Page 24 - Dungeon Master's Guide

anyone who can afford them. People purchase tickets to Cabal of Thar-Zad. As a sign of his high standing within
ride airships and trains propelled by elemental magic. its hierarchy, he is allowed to wear the red and green
Consider these questions -when fitting magic into robes of a master. Of course, when he wears these
your world: robes, his occupation is easily identified by those who
know of the cabal. This recognition could be a boon or
Is some magic common? Is some socially
a nuisance, since the Cabal of Thar-Zad has a fearsome
unacceptable? Which magic is rare?
reputation.
How unusual are members of each spellcasting
If you go this route, you can treat schools of magic,
class? How common are those who can cast high-
bardic colleges, and druid circles as organizations,
level spells?
using the guidelines for organizations presented earlier
How rare are magic items, magical locations,
in this chapter. A player character necromancer might
and creatures that have supernatural powers? At
cultivate renown within the Cabal of Thar-Zad, while
what power level do these things go from everyday
a bard seeks increasing renown within the College of
to exotic?
Mac-Fuirmidh.
How do authorities regulate and use magic? How
do normal folks use magic and protect them-
TELEPORTATION CIRCLES
selves from it?
The presence of permanent teleportation circles in
The answers to some questions suggest the answers
major cities helps cement their important place in the
to others. For example, if spell casters of low-level
economy of a fantasy world. Spells such as plane shift,
spells are common, as in Eberron, then authorities and
teleport, and teleportation circle connect with these
common folk are more likely to have access to and use
circles, which are found in temples, academies, the
the results of such spells. Buying commonplace magic
headquarters of arcane organizations, and prominent
isn't only possible, but also less expensive. People are
civic locations. However, since every teleportation circle
more likely to keep well-known magic in mind, and to
is a possible means of entry into a city, they're guarded
protect against it, especially in risky situations.
by military and magical protection.
As you design a fantasy city, think about the
RESTRICTIONS ON MAGIC
teleportation circles it might contain and which ones
Some civilized areas might restrict or prohibit the use adventurers are likely to know about. If the adventurers
of magic. Spellcasting might be forbidden without a commonly return to their home base by means of
license or official permission. In such a place, magic a teleportation circle, use that circle as a hook for
items and continual magical effects are rare, with plot developments in your campaign. What do the
protections against magic being the exception. adventurers do if they arrive in a teleportation circle and
Some localities might prohibit specific spells. It could find all the familiar wards disabled and guards lying
be a crime to cast any spells used to steal or swindle, in pools of blood? What if their arrival interrupts an
such as those that bestow invisibility or produce .argument between two feuding priests at the temple?
illusions. Enchantments that charm or dominate others Adventure ensues!
are readily outlawed, since they rob their subjects of
free will. Destructive spells are likewise prohibited, for BRINGING BACK THE DEAD
obvious reasons. A local ruler could have a phobia about When a creature dies, its soul departs its body, leaves
a specific effect or spell (such as shapeshifting effects if the Material Plane, travels through the Astral Plane,
he or she were afraid of being impersonated) and enact and goes to abide on the plane where the creature's
a law restricting that type of magic.
deity resides. If the creature didn't worship a deity, its
soul departs to the plane corresponding to its alignment.
SCHOOLS OF MAGIC
Bringing someone back from the dead means retrieving
The rules of the game refer to the schools of magic the soul from that plane and returning it to its body.
(abjuration, illusion, necromancy, and so on), but it's Enemies can take steps to make it more difficult for
up to you to determine what those schools signify in a character to be returned from the dead. Keeping
your world. Similarly, a few class options suggest the the body prevents others from using raise dead or
existence of magic-using organizations in the world- resurrection to restore the slain character to life.
bardic colleges and druid circles- which are up to you to A soul can't be returned to life if it doesn't wish to
flesh out. · be. A soul knows the name, alignment, and patron
You could decide that no formal structures like these deity (if any) of the character attempting to revive it and
exist in your world. Wizards (and bards and druids) might refuse to return on that basis. For example, if
might be so rare that a player character learns from a the honorable knight Sturm Brightblade is slain and a
single mentor and never meets another character of the high priestess of Takhisis (god of evil dragons) grabs
same class, in which case wizards would learn their his body, Sturm might not wish to be raised from the
school specialization without any formal training. dead by her. Any attempts she makes to revive him
However, if magic is more common, academies can automatically fail. If the evil cleric wants to revive Sturm
be the embodiments of the schools of magic. These to interrogate him, she needs to find some way to trick
institutions have their own hierarchies, traditions, his soul, such as duping a good cleric into raising him
regulations, and procedures. For example, Materros and then capturing him once he is alive again.
the necromancer could be a brother of the necromantic

CHAPTER 1 I A WORLD OF YOUR OWN