Patron Problems- The Three Fates

[atlascott]

So I have twin Elves who share the Three Fates Patron.

Each time they spellburn, they roll a d4 to see what happens.

Both have rolled "4" meaning "You invoke dark Chaos magic for your spell to work and are corrupted. If you spellburn again before any agent of Fates, your life will surely be forfeit."

Now, of course, the sisters are not going to kill one another. But they spellburn aggressively, and there must be costs.

So I was thinking of some reasonable consequences.

One would be for the sister who sees the other become and agent of corruption, the witness loses the ability to spellburn until it is rectified.

The problem with this is the only way out if for the sisters to kill one another.

Another option would be for the spellcasting sister to take a Corruption with no buying out of it with Luck, with failure to do so resulting in no spellburning, or a loss of Patron spells. Not sure about this.

Another would be stripping the witness Agent of the Fates of her ability to cast patron spell and double spellburn costs until and unless the corrupted caster willing takes on a Corruption to atone for resorting to chaos magic.

I want to be fair and in the spirit of the rules, but I also must be firm. Magic comes at great cost.

Input appreciated!

[Golgothmog]

Couldn't the one who isn't 'burning just close her eyes? After a shouted warning?
Maybe they wear special blinders (magic glasses that render each other invisible) or always stand back to back when spellcasting?

[atlascott]

Clarification: I am running the game and this is about one of my players.

Standing back to back and coordinated eye-closing is an interesting idea for FUTURE spellcasting, but these characters have both rolled the result, and they choose not to kill one another, being twin sisters and all.

So I need input on consequences for that decision...

[aesdana]

Send a paladin / inquisitor of sufficiently high level against them : if they kill him/her, they have proven their usefulness (well, faith ).

They will of course have to deal alone with the avenger...

Or animate a statue with the 3 fates voices, make it immune to most magic and attack the twins...

Or send them in a magical demi-plane, or the location of a new adventure...

They deserve both to have their lives seriously endangered, one for having used chaos magic, the other for being her accomplice or letting her emotions pass before her duty.

[GnomeBoy]

So, in theory, if you had only ONE caster with the Fates as a Patron, and they had this result, the dire consequences would only kick in if some outsider to the group (read: NPC) was observing this, and they would be expected to act against the caster... right?

I'd go with the whole twins are special (*makes giant air quotes*) and have weird psychic bonds between them and such, and treat them like one character for the purpose of this effect (and maybe for other effects as well). This emphasizes the twinsy-ness, which is interesting, and helps make it more than just "yeah, our characters are twins and stuff" but then they're played as just two independent characters who just happen to occasionally point out they are "twins" (I've seen this happen).

Just make sure there is the occasional potential of Fate-bonded outside observers to observe that which should not be observed, and let the consequences develop therefrom...

[JediOre]

I think GnomeBoy has the answer you are seeking.

[Offers GnomeBoy a 'high five' for being cool!]

[GnomeBoy]

*replies to high-five but with hand stuck in shape of air-quotes*

[cjoepar]

Hmm, interesting situation, but I see some nice possibilities.

First, I should start by saying that whenever I look at any table in the rules, I use it only as a guideline. Many things, like spells, I do not fiddle with unless I see a great need, or a great opportunity to advance the story in some interesting way. Others, I am more inclined to make adjustments to on the fly, mostly because I like to keep my players guessing and the possibilities of what can happen less restrictive than only a handful of table results. As such, this is what I would do in this situation:

I would say that each of the sisters has already witnessed one another using some foul chaos rite when they rolled this result. Bound by their love for one another, they have chosen to defy the mandates of the Fates and not slay one another. The twins now have two choices: Abandon the Fates as Patrons or seek atonement for their sins. If they choose to abandon the Fates as Patrons, they will become hunted by the followers of the Fates for the rest of their lives, never knowing when some may show up seeking to kill them. If they desire to remain loyal to the Fates, the Fates have passed judgment on them until they make atonement for their dire transgression. Atonement being some suitably difficult task, like slaying a mighty wizard of Chaos or some dire Demon. Something that will involve multiple gamming sessions and involvement by the whole party to complete. Until that time, anytime one of the twins desires to use spellburn, her sister suffers the ability point loss in her stead. If this is the path they choose, I would probably come up with another spellburn result for future rolls of 4, or have them re-roll 4's so this situation doesn't repeat itself and get old.

[Weisenwolf]

The obvious answer is that they don't adventure together.

Their 'punishment' is that they have to alternate, one out and about with the party and the other at home, essentially halving their XP opportunities.

Or one changes patron.................

I would say this is a pretty hefty breach from the patrons perspective so if you want the true likely response the patron just kills both of them; not much fun but wouldn't it drive home how dangerous magic is for future Wizardy types?

[NJPDX]

I'd let them tempt fate (sorry, pun intended).

If they refuse to kill their twin, then that's fine, but that doesn't mean that the Fates are going to just sit idly by and let them disobey. Turn it into an adventure hook, send avenging furies after them, for their insolence. If they are high enough level to be worth the notice of other patrons (or their agents). Maybe have Azi Dahaka offer to "free" them from their predicament if they pledge their immortal souls to him and take him as a patron. In turn he offers them safe harbor.

If they change patrons it should probably be traumatic; require an alignment shift, automatic corruption or patron taint from their new supernal benefactor(s) or some other mark or malady that lets the players know that attempts to manipulate or hinder an immortals' decree is like playing with fire.

[Golgothmog]

Gnomeboy's solution seems clever and flavorful... and sets up future complications/consequences.
Dropping/changing the Patron seems less satisfying... a more mechanical reply to the situation that doesn't bring the same sort of fun that having a pair of magically connected twins does.

[GnomeBoy]

If it seems like too much of a "gimme" to have them avoid that complication, just have the Fates treat them as one character. If one gets a Patron Taint result in play, they both get that Taint.

Maybe they'd then want to eliminate each other just to avoid the extra Taint!

[catseye yellow]

let the result stand but make them quest for it in order to get rid of said condition.