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Tifus Artwin
Acolyte
USA
40 Posts |
 Posted - 13 Oct 2005 : 05:33:48
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Ok, I am currently searching the old Lore sections of the Keep, but it might very well take me several days to look through everything (especialy with this Dinosaure of a comp) so I thought I would ask Directly.
1st, In Lost Empires it reports on the Nether Scrolls, and mentchions that reading even one of the scrolls grants enough XP to gain a Level in any Arcane class of thier choice.
Does that mean that if I happen to read an entire chapter(all 10 scrolls) that I would gain 10 lvls in any Arcane Class of my choice?
2nd, Im thinking of putting the Scrolls into play in my game, Is this a good Idea?
At first only 1 will be found, and Im hoping that will spark major interest in finding the rest, or finding out more about them atleast, to provide adventures all the way into Epic Levels.
3rd, Which Chapter would be the best to start with?
Im thinking of starting them with the Arcanus Fundare chapter, but not letting them complete it for quite some time, by having them find scrolls from other chapters instead of completing the Chapter they start with, Ideas on this?
Ok, thats all I can think of for the moment, When I think of something Ill ask.
Thanks in advance, and if I dont respond for awhile, Im baried in old Lore Scrolls.
~Tifus
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Sanishiver
Senior Scribe
USA
476 Posts |
Posted - 13 Oct 2005 : 07:18:28
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Tifus,
As I understand it the design assumption underlying the Nether Scrolls was that a character might get lucky enough in their adventuring career to find one scroll at most...maybe two if they get real lucky.
After all, in an average (read: non-epic) campaign, characters are fortunate to find just one artifact at all; and even then it might not be beneficial or useful (Book of Vile Darkness or a Sphere of Annihilation).
So, if you intend to go Epic with your Realms Campaign, then you need to decide exactly how many scrolls you intend for your players to have a chance at recovering, and whether or not you really want them to gain numerous extra levels that way.
Your game could get out of control real fast if you include too many scrolls to early.
For my Epic Realms Campaign, I've have not quite decided how to pair down the power of the scrolls. I want my players to find many of them, but not to gain levels from all of them. Maybe the scrolls will grant a +1 effective caster level or grant 1 extra spell slot to the caster for levels 1-9 (or I could alternate between both of these).
In return I'm thinking of granting some special ability when all of a particular chapter have been found: maybe a bonus to the caster's DC on all Epic Spells or allow the caster to gain the knowledge to create any construct/golem of their choice, but at half or one quarter the cost.
Hope this helps and good luck with your Realms Campaign! 
J. Grenemyer |
09/20/2008: Tiger Army at the Catalyst in Santa Cruz. You wouldn’t believe how many females rode it out in the pit. Santa Cruz women are all of them beautiful. Now I know to add tough to that description.
6/27/2008: WALL-E is about the best damn movie Pixar has ever made. It had my heart racing and had me rooting for the good guy.
9/9/2006: Dave Mathews Band was off the hook at the Shoreline Amphitheater.
Never, ever read the game books too literally, or make such assumptions that what is omitted cannot be. Bad DM form, that.
And no matter how compelling a picture string theory paints, if it does not accurately describe our universe, it will be no more relevant than an elaborate game of Dungeons and Dragons. --paragraph 1, chapter 9, The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene |
Edited by - Sanishiver on 13 Oct 2005 07:21:45 |
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Tifus Artwin
Acolyte
USA
40 Posts |
Posted - 13 Oct 2005 : 07:37:05
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I havent quite decided how many of the scrolls they will find, this one will likely just be a teaser for a long long time.
Yes I am going to attempt to take this one to Epic levels, and likely beyond into Godhood (thats another thread for later though).
Currently its going to be based around and in the Seas and Oceans (one of the players wants a High-Seas game) but Im wanting to plant a few possabilitys now so that they can forget about them until later on.
