Advice on Elemental Planes' Influence on Material Plane [Archive] - Wizards Community

Advice on Elemental Planes' Influence on Material Plane [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Baned
06-05-05, 10:50 PM I'm running a campaign based on Final Fantasy I. A brief summary of the story is that the four elemental powers (Earth, Fire, Water, Air), controlled by four Orbs are gone. It's the heroes' job to restore this power. In the actual game, problems are expressed with this loss of power, such as the rot of the earth.

What I'm looking to do (well, add into the current campaign, but they have yet to restore the first orb), is make certain changes to the natural scheme of things.

For the water, I got the idea for the ocean levels to drop slowly, perhaps an inch daily. Also, no more percipiation

I just got an idea yesterday for it to begin snowing after the players leave the dungeon they're about to enter. The problem that the players will see, is that it's the equivilant of mid-June in the game world. I like this to symbolize the loss of heat in the world (Fire Orb), but it contrasts the loss of water mentioned above.

Farmers are already having troubles with the loss of fertility in the earth.

All I can think of for the air is that there is no more wind, so sailing is more difficult without other means of locomotion (such has Syldra/Hydra in Final Fantasy V)

Any and all comments and suggests will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Thomar_of_Uointer
06-05-05, 11:00 PM Earth: Quicksand in solid stone
Fire: Temperate harbor becomes icebound
Air: Hurricanes and tornadoes inland, stale air makes sleeping difficult (actually, sleeping is easy, waking up is hard)
Water: Open flames randomly make pyrotechnics

You could also have caster level penalties to spells with elemental subtypes.

Outsiders, Elementals, Magical Beasts, and Fey will all be affected in some way. If creatures like that lose their energy source, they could become corrupted or twisted into totally different beings.

Remember to have an unballancing of the elements as the players restore Orbs, comparable to the unballancing when the Orbs lost their power.

Are you going to do the temporal paradox thing with Chaos/Garland? It wasn't described very well in FFI, but you can fill in most of the holes.
Baned
06-05-05, 11:16 PM Earth: Quicksand in solid stone
Fire: Temperate harbor becomes icebound
Air: Hurricanes and tornadoes inland, stale air makes sleeping difficult (actually, sleeping is easy, waking up is hard)
Water: Open flames randomly make pyrotechnics

You could also have caster level penalties to spells with elemental subtypes.

Outsiders, Elementals, Magical Beasts, and Fey will all be affected in some way. If creatures like that lose their energy source, they could become corrupted or twisted into totally different beings.

Remember to have an unballancing of the elements as the players restore Orbs, comparable to the unballancing when the Orbs lost their power.

Are you going to do the temporal paradox thing with Chaos/Garland? It wasn't described very well in FFI, but you can fill in most of the holes.
Some good suggestions I'll definantly consider. I really hadn't though about the balance thing, but now I kinda see how it's almost required.
For elemental spells, I was thinking of some kind of check. Perhaps the DC would be 10 + spell level, while it would raise a point or so after so long of the orb not being restored, like after a month maybe.

Not to stray too far off topic, but I planned on having Garland summon Chaos rather than becoming him. I still don't understand the timeloop thing at all from the game, even though I've played it through dozens of times, including the NES, PSOne, and GBA versions. If you've got more questions on the campaign intself, feel free to contact me on an instant messenger.

AIM: SelfCleaningSoap
ICQ: #46282223
MSN: amtaweapon@hotmail.com
Aurotuli
06-06-05, 12:56 AM Well, look to FF 1 itself for clues to what to do.

Earth was darkened first, so its problems were more wide spread: infertile land, land becoming marshy as earth fell before water, etc. perhaps rocks break more easily, leading to more landslides, etc in mountainous areas - and also more mine/cave collapses, etc.

Fire fell next: icy mountains (and caves) surround the location where fire fell (the volcano). the volcano, although still filled partially with lava, was effectively dormant. perhaps the sun shines less potently in the sky, leading to cooler summers and harsher winters.

Then came water: the idea about the oceans receeding an inch a day is a good one. so too is the idea of desertification becoming a problem. recall how many (and how large) deserts were in FF 1. perhaps sea life starts dying as the water becomes less 'fertile', maybe the tides are less intense, waves a little less high, a little less common.

Air was the last to fall, to its penalties were least apparent: I don't agree with the idea of stangnant air - at least not this early in the problem. perhaps the winds are less common, less fierce. flight is more difficult, more tiring, so creatures that fly are flying less often, slowly vanishing as they are more easily hunted / have more difficulty finding food.

