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Recent updates to Multiverse Design Challenge: (Generated at 2025-05-16 00:59:08)
See Challenge # 128.
I was thinking about various ways spirits imbuing animals could be represented, and one was variants on totem armor. I wanted to capture the flavour of "a slight improvement" without embracing card disadvantage.
I liked totem armor a lot, but decided to do something slightly different. I considered having it draw a card when it died, but protecting the creature from all spells (including bounce and exile) but not straight-up creature combat seemed to fit the flavour better.
I envisaged this in all colours, even though most colours don't usually get to counter things, like totem armor. I'm not sure if it's worth a mechanic though.
Bounding Boar
See Challenge # 128.
Balal, low gravity, lush jungles, what do you get?
I always thought red should have more temporary-flying. Although it shouldn't get too much, and it's a shame this is directly less good than U/W/B versions which are non-conditional, but that's probably unavoidable for common.
By the way, I like this interpretation.
There could comfortably be six Outsiders. It might even be a better number to make them more mysterious. Orbisan might not fit perfectly as a Magic setting, but I thought it might be an interesting one. It also would allow for some players to experience the sci-fi/space set they've been looking for, since it's intended to be a "fantasy space" plane. It's intended to mix fantasy and space opera tropes; the Outsiders, for example, are both creepy eldritch horrors... And space aliens. (Maybe that should have been a secret?)
It's not dissimilar to Lorescale Coatl, in some ways, and it's "worse" than Forgotten Ancient. I think the power level is on a fine place, and the flavor is very fitting.
Balal Colossus
See Challenge # 128.
This seemed perfect for "Animals of great size roam its jungles, unhindered in their growth by gravity". Although it wouldn't usually be so quickly :)
I'm sure this effect has been seen before, but can't remember where. It looks really strong, but I seem to recall it usually isn't quite as strong as it looks, so I'm not sure what a fair cost is. Alternatively, should it require a mana cost to activate and be a bit larger to start with, or have some sort of a bound (number of lands?)
Added Ezan to description.
The Slasher
See Challenge # 128, partially inspired by Mask of the Slasher
I tried to capture the "always come back" nature with a card that can be both a bonus and a drawback.
I like that in the right set it can be good again and again -- pump your creature, stop your opponent blocking. But at a big cost of life! And if you're lucky, it might come back for another go. But in other decks it might be a trade-off. OTOH, it may be too oppressive it NEVER goes away. And +2/+2 is a lot to give to the opponent, maybe it should only be +1/+1?
I don't think I can manage 11 auras like that in one set easily :)
I need to review templating for "cursed", the idea is, it trades back and forth and the creature's controller always returns it but gets to choose what on. But I'm not sure if it could be simpler, or if it should be mandatory.
I also envisage a black version with "+2/-2".
Jack's right, that is neat. It means you'll sometimes want to re-fortify, which I think a lot of other fortifications have a problem forcing.
That's a very interesting mechanic.
Artisanal Bridge, Eshadol Warlord and Mask of the Slasher by Alex.
Oh! Nice way to make fortify matter which land it's on.
Created for Challenge # 128.
Eleven is too many of something for a single set's mythos to comfortably name them all. I imagine a real WotC version of Orbisan would narrow down The Outsiders to five or six, possibly leaving the other five to the small set.
The feeling here is meant to be that the Mask drifts around in space and then sucks itself onto one of your creatures. I'd like it if all the Masks could have some kind of slight drawback to make it creepier that they have to attach themselves to your creatures, but that's hard to do.
Created for Challenge # 128.
Created for Challenge # 128.
I don't think the set should really have Fortifications in. It just ended up being the way to express the flavour I was going for. I wanted this to be an Aura, really.
Flavourful. Hard to picture what effect it'll have on gameplay in limited, if any, but with a mixture of different-sized voidwalkers could be somewhat interesting.
Thank you! It's often easy to point out things that are wrong, because there's something specific that doesn't work, but it can be hard to know when to say something good, because it's not immediately obvious what you're comparing it to. So I always felt I spent a lot of time giving negative feedback and have made a conscious effort to point out when I think things are done well, whether they're surprising or not.
By the way, Jack V, thank you so much for the compliments. I really appreciate them.
Haha, yeah! That's cute. :)
Incoming description of the individual Outsiders & also a slight change to their description. I forgot an important aspect of them. (They are an adaptation of a preexisting idea I had, and I was writing from memory.)
Reprint: Chasm Drake? :)
Masked Lurker
See Challenge # 128.
Brainstorming on voidwalkers. My first thought was that they must have some way of getting around other than drakes, but it's probably mysterious and they just appear.
So I decided to try a toned-down version of shadow, where it's slightly evasive. I assume all creatures will have the same voidwalker number (not sure if it should be 1 or 2?).