I just need to know if its worth it or not to bring the Scrolls into game play. If its not then Ill plant something else, if it is, then the Scroll will stay where it is, (currently in a Mages fortress thats been ababdoned for several thousand years.)
I Guess where Im going with this is that I know the players will want to collect all the scrolls, and if even one is avalable, then they will go after them all. Id like to keep the Scrolls as close to thier design as possable, but this one aspect is confusing me, I mean if you gain a level every time you read one, then you would be 50+ lvl Wizard/Sorcerer/Bard/What-have-you, by the time they have read them all.
Granting thats what the final goal is, I want them to obtain those levels themselfs, and not to cheapin them by just giving them away.
At anyrate, what does everyone else think about the Scrolls? Im sure some of the older Sages and Treasure hunters around here have an opinion so Ill hold my judgement until I hear a few more replys or Game day gets here (this Saturday).
Thanks for takeing the time to read this and for taking the time out of your busy lives to answer, or post your opinions to this.
~Tifus |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36805 Posts |
Posted - 13 Oct 2005 : 11:32:37
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Under no circumstances would I use more than about three scrolls in a campaign. As Sanishiver said, these things are artifacts. They are insanely powerful, ancient, and something many mages would kill their mothers to get a chance to read.
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Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen!  |
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khorne
Master of Realmslore
Finland
1073 Posts |
Posted - 13 Oct 2005 : 18:55:27
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| Tifus, if you include even one nether scroll in your game you should take into consideration that the party will most likely be attacked by A LOT of spellcasters hungry to take the scroll. After all, as Wooly said, they are very much in demand. |
If I were a ranger, I would pick NDA for my favorite enemy |
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Tifus Artwin
Acolyte
USA
40 Posts |
Posted - 13 Oct 2005 : 19:24:28
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Wooly and Khorne bring up very valid arguments, and to be honest, ones that I hadnt even thought about :S
Alright, thanks for the feed back guys, I beleive I will keep the Scrolls out for awhile still and maybe maybe introduce them at higher level.
Thanks for your time and Responces
~Tifus |
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Iliphar1
Learned Scribe
Austria
133 Posts |
Posted - 13 Oct 2005 : 23:19:00
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even though a lot of mages would do anything to read those scrolls, there is also the matter of the elves, who would try to hide them from mankind (since that Karsus incindent)
Your PC must be really powerful or would be rather quickly dead, if words spreads, that they have Nether Scrolls
By the way, you can find some great informations about them in the Netheril box set, I think, you can download that at wizard.com |
'You see dead bones? ... I see an army!' Ezechiel 37 |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36805 Posts |
Posted - 14 Oct 2005 : 01:21:47
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quote:
Originally posted by Iliphar1
By the way, you can find some great informations about them in the Netheril box set, I think, you can download that at wizard.com
It is indeed available on the Wizards downloads page.  |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
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DDH_101
Master of Realmslore
Canada
1272 Posts |
Posted - 14 Oct 2005 : 02:36:45
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Tifus, like the others have said the Nether Scrolls should not be used lightly. They are extremely powerful, beyond what we would surmise statwise. Think about it: one glance at one of the scrolls by a gnome allowed him to learn the illusionary class and this resulted in gnomes being such great illusionists in the Realms.
BTW, aren't some of the Nether Scrolls destroyed? |
"Trust in the shadows, for the bright way makes you an easy target." -Mask |
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khorne
Master of Realmslore
Finland
1073 Posts |
Posted - 14 Oct 2005 : 12:46:04
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quote:
Originally posted by Tifus Artwin
Wooly and Khorne bring up very valid arguments, and to be honest, ones that I hadnt even thought about :S
Alright, thanks for the feed back guys, I believe I will keep the Scrolls out for awhile still and maybe maybe introduce them at higher level.
