Well it looks like the polls are done for choosing the plane, and Nimae has won at a 10 to 4 result, 9 to 4 result if you count my own vote. I'm pleased because I favoured Nimae, but of course wanted to see if I was missing anything for the other plane, like if there was something exceptional about Lysan, but it seems that Nimae has much better flavour and much more creative space.
As such, Lysan, the Imprisoned Plane is up for any takers who wish to take it. To get past any confusion on who took it first, anyone who wants to take the flavour of Lysan, please post in this thread saying so, that way you have something to show people who might have taken it as well.
Nimae is a newer plane that was formed rather quickly and is thought by some scholars to have not completely settled yet. Thanks to this planar unstability the entire plane is highly morphic to the spirits of the dead and of the unconscious. You see, in Nimae, a simple nightmare can soon manifest itself into a being of physical material and the souls of those who have died still live within the plane. This meld of physical, spiritual, and unconscious worlds makes the plane both vivid and dangerous. Although one can teach themselves to control their thoughts to form together a being for their service.
The beings created from the unconscious are referred to most inhabitants of the plane as Nightmares. Almost all beings made from the unconscious strive to slay anything that enjoys prolonged life. Some scholars think that Nightmares may grow and develop a large interconnected memory between each of them so that they remember history. Saying that they are created from the unconscious is a bit of a lack of range. Any prolonged thought that inspires fear, sadness, or dread can be taken up into physical form as a Nightmare.
Along with Nightmares, the inhabitants of Nimae also call what would be the 'good natured' Nightmares, Fantasies. These are beings that are crafted from feelings of happiness, bliss, or euphoria. They come into existence and will protect those who enjoy prolonged life. Some inhabitants of Nimae have trained themselves to continue thought of a Fantasy to keep it alive to protect them.
Apart from the Nightmares and Fantasies there are the souls of the dead that walk across the plane. Most of them haven't a direction and often find themselves imprisoned in their world until what the inhabitants of Nimae call the Afterbirth occurs. They say it's a time when all souls are reborn back into the plane. Individuals of particularly strong will or soul tend to experience the Afterbirth much faster than others.
The souls of the dead are much more timid and ego-centric than the Nightmares and Fantasies. They tend to stray away from the living and will only attack if neccessary, although there are some exceptions. Some souls even congregate together and form a society. There is one forest in particular where the spirits of the dead are known to have established a sort of community.
As for the actual inhabitants of the plane, there are a few towns and smaller cities. Most towns and cities are led by a person who has some magical powers and can protect the town to an extent. The races of Nimae, sorted by colour are as follows:
Out of the races of Nimae, most all of them live fairly well and are adjusted to the plane. All of them have had encounters with Nightmares and Fantasies, and all of them have been affected by these beings. Also, because all souls exist in the plane afterwards, Necromancers have had quite a good time with them and some have been able to use their souls for their benefit. Although it has been established in the plane that souls are fairly hard to destroy, and only a very few have ever been able to. Necromancers, although, have never caused much trouble in the plane with only one known Necromancer that some in the plane try to keep in check. This Necromancer has tried to use souls to power machines of flesh and metal, although never too frightening has ever come up from his creations.
Although with the normal range of magic, another form has arisen from the Nightmares and Fantasies. These mages are called Delusiamancers. They specialize in using their minds to create Nightmares and Fantasies, depending on the level of skill of the mages, and then using magic to enhance or control them. They are a fairly new breed of mage that only came about as a way to attempt to control Nightmares and Fantasies. There are really no true experts in the field of magic, and it is still very diverse.
As for the world of Nimae, it is a fairly vast world, consisting of one large continent and a few islands around the continent. The continent is often referred to as Nimae by most of the plane's inhabitants and the islands don't tend to have names. The sea that surrounds Nimae is almost always just referred as "The Great Blue," and an inhabitant has yet to see the entirety of the Great Blue. Some have said that the Great Blue must be where the source of the Nightmares and Fantasies come from. Others think that the sea is a link to the spiritual world. Apart from the Great Blue, some other landmarks of Nimae are:
The Spirit Forest (:symg::symb::symw:)
The forest referred to earlier where the spirits of the dead tend to gather together. They congregate to wait for their Afterbirth, to talk about their past lives with other spirits, or just enjoy the beauty of the forest. Because very few living creatures come into the forest it is relatively untouched and is almost perfectly preserved. Of the species that do exist in the forest, they usually have some affinity with the spiritual world and are very pristine.
The Spirit Forest is a haven for the spirits, a recluse for them to go so they feel as if they fit in with those around them. It didn't arise from any sort of method or want, but mainly from a gradual gathering of spirits. After enough time the forest just became the natural community of spirits. With the abundance of spirits in the forest, Necromancers tend to visit it frequently to get souls for their creations.
Brigani (:symw::symu::symb::symr::symg:)
Brigani is the largest city on Nimae, consisting mainly of Humans, Viashino, Loxodon, Elves, and Cephalids, it is a center of commerce and congregation. Currently there are about five thousand individuals in the city and it stretches across a fairly large section of what some refer to as The Fields of Fantasy, where a natural cleanliness to the land seems to bring about good thoughts, and hence, a large amount of Fantasies. The city itself is fairly well off, not having to protect itself from Nightmares as much as other cities because of it's environment, it can more solely focus on it's own economy.