I thought of when I read about the void, before I read about the outsideres themselves so it's not a perfect fit. I wondered whether to try to ensure the set lists exactly fifteen masks and give them personalities etc but I decided that probably wouldn't work at common, so I assumed common would reference some masked creatures generally, but rare might have references to specific masks, or have masks as objects themselves (somehow if I can think of a mechanic that makes that work without B having all equipment and no creatures).
Wow, I love the worldbuilding on this. So many fascinating ideas, a wonderful mix of overall ideas and interesting tidbits.
Random thoughts:
I like that the fire spirit seems primarily benevolent rather than angry, I like seeing sides of fire that don't get as much attention in contemporary fantasy.
Eek! The outsiders are scary. Just when I read through the rest, then there was all this extra stuff.
I instinctively line the spirits up with magic colours. I assumed Earth = G, Fire = R, Water = U, and Air maybe = W I'm not sure? W and U are both quite air-y in magic, but drakes are almost always U. Or maybe the spirits are a mix, not one-to-one mapping to the colours. And void is B :)
Updated the description to add Aseh.
Orbisan, the Scattered Realm
Welcome to a world unlike any other in the Multiverse. The realms of Orbisan float through a black void devoid of life, air, or any form of sustenance, rotating around a Great Spirit known to the people of Orbisan as the Four Who are One. All life in Orbisan is dependent on this Great Spirit and his kin, who support and nurture Orbisan's people.
Those people live on hunks of rock which travel ceaselessly through the void. Though these islands of land are disconnected from one another, leading them to differ greatly in terms of culture and occupancy, they do share several traits.
Each of Orbisan's islands is looked after by four Great Spirits: A spirit of Earth, of Water, of Air, and of Fire. With the help of the Lesser Spirits, the Great Spirits maintain the Isles and the life upon them. The Spirits of Earth hold the Isles together, the Spirits of Air provide air to breath, the Spirits of Water provide clean water, and the Spirits of Fire provide light and warmth. When the Great Spirits of an Isle are in balance, the weather is pleasant and temperate. If one Great Spirit is weaker or stronger than the others, this creates an imbalance, resulting in a divergent climate. Isles with a weak Fire spirit, for example, may be dark, or cold. Isles with a strong Wind spirit experience more frequent storms.
Because of the importance of the Spirits in their daily lives, all of Orbisan's peoples engage in spirit worship to some extent. The degree to which they are devout differs from culture to culture, but every living creature realizes that they depend on the Spirits to exist. It is through connecting to Lesser Spirits that most denizens of Orbisan perform magic.
These connections are of great importance both to the Spirits and to the living beings of Orbisan. Each connection grows the strength of the Spirit involved in the partnership, in exchange for granting its living partner a boon. On occasion, a living creature is born invested with a Spirit. These two creatures are intertwined for the rest of the living companion's life, a partnership that benefits both. Certain beings, such as Drakes, are always born invested with Spirits.
Drakes are born invested with Lesser Wind Spirits, a boon which allows them to traverse the void in between the Isles. Their innate Wind Spirit encapsulates them and any passengers they may have in a bubble of air. They are the most reliable mode of transportation between the Isles, making them essential for trade, communication, and, on occasion, war. Orbisian Drakes are sleek creatures with long necks and slim bodies. They have no hind legs, but they do have four spear-like wings formed out of glowing spiritual energy, which don't need to flap for the drakes to fly. The provide a smooth, comfortable ride, whether mounted or towing a carriage between the Isles.
Orbisan is not a small plane. The Isles are great in number, with more occasionally being discovered at the very edges of What Is Known. What follows is a list of some of the more notable cultures and locations.
Shimmeranth is one of Orbisan's largest countries. It occupies all of the Isles closest to the Four Who are One. Over the centuries, Shimmeranth's Grand Artisans have bound the country's Isles together with great bridges, anchored and empowered by spirits of Fire, Wind, and Earth. These bridges take many different forms, each reflecting the personal stylings of the Grand Artisan who presided over their construction. Grand Artisans of the past took great pride in physically binding a new Isle to the country, but with all of Shimmeranth's isles now fused into a ring that surrounds the Four Who are One completely, the Grand Artisans of this age seek new ways to make a lasting impression on their culture. For some, that means constructing impressive monuments. For others, that means adding new Isles to Shimmeranth's collection.
Shimmeranthi culture greatly respects achievement and self-improvement. In general, they view artistic expression as an important aspect of life, particularly when that expression serves a functional purpose. The Shimmeranthi actually tend to look down on art that has no other function. Music or paintings may not be publicly dismissed, but a well-crafted chair earns the creator a great deal more respect. The Shimmeranthi are taught from birth to distrust and dislike those with values that differ from those above.
Eshadol is one of the farthest countries from the Four Who are One, and therefore relies much more on the powerful strength of its personal Great Spirit of Fire than on the light cast by the Four. The Fire Spirit's relative strength when compared to the other Spirits of Eshadol leaves the Isle an extremely warm place.
Unlike Shimmeranth, Eshadol occupies only one Isle. Despite this fact, Eshadol's landmass actually exceeds the collective landmass of the Shimmeranthi Isles. It is a war-torn, feudal nation, a place that people from other Isles don't tend to visit. It wasn't always like this. One King ruled over Eshadol a century ago. Unfortunately, his death led to a war of succession that remains unresolved to this day. Various Lords and Ladies vie for control of Eshadol, each believing he or she has a right to claim the throne. The Lords impose strict laws upon the common peoples, forcing them to take part in their armies and take care of their lands. They care far more for their own goals than they do for the well-being of their people. The strict rule and attempts at enforcing law juxtaposes the chaos that the eternal war inflicts upon Eshadol.
Thir is a cold duo of Isles looked after by the same four Great Spirits. Thir's Great Spirit of Fire is weak, rendering it dim and cold, but its Great Spirit of Earth is strong, allowing for lush vegetation despite the lack of warmth. Thir's two Isles orbit each other as they orbit the Four Who are One.
The people of Thir are hardy folk. They have to be, in order to weather the cold. Thir is a nation of farmers and growers. They take advantage of their strong Great Spirit of Earth to produce a wide variety of crops. Many denizens of Thir have taken to experimenting with the growth of new cultivars, producing unique foodstuffs that end up in demand throughout Orbisan. Thirans gladly share with each other when it's a matter of survival, but they are ruthless in matters of money. Though relatively small in terms of population if not landmass, Thir is one of the richer nations of Orbisan. Their traders know when they have a monopoly, and they utilize that knowledge without hesitation.
Taham Barr is home to the most devout of Orbisan's peoples. They devote their entire lives to the worship of the Spirits, and they believe that, because of the strength of their devotion, the Spirits favor them above all others. Taham Barr is ruled by the Church of the Four. Their teaching become the country's laws.
The Great Spirits of Taham Barr are in perfect balance, giving it what many refer to as the ideal climate. The Priests of the Church of the Four attribute this, as they do with any positive evidence, to their ceaseless worship of the Spirits. At any given time, one tenth of Taham Barr's population is actively engaged in worship, whether it be simple prayer or channeling and forming connections with Lesser Spirits in order to build their strength.
The church— and therefore the people— of Taham Barr have little respect or patience for those who don't follow their religion. While people from other countries are not outright forbidden to visit Taham Barr, it is expected that they follow the land's laws to the letter. When they don't, they face harsh and immediate punishment, whether that take the form of banishment or execution.
The Church encourages its people to support each other as they do the Spirits. Time is to be spent each day giving aid to those in need. Food and other forms of wealth are to be shared among all of its people equally. Most forms of currency are forbidden. It is expected that people will act for the greater good of all without regard for compensation.
Balal's Great Spirits of Fire, Air, and Water are all much stronger than its Great Spirit of Earth. The Isle is, as a result, not particularly large, and its gravity is low compared to that of other Isles. It is a warm place with lush vegetation and frequent rainstorms. Animals of great size roam its jungles, unhindered in their growth by gravity.
As unlikely as it sounds, Balal is home to one of the most respected colleges in all of Orbisan. The wizards of the Crystalline Tower did not start their settlement with the intent of it becoming an educational facility, but fate had other ideas in mind. Balal has the greatest biodiversity in all of Orbisan, which is what drew the wizards there in the first place. The Crystalline Tower studies the creatures of Balal, as well as the mysteries of Orbisan: The Spirits; why and how they grow from connecting with living creatures; why they sometimes invest themselves in living creatures at birth; the Void, and what lies beyond What Is Known. They study ways of fortifying Drakes and other Spirits so that they might explore further out into the Void, for Spirits wither and die if they travel too far from the Four Who are One. They also study the mystery presented by the Outsiders.
Aseh is a mid-sized Isle with a powerful Spirit of Fire whose strength lies more in Light than in heat. Aseh's Great Spirit of Fire rotates around Aseh's horizon rather than vertically around the Isle, leaving it blanched by eternal day. The "sun"-darkened folk who live there know themselves as the Pure. They see themselves as creatures of pure law. They are logic-minded, believing that emotion has no place in decision-making of any sort.
The Pure welcome outsiders into their fold, should they pass a test of rules and logic. Conversely, the Pure readily exile any of their number who they deem to be "Impure," which can mean any number of things. Uncontrolled displays of emotion, illogical thinking, and the breaking of laws all contribute to an individual's potential impurity.
