Canonfire!

Last edited by dead on Sun Nov 19, 2006 4:30 pm; edited 1 time in total

I was wondering if anyone had come up with an alternative name for faerzress as featured in the FR book "Underdark".

Faerzress is that "energy" in the Underdark that confounds such things as scrying and teleporting. It is also the energy that infuses the drowish weapons and armour that spoil in sunlight.

This "energy" has been around since the 1E module Vault of the Drow but has only recieved attention for 3E in the FR book mentioned above.

At the moment, I'm just calling it "Oerth-energy".

Has anyone come up with a more fancy name?

"Faerzress" is obviously a derivitive of "Faerun" so I'm not keen on using it.

Thanks Happy

Sun Nov 19, 2006 4:12 pm

Oerthblood.

We've discussed it several times in the chat, and it most likely that Oerthblood should be treated the same as Faerzress. Indeed, if -zress is taken as -blood, then other than the world name, they are the same.

Sun Nov 19, 2006 5:20 pm

Sun Nov 19, 2006 6:32 pm

How about "Flaezress?"

Sun Nov 19, 2006 7:22 pm

Mon Nov 20, 2006 1:11 am

I believe there is info about how Drow equipment is created with its bonuses in part due to the influence of the "strange radiation" of the Underdark on adamantine during the forging process.

Which begs the question, "Why don't dwarf weapons work the same way?"

Mon Nov 20, 2006 2:46 am

Oh nice one Andy!

Mon Nov 20, 2006 7:33 am

I believe all of that is in either G3, the D-series, the Fiend Folio or all of them.

Mon Nov 20, 2006 8:25 am

Why don't the Dwarves used Oerthblood? Damned good question. A couple of possible answers:

Because Dwarven culture respects the Oerth, while Drow culture exploits it. Oerthblood is not to be used for anything as mundane as weapons or armor.

Or maybe Dwarven culture considers Oerthblood "unclean" with magic, so they treat it as we'd treat uranium ore.

Or they recognize its limitations (items created with it must remain underground, and occasionally in the presence of Oerthblood), and just aren't interested in it.

Telas

Mon Nov 20, 2006 11:39 am

The Drow weapons thing was retconned in the FR accessory Underdark, which also has a section on Faerzress.

They have a special weapon and armor enhancement called, conveniently enough, "Drowcraft." It gives a luck bonus to the weapon or armor in areas of Faezress or earth nodes, but requires the item to make a save when taken into the sunlight or disintegrate. The obvious benefit being as a luck bonus, it will stack with the ordinary enhancement bonus of the item.

As for why dwarves don't use it, the answer is simple: the bonus only works in certain areas. Leave those areas and your stuff becomes a lot weaker. Dwarves prefer items that are always good instead of selectively good.

Tue Nov 21, 2006 5:42 pm

Can someone please give me a brief description of what Oerthblood is?

Thank you Happy

Tue Nov 21, 2006 6:45 pm

Wed Nov 22, 2006 2:23 am

Wed Nov 22, 2006 8:36 pm

Mon Nov 27, 2006 3:43 pm

My PCs have just enterred the UnderOerth as part of the Queen of SPiders campaign. I know that teleportation wont transport anyone further than half a mile into the UnderOerth but how about Planeshifting? The party is quite fond of using this method. I'm not sure if it would allow entry into the UnderOerth but if not how do the denizens of the UnderOerth get about? Maybe they must rely on specific portals? ANy thoughts?

Also does anyone impose any rules regarding spending long periods of time out of the sunlight....this must cause problems with surface dwellers after a while...depression, clautrophobia, rickets from lack of VitaminD?

My PCs are quite powerful already and very cocky, I'd like them to be brought to heel by some of the more simpler dangers of travel and adventure...especially as overconfidently they didn't even bother to provision themselves.

Tue Nov 28, 2006 7:30 pm

If you have access to it, the FR Underdark book has any number of hazards and dangers in it.

I'd also hit the original description of Drow abilities and tactics in the D modules. Basically, they always attacked from ambush, and faded away before being vanquished. Repeat as needed.

Check this page...
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/iw/20050602b&page=1

Add in getting lost, running out of rations, repeated attacks interrupting the casters rest before they can regain spells, and suddenly it's a really bad place to be.

Finally, Kobolds. Traps, swarmfighting, missile weapons, cave-ins, spells (favored class Sorcerer), etc. Nothing takes the fight out of a party like getting its **** handed to it by short lizard-dog thingies.

EDIT: Plane Shift works like Teleport, and this stuff would block it, too. If you're playing 3.5, then Plane Shift is accurate to within "5 to 500 miles of your intended destination".

Telas

Tue Nov 28, 2006 7:43 pm

Here's a Paizo thread on Oerthblood, which I just found through the modern miracle of Google.

I couldn't find any reference to the stuff in From the Ashes or Ivid the Undying, so it may be that Return of the Eight was the first mention of it by that name. However, Ivid the Undying mentions: