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So we've all heard discussions about how the architecture in fantasy worlds fails to take into account magic. Castles assume walls will keep people out, guards have no way of spotting invisible people, and other examples of this exist, and yet world building as a whole tends to ignore this except in limited situations which are often specifically called out.
Knowing this, what steps do you think should be taken dealing with a world that deals with magic regularly? For this, let's assume Golarion, a world in which magic is quite common, with higher level spellcasters (level 10 and up) being uncommon enough that building in regards to them would only be considered in the most important of places (capitals, castles, etc).
Maybe an anti-magic shell surrounding the structure?
Possibly maintained by an ongoing ritual? And definitely anchored to immobile structures, like standing stones or an anti-conjuring circle or running water. Maybe that can be a reason to keep moats in style?
Or maybe magic guardian pets that have auras of antimagic?
Possibly allowing it to be bypassed by a spellcaster using a special component or badge or insignia or bloodline?
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What if you treat high-level magic like nuclear weapons in the modern world? Sure, you've got a weapon that could destroy an entire enemy city... but so does your enemy.
Why don't you just teleport into the other nation's capital city and start gating in demons? Because then his wizards will do the same to your capital. So wizards become the ICBM of the fantasy world.
So looking at spells Lv. 1-4 I am seeing the following challenges which can be overcome
1. Guards will be killed, Solution: More guards
2. Guards will be mind controlled, Solution: More guards (make them use all their spells before they get close to you
3. Magic Disguises-Train guards to only accept passwords (not physical appearance) and have not all guards know all passwords so you can't get by it by mind controlling just one.
4. Invisibility-Bells and alarm spells on doors forces them to also use silence, guards at doors forces them to kill the guards. Guards with dogs cause its hard to hide from scent... trained bats maybe?
5. Flying-Steel Mesh or magically hardened glass over castle courtyards so flyers can't just land there. Lots more archers and/or light ballistas so that incoming fliers get shot at a lot. Unless of course they combine with invisibility in which case probably just more guards. Or go underground.
6. Gaseous Form-Just I don't know walls of fire maybe?
7. Scrying-Lead everywhere
So looks like your best bet is building a large underground maze filled with traps and monstrous guards. Better if in an old lead mine. Best if you don't leave any chests of treasure around except in the back where you are cause honestly who does that.
When characters get lv. 5 spells however fortresses become basically worthless due to Passwall and Teleport. Not sure what you can do about that.
Lead lining stops passwall too, it wont go through metal.
Lead lining stops passwall too, it wont go through metal.
Ha! I missed that. Lead everywhere!
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Bead Curtains. All doorways have bead curtains, with tiny little bells on them strands. There- anti invisibility option with minimal cost and without the need for high magic. Hell, it isn't even that expensive, really. And near 0 maintenance cost.
Someone goes through the curtain, the strands visibly move and the bells attached make a noise. That happens when no one is there, and then you start going for the flour grenades.
Invisibility isn't that hard to counter on an institutional level, like a lot of spells. It can still be a useful tool, but only in conjuncture with other skills (for example, they used disguise and bluff to enter in under the guise of official business, and then go invisible in the bathroom or something).
My GM has an abjuration teleport redirect spell in his universe as well. Teleporting into most castles outside of a specific well guarded circle usually lands you in a cell which usually triggers a contingencied antimagic zone.
Another thing that beats invisibility is really plush carpets. Also, knee-high grass.
Do you think invisibility spells are just a big scam by incompetent alchemists who can't turn lead into gold? So they just created a market where the value of lead is equivalent to gold?
Do you think invisibility spells are just a big scam by incompetent alchemists who can't turn lead into gold? So they just created a market where the value of lead is equivalent to gold?
Due to the fact it has higher density than lead, gold might work for blocking scryig as well. It would work for stopping radiation, it's just too expensive for it to be practical IRL.
Once could make a case for adamant as well.
Do you think invisibility spells are just a big scam by incompetent alchemists who can't turn lead into gold? So they just created a market where the value of lead is equivalent to gold?
I would think that lead would be far more valuable than gold if lead to gold was common.
