Quote from: Mercurius;1101333Well, I'd refer you to Carlson/Hancock for a better answer than I can give. Any of the Joe Rogan podcasts are a lot of fun, if you're into this sort of thing.

If memory serves, I think Hancock's view is that the comet or meteor hit in North America (or possibly Greenland) around 12,800 BC, causing massive flooding and then a nuclear winter type effect that led to the Younger Dryas cooling and mass extinctions. 1,200 years later, Hancock speculates that more cometary fragments created a greenhouse effect that spiked temperatures, which led to massive flooding.

So from what I hear on the podcast, the kinetic energy from the impact melted the glacial ice resulting in an unbelievably huge tsunami of water to flood through the top of the US.


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Quote from: Spinachcat;1101363Threads about swords and meteors!!! I love this place.

Well, yeah!  That star metal for the magic swords has to come from somewhere.

Quote from: Steven Mitchell;1101407Well, yeah!  That star metal for the magic swords has to come from somewhere.

And now I'm envisioning a magic sword forged from a civilization ending meteor that tries to corrupt its wielder into a chaotic evil warlord whose only goal is to tear down civilizations.

Quote from: Chris24601;1101414And now I'm envisioning a magic sword forged from a civilization ending meteor that tries to corrupt its wielder into a chaotic evil warlord whose only goal is to tear down civilizations.

...or every magic sword forged from that meteor rises in intelligence, all trying to corrupt their wielders across the globe almost on cue with an ancient prophecy.

I'd play that campaign!

Slightly off-topic, but I've always liked the concept of meteoric iron being anathema to magic, fae, etc. as well as other mundane countermeasures to the supernatural such as salt circles, certain herbs being inherently pro- or anti-magic, charms and specific trinkets helping one resist glamours or enchantments, things like that. It feels "authentic" and I think it provides an interesting way for magic and muggles to interact and somewhat evens the playing field, without either side holding an ultimate trump card. It also makes superstitions more interesting/important to pay attention to IMO.

Plus, it makes it more fun for PCs playing a non-magic sage, woodsman or whatever when they start desperately raiding the pantry for ingredients to ward ghosts off from the tavern, or when they hurriedly scrounge through the underbrush looking for fresh mint to crush and mix with local river water to cleanse the cursed dungeon door before nightfall. Or the well-traveled armsman with the meteoric sword who can slice a path through the magical flames around the evil wizard's tower!

Quote from: Antiquation!;1101470Slightly off-topic, but I've always liked the concept of meteoric iron being anathema to magic, fae, etc. as well as other mundane countermeasures to the supernatural such as salt circles, certain herbs being inherently pro- or anti-magic, charms and specific trinkets helping one resist glamours or enchantments, things like that. It feels "authentic" and I think it provides an interesting way for magic and muggles to interact and somewhat evens the playing field, without either side holding an ultimate trump card. It also makes superstitions more interesting/important to pay attention to IMO.

Plus, it makes it more fun for PCs playing a non-magic sage, woodsman or whatever when they start desperately raiding the pantry for ingredients to ward ghosts off from the tavern, or when they hurriedly scrounge through the underbrush looking for fresh mint to crush and mix with local river water to cleanse the cursed dungeon door before nightfall. Or the well-traveled armsman with the meteoric sword who can slice a path through the magical flames around the evil wizard's tower!

Yeah, that all sounds great. :cool:

I really, really hated 3e D&D's presumption that 'Magic' always beats 'Mundane'.

Quote from: Shasarak;1100604What do they call apocalypses in the Forgotten Realms?

Tuesday.

more like 2:35 PM

Quote from: S'mon;1101542Yeah, that all sounds great. :cool:

I really, really hated 3e D&D's presumption that 'Magic' always beats 'Mundane'.

Hmmm, well the context does matter in this case I think. If something is better than mundane, then it was most likely considered magic by commoners. The meteoric iron would be considered magic in this case.

Quote from: jeff37923;1101684Hmmm, well the context does matter in this case I think. If something is better than mundane, then it was most likely considered magic by commoners. The meteoric iron would be considered magic in this case.

Sure, but 3e took a quasi-scientific approach and distinguished between 'mundane fire' and 'magical fire'. So forget about driving off the ringwraiths with your blazing torch!

Quote from: S'mon;1101695Sure, but 3e took a quasi-scientific approach and distinguished between 'mundane fire' and 'magical fire'. So forget about driving off the ringwraiths with your blazing torch!

That is also I believe in 2e D&D. Not positive as dont have the book on hand at the moment. But pretty sure they made a distinction there too between normal and magic fire.

Quote from: Omega;1101697That is also I believe in 2e D&D. Not positive as dont have the book on hand at the moment. But pretty sure they made a distinction there too between normal and magic fire.

It's also probably why 3e and later had "positive energy/radiant" damage as the primary means of damaging undead.

For my own system I went backwards and fire and radiant/positive energy are all Heat damage (which also allows it to cover lasers used in crashed alien spaceship ruins) while necrotic/negative energy is split between Cold (i.e. absorbs heat) or Toxic (cellular destruction) depending on the specifics I'm trying to produce (a wraith's touch is cold damage as it's sucking the life/heat out of you... a mummy's touch is toxic damage because trying to necrotize and rot away your flesh).