The Celestial Cascade

Metaphysical / Paranormal event

After the destruction of a chaotic and ancient being, an entity known as Order worked with the Aasimar to re-weave the world into a new form. Since then, magic, life, and the gods themselves have never been the same.

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The Ethereal Plane

Since the beginning of time, the Ethereal Plane has been known as the link between life and death. Many have used and abused it as a means to their end.  

The Change

We must close the gates that allow access in and out of the Outer Planes. The link became corrupted by Lyric’s curse combined with Chaos’s rampage and continues to haunt those who should deserve a peaceful rest. The consequences of this change are significant; the old method of resurrection and lichdom will all become all but useless.   Instead, we can allow a sort of “window” between the planes. We don’t need to travel from one to another, but the ability to peer between the planes is invaluable. You can speak to your dead. You can try to pull back a soul not yet entirely gone. You can observe the aspect of a soul to find a way to animate the mundane without disturbing a resting soul.  

What This Means

Resurrection requires a ritual that could fail, and it must be performed within 24 hours of the target’s death (See: Neo Resurrection).   Necromancy is now based on the idea of drawing power from a pool of souls rather than assigning a specific soul to a body.   The method Oria uses to create Warforged is no longer applicable. Binding “soul energy” to a warforged husk will only allow for a lifespan of 1 to 30 years depending on the skill of the caster.   Lichdom is impossible without direct use of The Beyond.   Gods of all kinds will have a MUCH weaker presence on the mortal plane. They may send signs of their existence, but speaking directly with a mortal is nigh impossible now.  

The Weave & Raw Magic

The weave is what protects the mortal plane from becoming overwhelmed by the presence of raw magic, but has consequently been used to amplify the power of mortals time and time again.  

The Change

We need to widen the gaps within the weave. If we allow the raw magic to flow more freely into Far, then it will enable magic to become less restrictive, allowing those who wield it to draw further use out of its potential. It is a dangerous tool indeed, but magic is alive, and it craves the moments where it can be used to change the world and exercise its chaotic nature.   This change may sound like it only benefits mortals, but there is a drawback. You all gain power from these concentrated streams of raw magic, even if you don’t consider yourself a spellcaster. It’s what causes you to gain new skills, abilities, and increased power. With the streams becoming less concentrated, you will find that growing your power has slowed tremendously.  

What This Means

Spells are still applicable in the way they were before, but now there may be opportunities to modify their effects to suit the caster’s needs better. They will, however, need to be exceptionally powerful and knowledgeable regarding the arcane.   The increase of raw magic within the world means that the use of magic is more flexible. Instead of being restricted to existing spells, magic can be used to take the intent of the caster and attempt to bring that intention into reality.   Magic is more unstable. Creatures, structures, and various phenomena may appear on Far due to the mere will of the magic surrounding the planet. The unexplained is usually explained by the strange and chaotic nature of this unrestricted magical energy. Mysterious, powerful, and wonderful all the same.   With the lack of concentration resulting from the weave widening, many will find that their ability to grow in power has slowed significantly. Without the concentrated rays of magic flowing into the mortal plane, they’ll need to put in more work to grow as warriors. Thankfully, this change should eventually see a reduction in the number of overly powerful people in the world, many of whom aren’t well-meaning.   We MAY consider allowing players to develop new feats (since feats are the subconscious application of raw magic to increase one’s ability) if I find it appropriate to their character and the experiences they’ve had.  

The State of Race

Even though Far is home to a beautiful array of humanoids and other creatures, we find that one’s race holds many ties to their blood, preventing them from flourishing how their soul desires.  

The Change

We need to break the mold with the people of Far. We have relied on each race’s established template for too long, but that has prevented them from growing. The “design” and “intent” of each race will become loosened, allowing anyone to have a chance of becoming what they truly desire.   We cannot affect the Warforged in this way. The majority of this race is based on the use of souls pulled from the Fugue Plane, so now they must find a new way to produce life. We have a few ideas to help with this, but we’d like to hear what Shiny has to say about this matter.  

What This Means

As we suspect will be Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything rule, you can apply your race’s ability score bonuses to any stat you want. If you get a +2 to CON and a +1 to STR, then you can have a +2 to WIS and a +1 to CHA, if you want.   I am willing to make any change you find suitable to your character’s history. Are you an Aarakocra that was enslaved, had their wings clipped, and had to learn to apply their speed on land? Great! I’ll remove that Flight trait and give you a +5 to speed and a boost to your DEX!   You’re going to see a LOT of half-races and diversified people. Dwarf wizard? Valid. Kobold barbarian? Valid. Orc rogue? Valid.   Since the method of production of warforged will be invalidated, they will either need to cease reproduction, create non-humanoid variants of themselves, or… evolve. The last option is the trickiest one, certainly.   You may have the option to reduce the ability score increase to +1 in a single stat, but then you get a feat of your choice. Variant Humans still have +1 in two different scores, meaning they still have a slight draw for those who want the best of both worlds.