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Mirza
Acolyte
8 Posts |
 Posted - 30 Oct 2007 : 00:23:48
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I have a question about the properties of the soul in the Forgotten Realms.
If I remember those few books surrounding the ascension and reign of Cyric correctly, a soul can only be destroyed by the hand of a god, a being of great power (such as Kezef), or a place of complete corruption. However, in Sacrifice of the Widow, it says that priests of Vhaeraun trap souls and use them to re-energize magical items, annihilating the soul in the process.
Is there anything in the official canon about the ways to destroy a soul? And, if so, are the writers missing that crucial element, or are they free to re-invent new ways of accomplishing it's destruction?
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"No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. If people can learn to hate they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite."
-Nelson Mandela |
Edited by - Mirza on 30 Oct 2007 00:25:12
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Aravine
Senior Scribe
USA
608 Posts |
Posted - 30 Oct 2007 : 13:11:57
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| Sphere of annilation! |
The brave don't live forever,the cautious don't live at all |
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Kheris
Seeker
USA
50 Posts |
Posted - 30 Oct 2007 : 13:16:55
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quote:
Originally posted by Mirza
I have a question about the properties of the soul in the Forgotten Realms.
If I remember those few books surrounding the ascension and reign of Cyric correctly, a soul can only be destroyed by the hand of a god, a being of great power (such as Kezef), or a place of complete corruption. However, in Sacrifice of the Widow, it says that priests of Vhaeraun trap souls and use them to re-energize magical items, annihilating the soul in the process.
Is there anything in the official canon about the ways to destroy a soul? And, if so, are the writers missing that crucial element, or are they free to re-invent new ways of accomplishing it's destruction?
I believe the Book of Vile Darkness covers exactly what you're looking for. It's not in front of me at the moment, but I believe that souls can be used for Vile spells or rituals which drain energy from them, ending in the souls' destruction. I believe the mechanics have to do with everything from actually using souls as material components to powering metamagic style effects with them. |
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Hawkfeather
Seeker
Brazil
64 Posts |
Posted - 30 Oct 2007 : 13:31:59
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| There's a banite spell described in the 2nd edition book "Faiths & Avatars" that would destroy a soul of a recently dead foe. |
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Ayunken-vanzan
Senior Scribe
Germany
657 Posts |
Posted - 30 Oct 2007 : 17:04:27
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| The Devourer in MMI uses a trapped soul to sustain his unnatural life and to power his spell-like abilities until it is utterly consumed. So there is clearly a mechanism to destroy a soul by using it as "fuel" for spells and the like. |
"What mattered our lives now? When our world had been torn from us? Folk wept, or drank, or stood staring out over the land, wondering what new horror each dawn would bring."
Elender Stormfall of Suzail
"Anyone can kill deities, cause plagues, or destroy organizations. It takes real skill to make them live on."
Varl
FR/D&D-Links • 2ed Downloads |
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Hawkins
Great Reader
USA
2131 Posts |
Posted - 30 Oct 2007 : 17:16:26
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Just in case any one cares, I house ruled the Book of Vile Darkness rule for using souls for XP in spells and item creation (in BoV it says that one soul is worth 10 XP).
My house rule is that XP granted is equal to the Challenge Rating (CR) of the captured soul squared times ten. (i.e. XP = (CR x CR) X 10).
Therefore you get 10 XP for CR 1 (or less) person, but 250 XP from a CR 5 person. |
Errant d20 Designer - My Blog (last updated January 06, 2016)
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back. --Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass
"Mmm, not the darkness," Myrin murmured. "Don't cast it there." --Erik Scott de Bie, Shadowbane
* My character sheets (PFRPG, 3.5, and AE versions; not viewable in Internet Explorer)
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* Martial Arts Guidebook (forthcoming) (PFRPG, designer; Rite Publishing)
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36803 Posts |
Posted - 30 Oct 2007 : 19:02:54
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quote:
Originally posted by HawkinstheDM
Just in case any one cares, I house ruled the Book of Vile Darkness rule for using souls for XP in spells and item creation (in BoV it says that one soul is worth 10 XP).
My house rule is that XP granted is equal to the Challenge Rating (CR) of the captured soul squared times ten. (i.e. XP = (CR x CR) X 10).
Therefore you get 10 XP for CR 1 (or less) person, but 250 XP from a CR 5 person.
It makes sense... Souls from more powerful people should be worth more. |
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Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen!  |
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Mirza
Acolyte
8 Posts |
Posted - 30 Oct 2007 : 23:12:33
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| Is any soul safe from such a fate? How about the individuals in service to certain deities? Would their god/goddess protect them from such destruction? |
"No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. If people can learn to hate they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite."
-Nelson Mandela |
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Hawkins
Great Reader
USA
2131 Posts |
Posted - 30 Oct 2007 : 23:21:39
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quote:
Originally posted by Mirza
Is any soul safe from such a fate? How about the individuals in service to certain deities? Would their god/goddess protect them from such destruction?
Well, there are spells that protect against having your soul ripped out (at least, I am pretty sure that there are, and if there are not, then I would rule that spells that protect against possession would work against soul-theft as well), and I am sure that if you were an extremely valuable individual to you deity they would attempt to retrieve your soul. But even Mystra had to work through other agents to save Elminster from Avernus (during the events of Elminster in Hell). |
Errant d20 Designer - My Blog (last updated January 06, 2016)
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back. --Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass
"Mmm, not the darkness," Myrin murmured. "Don't cast it there." --Erik Scott de Bie, Shadowbane
* My character sheets (PFRPG, 3.5, and AE versions; not viewable in Internet Explorer)
* Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Reference Document (PFRPG OGL Rules)
* The Hypertext d20 SRD (3.5 OGL Rules)
* 3.5 D&D Archives
My game design work:
* Heroes of the Jade Oath (PFRPG, conversion; Rite Publishing)
* Compendium Arcanum Volume 1: Cantrips & Orisons (PFRPG, designer; d20pfsrd.com Publishing)
* Compendium Arcanum Volume 2: 1st-Level Spells (PFRPG, designer; d20pfsrd.com Publishing)
* Martial Arts Guidebook (forthcoming) (PFRPG, designer; Rite Publishing)
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Edited by - Hawkins on 30 Oct 2007 23:22:02 |
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Ayunken-vanzan
Senior Scribe
Germany
657 Posts |
Posted - 31 Oct 2007 : 06:27:33
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quote:
Originally posted by Mirza
Is any soul safe from such a fate? How about the individuals in service to certain deities? Would their god/goddess protect them from such destruction?
I think so. But even these souls are in trouble if their protector god/goddess is destroyed and their realm annihilated. There is a scroll here elsewhere in Candlekeep about what will become of the petioners if their plane/realm cease to exist.
€dit: Elminster in Hell was not a mere soul, but the whole living being, so it seems to me that his rescue was a little more difficult. |
"What mattered our lives now? When our world had been torn from us? Folk wept, or drank, or stood staring out over the land, wondering what new horror each dawn would bring."
Elender Stormfall of Suzail
"Anyone can kill deities, cause plagues, or destroy organizations. It takes real skill to make them live on."
Varl
FR/D&D-Links • 2ed Downloads |
Edited by - Ayunken-vanzan on 31 Oct 2007 06:28:49 |
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Chataro
Learned Scribe
Singapore
114 Posts |
Posted - 31 Oct 2007 : 15:32:27
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| not to mention that Mystra didn't exactly needed agents from what I read, its more like she was just trying to protect Faerun |
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The Soul