The Fields of Fantasy (:symw::symg::symr:)
For the most part the Fields are a lush growth of various kinds of bushes and grasses. There aren't as many trees though, and some say they can see from one edge to the other. The Fields have actually been fought over in the past and some are surprised to see the Fields as well as they are with the blood that has been spilt over it. The Fields also contain a network of merchant roads that help bolster the economy of cities and towns close by.
The Cryocrags (:symu::symw:)
A large fissue to the North that has been completely frozen from prolonged exposure to moisture. Most believe that the Cryocrags were underwater until water recedded and exposure most of the North Pole. The Cryocrags themselves play host to a few very formidable creatures and spirits. Not too much is known about the Cryocrags and only a few Cephalids and Humans have been known to travel there.
Hercae (:symr:)
A fairly active volcano near the Great Blue and about a two hour walk from Brigani, the volcano houses a complex of underground tunnels and eventually leads into the molten chamber. It is said by some adventurers that go there that it is where angered spirits come to disperse their hate and rage. Certainly not a friendly environment, most creatures who enter don't come back out.
Inspira (:symw:)
The only strictly Leonin town on Nimae, it is fairly large for only containing one race. The town itself is very honour-centric, and they tend to favour a good fight from time to time as long as they think they're fighting for th right reasons. Beyond that, the town could be said to be comfortable for it's inhabitants, but yet it is often unappealing to other species and uncomfortable as well. The town is built on the other end of the Field of Fantasies, tending to hunt in the Field and in the forest that is near-by.
Morak Caverns (:symu::symb::symg:)
The largest system of tunnels in Nimae, they house the sorts of Necromancers, Arcanists, and outcasts from society. They are also treated to the usual spirits, Nightmares, and Fantasies as is the rest of the world. The Caverns, however, tend to be a source of corruption and thug activity. The tunnels can get you near any place in Nimae though, although the majority of the main routes are silent, cold areas where only the side tunnels are often used.
Cetil (:symu::symb:)
One of the only inhabitated islands, it is the main Cephalid city. Built on one of the more equatorial islands called, Kilean. Although some other races are on the island, a good portion of them are Cephalids and the city leader is a Cephalid. The Cephalids are the most skilled of any race at defending against Nightmares and hence, there island provides no additional protection, except against Nightmares that would exist on the mainland close by. The city is bathed in secrecy and often times a new leader is crowned every three or five years from the former king's death.
Sytenian Forest (:symg::symr:)
The largest forest on Nimae and much more confusing than would seem. The roots of the trees in the Sytenian Forest settle deep down into the ground and because of the plane's newborn nature, can gather up a lot of the mana that still exists in the plane. There is also a myth that the inhabitants tell of where the trees shift ever so slowly and quickly confuse anyone that would go through it. No one has ever seen it, but many a creature have gotten lost or ended up coming out where they came in from. Those who believe this contribute it to the instability of the plane and that the ground under the trees rearranges itself. Beyond this, the elves and beasts which inhabit have been able to flourish under the forest's canopy. As surprising as it may be, the only creatures who have ever seen the tops of canopy have been those that fly, no beast or any other creature has been tall enough to go above the canopy. The elves in the forest treat the forest as a womb but not of their direct ownership. They share the forest with any creature willing to treat it right, but they condemn those who would hurt the forest.
The Spires of Stilen (:symr::symw::symb:)
A range of mountains spanning against the southern borders of Nimae, they stretch across the entire width of the island and are filled to the brim with materials from the plane's forming. Living within these chasms, mountain peaks, and hills are any assortment of Viashino, Beast, or Aven. Most groups of creatures in these mountains are sorted into small groups or clans that will often fight with other clans for surpremacy of the more important parts of the Spires, although of course Beasts are mostly used as slaves or partners since they can't form there own clans. Of the Viashino and Aven, it's surprising, but both groups have knowledge of trade and have begun to set up mine shifts into the mountains to get at some of the more valuable metals within the mountains. Corrupt has, henceforth, followed the scent of profit.
- - -
Those are all the landmarks and important places I can think of at the moment, along with colours that will be affiliated with them. I'll add more to them if I think of more.
- - -
And that brings us to what the main conflict is with the set, so to answer that, I'll outline the current conflicts:
Conflict Over the Spires
As stated in the description of the Spires, the groups of the Spires are engaged in conflict over the metals that are available within the mountains. This includes Viashino against themselves or Aven, and vice versa for the Aven. The conflicts usually consist of raiding parties attacking mining sites and taking them over. It's quite the paradox, those who seek a life in the Spires often have it the hardest to find.
Sytenian Struggle A struggle for survival drives the Elves and Beasts of the forest, as well as anyone who might step into the Forest. Predatory instincts and planned ingenuity drive the conflict here into a fight for blood and life. Conflicts usually consist of ambushes or attacking bigger groups while they are resting.
Cephalid Prisons
The Cephalid control everything on their island and those who would try to rise against them are imprisoned; many of the these arrests are 'forced' using controlled Nightmares as guards. The Cephalids also have desires for more power, but have yet to have begun following them.
Morak Corruption
The caverns are practically run by those with the most influence over the Nightmares. Because of the sheer size of the caverns, there hardly ever goes a day that a Nightmare isn't born and forgotten. Those who can control and create Nightmares have dominion over those who can't. Brute strength comes second to this. Since the caverns are used a travel route between the different parts of Nimae, corruption has spread through those who dwell in the caverns and gangs have risen up to try to get the most profit.
