The Campaign Builder's Guild

So... yeah.  

I haven't done anything in a while.  I'd like to do something again.  I mean, like, that's why I created this thread.

*cough*

Anyway... I'm gonna post things as they come to me.

Wat.

Magic - Geasa

Geasa (singular geis) are one of the fundamental aspects of magic. Every practitioner of magic is bound under certain geasa, or taboos. Violating a geis invariably results in some kind of penalty. A geis can be almost anything, from something that might not even be noticed by others, to something very obvious. Some geasa are so ridiculous or innocuous that those who have them can be come obsessed , paranoid, or develop phobias or paraphilias about them. This likely has much to do with the general tendency of magic to drive its wielders insane.

Example: A geis of the sorceress Lasa requires her to never wear footwear.  Most of the time, this geis presents no disadvantage; most people wouldn't even notice it.  However, there are obvious times where it might make her stand out.  

If, say, the Guard was after her, and they know to look for a woman without shoes, she could be easily spotted.  Or if she would stick out if she was invited to the Grand Ball, and was the only person in attendance without shoes.  Or, while she's at the ball, a bunch of bandits rush in, breaking the stained glass windows, she would have no protection for her feet.  In her mind, however, being without her magic would be a greater disadvantage.  Breaking her geis even moreso.

In addition to the above, Lasa is meticulous when it comes to her feet.  Every single night, she at least attempts to give herself a pedicure.  She even does this when it may not be the best idea.  Like pitching camp while on the run from the Guard half an hour earlier than she should just to do so.  Or taking a break from tunneling out of prison with her wooden gruel spoon to do so right before the nightly check by the guards.

Quote from: Ninja D!Wat.

Stop that, you.  ;)

Oh, so there really was something coming.  I thought this was just a very loose declaration of intent.  I'm glad to see I was mistaken as those never work.

I kind of like this idea of Geasa and I kind of don't.  I don't like that it seems that they could be different for everyone.  In that case, where would they come from and what would cause them?  I like the idea of something like this being tied to different schools and styles of magic, though.  

This reminds me of the taboos used by the Wu Jen in the Oriental Adventures version of the class for 3E D&D. I like that it creates a more mystic quality to magic than the simple "tool set" that some world's magic can become.

What system are you doing this for? Is this just for fiction or is it for a game?

Quote from: Kapn XeviatThis reminds me of the taboos used by the Wu Jen in the Oriental Adventures version of the class for 3E D&D. I like that it creates a more mystic quality to magic than the simple "tool set" that some world's magic can become.

What system are you doing this for? Is this just for fiction or is it for a game?

Risus![/url] or Raelifin's Mastery system.  So I guess "for a game" would be your answer.


Thanks for the replies, guys.

Interesting.  I guess my question is how a geas is determined/distributed.  I like the idea of a "conservation of power" concept - that to gain power, you have to give something up.  Is there a proportional relationship between the power gained and the power sacrificed, or are you thinking of all geasa as relatively "minor," warped eccentricites and the like?

I'm guessing the idea for the geis comes from (perhaps among other sources) that same kind of geis imposed upon your mythological namesake?  I know that you know the story, but since others may not, I will explain:  King Conchobor and his court were feasting at the house of Culann the Smith.  Culann had a massive hound which guarded his home.  The boy Setanta, who was the son of the god Lugh, came afterwards and was attacked by Culann's hound.  Setanta slew the dog, but Culann was enraged by the loss of his watchdog, so Setanta offered to take the place of Culann's dog until a replacement could be found and trained.  From then on the boy was called Cuchulainn--"Culann's Hound."  Cuchulainn was invincible in battle, save for his one weakness: his geis that he could not eat the meat of a dog.  Cuchulainn defended Ulster singlehandedly against the armies of Ireland, until he was made to eat the meat of a dog, and so lost his power.  

Quote from: Seraphine_HarmoniumI'm guessing the idea for the geis comes from (perhaps among other sources) that same kind of geis imposed upon your mythological namesake?  I know that you know the story, but since others may not, I will explain:  King Conchobor and his court were feasting at the house of Culann the Smith.  Culann had a massive hound which guarded his home.  The boy Setanta, who was the son of the god Lugh, came afterwards and was attacked by Culann's hound.  Setanta slew the dog, but Culann was enraged by the loss of his watchdog, so Setanta offered to take the place of Culann's dog until a replacement could be found and trained.  From then on the boy was called Cuchulainn--"Culann's Hound."  Cuchulainn was invincible in battle, save for his one weakness: his geis that he could not eat the meat of a dog.  Cuchulainn defended Ulster singlehandedly against the armies of Ireland, until he was made to eat the meat of a dog, and so lost his power.

Yup.

Another interesting mythological one is the story of how Lleu Llaw Gyffes dies.  He could not die "during the day or night, nor indoors or outdoors, neither riding nor walking, not clothed and not naked, nor by any weapon lawfully made."  His wife learned about this, said "What." and somehow convinced him to show her, hypothetically, how he could actually die.  He stepped out of a river onto a riverbank sheltered by a roof and put one foot on a goat, slipped, and died.

Quote from: CúchulainnGive me a while and I'll come up with some more examples.

Where do you get your avatars?[/ooc]

Quote from: CúchulainnGive me a while and I'll come up with some more examples.

Where do you get your avatars?[/ooc][/quote]Someone posted a set of them on 4chan.  I saved them.[/ooc]

I like the peculiarities presented by the geasa. It adds great roleplay potential. It also makes me wonder if I am secretly a magician. :P

So I had this awesome idea for incorporating some stuff about luck into the magic system.  Of course, I did not right this down, so I promptly forgot it.  And then I made this thread like five months later.  That worked out.

Expect more stuff later in the week.  I've got some work to do this weekend.

Again, thanks for all the replies, guys.

So I meant to post something last week, but I've been doing some behind-the-scenes kind of work on the setting.  And getting distracted.  So today, whilst my headache prevents me from doing much more than one thing at a time, I present to you: moar.

General Goals
Lots of people set out with an ethos, or whatever you kids called it; I never kept track.  On the other hand, for this setting, I have general goals I'd like to stick to.  There are only two of these.  See the second goal.

Designed with play in mind.  My settings typically end up as works with me as the primary audience.  This setting, however, is intended with players as the audience.

Minimalism.  Designed to go hand-in-hand with my first goal, I will try and focus only on those things that really need to be built, not everything plus an extra kitchen sink.

And that's it.