Lead is a solid, corrosion resistant metal that can be easily worked with due to a relatively low melting point. It can be used for various fixtures, such as pipes and paint (...I am not saying fantasy safety codes are very...good. At all. But hell, the Romans had this problem with their pottery, and they KNEW it was bad for them). It also has fantastic value as bullets for slings and guns (since the way it deals with impact is great for sending its force into the target).
Meanwhile gold is mostly just known for being pretty and being so easy to work with that it can't be used for much other than jewelry and decorations. You can work it with wooden tools, for crying out loud. That is why it was adopted for jewelry VERY early- it was enough that even cavemen could work a good sample. That, and its relative rarity (which made it a trade commodity) make up 99% of its uses prior to electronics. I mean...it could be used for dentistry (made into fillings and such, since it is easy to work with)...but not much actual use beyond that.
Once you remove the scarcity (removing its value when used to back up the value of coins), it is basically down to the level of rhinestones and other cheap imitation jewelry.
Looks like my GM didn't make up that spell. This should change the whole "just teleport in" stance.
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/t/teleport-trap
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Teleport trap is a terrible spell. It is level 7, so it comes online way after teleport has already been around. It requires a level 13 wizard on staff, so it is accessible to very few people, and it costs you 1300gp per 13 days when you get it, or about 3k per month.
Not that much for an adventurer but terrible for warding every castle in a kingdom.
As an explanation for why scry-and-fry does not work, Teleport Trap fails. It would be much more interesting if it was a level 4 spell, and had a duration of permanent.
Teleport trap is a terrible spell. It is level 7, so it comes online way after teleport has already been around. It requires a level 13 wizard on staff, so it is accessible to very few people, and it costs you 1300gp per 13 days when you get it, or about 3k per month.
Not that much for an adventurer but terrible for warding every castle in a kingdom.
As an explanation for why scry-and-fry does not work, Teleport Trap fails. It would be much more interesting if it was a level 4 spell, and had a duration of permanent.
Agreed. Our solution once upon a time was that defense came online at lower levels than offense. I'll have to track down the details of that system one day.
Teleport trap is a terrible spell. It is level 7, so it comes online way after teleport has already been around. It requires a level 13 wizard on staff, so it is accessible to very few people, and it costs you 1300gp per 13 days when you get it, or about 3k per month.
Not that much for an adventurer but terrible for warding every castle in a kingdom.
As an explanation for why scry-and-fry does not work, Teleport Trap fails. It would be much more interesting if it was a level 4 spell, and had a duration of permanent.
Its a terrible spell for a player, not a terrible spell for npcs. And you don't have to ward EVERY castle in a kingdom, just the important ones.
It can also be made permanent and as you're dealing with NPCs the difficulty of finding a 13th level wizard and "when" it comes online is irrelevant. At some point in the 300 year history of the castle the ruler found a 13th level wizard to ward his castle with teleport trap and permanency it. Problem solved. As a GM you can set a not insignificant yet not insurmountable DC on the will save. You are not obligated as GM to follow the same steps as a pc in achieving goals.
Finding out there's a 50% or so chance they'll end up in a darkened silenced/contingency antimagic shelled room if they attempt to teleport in will generally dissuade pcs from taking a scry and fry stance. Moreover its a perfectly reasonable precaution from the perspective of a ruler.
Edit: moreover being a 7th level spell makes the save dc 3 higher than if it were a 4th. In the interests of not railroading and keeping the THREAT of scry and fry relevant making it more difficult rather than outright impossible is an important thing as a gm.
I believe there should be some spells designed for just this reason to cover a large area. Nothing offensive, but causes issues in certain cases. Anyone who teleports without the right insignia glows for a couple of hours, etc.
At minimum level teleport trap covers 520 cubic feet per casting Thats a pretty significant amount of coverage.
Maybe there should be some Fortification feats? Like an item creation feat that works off of Craft Wondrous Device and affects buildings and other large areas? Or a metamagic feat that can increase durations and area of effects by increasing casting times significantly (hours or days per spell level????).
Maybe there should be some Fortification feats? Like an item creation feat that works off of Craft Wondrous Device and affects buildings and other large areas? Or a metamagic feat that can increase durations and area of effects by increasing casting times significantly (hours or days per spell level????).
Well with craft magic arms and armor you can make magiclly strong gates and walls so that might help (UC->Mastering Combate->Siege Engines). Maybe a magic property on walls that makes them block or misdirect teleportation... or makes them into lead!
