Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Rumblebelly 10-31-03, 03:03 PM	In my campaign, I explain the existance of Spellweavers as creatures created by Mystra to repair the Weave using power from rechargeable magic items. They have been carrying on their activities of stealing magic itmes in Ordulin and have caused a major war between the Rot Grubs and the merchants who think the Rot Grubs have perpetrated the thefts. The Rot Grubs don't have time to find the Spellweavers, engaged as they are in a full-blown war, so they have hired the party to do so. Here's my question: What do you guys think a Spellweaver lair on the Prime would be like? I personally think that being highly magical beings, they would have lots of magical traps, and not many physicyal traps. Does anyone have any cool ideas for me? Thanks!
Wooly Rupert 10-31-03, 04:04 PM	I don't recall whether or not the "Weaving a Web Of Evil" freebie adventures included a description of a lair or not... You can check the Wizards website for that, I guess, if you haven't already. Spell weavers originally appeared in the first issue of Dragon that I read, issue 163. They were in a "Dragon's Bestiary" article, pages 82-3, by Edward O'Connell. The following text is lifted directly from the article: "Spell weavers make their lairs in a bewildering variety of locations, including underground, outdoors within giant mutated trees, on magical floating platforms disguised as clouds, etc. All spell-weaver lairs contain 1-8 unusual pillars, being 10'-tall stone or wood columns covered with magical runes that are indecipherable to humans. Stolen magical items are sometimes (10%) found atop a pillar. While prolonged study of the runes on a column can be mentally damaging (save vs. petrification once per round or be confused for d10 rounds), incidental viewing produces only mild headaches. Touching the runes may have unpredictable magical effects (at the DM's whimsy)." I hope that helps! :)
Rumblebelly 10-31-03, 08:17 PM	Hmmm....Interesting bit about the pillars; I had no idea. Yeah, the "Weaving a Web of Evil" article is what started the whole thing, but it doesn't really give details about their lair so much as their network. But one of the PCs actually spotted one of the curious Spellweavers who made the mistake of coming to the surface without donning a disguise, so they won't stop until they find the "six-armed things" in the sewers. Since SWs can travel dimensionally, I have ruled that Detect Object and even Discern Location spells don't help in trying to find the critters, since they take most of the stolen items to another dimension anyway. But the Grell servants and that individual Spellweaver (so long as he is on the prime) are detectable. The pillar thing gives me an idea: those things are erected by the SWs so that their servants the Grell and the human thieves have a place to deposit stolen magic items. The runes on the pillars could be protective wards so that the items remain safe until the Spell Weavers come to collect them. Thanks, Wooly! Anyone else have any inspiration for me?
Rumblebelly 10-31-03, 08:21 PM	Oh, and does anyone have any thoughts on developing the relationship between Mystra and the Spellweavers? Like, how would Mystra react to PCs roasting the Spellweavers? Would priests of Mystra necessarily know or suspect the true function of these creatures? Thanks, guys and gals.
Derulbaskul 10-31-03, 09:14 PM	Rumblebelly quotes: In my campaign, I explain the existence of Spellweavers as creatures created by Mystra to repair the Weave using power from rechargeable magic items. Now that is a cool idea. I think spellweavers have just been officially introduced to my FR games. Does anyone have any cool ideas for me? No, but I would like to thank you for your very cool idea. I had never used spellweavers before because I couldn't think of a backstory for them. Your idea of linking them to the Weave as magical repairmen (or repairfolk, I suppose, in 3E parlance) is excellent. Cheers D
avian tiefling 10-31-03, 09:15 PM	Originally posted by Rumblebelly Oh, and does anyone have any thoughts on developing the relationship between Mystra and the Spellweavers? Like, how would Mystra react to PCs roasting the Spellweavers? Would priests of Mystra necessarily know or suspect the true function of these creatures? Mystra's clergy should know [i]something[i] about them, as they are minions of the priests' patron godess. also, i don't think Mystra would be too happy if one were killed. I think it would be like killing a dabus in sigil. it would definitely draw some unwanted attention to the guilty party. if you have a cleric of Mystra in the party, and they play a role in killing the weaver or make no attempt to stop the other party members, the reprocussions would hit them the hardest. they would probably either be cut off from using clerical spells, as they have fallen from Mystra's favor, or be smote where they stood, becoming less a priest and more a smoking crater. in any case, you probably would want to leave them alone, unless the characters in the party are VERY high level. Mystra's known for having a very lawful personality, and wouldn't smile upon people breaking her rules.
