From the article archive
Get Real: The Magical Revolution
In a “standard” to “high” fantasy world, why wouldn't you want to make magic mundane? It seems so obvious. OK, naysayers do exist: those pesky close-minded wizards who think that all magic should remain solely in the hands of others like themselves. And then the paranoid peasants, afraid of anything they can't poke with their pitchforks. But everyone makes exceptions...they break their own rules when it suits them to. Only the most fearful of serfs would turn away a Neutralize Poison spell after being bitten by a snake.
Remember the Continual Light spell from 1st and 2nd edition DnD? Everyone in the party used to carry a coin enchanted with that spell in a closed pouch, and take it out when they needed light. It didn't matter if you were a fighter, rogue, or spellcaster. Everyone thought it was a good emergency measure, so the wizard just handed them out.
In a mid- to low-magic environment, a wizard might make a quick buck. "Hey, Innkeep, would you like to buy a couple of my Continual Light Coppers for a 10 GP apiece? They'd light up that stage real pretty. Price too steep? How about if I and any of my friends accompanying me get free food and drink and lodging through the rest of winter, whenever we stop in at your establishment?"
I never understood why everyone wandered around carrying torches, and how thieves could "hide in shadows" in a wizards tower. If I was a wizard (even an evil one!), I'd have continual light coins *everywhere*. There wouldn't be any shadows for thieves to hide behind. Sure, it's a bit of an attention-getter, and I might have to put up wards against creatures attracted to light, but there's always new technology/magic to deal with the problems of progress.
If you glue three continual light coins at equidistant points around a pillar, it won't cast a shadow. Repeat this process for other pillars and presto! You've essentially invented the freestanding streetlight, replacing the gaslight age! "Hey Mr. Mayor, would you like me to light up your town and equip the town watch with portable lights to protect them from unsavory characters? How much would that be worth to you?"
Remember, we're not talking mundane-boring, but mundane-commonplace. Stuff that's "cheap," easy to carry around, and/or so useful you couldn't imagine a time when they weren't around. And while light is an obviously useful thing, it's not the only thing. Stretch your mind to anything we take for granted these days. Figure out how to do it with magic, with the spell lists in whatever game you're playing. Then make it affordable for the masses. In a “standard” to “high” fantasy world, every adventure offers at least one magic item to half the adventuring party members. Where are all these items coming from? Here’s your chance to introduce the Industrial Revolution as applied to magic through Mass Production (see Pay-to-View Appendix) ahead of its time.
Let's try it with the Mending spell. What farmer wouldn't like this spell? Fixes bedsheets and shoes that mangy mutt rips up. Fixes snapped plow blades in a jiffy – you just need to do some quick sharpening afterwards. And that priceless ceramic heirloom your son just broke by running helter skelter through the house? Woop, there it is! For the full d20 item details, see Ductus' Globulous Gluepot in the Pay-to-View Appendix.
Vanassi's Ingenious Documenting and Memory Extracting Obelus (see Pay-to-View Appendix), another item we take for granted these days, might be extremely valuable for Sages. "Here, take this VIDMEO with you on your travels, so that I may record your exploits and discoveries." Now, granted, a VIDMEO is rather pricey. So is the CrACL – ClairAudible Communications Link (see Pay-to-View Appendix) -- doubly treasured by battlefield generals, spies, or even budding lovers.
But let’s get real: most farmers haven't seen a single gold piece in their lifetimes, let alone a minimum of 36,000. We need a more realistic, more affordable scenario, with respect to difficulty of creation and acquisition. To measure the potential for item commonality, consider it from the perspective of how easy it is for the typical adventurer to give it away. Most adventurers (not in my game!) are pretty much loaded with cash, discovering treasure in quantities of hundreds and thousands of GP. They wouldn't think twice about giving up easily replaced magic items costing a few dozen GP. A party wizard (or even a sober one) might exchange such trinkets for favors or protection by the locals. "My friends and I will need a quiet place to rest away from the town when we return. Be ready for us. We'll recompense you for your time and trouble, and throw in some of Merck's Medicinal Wrappings (see Pay-to-View Appendix). Very handy for the next time you or your horse takes a nasty spill on the trail...."