Lead is a solid, corrosion resistant metal that can be easily worked with due to a relatively low melting point. It can be used for various fixtures, such as pipes and paint (...I am not saying fantasy safety codes are very...good. At all. But hell, the Romans had this problem with their pottery, and they KNEW it was bad for them). It also has fantastic value as bullets for slings and guns (since the way it deals with impact is great for sending its force into the target).
Meanwhile gold is mostly just known for being pretty and being so easy to work with that it can't be used for much other than jewelry and decorations. You can work it with wooden tools, for crying out loud. That is why it was adopted for jewelry VERY early- it was enough that even cavemen could work a good sample. That, and its relative rarity (which made it a trade commodity) make up 99% of its uses prior to electronics. I mean...it could be used for dentistry (made into fillings and such, since it is easy to work with)...but not much actual use beyond that.
Once you remove the scarcity (removing its value when used to back up the value of coins), it is basically down to the level of rhinestones and other cheap imitation jewelry.
Gold is also an excellent heat and radiation shield as well as a lubricant. It can be made thinner than lead and so lighter and is used by NASA and in Formula 1 (and also some very exotic hypercars) for these purposes. The reason it isn't used more often is its price. It is much better than copper or aluminium for electrical circuitry for example.
It would be interesting if in the game gold was a decorative or lightweight substitute for lead, I might consider that for a house rule.
So we've all heard discussions about how the architecture in fantasy worlds fails to take into account magic. Castles assume walls will keep people out, guards have no way of spotting invisible people, and other examples of this exist, and yet world building as a whole tends to ignore this except in limited situations which are often specifically called out.
Knowing this, what steps do you think should be taken dealing with a world that deals with magic regularly? For this, let's assume Golarion, a world in which magic is quite common, with higher level spellcasters (level 10 and up) being uncommon enough that building in regards to them would only be considered in the most important of places (capitals, castles, etc).
Unlike other ventures where it would seem illogical, worldbuilding is pretty much a cart before the horse kind of activity.
The first question is what kind of story are you looking to tell? What do you want your world to look like in it's present day, in the terms of how your player characters experience it?
Every other consideration should be subordinate to this one. That your world make sense is secondary to the need for it to be consistent.
Gold is also an excellent heat and radiation shield as well as a lubricant. It can be made thinner than lead and so lighter and is used by NASA and in Formula 1 (and also some very exotic hypercars) for these purposes. The reason it isn't used more often is its price. It is much better than copper or aluminium for electrical circuitry for example.
It would be interesting if in the game gold was a decorative or lightweight substitute for lead, I might consider that for a house rule.
Oh, of course there are more uses. I just mean...the tech level of the game is roughly 1500's or so.
So I think that the world of electronics and NASA might be specialized in the laboratories of very strange wizards and clockwork golems. For the general public, it is more decorative. You could incorporate it into Numeria fairly easily though- have gold as something in overabundance to the point of being worthless since it is used in the wiring and such of various places.
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In my campaigns, high level casters are sufficiently rare that it isn't a real concern. The few that exist are typically in positions of power and rely on more mundane methods, like a bureaucracy, to handle their nations etc. If they did go to war then they are likely to be opposed by others with similar power levels so they are self cancelling.
I guess the main concern would be lower level magic (up to level 3)being used for criminal intent. The three main categories being theft, deception and violence
With Detect magic being a cantrip, most high class furniture makers would routinely sandwich drawers and cupboards with lead between two sheets of wood. Guardrooms and other pinch points would have bead curtains to stop invisibility. Checkpoints would have an overwatch out of range of most spells.
Conversely, with spells like Locate Object, lead boxes might be considered contraband as they are used by thieves to steal magical items.
Buildings would be designed so that flight or levitation would be of limited use.
Magic items would be brokered and tested (seller pays but adds to purchase price) or held in escrow (to wait for magic aura to wear off) to confirm the item is as described. Similar in some respects to valuable art transactions today.
Magical violence would be hardest to stop. In many low level cases the impact is not much different to a martial characters capabilities and at worst would be like trying to catch a gunman. With spells like fireball though, it would be like trying to catch a bomber. I cannot think of a way that a spellcaster could be reliably stopped in advance. Though such a crime would quickly bring in higher level spellcasters to bring the criminal caster to justice and there are many spells that can be used to track someone down.
