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Calrond
Learned Scribe
USA
118 Posts |
 Posted - 21 Jan 2007 : 04:36:42
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In a future campaign, a plot twist occurs when an evil true necromancer/cleric of Velsharoon (or possibly Myrkul, since it takes place before DR 1358) sacrifices an innocent female sorceress to his deity.
This villian is motivated by power, so he wouldn't sacrifice the girl just to please his god (since he doesn't follow the god out of love, but because of the power it grants him). He would have an agenda that the sacrifice helps to bring about. (This necromancer also has connections to the Arcane Brotherhood in Luskan.)
My question is: what does the villian stand to gain by sacrificing a Good-aligned young girl to Velsharoon or Myrkul? Some of the theories I've been thinking about are sponsorship to lichdom, part of a ritual to become a Pale Master, learning some arcane secrets from the deity, etc.
Thanks in advance guys!
Calrond
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Edited by - Calrond on 21 Jan 2007 04:41:44
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jan 2007 : 04:50:30
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| The BOVD has/had a few rules on sacrificing people. I think I still have a question to Ed out there about this, from... last year. :) |
For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet and excite you... Books are full of the things that you don't get in real life - wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat. - Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium |
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Calrond
Learned Scribe
USA
118 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jan 2007 : 04:58:18
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| Thanks Kuje, I'll check the BOVD and keep an eye out for Ed's answer to your question. Just one more reason to look forward to updates there. :D |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jan 2007 : 05:04:13
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quote:
Originally posted by Calrond
Thanks Kuje, I'll check the BOVD and keep an eye out for Ed's answer to your question. Just one more reason to look forward to updates there. :D
:) I expect it'll be one of the long questions that might take him a year or longer to answer. |
For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet and excite you... Books are full of the things that you don't get in real life - wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat. - Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium |
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gribble_the_munchkin
Acolyte
United Kingdom
18 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2007 : 18:00:07
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I'm not so fond of the BoVD rules for human sacrifice (or sentient sacrifice more accurately) as it doesn't take into account the magnitude of the sacrifice.
For instance, the reward you receive is the same (by the rules) for offing Joe farmer in the name of Shar, as it is for ritually sacrificing Elminster.
Now that seems wrong. I came up with variant rules that give the reward mentioned in BoVD multiplied by the characters level. This way if sacrifce is some truly notable and powerful person, your god/demonic overlord will look on it with greater favour. |
"We are sorry, you have reached an imaginary number, please rotate your phone 90 degrees and try again" |
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Kiaransalyn
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
762 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2007 : 21:30:34
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quote:
Originally posted by Calrond
My question is: what does the villian stand to gain by sacrificing a Good-aligned young girl to Velsharoon or Myrkul?
A sacrifice to a deity must be pleasing to the deity. My Kiaransaleen cleric rarely makes living sacrifices to his goddess, instead he exacts vengeance since she finds that satisfying. So before your evil-doer makes his sacrifice he should make sure it is pleasing to the diety.
For example, killing the girl might not be pleasing to Velsharoon but making the girl undead might since that his portfolio. If your character made the girl a vampire then returned her to her home village then he may have increased Velsharoon's power. Personally, I'd make a young, attractive woman a vampire then command her to seduce others and make them undead.
So the girl on the altar might make Velsharoon reveal a new spell. Creating more creatures affected by Velsharoon's portfolio should get your character his lichdom.  |
Death is Life
Love is Hate
Revenge is Forgiveness
Ken: You from the States?
Jimmy: Yeah. But don't hold it against me.
Ken: I'll try not to... Just try not to say anything too loud or crass. |
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WalkerNinja
Senior Scribe
USA
577 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jan 2007 : 21:50:50
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| BoVD definitely has a by-the-numbers approach to evil with very little sense behind it. Relatively low level characters are able to produce great feats of power by counting up bonuses and adding the circumstances. I don't that it forwards understanding any religion aside from the religion of Power Gaming. |
*** A Forgotten Realms Addict since 1990 ***
Treasures of the Past, a Second Edition Play-by-Post game for and by Candlekeep Sages--http://www.rpol.net/game.cgi?gi=52011 |
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Dreamstalker
Acolyte
USA
47 Posts |
Posted - 23 Jan 2007 : 01:34:07
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| I think a liberal application of Rhyme and Reason really makes the rules set forth in BOVD really useful however. |
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MaxKaladin
Seeker
77 Posts |
Posted - 23 Jan 2007 : 21:28:36
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Back in 2e, I once ran a plot around a lich who planned to sacrifice people for power. In his case, he had figured out a way to channel their life essence into the magic-item creation process. In 2e, this took the form of allowing him to use effects that normally drained CON or XP without penalty by draining those things from his sacrifice. I think the 3e BoVD does something similar.
Perhaps this sacrifice will allow him to do something he can't normally do like create an undead of a type he can't normally create or to make an item that costs more XP than he has to donate. In the former case, he could be after a powerful undead under his absolute control to use in other schemes for power. In the latter, he could be creating something approaching an artifact in power level (but not actually an artifact) to also use in other schemes for power.
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Benefits of a human sacrifice
