Tuesday 14 April 2015

The 'Corrupting' Effect of Celestials

Over at Dyvers Campaign there's been discussion of the corrupting effects of consorting with Fiendish creatures. I've always liked mechanics like this in games, as it deals with consequences for the players' actions (which I'm a bit of a fan of).

image depicting The Conversion of Saul
The Conversion of Saul
That said, it is always easier to look at these things from the point of view of someone consorting with fiendish characters, but what about characters summoning Celestials to their aid? Are there never to be consequences for this? Surely the presence of a Celestial being is as likely to corrupt the mere mortal soul of a human being? The power that exudes from them must be immense. In Christian mysticism, it is said that to hear the voice of the divine would often render the listener disabled (Saul/Paul was struck blind for three days following his revelation on the road to Damascus).

But, what about long term or frequent exposure to Celestial presence? What would happen if these characters became (for example) completely unable to tell lies? Imagine the chaos that would cause in the court of a corpulent king, who asks if his new robes suit him well.

What if the character couldn't even handle "stolen goods"? How long ago would that have to have been stolen before it was no longer painful to put your hands upon it? What if there was no time limit? A holy relic that was stolen from a temple on far Sphene has been found in the Platinum Hills. Your party can recover it, but for each day it is in your possession, you lost one Hit Die until you return it to its rightful owners. What do you do if they're dead and gone?

I'm not saying that this should be something that prevents characters from ever using summoning spells, but it does make you think that, if a being of raw evil bends the world around them, surely a being of raw good would do the same?

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