Nightmare Problems
Although some groups have gotten used to the Nightmare threat, they are still a large problem for many groups, as a simple bad dream from anyone in the community can quickly turn deadly. Many still seek refuge from Nightmares, often seeking the help of Cephalid or possibly the Fields of Fantasy.
So I guess this is where it all starts, I hope to be finished the full set by early December and I would like any help or critique that people have to make the set as good as it can be.
Kind of with that idea, I still need someone to point me in the direction of some kind of Magic card maker. It would be really appreciated.
I've been thinking about these for a bit, and I still really like the idea of using Vanishing for Nightmares and Dreams... Actually on second thought, the whole reason behind that was because the Nightmare/Fantasy is in play for as long as you think about it, but... really, when aren't you going to be thinking of it? Scratch Vanishing.
Before I get into Keywords, mostly because I have to take some more time to think of them, I'll just highlight a few things:
About Nightmares and Fantasies
Nightmares and Fantasies will be born from other acts that affect one's hand or library. Such as card drawing causing the creation of a Nightmare or Fantasy.
Nightmares and Fantasy will be able to be 'rethought' of into the world, as reanimation, but possibly with some variance.
There will certainly be cards that help a player 'ignore', banish, or control a Nightmare or opposing Fantasy.
Nightmares are much harder to control than Fantasies, but Fantasies are much more loyal.
Large emphasis on the hand and library.
Nightmares are naturally evil-aligned and Fantasies are good-aligned.
About the Dead
Mostly represented by Spirits or Wraiths instead of zombies and undead.
May be some machines that function off of devouring souls.
Necromancers of Nimae favour souls and spiritual bodies instead of physical bodies.
Representation of Afterbirth for stronger individuals. Either from triggered abilities or conditions that must be reached.
More passive, only a few tortured souls.
More knowledgeable about the dream world; and hence can handle Nightmares and Fantasies better.
Souls are sometimes used as energy by some.
About the Living
Striving for refuge from Nightmares, or trying to find better ways to live with them.
Usual conflicts between groups.
Nightmare/Fantasy 'Invokers' and Nightmare/Fantasy 'Banishers'
Those who have control, real control, over their thoughts can easily control Nightmares.
Cephalid are turning out to be the 'evil' force.
Most are unaware of the Cephalid's ways, mostly because of secrecy.
Necromancers aren't incredibly common.
Brute force is devalued, while mental power is highly valued.
Taking all that into consideration... I still have to come up with some good Keywords, alright...
Dreamstate [cost] - [ability] ([cost], Reveal this from your hand: As long as this remains in your hand, it remains revealed and gains the ability after the dash.)
Kind of representative of the a Nightmare or Fantasy before it happens. It would be great if this effect could be made forced to make it as a sort of drawback.
Fathom [number] (When you play this spell look at the top [number] cards of your library. You may put reveal a card with the same type as this and put it into your hand. Shuffle your library.)
I got this idea as basically you being the mage casting a spell and as you are casting it or possibly just having it in your hand/head, that you come to another conclusion about something else you could do, i.e look for something of similar quality to the card and use it.
Memory [number] - [ability] (If there is a card in your graveyard with converted mana cost equal to or greater than [number] then do "[ability]")
Just to point out, on the cards this says "...or less than..." ignore that and just use what this is. But basically this is basically the flavour of giving spells more power from the knowledge of previously cast spells.
As an update, I'll state that I think I'm more or less dropping the Spirit theme and therefore I'll come down to five Legendary Lands, which I'll probably change a bit because there are two white Legendary lands, but in any case, here's the current card list:
Actually Rainbow you pretty much nailed what I was thinking of right on the head. A different kind of benefit in a way. Like deal an over the curve amount of damage and give them a creature.
The only problem I've had with most of it is the explanation of it flavourwise. I mean, I can explain the one's I have made flavourwise because you draw more memories and a dream pops out from it.
How would you validate getting a dream from discarding? I guess it's like losing some sanity, but flavourwise I don't like it. But in every other way I do, heh.
If you could explain it flavourfully in various situations that would be incredibly helpful.
Edit: The idea is that 'most' of the time a Nightmare will be born out to the other player. Although there will still be creature Nightmares that you can control.
@Temeraire: Thanks, I knew it sounded similar to something, heh. I'll get right on changing that after this post.
@Rainbow: Thanks for telling me where to get a Magic card maker. And as for the flavour, that makes sense. I mean a Planeswalker is a powerful being and henceforth would be able to control most Nightmares created by his/her shortcomings. That'd also be an epic scene to describe, heh. The Planeswalker's mind bending and him/her buckling to their knees as a Nightmare spills out from their torture.
Thanks a bunch, I'm probably gonna need help with it at some point, I found the Magic Set Editor. I'll probably get some more cards up by the end of the week, and any cards you post up I'll probably look at and consider.
Also, just a thought, for all the Nightmare creation over the curve effects, they'll probably be in tune with what happened. Like a burn spell spawns a 4/1 or something.
Here's the first card, although it may be changed of course.
I'll comment properly later tonight (I'm at work, can't really do it now), but for now I'll comment on Sin. It is overcosted. Drop it to XBB and make it 'Whenever Sin has five or more counters, it gains shroud'. You pretty much have to play it from your hand because of the X cost so 5BB for a 6/6 trample, shroud at the cost of 5 life isn't so bad and its versitility of being a 3/3 trample for 2BB at the cost of 2 life isn't so bad either. Apart from the cost, it's quite nice though.
