I guess it depends on the sort of character you're playing. My good characters tend to be people who want to protect the natural balance of things as much as possible, not "we must save everyone" heroes. They're not neutral, because they will invariably help someone even to their own detriment, but they're not going to try and reshape the very nature of reality without a damn good reason.Eh, why are the people on the side of good here so lacking in VISION?
With this plant you could make a powerful tool of good. By altering it, you change all other such plants on the planet (maybe universe). Pretty potent stuff if you can turn it into some sort of magical plant that aids the cause of good in some fashion.
Some sort of neutral good shambling plant monster that is A FRIEND TO ALL CHILDREN. Heck, buff it with items and spells and it should buff all the plants too. Instant win for goodness!
Or if you have less vision, just alter it so it's a perfect and delicious source of food. Hmm, maybe it's anything you want it to be when you cook it.
Eh, and ensuring far fewer people suffer and die by creating a powerful force for good isn't a damn good reason? If making the world a better place isn't a good reason, then what would be?
Let's be honest, even in...or perhaps especially in D&D settings reality has some pretty crappy parts. Nothing inherently wrong with some careful editing.
I'm not saying it wouldn't be a good reason. But as I said, my good characters tend to be more about maintaining the natural balance, and they sure as hell don't presume to think they know enough about the possible ramifications of making changes like that to go about doing it lightly. Changing the world for the better by fighting against evil and trying to help those they see suffering, yes. Rewriting the nature of reality in the hopes of making a positive change, no.
It comes down to personal playstyle, and I'm simply saying that my characters wouldn't generally do it. Part of it for me also comes from knowing what the GMs I've played with are like, and believe me, they'd find a way to twist an action like that somehow. I'd have to hire a lawyer to write out the changes I want to make just to make sure there's no loopholes. I have the same issue with Wishes when they crop up.
General agreement with Tinkergoth. My characters generally couldn't really care about 'the natural balance' (this is one reason I never play druids), but this could very quickly fall into the 'disastrous unintended consequences' file.
General agreement with Tinkergoth. My characters generally couldn't really care about 'the natural balance' (this is one reason I never play druids), but this could very quickly fall into the 'disastrous unintended consequences' file.
Natural balance might not be the correct term for it, I was pretty tired while writing those posts. It's more the general rule of "Don't mess with the nature of reality unless you know exactly what it's going to do". And since my characters aren't gods, they can't know the consequences, same as I can't know what my GM is going to do with the situation.
Infuse the plant with gold flakes and beer, cast Good spells on it until it becomes infused with Good magic, then awaken it.
Turn it into a pair of boobs. Boobs everywhere!!
Turn it into a pair of boobs. Boobs everywhere!!You are very true to your name. :)
In all seriousness, I probably wouldn't do anything to it, depending on the character. An evil character might try to figure out a way to use the ur-object for their own benefit, or a good character might try to find a way to protect it.
However, the "ur"-prefix to me brings connotations of something primordial; original; something that has always been. If that is so—if it has existed through all of time—why then would it suddenly need protection now? - and then I'd probably just vote in favour of letting it be.
For those asking what an ur-object is:
ur- |əː, ʊə|
combining form
primitive, original, or earliest: urtext.
• denoting someone or something regarded as embodying the basic or intrinsic qualities of a particular class or type: ur-thespians Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen.
ORIGIN from German.
Most of my characters would make a note of where it is and tell the next trustworthy-seeming Druid or nature-caring person where it was. My greedier ones would dig it up and try to sell it. Plot hooks, however obvious, mean nothing without associative context and it's bad RPing to say "this is weird, so let's waste a few hours deciding what the GM wants us to do with it before he pities us for not being telepathic like he is and just tells us why it's relevant."
That's a perfectly valid response. This isn't really supposed to be a plot hook, at least not by itself. It's more of a distraction. An actual plot hook would be if suddenly they started seeing other ur-objects popping up everywhere. (I can only imagine what people would do with an ur-oak, or an ur-sword.)
General agreement with Tinkergoth. My characters generally couldn't really care about 'the natural balance' (this is one reason I never play druids), but this could very quickly fall into the 'disastrous unintended consequences' file.Natural balance might not be the correct term for it, I was pretty tired while writing those posts. It's more the general rule of "Don't mess with the nature of reality unless you know exactly what it's going to do". And since my characters aren't gods, they can't know the consequences, same as I can't know what my GM is going to do with the situation.
Ah, then we are in complete agreement. :)
Well, if it's an ur-plant and all the plants that wish they were this plant are going to magically change to match it then I'm going to write my name on it. Or Arcane Mark it if I can. Instant worldwide fame!
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I have an idea for something interesting to throw at my players a bit later, but I have no idea how they might react to it, so I want to ask what you would do in this situation.
Imagine somewhere in the forest you find a plant. It looks like some common, otherwise uninteresting plant growing in the area except that this one is glowing slightly and seems to exist at all of its stages of growth simultaneously. It's completely free of any blemishes and basically seems to be a perfect specimen. In fact, your party bard or wizard informs you (or you make your own knowledge check) that this is an ur-object. It's the prototype that all the other plants of that type follow. You are also informed that making changes is not a simple matter and destroying it completely is especially difficult, but doing so would alter all the other plants of that type. Why it's here, you have no idea.
As an Elf Druid i would create a shrine to it as it is obviously the god/guardian spirit of the forest and leave it at that.
As a wizard/alchemist i would clear the area and put it under observation conducting a multitude of magical and mundane studies trying to figure out what it is, what it can do, what it might do, what positive/negative effects it could create, and so on.