Thanks for your time and Responces
~Tifus
You should not introduce them before your party is strong enough to survive Manshoon and Szass Tam at the same time. Otherwise the PCs will all die. |
If I were a ranger, I would pick NDA for my favorite enemy |
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Bakra
Senior Scribe
628 Posts |
Posted - 24 Oct 2005 : 20:06:42
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quote:
Originally posted by khorne
quote:
Originally posted by Tifus Artwin
Wooly and Khorne bring up very valid arguments, and to be honest, ones that I hadnt even thought about :S
Alright, thanks for the feed back guys, I believe I will keep the Scrolls out for awhile still and maybe maybe introduce them at higher level.
Thanks for your time and Responces
~Tifus
You should not introduce them before your party is strong enough to survive Manshoon and Szass Tam at the same time. Otherwise the PCs will all die.
In order to hit Epic-levels there must be some trigger for it...if I remember it correctly...so a Nether Scroll should be the perfect trigger for an Acrane user to gain 'epic-status'.
The Nether Scrolls are rare and powerful, so just using one will drive the point home for the Players. And as noted above there are some might beings looking for those things all the time. |
I hope Candlekeep continues to be the friendly forum of fellow Realms-lovers that it has always been, as we all go through this together. If you don’t want to move to the “new” Realms, that doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with either you or the “old” Realms. Goodness knows Candlekeep, and the hearts of its scribes, are both big enough to accommodate both. If we want them to be.
(Strikes dramatic pose, raises sword to gleam in the sunset, and hopes breeches won’t fall down.)
Enough for now. The Realms lives! I have spoken! Ale and light wines half price, served by a smiling Storm Silverhand fetchingly clad in thigh-high boots and naught else! Ahem . .
So saith Ed. <snip>
love to all,
THO
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Jindael
Senior Scribe
USA
357 Posts |
Posted - 25 Oct 2005 : 14:54:54
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The best hook I can think of for sparking interest in the Nether Scrolls would be to just make sure that the party is aware of their existence, rather than having them get their paws on one.
I think a single scroll, pre-epic (although still 17+ in levels) would be okay, but the adventure would probably be more about keeping the scroll from unscrupulous hands rather than the party reading them. I would think that the ultimate goal would, eventually, be to hide the scroll again, rather than amass a collection. Even Laroch would probably perk his head up if someone had two or three of them.
Another thing to consider, just for party balance, is that the other members of the party, (the non-arcane classes) might get a little left behind if the wizard/bard/sorcerer is reading scrolls and jumping up levels. You might have to toss out a few gimmes to these party members just to keep things together. (I suppose that the fighter could read the scroll and get a level of wizard, but they might not want to do that; either for RP purposes or just simply avoiding that annoying 20% XP negative for uneven multiclassing.)
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"You don't have a Soul. You are a Soul. You have a body."
-- C.S. Lewis |
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Beirnadri Magranth
Senior Scribe
USA
720 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jan 2006 : 06:08:37
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the author of this thread made it sound like he would use 1 scroll to gain interest in the others!!!!
"doth my ears deceive me?" (aladdin)
if your characters arent interested in finding one then dont give thm one!!!! Finding a single scroll or fragment of a scroll is teh work of generations of wizards adn angels adn demons!!! each is an artifact adn should be treated as something sacred to any one who would use them!
the nether scrolls... or should i say The Golden Skins of the World Serpent... are the backbone of faerun! they created netheril! halrua! etc.! really i would be offended to haev them handed to pc's as hooks for new plots in an otherwise boring campaign!  |
"You came here to be a martyr in a great big bang of glory... instead you will die with a whimper."
::moussaoui tries to interrupt::
"You will never get a chance to speak again and that's an appropriate ending."
-Judge Brinkema |
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Mystery_Man
Senior Scribe
USA
455 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jan 2006 : 12:35:13
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Yeah I don't think I would have nether scrolls just floating around to hand out as plot hooks. Besides does anyone know where all of the scrolls are?