At some point, the magic in your fantasy world may have the opportunity to evolve beyond magic missiles, fireballs, anti-magic shells, and Rings of Three Wishes. Life exists outside of killing monsters. Even if adventurers don’t have real lives, at least a myriad of NPCs do. Wouldn’t the intelligent ones think up ways of improving the political, economic, and social climates they are forced to live under? At the very least, wouldn’t they try to develop inexpensive ways to make life easier for their own followers? Even something so simple as lighting a fire?
Handflame*
The archmage Zippeaux created handflames to help his scouts build fires when on their own in the wild. Handflames are guaranteed to light and stay lit for their entire duration regardless of inclement weather. They are lighter, speedier, more versatile, and more reliable than tinder and flint; although they are not used casually, they have become indispensable to most of his vassals.
The handflame is a miniature wand (about 2" in length). They are typically stored and distributed in small boxes of twenty to thirty handflames.
Handflames save versus fire as mundane wooden objects. All other saves are made as a magical item. Those failing their saving throw vs. fire immediately ignite (and may cause their neighbors to make further saving throws).
Handflames are activated by briskly rubbing a marked end against a rough surface. A 1” flame appears at that end for a fixed, non-interruptible duration of d3 rounds. The flame consumes the handflame, rendering it to ashes.
Caster Level: 3rd
Prerequisite: Craft Wondrous Item, Produce Flame.
Market Price: 60gp per handflame, 1200-1800gp per box of 20-30.
Weight: --
Given something this easy and inexpensive, wouldn’t intelligent magic users think of implementing their ideas for social progress with their magical skill?
The Magical Revolution is only a spark of genius away. That spark might not light a fire across your entire world, but certainly semi-closed arenas such as hidden valleys, subterranean networks, and island hideaways are ripe for enclaves of people who’ve decided to experiment with a new way of life. No one said it was going to be easy. But some of them may have tried and succeeded. Just imagine what surprises they have in store for foolish adventurers who try to come and take their utopia away.
=====================================
*The magical item “Handflame” conforms to the d20 OGL and is considered Open Content EXCEPT for the name Zippeaux. This material requires the use of the Dungeons & Dragons(R) Player's Handbook, Third Edition, published by Wizards of the Coast(R). Dungeons & Dragons(R) and Wizards of the Coast(R) are Registered Trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, and are used with Permission. 'd20 System' and the 'd20 System' logo are Trademarks owned by Wizards of the Coast and are used according to the terms of the d20 System License version 1.0. A copy of this License can be found at www.wizards.com.
Merwin
SureReal Network
www.surereal.net
Remember the Continual Light spell from 1st and 2nd edition DnD? Everyone in the party used to carry a coin enchanted with that spell in a closed pouch, and take it out when they needed light. It didn't matter if you were a fighter, rogue, or spellcaster. Everyone thought it was a good emergency measure, so the wizard just handed them out.
In a mid- to low-magic environment, a wizard might make a quick buck. "Hey, Innkeep, would you like to buy a couple of my Continual Light Coppers for a 10 GP apiece? They'd light up that stage real pretty. Price too steep? How about if I and any of my friends accompanying me get free food and drink and lodging through the rest of winter, whenever we stop in at your establishment?"
I never understood why everyone wandered around carrying torches, and how thieves could "hide in shadows" in a wizards tower. If I was a wizard (even an evil one!), I'd have continual light coins *everywhere*. There wouldn't be any shadows for thieves to hide behind. Sure, it's a bit of an attention-getter, and I might have to put up wards against creatures attracted to light, but there's always new technology/magic to deal with the problems of progress.
If you glue three continual light coins at equidistant points around a pillar, it won't cast a shadow. Repeat this process for other pillars and presto! You've essentially invented the freestanding streetlight, replacing the gaslight age! "Hey Mr. Mayor, would you like me to light up your town and equip the town watch with portable lights to protect them from unsavory characters? How much would that be worth to you?"
Remember, we're not talking mundane-boring, but mundane-commonplace. Stuff that's "cheap," easy to carry around, and/or so useful you couldn't imagine a time when they weren't around. And while light is an obviously useful thing, it's not the only thing. Stretch your mind to anything we take for granted these days. Figure out how to do it with magic, with the spell lists in whatever game you're playing. Then make it affordable for the masses. In a “standard” to “high” fantasy world, every adventure offers at least one magic item to half the adventuring party members. Where are all these items coming from? Here’s your chance to introduce the Industrial Revolution as applied to magic through Mass Production (see Pay-to-View Appendix) ahead of its time.