He Who Lurks 11-01-03, 12:29 AM	Mystra is Neutral Good, not Lawful (unless you're talking about the old one, she was Lawful Neutral). Moreover, if she created or recruited the Spellweavers to repair the Weave, she'd have to be stupid if she thought that no one would notice when they started stealing magic items, and stupid she most definitely ain't. She would realize that eventually someone would discover their activities, and they would probably get they idea that since the Spellweavers were unlawfully stealing innocent people's rightful property, they should be stopped. Mystra couldn't possibly get angry if good people end up killing some of her minor servants because they were stealing from people (at least not if they tried to get them to stop in some non-violent manner first). In my opinion, she'd be just as likely to blast (well maybe not blast, but at the very least angrily scold) the six-armed buggers herself for committing theft in her name. She's good, people. She wouldn't condone having her servants steal from people. Finally, if she did for some reason condone the Spellweavers' actions, she would either 1) warn people not to interfere with them because they work for her or 2) realize that she can't blame people for defending their property and/or themselves when she never told anyone that the Spellweavers were hers. The above is just my opinion of course, and your interpretation may differ. I just want to end by saying that since Mystra is good, and the Spellweavers work for her, they probably wouldn't be stealing things in the first place.
Rumblebelly 11-01-03, 05:55 PM	Lurk, Good points about Mystra. I, of course, hadn't considered the alignment issues, because I don't really use aligments in the D&D sense. I use the GURPS advantage and disadvantage system, but still, you give me food for thought. In my cosmology the gods are part of a collective unconscious of the Universe, so by saying that the Spellweavers are Mystra's creation, I mean that they kind of evolved out of the Weave to repair the Weave because it was necessary for the survival of the Weave, kind of like how the immune system produces antibodies to fight off invaders. Sometimes by doing its job, the immune system actually harms the thing it was supposed to defend: For example: my cat recently contracted hemolytic anemia, a condition brought on by the presence of the hemobartonela (sp?) parasite, a nasty bugger that attaches itself to red blood cells and makes the body produce antibodies to kill the red blood cells. By the Time we got our kitty to the vet, he had a 12% hemoglobin count when the normal range for cats is around 39%. In the same vein, the Spellweavers sprang from the Weave to protect it. According to mortals, Mystra cares for the weave for their benefit, but the fact of the matter in my cosmology is that the Weave is the Weave and would be there with or without Mystra's worshippers, though it does gain power from their belief. The fact that people on Toril lose their magic items for the Weave to get repaired is a consequence of the Spellweavers being completely alien and having no sense of "property" in the same way mortals do. They do what they have to in order to get the energy they need to do their job. Anyway, I will still consider the alignment issues carefully, because in the end I'm trying to tell a good story. More ideas? I love it. This helps me a lot.
