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When the Sky Falls
guides the League, some members may find it more expedient to exterminate PCs interested in finding out more about an approaching or already fallen meteorite, instead of sharing knowledge or meteoritic iron. Even well-intentioned Astronomers may see the PCs as simple looters, and defend an impact site accordingly. Some particularly aggressive Astronomers might track down PCs whom they know have purchased or otherwise obtained meteoritic ore of any kind, and demand its return in the name of astromancy.
Changes to the World It is possible that the fall of a meteorite, or an extended meteorite shower, has repercussions beyond merely the local, even if the meteorite is relatively small. This is especially pertinent if the meteorite is thaumaturgic in nature, or if, for instance, the fiery remnants of Kure accompany an engram ark. Key Terms In the former case, Arcanosphere: The theoretical medium that the addition of so much underlies magic and propagates magical thaumaturgic material effects. into the campaign world Astrogineer: Many of these astromancers work can have a direct effect for the League of Astronomers.. on the worldwide magiLeague of Astronomers: Organization that catalogues impacts and collects fragments for the cal field (referred to sake of knowledge. hereafter as the arcanoRuin Priest: Empowered members of the Sky sphere). This arcanoCallers cult. sphere is the medium in Sky Callers: Cult that promotes meteorite impacts as glorious acts of destruction, for which magic propagates, destruction’s sake. just as air is the medium Vengeful Sky: The term used by Sky Callers to in which sound proparefer to the innate destructive force of the multiverse. gates. If the medium’s components change significantly enough, such as through the addition of a lode of thaumaturgically charged ore, essence, intelligence, philosophy, or other extraterrestrial component, then by necessity the medium also changes. If you decide to allow it, meteorite impacts may change how magic works in your campaign. A meteor strike is also a good opportunity to change things in the magic system that you don’t like—you can change a spell’s effects, delete a spell, and so on, all because of the impact to the arcanosphere. In the case of the fall of an engram ark into your campaign world, engrams and ark guardians are not the only possible arrival. After all, engram arks have a history; they are the direct consequence of the activity of an entity called the Dark Plea. They are shattered remnants of a once-strong race that lost a war with a power whose total malevolence exceeded their ability to fight back. With an engram ark comes the possibility of
the influence of the Dark Plea. If you decide to allow it, evil NPCs may find a new god to worship: the Dark Plea itself.
Shifts in the Arcanosphere Any shift in the arcanosphere affects the spellcasting ability of some or all arcane spellcasters. When the arcanosphere undergoes a subtle change, as might be the case when thaumaturgically charged meteorites are deposited into your campaign world, most spellcasters may not notice the change immediately. Nevertheless, a spellcaster who pays close attention to the effects of her spells should eventually be able to determine that things don’t work the way they used to. The following section presents four possible effects for spells of each school of magic, based on whether you prefer the arcanosphere shift to be permanent or temporary, and positive or negative. The temporary shifts described here are more dramatic than the permanent shifts, since they represent a wild swing (although a fleeting one) in the nature of the arcanosphere, while the permanent shifts are less extreme (and thus more difficult to detect at first). In most cases, a temporary shift should last no longer than 1d4 months; once it fades, a permanent effect can kick in. You decide if the arcanosphere shift affects every school of magic, or as few as one. You can have one school gain a permanent positive effect, while another gains a temporary negative effect. You can adjust the schools in whatever configuration you like, or not at all. One thing to keep in mind when shifting the arcanosphere: Your players probably won’t thank you for bringing about a negative shift that affects some PC’s preferred school of magic. Only do this if you have some campaign-specific reason to impede the ability of all arcane spellcasters (not just PCs) who make use of certain kinds of magic.
Learning About the Shift Even if the arcanosphere shifts, many arcane spellcasters go on about their magic normally unless they become aware of the changes, and then discover how to best take advantage of said changes. Positive Shifts: For obvious reasons, specialist wizards are the greatest beneficiaries of positive shifts in the arcanosphere. Once an arcanosphere shift has occurred, specialist wizards are most likely to take note. If a specialist wizard becomes aware of a positive shift—even if another spellcaster tells her about the change—she has to come to a personal understanding of it in order to make use of it. The first time each day when a specialist wizard attempts to cast one of the highest-level spells she knows within her specialty school, she must make a Spellcraft check against a DC equal to 15 + the level of the spell cast. On a successful
