of the little girl whose shoes danced her to death?Yes, thats something important to remember. If you're looking to Disney when you think of fairy tales, you're looking at a heavily censored and retold version of the originals. Cinderella? Stepsisters were cutting off their toes and heals trying to get into the slipper, and when Cinderella married Prince Charming, she commanded a flock of crows to peck out the eyes of her stepmother and sisters. Hansel and Grettle? Yeah, cannibalism. And oh, the Little Mermaid did *NOT* live happily ever after.

The original fairy tales were very dark, gruesome, and downright evil.
Ehtiar
01-16-08, 01:08 PM For one variation, take a page from Elder Evils....

Use Irian - a flux of "positive energy" that helps things grow and heal....
But taken to a certain extreme (and possibly with the help of some old daelkyr corruption) twisted to make it more.."cancerious and abberation" worthy then the plain old heal and cure.

It keeps things growing, healing, and living that should not be...

A fleshweaver thats figured out a way to tap the "positive" nature of an Irian manifest zone to keep grafts alive..or pieces of creatures they've been removed from...

Hm, of course, whether that would lead to developing some corrupted form of "deathless" or the like... (deathless abberation merge...cuwious..)
naturax
01-16-08, 06:02 PM Have you read Keith's novels yet? Thelanis is a mighty alien and freaky place.

I'm thinking about a running a jaunt to Thelanis in a high-level game I'm running, so I'd like to read up on it first. Which novels in particular are you talking about? Thanks!
Grymar
01-18-08, 02:07 PM Great advice all around, thanks. I'm now going to make it a point to get them there. Too cool to pass up.

And which book was it with the plane hopping? I should have time to read it before I run this.
Edymnion
01-22-08, 09:05 AM I'm thinking about a running a jaunt to Thelanis in a high-level game I'm running, so I'd like to read up on it first. Which novels in particular are you talking about? Thanks!His Dreaming Dark trilogy. City of Towers, Shattered Land, and Gates of Night. They're not really stand alone, so you need to read them in order, with the plane hopping being in the last book (of course).

You can get them off Amazon for like $7, but go through Keith's website (www.bossythecow.com (http://www.bossythecow.com)) to buy them, that way he gets a cut. :)
naturax
01-22-08, 11:34 AM His Dreaming Dark trilogy. City of Towers, Shattered Land, and Gates of Night. They're not really stand alone, so you need to read them in order, with the plane hopping being in the last book (of course).

You can get them off Amazon for like $7, but go through Keith's website (www.bossythecow.com (http://www.bossythecow.com)) to buy them, that way he gets a cut. :)

Thanks!