Also, you should try and standadize the tokens. It seems that there is going to be lots of different ones which isn't good. Try and make at most 2 of each type (preferably 1). I'd personally go for all nighmare tokens being black 2/2's with fear and the fantasy's being blue/white 2/2's with flying. Remember that for bigger drawbacks you can put multiple tokens in.
Edit: I'm on lunch now, So I'll do what I can
Englufing Nightmares: Nice, but if you wantto try and standardize tokens, make it two 2/2 Nightmare tokens with fear.
Brigani: Fine, not overpowered not too weak either. Being lengendary stops it being strictly better than some cards.
The cycle of mana,T creatures: Limited filler, but the white one is lame. 9 mana for a wall? No thanks.
Cetil land: Nice, although I'm generally not a fan of too many legendary lands in a set. I like the fact that you can put nightmares into play under their control and then take them back.
Cruelty: First card with Dreamstate. Dreamstate seems that it could be done as enchatments.
Cruelty 1R
Enchantment
At the beggining of your upkeep deal one damage to target creature. 2RB: Cruelty becomes a 3/3 Nightmare creature (this effect does not end at end of turn).
Ok, they are slightly different (countered in different ways, die to different removal,and the major thing: flavour isn't there.) But i think something needs to be done to make them a little more special (and be careful to to step on forecasts toes). Also, the reminder text needs to be sorted. I haven't got the time at the mo, but I'll give it a think.
Other than that, I like it. The flavor for dreamstate is very nice.
Fantasize: Mulldrifter? Very similar and possibly worse due to multicolour and token.
All I have time for now, I'll be back.
Quick edit (work is boring..): 2 cards for you, may need some altering,
Daydreamer1W
Creature - Fantasy?
Flying
Protection from nightmares
1/1
Realist1U
Creature - Nightmare?
Flying
Protection from fantasies
1/1
You may want the Realist to be black and maybe change the creature types. Was just trying to go for flavor and have some ok commons. Hope you like them!
I
Yeah, I think I'm going to change Sin. My friend commented on how Simic Sky Swallower is a 6/6 Flying, Trampling, Shroud for 7 CMC while Sin is a 9 CMC for a 6/6 Trample, Shroud. So I'll probably take your advice on that, sounds much more playable. (On a side thought, think they'd make that X symbol like black or red or whatever to denote that you could only spend a certain mana colour on it?)
And you really think I should standardize the tokens? Well I guess it would help memory issues. Although I'd probably standardize down to 2 different types. But the difference between 2 2/2s and 1 4/4 is quite different on power levels, but I understand exactly where you're coming from.
My friend thinks that Engulfing Nightmares is too good. Although, on a side note, my friend really liked Terrorize, thanks again, heh. Would two 2/2s with fear be better than a 5/3 with Trample? I would think so since it takes more removal to take care of it. I get the flavour with that too though, that's a hard choice to make, heh.
And yeah, my friend pointed out how positively lame the white thing is. And yeah, those Nightmare/Fantasy grabbers are like those Invokers from awhile ago. Just something to do with that end-game mana. And if I were to standardize these ones, that'd be a hell of a lot of tokens, or I could make the cost much smaller and make the standard token.
And for the Legendary Lands, should I just do a cycle of the five most important 'built' locations in Nimae? Like not doing specific areas, but just the cities or something? Would you recommend for the places in Nimae?
And I'll probably keep Dreamstate how it is, just because it seems so flavourful how it is and even though it functions as an enchantment, it's much less prone to destruction. Although I'll probably add some targeted discard in the set for a way for players to deal with Dreamstate. Although I think I'll find a way to shorten that huge Reminder text, or at least try to, heh. I realize it's stepping on Forecast, but I don't know how else to make it unique... I'll have to think about it more unless you have some good ideas for it.
And I thought that Fantasize would be better, but yeah, I guess for only 1 CMC more you get an additional +1/+1 and 5 CMC for the creature. It's still a fairly good card, Fantasize, I mean. I probably won't change it much unless I standardize cards of course.
Also, for the Nightmares/Fantasies, right now what I'm calling them is based off of what someone can have a dream of in a way. Something that you can feel and emote through speech or dreams. So I might do either of those, but Realist might become Depression, because you don't have many good thoughts when you're depressed, and the Daydreamer might become... Joy? Euphoria? I might end up changing the names, but not yet. The name explains where they came from with back up from the flavour text. But I like your cards and I'll probably add them in when I can.
And thanks again Rainbow, your help is greatly appreciated and you will be noted in the final lay down of the set, =).
I'll probably get some other cards out soon, after the university homework slows down, heh.
I've decided to ZIP the card images so that I can send over more in less posts. If this is an inconvenience then I'll gladly use the other method, but this is just easier right now. I've made two other keywords. One is just like a reword of an existing mechanic, and the other is like an X Impulse.
Psy X — <effect> (If you have X or more cards in your hand then do <effect>)
Fathom X (When you play this spell look at the top X cards of your library for a card of the same type as this card and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.)
Remember, these are all the cards so far. A total of 61 cards are pretty much finished. These are finished in my eyes, except for edits from the community. Again, if this is more of an inconvenience than I think, tell me.
It has been brought to my attention that Psy is a very bad mechanic for limited. So as a result I need a new keyword. I've kind of come up with this one:
Memory X - <action> (If there is a card with converted mana cost X or less in your graveyard then do "<action>")
I'd like some comments on how you think this will be in limited.