Instead of storms becoming more common, the world is dying. everything is slowing down, becoming less fertile. perhaps birthrates are falling - or even stopped all together in some areas. undead might be more common. elementals are weaker - as are the spells that call upon elemental powers, etc.

Eventually the problem will get much worse:

Earth: nothing new grows, plants start to wither, animals stop conceiving, stone and metal (and maybe wood) break more easily (bonus to sunders; critical fumble results in broken weapon if non-magical), earthquakes no longer occur anywhere

Fire: an ice age begins, ice no longer melts in the summer, the sun shines with weak light - a perpetual twilight in which undead stumble about, volcanoes are extint

Water: tides and waves completely stop, rain no longer exists, the land dries up, deserts spread ever father as the plantlife throughout the world slowly dies away - and the animals with them; aquifiers and wells dry up, what pools of water exist become stagnant, spreading disease. no clouds exist

Air: winds completely die - no wind at all. silence becomes more common than sound, storms cease completely, air slowly stagnates - resulting in longer sleep periods for those still alive in this twilight, every drier, ever colder world

Combined: no more conceptions, many miscarriages, life itself is slowly fading away. even those still alive, still strong, have less ability to live. they lack adequet water, adequet warmth (since fires burn less warmly - if one can even be started), and every day they rise later and go to sleep sooner. their energy and morale is fading (progressive morale penalty, say -1/week once all four elements are effectively 'dead')

This has great potential.
Aurotuli
06-06-05, 01:08 AM Hmm, I hadn't considered that. Yes, the fey would darken or fade - depending on whether they could resist the affect of the darkened crystals or not. If not reversed soon enough, they would likely die or become permanently darkened - even if the crystal is restored. Elementals would shift from NN to NE - becoming more so the longer it took to revive the crystals.

Outsiders are hard to determine. I think they might find their connection to the prime less secure, but I do not think they would be strongly affected otherwise - although I can see fiends taking advantage of the situation in a number of ways.

As for the unbalancing factors - yes, that would potentially be major. I can see fire restored but the others still darkened. Suddenly the cold deserts are burning hot and the desertification is spreading faster (at least until both water and air are restored).

Don't forget the possibility of whiplash. Perhaps the longer they are dark, the more intense the effect of their sudden prominence. All the ice that builds up while fire is dark - suddenly melting in a single summer? Wide spread floods (even if water is still dark). Volcaoes suddenly coming online again: many multiple eruptions, earthquakes, etc. The latter - if earth is still dark, might even result in split islands - or even continents.

Air restored: sudden wind storms (dry if water not yet restored), the ice spreads farther if fire not yet restored (due to snow drift, etc), dust bowls if earth not yet restored, etc.

Water restored: tides restored, but waves (for a time) are higher, hit harder, stronger undertoe, etc. numerous floods, rain storms in many locations (although only along shores if air not yet restored). if the sea level has been falling for a few years, it is likely that fishing villages are now dangerously close to the water's edge - as it suddenly rises to its former height.

Earth restored: earthquakes occur again, stressing building up for months are now released all at once in several massive earthquakes. plant life all but explodes from the ground (except in desert areas, if the other crystals are not yet restored), crops will first require cutting all the wild / natural plant life away, cave-ins less likely, but now that stone has regained its former hardness perhaps rescuing those within is more difficult?

Fire restored: already stated.