Gold is also an excellent heat and radiation shield as well as a lubricant. It can be made thinner than lead and so lighter and is used by NASA and in Formula 1 (and also some very exotic hypercars) for these purposes. The reason it isn't used more often is its price. It is much better than copper or aluminium for electrical circuitry for example.
It would be interesting if in the game gold was a decorative or lightweight substitute for lead, I might consider that for a house rule.
Oh, of course there are more uses. I just mean...the tech level of the game is roughly 1500's or so.
So I think that the world of electronics and NASA might be specialized in the laboratories of very strange wizards and clockwork golems. For the general public, it is more decorative. You could incorporate it into Numeria fairly easily though- have gold as something in overabundance to the point of being worthless since it is used in the wiring and such of various places.
House rule territory I know, but I'm wondering whether the radiation shielding properties of lead are the inspiration behind its magic shielding properties in game. If that were the case then gold would shield at least as effectively and gold leaf would be very popular amongst the aristocracy. Going one better, a gold faraday cage might function as a mundane anti-magic shell.
Similarly, the heat shielding properties might give a bonus against spells like fireball.
You are running across the flaw to all magic system: not all spells are listed! Why? The writers have page counts and other things that WILL draw in cash.
A friend wrote up over a hundred spells that would be found in a magic rich world like most using the D&D moniker. Most were rewritten low end spells with less combat oriented text. A healer's chant acting as a minor bonus to a heal check for example.
Don't whine about not having the spell already, call for spells that are needed.
Don't even consider the effect that divine magic (with cure, disease removal, and reincarnation/resurrection) would have upon a world. Wealth would truly buy health and immortality.
So we'd end up with immortal perfectly healthy aristocrats living in lead lined anti-magic mansions patrolled by cadres of first level diviners and dogs.
Don't even consider the effect that divine magic (with cure, disease removal, and reincarnation/resurrection) would have upon a world. Wealth would truly buy health and immortality.
So we'd end up with immortal perfectly healthy aristocrats living in lead lined anti-magic mansions patrolled by cadres of first level diviners and dogs.
Not particularly. The system and setting are both very anti immortality.
You can have very, very healthy and long lived aristocrats (ie- humans going over a hundred, and still fit for leading the charge into battle), but the spells don't let you live beyond the limits of your natural life span usually.
For setting, there are actually numerous outsiders whose entire shtick is killing immortals. And you can see this theme on several different places on the alignment spectrum (off the top of my head, there is Pharasma's psychopomps for N, a race of daemons for NE, and one of the 'totally not a robot' inevitables for LN). So it isn't just a 'demons want to kill something beautiful' thing- no, getting rid of immortals is just business as usual on the outerplanes. Which makes sense- they are largely made from dead souls, so why wouldn't they be invested in making sure mortals stay that way.
Don't even consider the effect that divine magic (with cure, disease removal, and reincarnation/resurrection) would have upon a world. Wealth would truly buy health and immortality.
So we'd end up with immortal perfectly healthy aristocrats living in lead lined anti-magic mansions patrolled by cadres of first level diviners and dogs.
Not particularly. The system and setting are both very anti immortality.
You can have very, very healthy and long lived aristocrats (ie- humans going over a hundred, and still fit for leading the charge into battle), but the spells don't let you live beyond the limits of your natural life span usually.
For setting, there are actually numerous outsiders whose entire shtick is killing immortals. And you can see this theme on several different places on the alignment spectrum (off the top of my head, there is Pharasma's psychopomps for N, a race of daemons for NE, and one of the 'totally not a robot' inevitables for LN). So it isn't just a 'demons want to kill something beautiful' thing- no, getting rid of immortals is just business as usual on the outerplanes. Which makes sense- they are largely made from dead souls, so why wouldn't they be invested in making sure mortals stay that way.
Reincarnation explicitly allows someone who died from age to be brought back. Age is no limit to those who can afford Reincarnation.