According to the bio, this set uses dragons.
I'LL GIVE YOU SOME DRAGONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cycle: Dreana, Piercer of Delusion4UU
Legendary Creature-Dragon
Flying, vigilance.
As long as Dreana is in play, all Nightmares and Fantasies are Illusions in addition to their other creature types. T: Destroy target Illusion. The one creature that even cephalids are scared of.
5/5
Sekranor, Sower of Madness4BB
Legendary Creature-Dragon
Flying, fear.
Whenever Sekranor deals damage to a player, choose one-That player discards a card and you put 2 2/2 black Nightmare tokens into play under that player's control; or gain control of up to 2 target Nightmares controlled by that player. Some legends say that his mind itself is an ancient nightmare, spawnig likenesses wherever it touches.
5/5
Odoni, Protector of Sanity4WW
Legendary Creature-Dragon
Flying, lifelink.
Whenever a Nightmare comes into play or deals damage, remove it from the game. "When Okoni takes flight, vision clears and emotions settle. Where Okoni flies, there is hope."--Leonin lore.
5/5
Relanaz, Inspirer of Reality 4GG
Flying, shroud
Whenever a Fantasy or Nighmare comes into play, you may put a non-Fantasy, non-Nightmare creature or land card from your hand into play. He matches dreamborn power with Nature's own.
5/5
Runkorren, Devastator of Creation 4RR
Legendary Creature-Dragon
Flying, trample.
Sacrifice a creature: Runtorri deals 3 damage to target creature. If the sacrificed creature was a Nightmare or Fantasy, you may instead deal 4 damage to target creature or destroy target nonbasic land. "He cares nothing for our struggles. Nothing for our ideals. All he wants to do is destroy."--Reskana, elvish raider.
5/5
I tried to make these decent on their own and better on-theme. If any of them are over/underpowered, misquoted (the quotes don't fit or something; I did make them up...), have bad names, etc; feel free to change them
Hey, is there anyone else on the forums going to Rice University in Houston? We could ALWAYS use more people in our Magic games. PM me if you want to play sometime
Eh, I decided to go back with images, so here, I'm just gonna post up all my cards again just to have them all in a clump, but more so because I can't remember which one's I already posted up and am too lazy to check with what I've already posted, heh. Also with the triple upload thing is interesting.
As such, Lysan, the Imprisoned Plane is up for any takers who wish to take it. To get past any confusion on who took it first, anyone who wants to take the flavour of Lysan, please post in this thread saying so, that way you have something to show people who might have taken it as well.
Nimae is a newer plane that was formed rather quickly and is thought by some scholars to have not completely settled yet. Thanks to this planar unstability the entire plane is highly morphic to the spirits of the dead and of the unconscious. You see, in Nimae, a simple nightmare can soon manifest itself into a being of physical material and the souls of those who have died still live within the plane. This meld of physical, spiritual, and unconscious worlds makes the plane both vivid and dangerous. Although one can teach themselves to control their thoughts to form together a being for their service.
The beings created from the unconscious are referred to most inhabitants of the plane as Nightmares. Almost all beings made from the unconscious strive to slay anything that enjoys prolonged life. Some scholars think that Nightmares may grow and develop a large interconnected memory between each of them so that they remember history. Saying that they are created from the unconscious is a bit of a lack of range. Any prolonged thought that inspires fear, sadness, or dread can be taken up into physical form as a Nightmare.
Along with Nightmares, the inhabitants of Nimae also call what would be the 'good natured' Nightmares, Fantasies. These are beings that are crafted from feelings of happiness, bliss, or euphoria. They come into existence and will protect those who enjoy prolonged life. Some inhabitants of Nimae have trained themselves to continue thought of a Fantasy to keep it alive to protect them.
Apart from the Nightmares and Fantasies there are the souls of the dead that walk across the plane. Most of them haven't a direction and often find themselves imprisoned in their world until what the inhabitants of Nimae call the Afterbirth occurs. They say it's a time when all souls are reborn back into the plane. Individuals of particularly strong will or soul tend to experience the Afterbirth much faster than others.
The souls of the dead are much more timid and ego-centric than the Nightmares and Fantasies. They tend to stray away from the living and will only attack if neccessary, although there are some exceptions. Some souls even congregate together and form a society. There is one forest in particular where the spirits of the dead are known to have established a sort of community.
As for the actual inhabitants of the plane, there are a few towns and smaller cities. Most towns and cities are led by a person who has some magical powers and can protect the town to an extent. The races of Nimae, sorted by colour are as follows:
- Leonin, Loxodon, Avian
- Cephalid, Avian
- Imp, Cephalid, Insect, Wraith, Zombie
- Viashino, Beast
- Elf, Beast, Wurm, Viashino, Insect
All - Human, Dragon, Spirit
Along with some other miscellanous side races.
Out of the races of Nimae, most all of them live fairly well and are adjusted to the plane. All of them have had encounters with Nightmares and Fantasies, and all of them have been affected by these beings. Also, because all souls exist in the plane afterwards, Necromancers have had quite a good time with them and some have been able to use their souls for their benefit. Although it has been established in the plane that souls are fairly hard to destroy, and only a very few have ever been able to. Necromancers, although, have never caused much trouble in the plane with only one known Necromancer that some in the plane try to keep in check. This Necromancer has tried to use souls to power machines of flesh and metal, although never too frightening has ever come up from his creations.