Wooly Rupert 11-01-03, 06:15 PM	Originally posted by Rumblebelly The fact that people on Toril lose their magic items for the Weave to get repaired is a consequence of the Spellweavers being completely alien and having no sense of "property" in the same way mortals do. They do what they have to in order to get the energy they need to do their job. More ideas? I love it. This helps me a lot. 'Tis true that they certainly don't seem to think the same way others do... But Mystra is in favor of putting more magic out there, not taking away existing magic. And there are alternate methods of dealing with dead magic areas -- Wish and the silver fire her Chosen use. So she's provided the means, already. Perhaps the spell weavers could be from another plane, and one of them found a dead magic area, and decided it was his duty to repair it. This gives them the same motivation, but without directly involving Mystra. In fact, she could send someone to try to get the spell weavers to repair the Weave *without* stealing from others. That way, she's still keeping with her normal MO, but at the same time repairing the damage to the Weave. To take it a step further: one of her priests finds out about the theft of magic items. Soon thereafter, a nearby dead magic area is discovered to have been fixed. Could the two be related? Perhaps a more thorough investigate at the site reveals the presence of one of the stolen items, but it's now totally drained of magic. The end result was good, but the methodology was questionable. So the PCs get brought in to find out the who, where, and why. They'd prolly have to stumble across a theft, or maybe even be the victims of one, to get a lead on the 'weavers. However it happens, they eventually figure out all the details. Now they've got to find the 'weavers themselves, and somehow come up with a method to allow the 'weavers to continue their self-appointed duties, but without the needless destruction of magic items. Man, I may have to run with that idea myself!
Rumblebelly 11-01-03, 07:19 PM	Yes, in keeping with my "antibodies of the Multiverse" theme, the Spellweavers could be "bigger" than Mystra, in that she doesn't really know any better than anyone else where they come from, but they seem to be doing her a service by repairing the Weave and her worshippers a diservice by stealing their magic items in order to get the job done. I haven't made the Mystra/Spellweaver connection explicit in my campaign, so I still have room to work. As the situation stands, certain members of the ruling Council of Sembia wish to see the Rot Grubs fall, so they are capitalizing on this unfortunate turn of events to get rid of them. To that end, the Silver Ravens are the only adventuring group that has been granted a charter to explore the sewers and find the culprits. The PCs will be doing so illegally. There are no priests of Mystra or even wizards particularly devoted to Mystra in the party (there is one Sha'ir and a Priest of Lathander), but I did create a priest and a paladin of Mystra for the opposing Silver Raven group to help ponder the mysteries of the Weave. One wizard-worshipper-of-Azuth has commented to the party that there appears a correlation between the theft of magic items and the appearance of Wild Magic zones. In my campaign, I have decided that Wild Magic Zones have manifested quite a bit lately due to the reappearance of Bane, and the Spellweavers have only been noticed since the Time of Troubles. So anyway, my original question though remains to be answered satisfactorily: how do you guys think Spellweavers would defend their operations on the Prime. I'm having trouble thinking like an alien!
Rumblebelly 11-01-03, 07:22 PM	Originally posted by Derulbaskul Rumblebelly quotes: Now that is a cool idea. I think spellweavers have just been officially introduced to my FR games. No, but I would like to thank you for your very cool idea. I had never used spellweavers before because I couldn't think of a backstory for them. Your idea of linking them to the Weave as magical repairmen (or repairfolk, I suppose, in 3E parlance) is excellent. Cheers D Thanks D! Every once in a while I come up with a good one ;)
avian tiefling 11-01-03, 09:45 PM	Originally posted by He Who Lurks Mystra is Neutral Good, not Lawful (unless you're talking about the old one, she was Lawful Neutral). Moreover, if she created or recruited the Spellweavers to repair the Weave, she'd have to be stupid if she thought that no one would notice when they started stealing magic items, and stupid she most definitely ain't. She would realize that eventually someone would discover their activities, and they would probably get they idea that since the Spellweavers were unlawfully stealing innocent people's rightful property, they should be stopped. the Mystra i was referring to was the one from the book Shadowdale, which may well have been based on older sources. as for the lawful part, that was referring to the same book in which she longs to be in her perfectly lawful plane of Nirvana. also, i had no idea that the Spellweavers stole the magic items that they used. my bad.