And remember, you have to be careful with those nether scrolls, one misstep and *poof* you're a girl. |
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Beirnadri Magranth
Senior Scribe
USA
720 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jan 2006 : 18:01:10
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quote:
Originally posted by Mystery_Man
And remember, you have to be careful with those nether scrolls, one misstep and *poof* you're a girl.
 
was that even a scroll or just a trick? |
"You came here to be a martyr in a great big bang of glory... instead you will die with a whimper."
::moussaoui tries to interrupt::
"You will never get a chance to speak again and that's an appropriate ending."
-Judge Brinkema |
Edited by - Beirnadri Magranth on 16 Jan 2006 18:01:37 |
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Mystery_Man
Senior Scribe
USA
455 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jan 2006 : 18:36:43
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quote:
Originally posted by Beirnadri Magranth
quote:
Originally posted by Mystery_Man
And remember, you have to be careful with those nether scrolls, one misstep and *poof* you're a girl.
was that even a scroll or just a trick?
Baldur's Gate II reference. Edwin. |
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Beirnadri Magranth
Senior Scribe
USA
720 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jan 2006 : 19:02:39
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| i know i was asking if the thing he found was even a nether scroll... wasnt it just a powerful tome? |
"You came here to be a martyr in a great big bang of glory... instead you will die with a whimper."
::moussaoui tries to interrupt::
"You will never get a chance to speak again and that's an appropriate ending."
-Judge Brinkema |
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Fletcher
Learned Scribe
USA
299 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jan 2006 : 22:17:32
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In my game we have an EX player character, now an NPC running around the realms searching for them. He had spent three days reading the Nether Scrolls before being driven away from them by balenorn guardians.
Driven mad by the knowledge he seeks the scrolls. |
Run faster! The Kobolds are catching up! |
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Mystery_Man
Senior Scribe
USA
455 Posts |
Posted - 17 Jan 2006 : 13:25:00
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quote:
Originally posted by Beirnadri Magranth
i know i was asking if the thing he found was even a nether scroll... wasnt it just a powerful tome?
Oh well then heck, I have no idea. I was too busy LMAO to notice. Minsc was a colorful character but that had to be the funniest moment in a D&D game ever.
Back to topic...
There is so much to do with the Nether Scrolls other than actually finding them that a whole campaign could be wrapped around just finding a scrap of one. Wars could be fought over it, it could be found then stolen then persued and sought after, it could be found then needed to find a safe place to keep it with multitudes of groups enticing, bribing, even trying to assassinate the party just to get ahold of it. The possibilities are endless. |
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Reefy
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
892 Posts |
Posted - 17 Jan 2006 : 16:54:38
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Variation on a Fast Show skecth:
"I was poking about in the attic the other day, when I stumbled across a chest. I opened it, and lo and behold, it had half a dozen Nether Scrolls in it. Which was nice." |
Life is either daring adventure or nothing. |
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Unski
Acolyte
Finland
12 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jan 2006 : 15:57:27
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Aye, the Nether Scrolls. Do not use them lightly, these golden babies are what made the Netherese so great. Also, several of the surviving netherese mages would without a doubt be willing to kill to obtain even a piece of a single scroll. One frightening name comes quickly to my mind: Larloch. But let's not open that can of worms.
I'd put it so that whatever first got the players interested on the scrolls, and sent them on their way (elves, lich, magical organization etc.) will pop and take the prize from them at the very last moment before the players can gain a huge power boost.
Depending on the source, you could either start building a new villain for the players to defeat - an extremely powerful one if it now has a Netherese Scroll.
Or on the other hand, you could make it so that the Scrolls are taken from them by, say Cult of the Shattered Peak, but the players are rewarded in some other way for their efforts by the organization.
Letting the players have the Scrolls would still be too much, since they are campaign changing artifacts that would let them blackmail whole cities with their newfound powers - atleast according to old lore. The new +10 here, +10 there can fool you to thinking otherwise. |
And that be the end of that story. |
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Using the Nether Scrolls