Although with the normal range of magic, another form has arisen from the Nightmares and Fantasies. These mages are called Delusiamancers. They specialize in using their minds to create Nightmares and Fantasies, depending on the level of skill of the mages, and then using magic to enhance or control them. They are a fairly new breed of mage that only came about as a way to attempt to control Nightmares and Fantasies. There are really no true experts in the field of magic, and it is still very diverse.
As for the world of Nimae, it is a fairly vast world, consisting of one large continent and a few islands around the continent. The continent is often referred to as Nimae by most of the plane's inhabitants and the islands don't tend to have names. The sea that surrounds Nimae is almost always just referred as "The Great Blue," and an inhabitant has yet to see the entirety of the Great Blue. Some have said that the Great Blue must be where the source of the Nightmares and Fantasies come from. Others think that the sea is a link to the spiritual world. Apart from the Great Blue, some other landmarks of Nimae are:
The Spirit Forest (:symg::symb::symw:)
The forest referred to earlier where the spirits of the dead tend to gather together. They congregate to wait for their Afterbirth, to talk about their past lives with other spirits, or just enjoy the beauty of the forest. Because very few living creatures come into the forest it is relatively untouched and is almost perfectly preserved. Of the species that do exist in the forest, they usually have some affinity with the spiritual world and are very pristine.
The Spirit Forest is a haven for the spirits, a recluse for them to go so they feel as if they fit in with those around them. It didn't arise from any sort of method or want, but mainly from a gradual gathering of spirits. After enough time the forest just became the natural community of spirits. With the abundance of spirits in the forest, Necromancers tend to visit it frequently to get souls for their creations.
Brigani (:symw::symu::symb::symr::symg:)
Brigani is the largest city on Nimae, consisting mainly of Humans, Viashino, Loxodon, Elves, and Cephalids, it is a center of commerce and congregation. Currently there are about five thousand individuals in the city and it stretches across a fairly large section of what some refer to as The Fields of Fantasy, where a natural cleanliness to the land seems to bring about good thoughts, and hence, a large amount of Fantasies. The city itself is fairly well off, not having to protect itself from Nightmares as much as other cities because of it's environment, it can more solely focus on it's own economy.
The Fields of Fantasy (:symw::symg::symr:)
For the most part the Fields are a lush growth of various kinds of bushes and grasses. There aren't as many trees though, and some say they can see from one edge to the other. The Fields have actually been fought over in the past and some are surprised to see the Fields as well as they are with the blood that has been spilt over it. The Fields also contain a network of merchant roads that help bolster the economy of cities and towns close by.
The Cryocrags (:symu::symw:)
A large fissue to the North that has been completely frozen from prolonged exposure to moisture. Most believe that the Cryocrags were underwater until water recedded and exposure most of the North Pole. The Cryocrags themselves play host to a few very formidable creatures and spirits. Not too much is known about the Cryocrags and only a few Cephalids and Humans have been known to travel there.
Hercae (:symr:)
A fairly active volcano near the Great Blue and about a two hour walk from Brigani, the volcano houses a complex of underground tunnels and eventually leads into the molten chamber. It is said by some adventurers that go there that it is where angered spirits come to disperse their hate and rage. Certainly not a friendly environment, most creatures who enter don't come back out.
Inspira (:symw:)
The only strictly Leonin town on Nimae, it is fairly large for only containing one race. The town itself is very honour-centric, and they tend to favour a good fight from time to time as long as they think they're fighting for th right reasons. Beyond that, the town could be said to be comfortable for it's inhabitants, but yet it is often unappealing to other species and uncomfortable as well. The town is built on the other end of the Field of Fantasies, tending to hunt in the Field and in the forest that is near-by.
Morak Caverns (:symu::symb::symg:)
The largest system of tunnels in Nimae, they house the sorts of Necromancers, Arcanists, and outcasts from society. They are also treated to the usual spirits, Nightmares, and Fantasies as is the rest of the world. The Caverns, however, tend to be a source of corruption and thug activity. The tunnels can get you near any place in Nimae though, although the majority of the main routes are silent, cold areas where only the side tunnels are often used.
Cetil (:symu::symb:)
One of the only inhabitated islands, it is the main Cephalid city. Built on one of the more equatorial islands called, Kilean. Although some other races are on the island, a good portion of them are Cephalids and the city leader is a Cephalid. The Cephalids are the most skilled of any race at defending against Nightmares and hence, there island provides no additional protection, except against Nightmares that would exist on the mainland close by. The city is bathed in secrecy and often times a new leader is crowned every three or five years from the former king's death.
Sytenian Forest (:symg::symr:)
The largest forest on Nimae and much more confusing than would seem. The roots of the trees in the Sytenian Forest settle deep down into the ground and because of the plane's newborn nature, can gather up a lot of the mana that still exists in the plane. There is also a myth that the inhabitants tell of where the trees shift ever so slowly and quickly confuse anyone that would go through it. No one has ever seen it, but many a creature have gotten lost or ended up coming out where they came in from. Those who believe this contribute it to the instability of the plane and that the ground under the trees rearranges itself. Beyond this, the elves and beasts which inhabit have been able to flourish under the forest's canopy. As surprising as it may be, the only creatures who have ever seen the tops of canopy have been those that fly, no beast or any other creature has been tall enough to go above the canopy. The elves in the forest treat the forest as a womb but not of their direct ownership. They share the forest with any creature willing to treat it right, but they condemn those who would hurt the forest.
