Re: SJD20 question - Cost to the pilot?

Cynthia Hahn wrote:

> I primarily run Forgotten Realms, but IMC the creation of major helms
> took either tenth-circle magic, or a complicated ritual magic process
> that took three mages capable of casting ninth-circle magic.

        That's a new one on me.

> Thus, the Arcane's ability to create helms is explained by their sphere
> still having access to the higher magics.
>
> Vaguely supporting this is a reference I remember seeing that mentioned
> that the Netherese were developing spelljamming on their own before the
> fall of the empire. That implied that they could create their own helms.
> After the fall, of course, tenth-circle magic was lost to Toril. The
> descendants of the Netherese, the Halruaans, have flying ships that just
> don't have the power to reach above the clouds.

        Slightly inaccurate: The Netherese developed spelljamming during their
Age of Discovery, but abandoned it about 100 years after building their
first spelljammers, claiming it too costly.  That and they managed to
seriously hack off every race in Realmspace.  Here comes a
contradiction: in the timeline, the Netherese never developed their own
SJ technology, such as helms.  Yet in the spells section, they have a
spell that works better than ANY helm, AND they have the power to seal
spheres.  10th & 11th level spells, respectively.
        The Halruaan skyships are created via Suspension spell with
Permanency.  Suspension is a more powerful version of levitate (5th
level, 1,000 lb weight per caster's level).

> I'm not sure what use could be made of it, but it seems an interesting
> take on Netheril to imagine the Arcane manipulating its fall to
> eliminate possible competition...

        That would be one LONG term plan; Nethril existed many thousands of
years after they abandoned spelljamming.:)
--
Adam Miller