Transubstancial Halo

[Joël of the FoS]

My players are currently in Mordent. Looking through my notes, I found this item that JWM planned to write on:

Mangrum sept 04 FoS Board

I tinkered with the concept of the Transubstantial Halo quite a bit back in the day. Initially, my idea for the Halo bubbled up along with a concept for a full-length adventure set in Mordent, dealing very much with Godefroy and the House on Gryphon Hill. Later, when Arthaus came along I intended to include it in Gaz III, before fate took a left turn there. After that, for about a year I (unsuccessfully) pushed the idea of publishing a book on the Order of the Guardians (detailing numerous strongholds, NPCs, prestige classes, feats, adventure hooks, etc., and -- of course -- cursed artifacts), in which I was still hoping to get around to putting it in print.

Most of my Godefroy/Gryphon Hill ideas made it to print, but my ideas for the Transubstanial Halo never quite made it to the finish line. They're somewhere in Conceptual Limbo along with Pharaoh Rottentop, I reckon.

Anyway, the short version of the Transubstantial Halo is that it's a flattened ring of silvery metal about a yard across. About the same size as a hula hoop, basically. What it does is very simple: It converts flesh to spirit and spirit to flesh. In other words, any corporeal being that passes through the ring emerges on the other side as an incorporeal, ghostlike entity. Any incorporeal being that passes through emerges on the other side as a living, corporeal being.

In short, living creatures could use it to become incorporeal and enter the Near Ethereal at will, and the incorporeal undead could use it to become flesh-and-blood living creatures again.

Of course, one must expect side effects when literally converting your soul into meat, or vice versa.

The adventure was to begin in Mordentshire's open marketplace, as a young widow's second wedding is rudely interrupted by a desperate leper(?) in monk's robes... who quickly dissolves into blood and ichor.

It would have ended with a significant new wrinkle in Godefroy's accursed existence. (No, he stayed a ghost.)

This item brings full of interesting possibilities and hooks. What would you do with it as a DM?

Joël

[Drinnik Shoehorn]

Use it to bring his wife and child back and have them be immune to his attacks. I'd elaborate, but I'm tired.

[Undead Cabbage]

As a GM who has a personal affinity for Mordent, I find this interesting.

I'm just curious as to where this halo was supposed to be in mordent. The Mournesworth family Manor maybe? Perhaps this Halo could be what the 'Ceremony' was supposed to be about.

I also happen to be writing somewhat of an appendix of extra Mordentish 'stuff'. Mr. Mangrum, would you mind if I used the idea? I will be certain to mention who is the genius behind it, I assure you .

Probably, I would treat it sort of like 'The chair' from the movie Constantine. Keeping it with the Mournesworth's, I'd have the players understand that its a VERY dangerous thing to use, and could potentially lead to their deaths, or worse. Finally, when it was absolutely necessary to use, one of the players would have to put their life on the line.

Look forward to your answers.

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

It was supposed to be in the care of the Guardians in Mordentshire. Of course, no one's stopping you if you want to put it with the Mournesworths..

[Undead Cabbage]

It was supposed to be in the care of the Guardians in Mordentshire. Of course, no one's stopping you if you want to put it with the Mournesworths..

I'm sorry for my ignorance, but exactly what is meant by these Guardians? I didn't see any reference in the Gaz III, nor any of the other books I have. Where can I find info on this?

[Tobias Blackburn]

It was supposed to be in the care of the Guardians in Mordentshire. Of course, no one's stopping you if you want to put it with the Mournesworths..

I'm sorry for my ignorance, but exactly what is meant by these Guardians? I didn't see any reference in the Gaz III, nor any of the other books I have. Where can I find info on this?

If you take a look at Mangrum's New Monster file (specifically the Basilisk) you can see a bit more of a connection involving the Halo and a little bit about that particular order (They run a pig farm if I remember correctly). The file is on the Fraternity Site.

[Isabella]

The thought of converting a soul into flesh that way is creepy. Imagine what happens when that body is killed.

Assuming the device actually works correctly, I'm not sure what the side effects to the opposite would be.

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

The Guardians are mentioned, among other places, in CotN:Created, TSR JAM1999, VRA, Tapestry of Dark Souls, Champions of the Mists, NMNB... They are an order of monks who protect magic artifacts from falling into the wrong hands. The Mordentshire group is tasked with guarding the Halo. Other branches focus on other items.

[Jasper]

Hmmm...I wonder if when a ghost goes through the halo does the ghost get a whole new body with its origonal still in the ground or does it send the spirit back to its old body, ages of rot and all.....

[Rotipher of the FoS]

The thought of converting a soul into flesh that way is creepy. Imagine what happens when that body is killed.

I don't think that statement was meant to be taken literally. If it was, then a corporeal person you pass through the halo (assuming they don't have the Hollow feat) won't become entirely incorporeal; their existing soul would merely become their new corporeal body, and vice versa.

[Nathan of the FoS]

The thought of converting a soul into flesh that way is creepy. Imagine what happens when that body is killed.

I don't think that statement was meant to be taken literally. If it was, then a corporeal person you pass through the halo (assuming they don't have the Hollow feat) won't become entirely incorporeal; their existing soul would merely become their new corporeal body, and vice versa.

And yet...I think this would be an excellent game effect. Have any incorporeal being who passes from incorporeal to corporeal through the Halo become either a) a Hollow person (shades of Eliot) or b) a corporeal ghost.

Come to that, what would happen to a person with the Hollow feat who passed through the Halo? Would he/she become a person of pure spirit? Would he/she disappear entirely?

Cartesian dualism seems to be foundering, here. How would you guys adjudicate?

[Tobias Blackburn]

The way I read it was that the ring converts the material that makes up a ghost (ie the soul) into the needed meat, while a corporeal person who passes through would have their meat converted into spirit stuff. So a person who is Hollow might suffer a penalty, but should still become incorporeal.

I would put the side-effects like this. A Ghost gone corporeal might last a number of days (hours?) equal to his Charisma, new Constitution, or resonance rank before melting (a la John's description above), while a corporeal person that "goes ghost" would last a according to his Charisma before he finally broke up.

[Mangrum]

I would put the side-effects like this. A Ghost gone corporeal might last a number of days (hours?) equal to his Charisma, new Constitution, or resonance rank before melting (a la John's description above), while a corporeal person that "goes ghost" would last a according to his Charisma before he finally broke up.

That's very close to the original concept.

[Jennifer]

Hi guys,
Wow, artefacts like this make me really really regret that my group fell apart. The game ideas just start bubbling reading this.


Ghosts queing up to use this thing to put an end to their problems in the world, people desparate to contact the dead. mediums and con artist seeing profit in this thing.

Jennifer

[Tobias Blackburn]

I would put the side-effects like this. A Ghost gone corporeal might last a number of days (hours?) equal to his Charisma, new Constitution, or resonance rank before melting (a la John's description above), while a corporeal person that "goes ghost" would last a according to his Charisma before he finally broke up.

That's very close to the original concept.

That's what I figured after reading the part about the melting "leper". I love the idea of the Transubtantial Halo, and I think I'm going to try to work it into my campaign (which should work pretty well, since one of the player character's is Haunted, as per the feat, by the geist of his dead daughter).

I decided that, for my campaign, I'm going to tie the Halo back to the Alchemist. I figure that the Halo was that portion of the device that was used to create the body for anything the Apparatus pulled out of someone, or to transfer someone into spiritual energy if it was combining two forms. When the Apparatus blew up the Halo survived, it's abilities skewed and imperfect without the rest of the device (and the Rod of Rastinon) to regulate it.