The Spires of Stilen (:symr::symw::symb:)
A range of mountains spanning against the southern borders of Nimae, they stretch across the entire width of the island and are filled to the brim with materials from the plane's forming. Living within these chasms, mountain peaks, and hills are any assortment of Viashino, Beast, or Aven. Most groups of creatures in these mountains are sorted into small groups or clans that will often fight with other clans for surpremacy of the more important parts of the Spires, although of course Beasts are mostly used as slaves or partners since they can't form there own clans. Of the Viashino and Aven, it's surprising, but both groups have knowledge of trade and have begun to set up mine shifts into the mountains to get at some of the more valuable metals within the mountains. Corrupt has, henceforth, followed the scent of profit.
- - -
Those are all the landmarks and important places I can think of at the moment, along with colours that will be affiliated with them. I'll add more to them if I think of more.
- - -
And that brings us to what the main conflict is with the set, so to answer that, I'll outline the current conflicts:
Conflict Over the Spires
As stated in the description of the Spires, the groups of the Spires are engaged in conflict over the metals that are available within the mountains. This includes Viashino against themselves or Aven, and vice versa for the Aven. The conflicts usually consist of raiding parties attacking mining sites and taking them over. It's quite the paradox, those who seek a life in the Spires often have it the hardest to find.
Sytenian Struggle
A struggle for survival drives the Elves and Beasts of the forest, as well as anyone who might step into the Forest. Predatory instincts and planned ingenuity drive the conflict here into a fight for blood and life. Conflicts usually consist of ambushes or attacking bigger groups while they are resting.
Cephalid Prisons
The Cephalid control everything on their island and those who would try to rise against them are imprisoned; many of the these arrests are 'forced' using controlled Nightmares as guards. The Cephalids also have desires for more power, but have yet to have begun following them.
Morak Corruption
The caverns are practically run by those with the most influence over the Nightmares. Because of the sheer size of the caverns, there hardly ever goes a day that a Nightmare isn't born and forgotten. Those who can control and create Nightmares have dominion over those who can't. Brute strength comes second to this. Since the caverns are used a travel route between the different parts of Nimae, corruption has spread through those who dwell in the caverns and gangs have risen up to try to get the most profit.
Nightmare Problems
Although some groups have gotten used to the Nightmare threat, they are still a large problem for many groups, as a simple bad dream from anyone in the community can quickly turn deadly. Many still seek refuge from Nightmares, often seeking the help of Cephalid or possibly the Fields of Fantasy.
So I guess this is where it all starts, I hope to be finished the full set by early December and I would like any help or critique that people have to make the set as good as it can be.
Kind of with that idea, I still need someone to point me in the direction of some kind of Magic card maker. It would be really appreciated.
I've been thinking about these for a bit, and I still really like the idea of using Vanishing for Nightmares and Dreams... Actually on second thought, the whole reason behind that was because the Nightmare/Fantasy is in play for as long as you think about it, but... really, when aren't you going to be thinking of it? Scratch Vanishing.
Before I get into Keywords, mostly because I have to take some more time to think of them, I'll just highlight a few things:
About Nightmares and Fantasies
Dreamstate [cost] - [ability] ([cost], Reveal this from your hand: As long as this remains in your hand, it remains revealed and gains the ability after the dash.)
Kind of representative of the a Nightmare or Fantasy before it happens. It would be great if this effect could be made forced to make it as a sort of drawback.
Fathom [number] (When you play this spell look at the top [number] cards of your library. You may put reveal a card with the same type as this and put it into your hand. Shuffle your library.)
I got this idea as basically you being the mage casting a spell and as you are casting it or possibly just having it in your hand/head, that you come to another conclusion about something else you could do, i.e look for something of similar quality to the card and use it.
Memory [number] - [ability] (If there is a card in your graveyard with converted mana cost equal to or greater than [number] then do "[ability]")
Just to point out, on the cards this says "...or less than..." ignore that and just use what this is. But basically this is basically the flavour of giving spells more power from the knowledge of previously cast spells.
As an update, I'll state that I think I'm more or less dropping the Spirit theme and therefore I'll come down to five Legendary Lands, which I'll probably change a bit because there are two white Legendary lands, but in any case, here's the current card list:
Under construction. For now, here are all the renders, "http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=94071"
The only problem I've had with most of it is the explanation of it flavourwise. I mean, I can explain the one's I have made flavourwise because you draw more memories and a dream pops out from it.
How would you validate getting a dream from discarding? I guess it's like losing some sanity, but flavourwise I don't like it. But in every other way I do, heh.
If you could explain it flavourfully in various situations that would be incredibly helpful.
Edit: The idea is that 'most' of the time a Nightmare will be born out to the other player. Although there will still be creature Nightmares that you can control.
@Rainbow: Thanks for telling me where to get a Magic card maker. And as for the flavour, that makes sense. I mean a Planeswalker is a powerful being and henceforth would be able to control most Nightmares created by his/her shortcomings. That'd also be an epic scene to describe, heh. The Planeswalker's mind bending and him/her buckling to their knees as a Nightmare spills out from their torture.
Also, just a thought, for all the Nightmare creation over the curve effects, they'll probably be in tune with what happened. Like a burn spell spawns a 4/1 or something.
Here's the first card, although it may be changed of course.
Certainly not finalized, I would love some comments on them.