Seems like all those creatures are Outsiders, which gives a numbers of options to deal with them as a group. Or, just wear an amulet of nondetection and don't get noticed to begin with. Specifically though, the Marut (Inevitable) may or may not be triggered by Reincarnation (since it can reset the age counter, it's possible that it's not extending life but resetting the timer on it it). In the event it is, nothing about being killed by one prevents being Raised or Reincarnated so far as I could see. Psychopomps deal with the already dead, or undead, not the living as far as I can tell. Daemons don't need an excuse to do evil.
Flying or levitating is really not a great idea in most cases. You can see a lot, but you'll also be seen unless you're invisible. Archers will keep an eye out for you, and anyone with any sense will hire some sort of flying race to protect their buildings. Plus, the fly spell only lasts one minute per level. Even at 60 feet (or 40 feet if the subject is wearing medium or heavy armor, or if it carries a medium or heavy load) that's not going to get you very far. Now mass fly is a different story, but at that level you have teleport...
Actually, it would make more sense to build castles and such underground. I suppose if you want something impressive-looking over the ground you could do so, but it wouldn't be important. Your bedroom's not going to be there nor are any of your treasures. This actually would explain dungeons quite well too.
Can prestidigitation color an invisible object? I know faerie fire can. I could see someone warding areas with both alarm and invisibility alarm. In the latter case, it could be attached to something that causes multiple faerie fire bombs to go off, though (if you were to homebrew) you could probably have someone research a way to make permanent faerie fire areas. They could end up looking much like beads flowing down across the area or maybe like soap bubbles. The main downside to faerie fire is the 5 ft. limited burst, but I'm sure research could figure some way around that. Likely some kind of partly invisible bubble (maybe it looks like a soap bubble) that surrounds a castle so if anything passes through it gets covered in faerie fire?
Can one make a permanent version of alarm and invisibility alarm with the mental versions? How would that work over generations?
That said, I find undead the hardest to limit In-Universe. Especially the ones who can spawn others of their ilk. The idea that they are a real threat is antithetical to the idea that they don't already rule the world. It's a tough one to balance. Anyone have ideas to limit undead without nerfing them?
Does the undead real stand out? I mean, I can think of several creatures that should've conquered the world already. Dragons, for one. A lot of outsiders too. Although those can perhaps conceivably keep each-other in check.
Many monsters that's basically large predators have an opposite problem. Land sharks, owlbears etc. Why are they still around? They're a threat to every creature trying to make a living in their respectiv territories. Sure, a bulette is CR 7, but either the humans or dwarfs trying to live in those temperate hills all get eaten or the send out their mightiest heroes and soon the bulette is no more.
Rationallity kills any fantasy world, if you want it to. Hand-wave, force suspention of disbelief and just try to have fun is probably the answer.
But to return to your original question, couldn't you say undead is fueled by negative energy? And that negative energy is a fickle thing, vaxing in and out of reality. Sometimes there's not much to go around and the dead stay resting, liches see their armies crumble and vampires are forced into hiding to regain their strength.
Back during the original days of 3.5 the Eberon setting was created. A large part of its design was about incorporating magic into the world, into society, blending it with the mundane if you will. Whether this goal was achieved or not I'll leave up to the reader. I'm sure there were some good ideas though. Amongst those there was the Magewright NPC class, an arcane caster dedicated to your more mundane demands of society. Even so the class, or rather the spelllist, still lacked focus, if you ask me, just like with regular casters, where one Magewright could be a civil engineer, another a lamplighter and yet another a mechanic. I do understand the need to preserve pagecount by lumping so many functions together in a single class but I think the fictional reality demands they're actually quite different. So, in a world that truly blends the magical with the mundane to the extent that both take one another into account, it makes sense that there are jobs that function according to those same principles. For every magical shoplifter you've got a magical mall-cop, for every magical assassin a magical bodyguard. The same goes for just about every job. Just give them whatever skillest their function demands and nothing else, with varying levels of competency and then let the free market do the rest.
Of course, materials and their properties and rarity should still play a part in such a world, just like it does in ours, as should the weather and the lay of the land, but I find putting the majority of the burden on people creates the richest environment for drama. If you want dependable absolutes (lead blocks divination) use materials, for everything else use people.
Can prestidigitation color an invisible object? I know faerie fire can.
Yes, but only invisible unicorns, and it can only make them pink.