Wooly Rupert 11-02-03, 12:35 AM	Originally posted by Rumblebelly Yes, in keeping with my "antibodies of the Multiverse" theme, the Spellweavers could be "bigger" than Mystra, in that she doesn't really know any better than anyone else where they come from, but they seem to be doing her a service by repairing the Weave and her worshippers a diservice by stealing their magic items in order to get the job done. I haven't made the Mystra/Spellweaver connection explicit in my campaign, so I still have room to work. As the situation stands, certain members of the ruling Council of Sembia wish to see the Rot Grubs fall, so they are capitalizing on this unfortunate turn of events to get rid of them. To that end, the Silver Ravens are the only adventuring group that has been granted a charter to explore the sewers and find the culprits. The PCs will be doing so illegally. There are no priests of Mystra or even wizards particularly devoted to Mystra in the party (there is one Sha'ir and a Priest of Lathander), but I did create a priest and a paladin of Mystra for the opposing Silver Raven group to help ponder the mysteries of the Weave. One wizard-worshipper-of-Azuth has commented to the party that there appears a correlation between the theft of magic items and the appearance of Wild Magic zones. In my campaign, I have decided that Wild Magic Zones have manifested quite a bit lately due to the reappearance of Bane, and the Spellweavers have only been noticed since the Time of Troubles. So anyway, my original question though remains to be answered satisfactorily: how do you guys think Spellweavers would defend their operations on the Prime. I'm having trouble thinking like an alien! I wouldn't say that spell weavers are "bigger" than Mystra... Just alien. And if they are anti-bodies of the multiverse, I'd still called that a self-appointed mission. Their MO is just to out there for it to be sponsored by some deity, thinks I. As for how they would defend their mission, I again draw from the original article: A group will organize to steal a unique magical device in a commando-like raid of hellish ferocity, invisibly bypassing outer guards to appear near the item itself. The group will destroy or incapacitate the guards, then seize the item and escape. Spell weavers have the unsettling habit of lying dormant and invisible for months in various areas of magical interest (magical temples, castles, portals, dungeons, etc.), becoming active only if detected. When encountered in this fashion, they are generally murderous and implacable. They seem to be some serious dudes, and seriously unfriendly on top of that.
Rumblebelly 11-02-03, 02:14 PM	Originally posted by Wooly Rupert I wouldn't say that spell weavers are "bigger" than Mystra... Just alien. And if they are anti-bodies of the multiverse, I'd still called that a self-appointed mission. Their MO is just to out there for it to be sponsored by some deity, thinks I. As for how they would defend their mission, I again draw from the original article: A group will organize to steal a unique magical device in a commando-like raid of hellish ferocity, invisibly bypassing outer guards to appear near the item itself. The group will destroy or incapacitate the guards, then seize the item and escape. Spell weavers have the unsettling habit of lying dormant and invisible for months in various areas of magical interest (magical temples, castles, portals, dungeons, etc.), becoming active only if detected. When encountered in this fashion, they are generally murderous and implacable. They seem to be some serious dudes, and seriously unfriendly on top of that. Now, see, I didn't read this article. These are all new revelations to me; every bit of info you give takes them further and further away from associating with Mystra. Perhaps, the Rot Grubs blame the council for starting the so-called "Hidden War," but in reality the Spellweavers have begun murdering Guild members because they have come closest to discovering their secret lair.
Wooly Rupert 11-02-03, 03:42 PM	That sounds workable... Would you like me to copy the article over from the pdf and e-mail it to you? (I can't e-mail the whole issue, it's too big and prolly not legal)
Rumblebelly 11-02-03, 03:57 PM	That would be great! (If it's legal;) ). I swear it's for educational purposes.
Wooly Rupert 11-02-03, 08:27 PM	Well, I need an e-mail addy to be able to complete that operation... ;)
Rumblebelly 11-02-03, 11:25 PM	Originally posted by Wooly Rupert Well, I need an e-mail addy to be able to complete that operation... ;) Duh, of course :D It's on its way.