As a note, Sinem will be losing the Tap symbol on him so that he is less Tribal.
My mistake, one more, =P
In any case, I want to get feedback on a couple ideas.
One, do you like the way that the Nightmares/Fantasies are represented as actual creature cards?
Two, does it seem too tribal right now?
Three, how are the power levels?
And four, does it look like the cards are flavourful enough?
Yeah, I think I'm going to change Sin. My friend commented on how Simic Sky Swallower is a 6/6 Flying, Trampling, Shroud for 7 CMC while Sin is a 9 CMC for a 6/6 Trample, Shroud. So I'll probably take your advice on that, sounds much more playable. (On a side thought, think they'd make that X symbol like black or red or whatever to denote that you could only spend a certain mana colour on it?)
And you really think I should standardize the tokens? Well I guess it would help memory issues. Although I'd probably standardize down to 2 different types. But the difference between 2 2/2s and 1 4/4 is quite different on power levels, but I understand exactly where you're coming from.
My friend thinks that Engulfing Nightmares is too good. Although, on a side note, my friend really liked Terrorize, thanks again, heh. Would two 2/2s with fear be better than a 5/3 with Trample? I would think so since it takes more removal to take care of it. I get the flavour with that too though, that's a hard choice to make, heh.
And yeah, my friend pointed out how positively lame the white thing is. And yeah, those Nightmare/Fantasy grabbers are like those Invokers from awhile ago. Just something to do with that end-game mana. And if I were to standardize these ones, that'd be a hell of a lot of tokens, or I could make the cost much smaller and make the standard token.
And for the Legendary Lands, should I just do a cycle of the five most important 'built' locations in Nimae? Like not doing specific areas, but just the cities or something? Would you recommend for the places in Nimae?
And I'll probably keep Dreamstate how it is, just because it seems so flavourful how it is and even though it functions as an enchantment, it's much less prone to destruction. Although I'll probably add some targeted discard in the set for a way for players to deal with Dreamstate. Although I think I'll find a way to shorten that huge Reminder text, or at least try to, heh. I realize it's stepping on Forecast, but I don't know how else to make it unique... I'll have to think about it more unless you have some good ideas for it.
And I thought that Fantasize would be better, but yeah, I guess for only 1 CMC more you get an additional +1/+1 and 5 CMC for the creature. It's still a fairly good card, Fantasize, I mean. I probably won't change it much unless I standardize cards of course.
Also, for the Nightmares/Fantasies, right now what I'm calling them is based off of what someone can have a dream of in a way. Something that you can feel and emote through speech or dreams. So I might do either of those, but Realist might become Depression, because you don't have many good thoughts when you're depressed, and the Daydreamer might become... Joy? Euphoria? I might end up changing the names, but not yet. The name explains where they came from with back up from the flavour text. But I like your cards and I'll probably add them in when I can.
And thanks again Rainbow, your help is greatly appreciated and you will be noted in the final lay down of the set, =).
I'll probably get some other cards out soon, after the university homework slows down, heh.
Psy X — <effect> (If you have X or more cards in your hand then do <effect>)
Fathom X (When you play this spell look at the top X cards of your library for a card of the same type as this card and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.)
Memory X - <action> (If there is a card with converted mana cost X or less in your graveyard then do "<action>")
I'd like some comments on how you think this will be in limited.
I'LL GIVE YOU SOME DRAGONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cycle:
Dreana, Piercer of Delusion4UU
Legendary Creature-Dragon
Flying, vigilance.
As long as Dreana is in play, all Nightmares and Fantasies are Illusions in addition to their other creature types.
T: Destroy target Illusion.
The one creature that even cephalids are scared of.
5/5
Sekranor, Sower of Madness4BB
Legendary Creature-Dragon
Flying, fear.
Whenever Sekranor deals damage to a player, choose one-That player discards a card and you put 2 2/2 black Nightmare tokens into play under that player's control; or gain control of up to 2 target Nightmares controlled by that player.
Some legends say that his mind itself is an ancient nightmare, spawnig likenesses wherever it touches.
5/5
Odoni, Protector of Sanity4WW
Legendary Creature-Dragon
Flying, lifelink.
Whenever a Nightmare comes into play or deals damage, remove it from the game.
"When Okoni takes flight, vision clears and emotions settle. Where Okoni flies, there is hope."--Leonin lore.
5/5
Relanaz, Inspirer of Reality 4GG
Flying, shroud
Whenever a Fantasy or Nighmare comes into play, you may put a non-Fantasy, non-Nightmare creature or land card from your hand into play.
He matches dreamborn power with Nature's own.
5/5
Runkorren, Devastator of Creation 4RR
Legendary Creature-Dragon
Flying, trample.
Sacrifice a creature: Runtorri deals 3 damage to target creature. If the sacrificed creature was a Nightmare or Fantasy, you may instead deal 4 damage to target creature or destroy target nonbasic land.
"He cares nothing for our struggles. Nothing for our ideals. All he wants to do is destroy."--Reskana, elvish raider.
5/5
I tried to make these decent on their own and better on-theme. If any of them are over/underpowered, misquoted (the quotes don't fit or something; I did make them up...), have bad names, etc; feel free to change them
Hey, is there anyone else on the forums going to Rice University in Houston? We could ALWAYS use more people in our Magic games. PM me if you want to play sometime
Edit: Editting first post
Drat, I don't know how to do those IMG-tags, without making a giant card,