New Sponsored Magic (Looking for Ideas)

[zerogain]

I'm working on a series of villains for my campaign.  I am planning to do a full write-up on these guys including stat blocks for a later post, but for right now I'm looking at their magic.

In brief my villains are a group of reptilian humanoids named lemurians.  The inhabitants of this realm refer to their realm as Lemuria, and it exists as a sequestered reality shoved far away from the world.  The why of that is a bit complicated, but in effect several very powerful magi (a very long time ago) banded together and created a working that took Lemuria from it's natural place in the world as an Atlantis-type continent, and severed it from reality, shunting it far away and locking it behind a massive wall.  The bubble that became their world is also rather slippery when it comes to time, and is even more radically subjective to time than the realms of Faerie.

These Lemurians then are effectively humanoid 'dinosaurs' or a sort, favorite children of the ancient Sumerian deities of Tiamat and Apsu or Absu (depending on your read).  I am suggesting right now that these beings are actually dragons of the sort that might give Ferrovax a bit of a bother.  After all my threat for the city is that some tunnel really is the road to hell, maybe there's a dragon down there?

I've got a lot more on these, but not formulated to something I'm ready to post in great detail.

So my question:  I want to give these things their own flavor of magic, their own rituals, and if possible their own Sponsored Magic.  I'll entertain any ideas if you all feel wiling to throw them at me.

I have toyed with trying to come up with something along the lines of the nam-shubs that Neil Stephenson writes about in Snow Crash, but as yet don't have a happy way of importing that into the game.

[Becq]

A quick web search didn't really give me any ideas as to "spell-like" powers they might be associated with.  I got more of the impression that their power was internal.  Based on that, it seems as though a greater reliance on non-spell powers would make sense: strength, toughness, wings, breath, claws, etc.  Perhaps they have magic, but the magic is largely Biomantic in nature, allowing them to make their best warriors larger, faster, stronger than they would naturally be?  Perhaps ritually eating a fallen foe's organs counts as a form of blood magic, powering a ritual that makes them more powerful (sort of a mini-ascension rite)?  They might also have a few priests/shamen/whatever who have something that is closer to 'normal' magic, though these would appear far more runtish than the warriors, as their magic is focused outward.  I imagine they would focus on rather unsubtle aggressive spells.

You might also look into Warhammer's Lizardmen for ideas.  For example, you might have different species of reptiles -- perhaps with Dragons as the warrior/nobility caste, and others breeds playing lesser roles down to Skink-like slaves as dim, expendable grunts.

[ralexs1991]

You might also look into Warhammer's Lizardmen for ideas.  For example, you might have different species of reptiles -- perhaps with Dragons as the warrior/nobility caste, and others breeds playing lesser roles down to Skink-like slaves as dim, expendable grunts.

Do you mean D-dragons or d-dragons? cause I sort of saw them (D-dragons) as only number maybe a handful and there'd probably not be more than like two in the same place at the same time now I could easily see a D-dragon being their leader

A quick web search didn't really give me any ideas as to "spell-like" powers they might be associated with.  I got more of the impression that their power was internal.  Based on that, it seems as though a greater reliance on non-spell powers would make sense: strength, toughness, wings, breath, claws, etc.  Perhaps they have magic, but the magic is largely Biomantic in nature, allowing them to make their best warriors larger, faster, stronger than they would naturally be?  Perhaps ritually eating a fallen foe's organs counts as a form of blood magic, powering a ritual that makes them more powerful (sort of a mini-ascension rite)?  They might also have a few priests/shamen/whatever who have something that is closer to 'normal' magic, though these would appear far more runtish than the warriors, as their magic is focused outward.  I imagine they would focus on rather unsubtle aggressive spells.

this all sound extreamly cool and makes more than enough sense to me

[Becq]

I meant the more classic flying uber-reptile fire-breathers rather than the full-out elemental forces that are known as big D-ragons in DF.  As powerful as Smaug was, I don't think a true DF Dragon (complete with capitalization) could be killed in the way he was.  So powerful, but not lesser god powerful.

At least, that was my line of thought.  You could certainly have the entire species controlled by a true Dragon, if you wanted to go there, with lesser dragons as a nobility, and even lesser reptiles filling in the rest of the hierarchy.  But keep in mind that acting against the Dragon would be kind of like telling Mab that her Mother dresses her funny.

[ralexs1991]

I meant the more classic flying uber-reptile fire-breathers rather than the full-out elemental forces that are known as big D-ragons in DF.  As powerful as Smaug was, I don't think a true DF Dragon (complete with capitalization) could be killed in the way he was.  So powerful, but not lesser god powerful.

At least, that was my line of thought.  You could certainly have the entire species controlled by a true Dragon, if you wanted to go there, with lesser dragons as a nobility, and even lesser reptiles filling in the rest of the hierarchy.  But keep in mind that acting against the Dragon would be kind of like telling Mab that her Mother dresses her funny.

ok thats what i was kinda fuzzy on ok but yeah being that powerful would be a way to avoid insurrection haha