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So we've all heard discussions about how the architecture in fantasy worlds fails to take into account magic. Castles assume walls will keep people out, guards have no way of spotting invisible people, and other examples of this exist, and yet world building as a whole tends to ignore this except in limited situations which are often specifically called out.
Knowing this, what steps do you think should be taken dealing with a world that deals with magic regularly? For this, let's assume Golarion, a world in which magic is quite common, with higher level spellcasters (level 10 and up) being uncommon enough that building in regards to them would only be considered in the most important of places (capitals, castles, etc).
My favorite answer? Bureaucracy! Assuming you start looking at these places as worlds with social realities rather than just mechanics Bureaucracy, Culture, Trade, and Taboos can be major stopping blocks to certain forms of magic before they are ever a problem.
For example lets look at invisibility. A powerful yet low level spell, invisibility can cause a host of problems to the budding tyrant to be but let us not forget he is a tyrant in a world where this thing is "common" compared to our own issues and since he likes his head where it is he seeks to stifle problem. The tyrant can ban it in his kingdoms, putting those caught with the spell to the sword, lopping off their hands, burning their spellbook, or hanging them. The churches might find the spell distasteful and deem it heretical, painting its users as craven fiends who are damned for their use of such dastardly magics. Invisibility could be thought of as taboo culturally, as the idea of people wandering the streets stealing, killing, or harassing those poor defenseless maidens without being able to see them being the tactics of only the most perverse and making people abstain its use and more importantly shun those who practice it. Wizards and other spellcasters likely don't share their spells often, hoping to maintain the edges their own unique spells grant them both personally and professionally as kings and queens seek their help as they are the only ones who can offer the ability to vanish. This also makes those wizards rather remiss to share these spells with others and without laws like our own to protect someones ideas the best way to protect their spell IPs is to not share them with anyone save their successors and defend them RIGOROUSLY. The nobility might think that invisibility is ungentlemanly and those who use it are unworthy of attention and title, causing those who employ it to do so at their own peril potentially saving the day but losing their titles (and the land and money that come with it) in the process.
There are just a few ideas that don't require any counter magic to handle them.
I elaborated more on some of this here.
Hope that helps ^-^.
Does the undead real stand out? I mean, I can think of several creatures that should've conquered the world already. Dragons, for one. A lot of outsiders too. Although those can perhaps conceivably keep each-other in check....<snip>...But to return to your original question, couldn't you say undead is fueled by negative energy? And that negative energy is a fickle thing, waxing in and out of reality. Sometimes there's not much to go around and the dead stay resting, liches see their armies crumble and vampires are forced into hiding to regain their strength.Thanks for the reply (no snark, srsly). The other creatures could be problems but they generally fit the flavor of the various published game worlds. Dragons are über for sure but aren't game-breaky since there are effective things that are opposed to them like "good" dragons and N/PC heros etc. Even settings that are over-the-top (Faerûn/Abeir-Toril I'm talk'n to you!) have a certain feel that makes it all work.
** spoiler omitted **
I find undead the hardest to limit In-Universe. Especially the ones who can spawn others of their ilk. The idea that they are a real threat is antithetical to the idea that they don't already rule the world. It's a tough one to balance. Anyone have ideas to limit undead without nerfing them?Note the emphasis in my original statement, now bolded for clarity.
Ghouls, Ghasts and Shadows are particularly hard to work into a setting. More powerful undead like Vampires might limit their rampages 'cause they need to maintain a food supply but Shadows? WTF do they care, right?
Here's my proposal.
Negative energy is antithetical to positive energy. Since life seeks to expand and procreate, creatures of negative energy seek to remain remote and actually prefer to remain few in number. The only things that keep undead from merely huddling in the deepest bowels of the earth is a combination of the need to 'feed' on the destruction of positive energy and a seething hatred of life. In spawning undead, hatred results in new undead only rarely because:
1.) Those undead usually avoid areas with populations over 0.
2.) Many undead have some kind of built in deterrent for the common person, be it supernaturally cold air or the stench of rotting flesh in an open grave. Other deterrents might include legends of places from which 'none ever return' and 'the shrieks of the doomed can be heard.'
3.) A decent percentage of the humanoids that do choose to enter these adobes may actually stand a chance against them.