This could be a really interesting game. How soon after the orbs are taken does the party form to deal with them? Do they form specifically for that reason (a la FF 1), or do they stumble upon the rumors suggesting the reason for the recent troubles and follow them - effectively stumbling into the world saving quest (a la FF 8). Were all the orbs darkened at once, or were they darkened one at a time in a certain order (a la FF 1)?
Baned
06-06-05, 07:49 AM This could be a really interesting game. How soon after the orbs are taken does the party form to deal with them? Do they form specifically for that reason (a la FF 1), or do they stumble upon the rumors suggesting the reason for the recent troubles and follow them - effectively stumbling into the world saving quest (a la FF 8). Were all the orbs darkened at once, or were they darkened one at a time in a certain order (a la FF 1)?
The party was formed with the players already knowing they are the fabled Light Warriors, so they new of their eventual deeds in the first session. The orbs (I'm sticking with the NES version's orbs instead of crystals) were slowly dying. I plan for the PC to restore the orbs in the same order as the game. (Earth, Fire, Water, Air) I'm altering the order of decay a little, though. In the game, Water and Air fell 200 years ago, but all 4 powers are decaying at roughly the same time. The problems have only just begun getting serious. The players are currently resting in Melmond, ready to journey to Terra Cavern (or Earth Cave in NES version). The power of Earth should be healed soon, before it's too serious, while the others slip further downhill.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Baned 06-05-05, 10:50 PM	I'm running a campaign based on Final Fantasy I. A brief summary of the story is that the four elemental powers (Earth, Fire, Water, Air), controlled by four Orbs are gone. It's the heroes' job to restore this power. In the actual game, problems are expressed with this loss of power, such as the rot of the earth. What I'm looking to do (well, add into the current campaign, but they have yet to restore the first orb), is make certain changes to the natural scheme of things. For the water, I got the idea for the ocean levels to drop slowly, perhaps an inch daily. Also, no more percipiation I just got an idea yesterday for it to begin snowing after the players leave the dungeon they're about to enter. The problem that the players will see, is that it's the equivilant of mid-June in the game world. I like this to symbolize the loss of heat in the world (Fire Orb), but it contrasts the loss of water mentioned above. Farmers are already having troubles with the loss of fertility in the earth. All I can think of for the air is that there is no more wind, so sailing is more difficult without other means of locomotion (such has Syldra/Hydra in Final Fantasy V) Any and all comments and suggests will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Thomar_of_Uointer 06-05-05, 11:00 PM	Earth: Quicksand in solid stone Fire: Temperate harbor becomes icebound Air: Hurricanes and tornadoes inland, stale air makes sleeping difficult (actually, sleeping is easy, waking up is hard) Water: Open flames randomly make pyrotechnics You could also have caster level penalties to spells with elemental subtypes. Outsiders, Elementals, Magical Beasts, and Fey will all be affected in some way. If creatures like that lose their energy source, they could become corrupted or twisted into totally different beings. Remember to have an unballancing of the elements as the players restore Orbs, comparable to the unballancing when the Orbs lost their power. Are you going to do the temporal paradox thing with Chaos/Garland? It wasn't described very well in FFI, but you can fill in most of the holes.
Baned 06-05-05, 11:16 PM	Earth: Quicksand in solid stone Fire: Temperate harbor becomes icebound Air: Hurricanes and tornadoes inland, stale air makes sleeping difficult (actually, sleeping is easy, waking up is hard) Water: Open flames randomly make pyrotechnics You could also have caster level penalties to spells with elemental subtypes. Outsiders, Elementals, Magical Beasts, and Fey will all be affected in some way. If creatures like that lose their energy source, they could become corrupted or twisted into totally different beings. Remember to have an unballancing of the elements as the players restore Orbs, comparable to the unballancing when the Orbs lost their power. Are you going to do the temporal paradox thing with Chaos/Garland? It wasn't described very well in FFI, but you can fill in most of the holes. Some good suggestions I'll definantly consider. I really hadn't though about the balance thing, but now I kinda see how it's almost required. For elemental spells, I was thinking of some kind of check. Perhaps the DC would be 10 + spell level, while it would raise a point or so after so long of the orb not being restored, like after a month maybe. Not to stray too far off topic, but I planned on having Garland summon Chaos rather than becoming him. I still don't understand the timeloop thing at all from the game, even though I've played it through dozens of times, including the NES, PSOne, and GBA versions. If you've got more questions on the campaign intself, feel free to contact me on an instant messenger. AIM: SelfCleaningSoap ICQ: #46282223 MSN: amtaweapon@hotmail.com
