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Travelling the Multiverse
So I had a couple of thoughts on how to bring in some Moorcock style themes and interdimensional travel to BoL - apologies if I am reinventing the wheel as I wouldn't be surprised if the themes have already been explored. . With this caveat, here goes:
Your fantasy world is just one of a myriad similar planes - each unqiue, but each touched in some way, however peripherally, by the great struggle between the Great Principles of Law, and the myriad forms of Chaos. Some realms are closely linked - notably the Myriad Hells and different afterlives and elysian planes with the worlds that feed them souls. Other planes are far apart, like the desert-world of Kaharra and the elemental plane of Water. The further two planes are from each other, the more difficult it is to travel between them.
Mortals are linked to their home plane, not just physically but also in terms of time and aging. Crossing the divide that separate worlds is a big step, and nothing will ever be the same again. Entities that are born with or have acquired the ability to shift between worlds are called Eternals. They may not be literally immortal, but they have shed their links to the passage and time and cycles of death and rebirth of their native planes.
Other travellers are not true Eternals but use magic, outside intervention or artefacts to travel from one plane to another.
Finally there are places where worlds meet, shimmering interdimensional portals or rifts in the time space continuum. It does not take any innate or magical ability to travel through these rifts, but doing so is extremely dangerous and the unprotected risk losing their very souls to the arcane predators that stalk the hollows between the worlds.
Next, to ways of travel:
Last edited by Peter (9/20/2017 12:39 am)
- Peter
- Warrior
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- From: Austrasia
- Registered: 11/12/2016
- Posts: 41
Re: Travelling the Multiverse
Portals
Create Portal is simply a spell - Magnitude 2 for nearby planes, Magnitude 3 for distant planes. A permanent portal to a nearby plane is Magnitude 3 (and impossible for distant planes).
Portals also occur (super)naturally in the wild, often in places that resemble the home plane.
The trouble with permanent portals is that things can pass in both directions....
A rift is also a portal, just more raw and unpredictable. (Super)natural portals are often rifts. In fact, a Portal can take many forms - a mirror, a hole in the sky (better getting a flying mount), a well, a shivering disc, a wardrobe.
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Thread Starter- Peter
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- From: Austrasia
- Registered: 11/12/2016
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Re: Travelling the Multiverse
Summon
Powerful entities such as eternals, demons, elementals and even lesser gods can be summoned and bound using the summoning rules in BoL Mythic. The abilities these entities posses vary wildly, but some may be able to confer various forms of interdimensional travel on the summoner or another mortal. Useful suggested new demonic powers include:
- Abduction
The entity grabs a victim and pulls it back to the entity's home dimension. A reckless Summoner can use this ability to travel himself, or to exile his enemies. Many entities with Abduction are Demons reisiding in the myriad hells of the Multiverse...
- Possession
The entity can possess a mortal, and then travel back to his home plane or use other multiverse related abilities, such as Cosmic Shift. Items can also be possessed, and the possessing creature then takes control of its wielder. The control of a possessed item is less powerful than direct possessions, and takes the form of suggestions and whispers rather than direct urges - oh and all the stuff from Nero's Fiddle's excellent thread on Bloodlust...
- Cosmic Shift
The entity can shift between planes freely. Unlike mortals, it does not need to spend days fasting and meditating, but it does still cost Lifeblood (or Souls). Cosmic Shift together with Possession can be a way for a summoner to bind an entity into his own body and then travel between planes.
Last edited by Peter (9/20/2017 12:43 am)
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Thread Starter- Peter
- Warrior
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- From: Austrasia
- Registered: 11/12/2016
- Posts: 41
Re: Travelling the Multiverse
Eternals
There are many ways to become an Eternal. Maybe you are one from birth (suggesting Origins such as Star Vampire, Dragonbrood), maybe you became one through application and dedication (there could be Cosmic Careers - suggestion Meta-Mystic) or maybe you were the victim of some accident that made you an interdimensional castaway.
As an Eternal, you have access to Cosmic Boons and Flaws. One of these helps you travel between planes:
- Cosmic Shift
Spend time and Lifeblood to enter a trance that will carry you between Dimensions. The further away, the more Lifeblood you spend and the more time it takes. For distant planes, you must sacrifice a permanent Lifeblood.
- Souldrain
Instead of paying Lifeblood for Cosmic Shift, you can consume the soul of a sentient being. This can be vampiric bloodsucking or purely ethereal.
Ideas for origins:
- Star Vampires - travel between dimensions feeding on other entities lifeforce. Could go either Bram Stoker or Lovecraft depending on mood. Would have to be a dark campaign to fit. Would have dependencies and souldrain as well as cosmic shift.
- Dragonbrood - based on the assumption that dragons are interdimensional entities, a little bit of dragonblood may give you access to cosmic shift and other draconic perks like scaly skin, claws and particularly bad breath.
- Scion of the Gods - a Hero in the classical sense. His link to a divine parents provides the scope to travel at least to the celestial plane (this could be a specific, cheaper version of Cosmic Shift)
Ideas for Career:
- Meta-Mystic - delving into the metaphysical secrets of the universe and greater mysteries of the gods. The Meta-Mystic may gain Cosmic Shift, or possibly just the ability to travel to a select number of Ideal Planes close to the realms of Law. Cosmic Careers such as Meta-Mystic should only be available at GM discretion - notably fif the entire party consists of Eternals.
Last edited by Peter (9/20/2017 12:45 am)
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