Ezan is an Isle with a powerful Great Spirit of Water. There is very little land exposed on Ezan. It is a nation of fisherman, and fish are is primary export. Water constantly flows over the rim of Ezan in places where the land isn't high enough to contain it. The Great Spirit of Water pulls the water back in, eternally cycling it so that Ezan never runs out of water.
The depths of Ezan's seas contain enormous sea creatures that, luckily for Ezan's inhabitants, don't generally rise to the surface.
Canamb has one of the most powerful Great Spirits of Earth in all of Orbisan. As a result, the Isle's gravity is nearly twice the magnitude of most other Isles. Its inhabitants are, necessarily, a strong, sturdy folk, who build their homes low to the ground and take every step with great care.
Canamb's wood and stone are prized as building materials on other Isles, due to their durable nature, and its people often find work in fields of labor requiring great strength.
The Outsiders do not call a specific Isle their home. Despite centuries of reported encounters, they remain largely a mystery to the people of Orbisan. They are not Spirits, and they don't seem to be living beings, either. The popular theory is that they are creatures of the Void.
There are eleven known Outsiders. They differ in their behavior patterns and appearance, but they have one thing in common. They are not truly living beings, but sentient, malevolent masks, each of which is formed out of a different material and takes a slightly different shape, though each possesses a blank "face" and protrusions which might be referred to as horns. The Outsiders consume the bodies of humanoids that wear them. All identifying features of the host creature are shed, transforming them into the body of the Outsider connected to the mask. If the mask is removed, the host dies. If the hose dies, the body dissolves, leaving only the mask, which calls out until it finds a new host. The masks seem to be indestructible. On the rare occasion one seems to have been destroyed, it only reappears later in the hands of the Giver, the first Outsider. The Outsiders are feared throughout Orbisan. They set upon those who are weak, those who are alone, or those who are attempting to traverse the Void. The only boon to civilized people is that the Outsiders don't work together. In fact, they tend to fight each other, should more than one appear in the same place at the same time.
The Giver was the first Outsider to make contact with the people of Orbisan. It has a grey, emaciated body with a small stature and a blank mask of grey ceramic. Unlike the other Outsiders, it avoids conflict. It comes bearing the masks of the other Outsiders when one falls in battle, and coerces people into wearing them.
The Warrior's mask, which is formed of silver, has a single horn that loops around the back of the head in a wide circle. Its hosts loses its hands and feet, replacing them with clawed projections of light that can transform into swords. It also sprouts feathered wings. It engages a single foe in battle, to the exclusion of all others.
The Seeker's mask, which is formed of crystal, extends backward in two wide, arcing horns. It transforms its host's fingers and toes into three claws. It is orbited constantly by rings of water, which it can use like bladed weapons in close combat.
The Destroyer's mask, formed of zirconium, loops back and up to form its horns, making them resemble the word in a truer fashion than many of the others. Its host becomes densely muscled and grows a long, prehensile tail, the tip of which holds two sharp blades of violet light. It murders indiscriminately.
The Slasher has a mask of gold with four wavy horns that point upward. A circle of gold metal hovers between its top two horns. Its host loses its fingers and toes, replacing them with golden claws. Its fights are full of chaos, with it leaping unpredictably from foe to foe.
The Consumer's mask of dark wood exposes a gaping mouth full of teeth, and is the only of the Outsiders to do so. It has two swirling horns that cover the sides of the head. Its hands are constantly blackened with dried blood. As its name describes, it eats its foes, often while they are still alive.
The Taker has a mask of gleaming platinum, which extends into two crescent-shaped horns that cover the sides of its head. Its body remains mostly human except for ribbons of light that trail from its back, forearms, and calves, which it can use to bind its foes. Once a foe is bound, it leaves them to their fate. The Taker's bindings are difficult to escape.
The Questioner has a mask of smooth, dark blue sapphire. Horns extend upward from its jawline and curve back and up to frame its face. Its arms transform into long scythe-like appendages. It tends to grab foes and secret them away, where it tortures them until they perish.
The Breaker's titanium mask has two horns that curve downward from its temples. Its host's legs fuse together into a tail lined with diamond-shaped protrusions of bone. It destroys person and property alike in its attacks.
The Wanderer causes its host to grow tall and strong, elongating the being's neck and lining its spine with spikes of bone. The host's arms lengthen, and the Wanderer often walks on all fours. Four short, curving horns line the mask, cradling disconnected circles that float between them. When it arrives on an Isle, it walks in a meandering path until it reaches the other side, killing any who cross its path.
There may be more to come... but I've got to go to bed for now! I didn't realize how long it was going to take me to type all of this out. If there are any inconsistencies, mistakes, or other questions, please let me know so that I can address the issue. As with last time, I apologize for the huge wall of text. tend to get carried away with this sort of thing. I hope you enjoy this!