Aurotuli 06-06-05, 12:56 AM	Well, look to FF 1 itself for clues to what to do. Earth was darkened first, so its problems were more wide spread: infertile land, land becoming marshy as earth fell before water, etc. perhaps rocks break more easily, leading to more landslides, etc in mountainous areas - and also more mine/cave collapses, etc. Fire fell next: icy mountains (and caves) surround the location where fire fell (the volcano). the volcano, although still filled partially with lava, was effectively dormant. perhaps the sun shines less potently in the sky, leading to cooler summers and harsher winters. Then came water: the idea about the oceans receeding an inch a day is a good one. so too is the idea of desertification becoming a problem. recall how many (and how large) deserts were in FF 1. perhaps sea life starts dying as the water becomes less 'fertile', maybe the tides are less intense, waves a little less high, a little less common. Air was the last to fall, to its penalties were least apparent: I don't agree with the idea of stangnant air - at least not this early in the problem. perhaps the winds are less common, less fierce. flight is more difficult, more tiring, so creatures that fly are flying less often, slowly vanishing as they are more easily hunted / have more difficulty finding food. Instead of storms becoming more common, the world is dying. everything is slowing down, becoming less fertile. perhaps birthrates are falling - or even stopped all together in some areas. undead might be more common. elementals are weaker - as are the spells that call upon elemental powers, etc. Eventually the problem will get much worse: Earth: nothing new grows, plants start to wither, animals stop conceiving, stone and metal (and maybe wood) break more easily (bonus to sunders; critical fumble results in broken weapon if non-magical), earthquakes no longer occur anywhere Fire: an ice age begins, ice no longer melts in the summer, the sun shines with weak light - a perpetual twilight in which undead stumble about, volcanoes are extint Water: tides and waves completely stop, rain no longer exists, the land dries up, deserts spread ever father as the plantlife throughout the world slowly dies away - and the animals with them; aquifiers and wells dry up, what pools of water exist become stagnant, spreading disease. no clouds exist Air: winds completely die - no wind at all. silence becomes more common than sound, storms cease completely, air slowly stagnates - resulting in longer sleep periods for those still alive in this twilight, every drier, ever colder world Combined: no more conceptions, many miscarriages, life itself is slowly fading away. even those still alive, still strong, have less ability to live. they lack adequet water, adequet warmth (since fires burn less warmly - if one can even be started), and every day they rise later and go to sleep sooner. their energy and morale is fading (progressive morale penalty, say -1/week once all four elements are effectively 'dead') This has great potential.
Aurotuli 06-06-05, 01:08 AM	Hmm, I hadn't considered that. Yes, the fey would darken or fade - depending on whether they could resist the affect of the darkened crystals or not. If not reversed soon enough, they would likely die or become permanently darkened - even if the crystal is restored. Elementals would shift from NN to NE - becoming more so the longer it took to revive the crystals. Outsiders are hard to determine. I think they might find their connection to the prime less secure, but I do not think they would be strongly affected otherwise - although I can see fiends taking advantage of the situation in a number of ways. As for the unbalancing factors - yes, that would potentially be major. I can see fire restored but the others still darkened. Suddenly the cold deserts are burning hot and the desertification is spreading faster (at least until both water and air are restored). Don't forget the possibility of whiplash. Perhaps the longer they are dark, the more intense the effect of their sudden prominence. All the ice that builds up while fire is dark - suddenly melting in a single summer? Wide spread floods (even if water is still dark). Volcaoes suddenly coming online again: many multiple eruptions, earthquakes, etc. The latter - if earth is still dark, might even result in split islands - or even continents. Air restored: sudden wind storms (dry if water not yet restored), the ice spreads farther if fire not yet restored (due to snow drift, etc), dust bowls if earth not yet restored, etc. Water restored: tides restored, but waves (for a time) are higher, hit harder, stronger undertoe, etc. numerous floods, rain storms in many locations (although only along shores if air not yet restored). if the sea level has been falling for a few years, it is likely that fishing villages are now dangerously close to the water's edge - as it suddenly rises to its former height. Earth restored: earthquakes occur again, stressing building up for months are now released all at once in several massive earthquakes. plant life all but explodes from the ground (except in desert areas, if the other crystals are not yet restored), crops will first require cutting all the wild / natural plant life away, cave-ins less likely, but now that stone has regained its former hardness perhaps rescuing those within is more difficult? Fire restored: already stated. This could be a really interesting game. How soon after the orbs are taken does the party form to deal with them? Do they form specifically for that reason (a la FF 1), or do they stumble upon the rumors suggesting the reason for the recent troubles and follow them - effectively stumbling into the world saving quest (a la FF 8). Were all the orbs darkened at once, or were they darkened one at a time in a certain order (a la FF 1)?
Baned 06-06-05, 07:49 AM	This could be a really interesting game. How soon after the orbs are taken does the party form to deal with them? Do they form specifically for that reason (a la FF 1), or do they stumble upon the rumors suggesting the reason for the recent troubles and follow them - effectively stumbling into the world saving quest (a la FF 8). Were all the orbs darkened at once, or were they darkened one at a time in a certain order (a la FF 1)? The party was formed with the players already knowing they are the fabled Light Warriors, so they new of their eventual deeds in the first session. The orbs (I'm sticking with the NES version's orbs instead of crystals) were slowly dying. I plan for the PC to restore the orbs in the same order as the game. (Earth, Fire, Water, Air) I'm altering the order of decay a little, though. In the game, Water and Air fell 200 years ago, but all 4 powers are decaying at roughly the same time. The problems have only just begun getting serious. The players are currently resting in Melmond, ready to journey to Terra Cavern (or Earth Cave in NES version). The power of Earth should be healed soon, before it's too serious, while the others slip further downhill.