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Grymar 01-15-08, 11:27 AM	Wondering if I can get some inspiration. In my game the party is going to meet up with a satyr wizard who has been doing some....experiments (aka. Fleshweaver type). I'm thinking that his lab is a manifest zone to a plane which helps his experiments. The result of the encounter may have the party plane shifted to this plane. The question is, which plane? <Note: I've never run a non-prime plane adventure, so that worries me. The party will probably be 8th-10th level when this happens> Thelanis is an obvious choice since it is the home of satyrs, but it seems to feel a bit clean and good for an adventure. I want something more alien, I think. Lamannia is interesting since it is wild and would be a fun place to adventure, but it doesn't quite tie in correctly with the alteration/transmutation effect I think it should have. Kithri is a great choice for the chaotic, altering magic that would come through a manifest zone, but I think it might be rough to have an adventure there, especially for mid-level characters. Any thoughts or tips would be appreciated.
Edymnion 01-15-08, 12:22 PM	Thelanis is an obvious choice since it is the home of satyrs, but it seems to feel a bit clean and good for an adventure. I want something more alien, I think.Have you read Keith's novels yet? Thelanis is a mighty alien and freaky place. Realm of eternal twilight, but remember, while pretty, twilight is also the threshold for the coming darkness. It is the dying of the light, and the precursor for darkness sweeping across the land. You can still stick some sick, twisted stuff in there.
Siran Dunmorgan 01-15-08, 01:04 PM	Thelanis may be more than you know. ;) There are stories told of Thelanis that are not comfortably told on nights when Red Aryth lights the skies. Not all the Faerie Courts look on mortals as equals. Some see us as toys. Some see us as prey. Thelanis is a land of wonders, but even Wonderland had its Queen of Hearts. Look past the fairy tales cleaned up for the children of the Quality of Breland or Aundair. Remember the story of the little girl whose shoes danced her to death? How many tales are told of princesses transformed into monsters by a wicked fairy's curse? Who finds the Wild Hunt a thing of clean and good? Do you remember the tale of the Beauty and the Beast? Where a supposedly good fey transformed a hapless prince into a horrible beast for decades simply to teach him a lesson in humility? Tales of the fey—and of Thelanis—are rife with changes of shape and hue, many of them forced unwillingly on mortals. Beyond that, try thinking outside the box. As you have said, Kythri is also a good choice for transmutation, though a bit rough. Though there are no longer any manifest zones of it, there are still a few ways to get to Dal Quor, and that place has a strong air of transformation. One under-used possibility is Shavarath: if the wizard is sufficiently potent, the ethical and moral flux of that plane can provide a poignant backdrop for a fleshweaver, though the long-term effect of that plane on someone native to another is a matter of conjecture—and concern. Of course, any plane with a nature that supports transformation—Fernia, Kythri, Xoriat, Dal Quor, Shavarath, Lammania, or Thelanis could be made to work. Personally, I'd use Thelanis for this purpose: the wildness of the darker fey is most strongly manifest there, and there is a wealth of literature to draw upon for imagery and inspiration. For a more outré flavor, you needn't have them plane shift if the manifest zone is sufficiently creepy: Xoriat works very well for this purpose, particularly if the Eberron side of the adventure is located in someplace known for its isolation and desolation, such as the Shadow Marches. Throw in a lot of manifest zone effects like time-perception issues, and the usual detritus that accompanies fleshweavers—references to mostly unseen scrabbling presences, and oddly distorted animals in the vicinity of the fleshweaver's lair—and you don't have to go to another plane to make matters otherworldly. In point of fact, you don't have to deal with other planes at all. You could set the whole thing in the Demon Wastes. It's possible to really creep players out when they realize that there are no safe, comfortable planar boundaries between enlightened civilization and the hell that once engulfed the world. —Siran Dunmorgan
Edymnion 01-15-08, 07:31 PM	Look past the fairy tales cleaned up for the children of the Quality of Breland or Aundair. Remember the story of the little girl whose shoes danced her to death?Yes, thats something important to remember. If you're looking to Disney when you think of fairy tales, you're looking at a heavily censored and retold version of the originals. Cinderella? Stepsisters were cutting off their toes and heals trying to get into the slipper, and when Cinderella married Prince Charming, she commanded a flock of crows to peck out the eyes of her stepmother and sisters. Hansel and Grettle? Yeah, cannibalism. And oh, the Little Mermaid did NOT live happily ever after. The original fairy tales were very dark, gruesome, and downright evil.
Ehtiar 01-16-08, 01:08 PM	For one variation, take a page from Elder Evils.... Use Irian - a flux of "positive energy" that helps things grow and heal.... But taken to a certain extreme (and possibly with the help of some old daelkyr corruption) twisted to make it more.."cancerious and abberation" worthy then the plain old heal and cure. It keeps things growing, healing, and living that should not be... A fleshweaver thats figured out a way to tap the "positive" nature of an Irian manifest zone to keep grafts alive..or pieces of creatures they've been removed from... Hm, of course, whether that would lead to developing some corrupted form of "deathless" or the like... (deathless abberation merge...cuwious..)
naturax 01-16-08, 06:02 PM	Have you read Keith's novels yet? Thelanis is a mighty alien and freaky place. I'm thinking about a running a jaunt to Thelanis in a high-level game I'm running, so I'd like to read up on it first. Which novels in particular are you talking about? Thanks!
Grymar 01-18-08, 02:07 PM	Great advice all around, thanks. I'm now going to make it a point to get them there. Too cool to pass up. And which book was it with the plane hopping? I should have time to read it before I run this.
Edymnion 01-22-08, 09:05 AM	I'm thinking about a running a jaunt to Thelanis in a high-level game I'm running, so I'd like to read up on it first. Which novels in particular are you talking about? Thanks!His Dreaming Dark trilogy. City of Towers, Shattered Land, and Gates of Night. They're not really stand alone, so you need to read them in order, with the plane hopping being in the last book (of course). You can get them off Amazon for like $7, but go through Keith's website (www.bossythecow.com (http://www.bossythecow.com)) to buy them, that way he gets a cut. :)
naturax 01-22-08, 11:34 AM	His Dreaming Dark trilogy. City of Towers, Shattered Land, and Gates of Night. They're not really stand alone, so you need to read them in order, with the plane hopping being in the last book (of course). You can get them off Amazon for like $7, but go through Keith's website (www.bossythecow.com (http://www.bossythecow.com)) to buy them, that way he gets a cut. :) Thanks!