4.) If an undead does wonder from its adobe (seeking either to feed or solace) they enter a world nearly entirely hostile to them. Good and neutral, and even most evil creatures view them as monstrosities and treat them on the range of either the most dangerous threat imaginable to pests to be exterminated (the latter the inclination of powerful giants and dragons.) Even evil clerics and the like are more likely to capture them (and breed them in small quantities) than they are let them go on their way.
The exception to all of this is when the creatures retain some shred of their humanity. Such cases include lich, vampires, ghouls and ghosts.
Even so, most of these undead creatures prefer solace. Further, each one has another stop-gap that prevents them from becoming to numerous.
- Lich have two major things keeping their numbers in check. Firstly, they are even more isolatory than most, usually to preoccupied with amassing arcane power to care about anything else. More importantly, you cannot accidently create a lich from a commoner: it must be the active choice of a high level spellcaster to become a lich. Thus, only a small (<<< than .001%) of the world's population can even become a lich. Those that do either stay hidden, or become the primary target of every living creature in the land.
- Vampires can be killed/incapacitated via sunlight, running water, sharp pieces of wood, holy water, or certain herbs. Plus, they require living humanoids, and are therefore more likely to noticed and killed.
- Ghosts can't spawn. Plus, they've got a specific task in mind when they manifest, and have little time for anything else.
- Ghouls can spawn, and would probably take over the world, if they weren't, again, so isolatory and didn't have a tendency to eat their prey before it can spawn.
My main concern are fiends that can teleport at will.
They can murder murder murder teleport somewhere new murder murder murder teleport somewhere new murder murder murder teleport somewhere old (for zest) murder murder murder, repeat until bored.
And boredom is probably the only force in the 'verse that can stop 'em, since they can use hit and run tactics across distances vaster and faster than the speed of communication.
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My main concern are fiends that can teleport at will.
They can murder murder murder teleport somewhere new murder murder murder teleport somewhere new murder murder murder teleport somewhere old (for zest) murder murder murder, repeat until bored.
And boredom is probably the only force in the 'verse that can stop 'em, since they can use hit and run tactics across distances vaster and faster than the speed of communication.
That's why it's a good thing they exist on a different plane, and why "stop the bad guy from opening a gateway to the demon realm" is such an important task. :P
Don't even consider the effect that divine magic (with cure, disease removal, and reincarnation/resurrection) would have upon a world. Wealth would truly buy health and immortality.
So we'd end up with immortal perfectly healthy aristocrats living in lead lined anti-magic mansions patrolled by cadres of first level diviners and dogs.
Not particularly. The system and setting are both very anti immortality.
You can have very, very healthy and long lived aristocrats (ie- humans going over a hundred, and still fit for leading the charge into battle), but the spells don't let you live beyond the limits of your natural life span usually.
For setting, there are actually numerous outsiders whose entire shtick is killing immortals. And you can see this theme on several different places on the alignment spectrum (off the top of my head, there is Pharasma's psychopomps for N, a race of daemons for NE, and one of the 'totally not a robot' inevitables for LN). So it isn't just a 'demons want to kill something beautiful' thing- no, getting rid of immortals is just business as usual on the outerplanes. Which makes sense- they are largely made from dead souls, so why wouldn't they be invested in making sure mortals stay that way.
Reincarnation explicitly allows someone who died from age to be brought back. Age is no limit to those who can afford Reincarnation.
Seems like all those creatures are Outsiders, which gives a numbers of options to deal with them as a group. Or, just wear an amulet of nondetection and don't get noticed to begin with. Specifically though, the Marut (Inevitable) may or may not be triggered by Reincarnation (since it can reset the age counter, it's possible that it's not extending life but resetting the timer on it it). In the event it is, nothing about being killed by one prevents being Raised or Reincarnated so far as I could see. Psychopomps deal with the already dead, or undead, not the living as far as I can tell....
A few other big issues with reincarnation. You've got a low chance of even coming back as the same race (and possibly gender). Even if you do, there's no guarantee you'll have any of the same recognizable features. You have to have a way of actually guaranteeing the reincarnation is cast while you're dead. So you have to find a druid, witch, or shaman willing to do it for you (and I'd wager the first of those is pretty unlikely) and have someone around to make sure they don't just take the money and leave. And who's not likely to put a favored patsy in instead.