Quirks
In addition to the four aspects—chronological, magical, technological, and
environmental—some worlds have additional properties that help make them unique
and unpredictable. These properties—quirks—are not easily categorized. Quirks can
be part of a world’s essential makeup, completely serendipitous, or
temporarily imposed from outside. In the latter two cases, the player characters might be
able to change them. The local rules governing priest spells described on page 49 can be considered essential quirks. A few known quirks are listed below:
The world is infused with some overwhelming force or energy that twists
everything, including magic and psionic abilities. For example, the Demiplane of
Ravenloft is infused with evil. No spell, granted ability, or psionic power can
distinguish the alignment of any creature or object on Ravenloft, and many
magical effects and psionic powers are corrupted.
Other worlds might be infused with good, light, magic, electricity, or
anything else that can be detected or manipulated under the AD&D game rules.
If this quirk exists on a Prime Material world, it’s probably a temporary
effect that can be removed if the source is destroyed. Otherwise, it cannot be
altered or removed except by destroying the entire world.
A particular type of material is difficult or impossible to magically
conjure or duplicate on the world. For example metal is very rare on Athas, the world
of the Dark Sun™ setting. Metal cannot be permanently created on Athas, and
the normally permanent wall of iron spell quickly falls to pieces.
Spells that have been named after their creators (such as Melf’s minute meteors) are unknown and unavailable unless brought in from outside or researched
from scratch.
Leaders of the world’s dominant race are able to detect and immediately
retaliate against magical or psionic attacks directed against members of the race.
This quirk is possible only on worlds rated M14 or higher. Retaliation can
take whatever form the DM feels is appropriate: a simple spell turning effect, one
large venomous insect attacks the offender for every point of damage inflicted
on the target, a random spell is directed at the offender, etc.
Magical items brought into the world are not affected by the distance to
their home planes but are subject to other local effects. Such worlds usually are
unrestricted (see page 49) and have a magical rating of 13 or higher.
The world traps visitors. Exit is possible only through pre-existing gates.
This quirk is possible only in Demiplanes and Pocket Dimensions.
The world and some or all of its residents are analogs to beings in the base
campaign. If the two world’s ratings are generally similar, analogous beings
from the two worlds are virtual twins, having appearances, occupations, skills,
and alignments similar to their twins’. The more the two world’s aspects
diverge, the more dissimilar the analogs are.
Worlds that contain player character analogs present all sorts of difficulties
and opportunities for the PCs:
Same Book, Different Cover: Analogs have completely different appearances, but identical mannerisms and
similar histories. How long does it take the group to realize that the arrogant
lizard man they are dealing with is just another version of a PC wizard?
Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover: Analogs look and act pretty much like their counterparts, but they have
different dispositions and skills. Perhaps the player character analogs on this world
are notorious villains or perhaps the PCs’ chief rival is a great and revered
hero here.
Déjá Vu: The world might contain analogs whose counterparts have died in the base
campaign, both foes and allies. Also, the current situation on this world might
mirror an adventure the PCs have already completed, but the villains have made
different plans this time.
The world parallels the base campaign and is actually a version of the base
campaign’s past or future.
Some mundane item from the base campaign is the focus for power on this
world. For example, powdered dragon horn explodes like gunpowder, gold jewelry
grants a spell-like power, etc.
The world is isolated from other dimensions. Extradimensional spaces, such
as those created by portable holes, rope trick spells, and bags of holding, cannot be opened.
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