Fixing the Astronumdi Cluster Article (feedback)

I've read through at most a quarter of the article, and some things came to
me as I read.  So here's a little feedback I had.

Mostly, I agree with your assessments, as we've been discussing them here on
the list almost ever since the boxed set's release.  Your article did give
me some alternate ideas of how to look at things.

Illithid Empire - Here's something to consider, which
I thought of during your description of illithids.
Perhaps the empire IS 3 billion strong, but not all of
that is in the Cluster.  Rather, the nation is
scattered in countless colonies spread across
hundreds, if not thousands, of systems.  They use
their abilities to hold the empire together, with the
capital and larges concentration in the Cluster.  The
empire perhaps has the power to crush the Antillans,
but are too spread out to do so.  If they tried to
muster their full power, they'd attract the attention
of the gith and their other enemies, who'd take
advantage to destroy their outposts and distant
universities.  The losses would be too great for them
to risk it, even to rid themselves of the Antillans.

Illithid Plot - this could easily be shifted from 'put
out the sun' to 'turn the sun to a red star', which
would leave the sun to produce light & heat and make
the whole sphere accessible to the illithids.  A bonus
would be to have the sun shed its outer layers in a
minor nova; not powerful enough to destroy the more
distant colonies, but more than enough to fry the
Antillans.  The illithids could then move into the
ruins of the Antillan culture and wait out the Outer
Powers, who would freeze to death under the light of
the now-colder sun.

Illithid God - in reading this part, I'm kinda struck
by something: you're right, the illithid "god" does
sound like a god at all!  Maybe instead of a god, this
is a "vessel", and by pouring psionic energies into,
they can literally shake the foundations of the
universe.  Powered up by the combined psionic energy
of the illithids, the magic of wizshades, and the
power of a sun, the vessel could then be used to
accomplish some nasty feats.  Maybe something as
simple as giving the illithids more psionic powers, or
perhaps (to steal from Starcraft) make illithid nobles
immortal; if slain, they regenerate unharmed.  Or
maybe spawn horrid Chuthulu-like creatures that could
devour crystal citadels whole.  Or heck, maybe they just
want to uncover some long lost knowledge.  The
possiblities are limited by the DM's imagination.

Arcane Plot - the presentation of the original plot
was silly, agreed, and you do present sound reasons
for abandoning it.  However, it might be salvagable
using Planescape overtones.  Perhaps instead of the
whole Tanar'ri race, the Arcane brokered a deal with a
single Abyssal Lord.  We know that Abyssal Lords like
to steal whole spheres, ala the plot from For Duty and
Deity, so it would not be entirely unconcievable that
the Arcane couldn't broker a deal with Orcus,
Demogorgon, or Graz'zt.  Instead of opening a gate,
the Arcane use the power of the sun to suck the entire
sphere into the Abyss as a brand-new layer for some
lord.  If this happens, it gives the PCs an "out" to
still defeat the plan, to destroy the device and send
the sphere back into the Prime and ending the
nightmare.


More to come as I think of it/read more.

Adam

Look for my coming on the seventh month of the fifth year.  At dawn look to
the world were the Trio (plus one) that is Untouchable reigns supreme