Let's try it with the Mending spell. What farmer wouldn't like this spell? Fixes bedsheets and shoes that mangy mutt rips up. Fixes snapped plow blades in a jiffy – you just need to do some quick sharpening afterwards. And that priceless ceramic heirloom your son just broke by running helter skelter through the house? Woop, there it is! For the full d20 item details, see Ductus' Globulous Gluepot in the Pay-to-View Appendix.
Vanassi's Ingenious Documenting and Memory Extracting Obelus (see Pay-to-View Appendix), another item we take for granted these days, might be extremely valuable for Sages. "Here, take this VIDMEO with you on your travels, so that I may record your exploits and discoveries." Now, granted, a VIDMEO is rather pricey. So is the CrACL – ClairAudible Communications Link (see Pay-to-View Appendix) -- doubly treasured by battlefield generals, spies, or even budding lovers.
But let’s get real: most farmers haven't seen a single gold piece in their lifetimes, let alone a minimum of 36,000. We need a more realistic, more affordable scenario, with respect to difficulty of creation and acquisition. To measure the potential for item commonality, consider it from the perspective of how easy it is for the typical adventurer to give it away. Most adventurers (not in my game!) are pretty much loaded with cash, discovering treasure in quantities of hundreds and thousands of GP. They wouldn't think twice about giving up easily replaced magic items costing a few dozen GP. A party wizard (or even a sober one) might exchange such trinkets for favors or protection by the locals. "My friends and I will need a quiet place to rest away from the town when we return. Be ready for us. We'll recompense you for your time and trouble, and throw in some of Merck's Medicinal Wrappings (see Pay-to-View Appendix). Very handy for the next time you or your horse takes a nasty spill on the trail...."
At some point, the magic in your fantasy world may have the opportunity to evolve beyond magic missiles, fireballs, anti-magic shells, and Rings of Three Wishes. Life exists outside of killing monsters. Even if adventurers don’t have real lives, at least a myriad of NPCs do. Wouldn’t the intelligent ones think up ways of improving the political, economic, and social climates they are forced to live under? At the very least, wouldn’t they try to develop inexpensive ways to make life easier for their own followers? Even something so simple as lighting a fire?
Handflame*
The archmage Zippeaux created handflames to help his scouts build fires when on their own in the wild. Handflames are guaranteed to light and stay lit for their entire duration regardless of inclement weather. They are lighter, speedier, more versatile, and more reliable than tinder and flint; although they are not used casually, they have become indispensable to most of his vassals.
The handflame is a miniature wand (about 2" in length). They are typically stored and distributed in small boxes of twenty to thirty handflames.
Handflames save versus fire as mundane wooden objects. All other saves are made as a magical item. Those failing their saving throw vs. fire immediately ignite (and may cause their neighbors to make further saving throws).
Handflames are activated by briskly rubbing a marked end against a rough surface. A 1” flame appears at that end for a fixed, non-interruptible duration of d3 rounds. The flame consumes the handflame, rendering it to ashes.
Caster Level: 3rd
Prerequisite: Craft Wondrous Item, Produce Flame.
Market Price: 60gp per handflame, 1200-1800gp per box of 20-30.
Weight: --
Given something this easy and inexpensive, wouldn’t intelligent magic users think of implementing their ideas for social progress with their magical skill?
The Magical Revolution is only a spark of genius away. That spark might not light a fire across your entire world, but certainly semi-closed arenas such as hidden valleys, subterranean networks, and island hideaways are ripe for enclaves of people who’ve decided to experiment with a new way of life. No one said it was going to be easy. But some of them may have tried and succeeded. Just imagine what surprises they have in store for foolish adventurers who try to come and take their utopia away.
=====================================
*The magical item “Handflame” conforms to the d20 OGL and is considered Open Content EXCEPT for the name Zippeaux. This material requires the use of the Dungeons & Dragons(R) Player's Handbook, Third Edition, published by Wizards of the Coast(R). Dungeons & Dragons(R) and Wizards of the Coast(R) are Registered Trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, and are used with Permission. 'd20 System' and the 'd20 System' logo are Trademarks owned by Wizards of the Coast and are used according to the terms of the d20 System License version 1.0. A copy of this License can be found at www.wizards.com.
Merwin
SureReal Network
www.surereal.net
Recovered from the Gaming Outpost database backup. Original wording is preserved; damaged punctuation and presentation markup have been repaired. Historical links without a local match point to the Internet Archive.