ask-fantasy-sanders-sides

[ask-fantasy-sanders-sides]

Mod Mango here!

Sorry I've been quiet for so so long. As I mentioned in one of the last updates, there was an incident (my house caught on fire) and my computer & primary drawing tablet was lost. I have a not-as-good replacement for the tablet and a new laptop, so I can get back to drawing stuff digitally now, but I feel like I still need to take a break from this series for a couple more weeks and come back to it with fresh eyes.

Im still passionate about this comic! I love it very much and intend to finish this!! So I hope you dont mind bearing with me a little longer :') I've been feeling a little burnt out on the concept, so I need to draw something else for a while to recover my stamina yk?

Speaking of the "something else," while I was staying with my twin brother until the house was fixed we started watching One Piece, originally as a joke, and then got DEEPLY into it and binged the entire series in three months :') Its like my #1 Hyperfixation rn, tied with this comic. So if you want to keep enjoying my art in the interum (in a different flavor) or want to talk to me about OP, you can find me here! @mangokabuto

TYSM already for still being here whoever reads this, and I'll see you again either on the OP sideblog or in a couple weeks when the comic is up and running again! And ofc, never be afraid to come say hi on my main, @donttellthemangosiwashere :) <3

#mod speaks #mod talks #IM COMING BACK A SWEAR i just need to get the pirate wiggles out first /j

[ask-fantasy-sanders-sides]

I have a question to the DM about the shadow spells but I wasn’t sure how to word this…so what if the shadow spells are a type of magic that the drow can do by blood. What I mean is take an elemental genasi for example, they can already do certain spells that pertain to the elements they represent due to it already being inherited through their racial blood, so maybe it’s the same scenario with drow, they can already cast certain types of shadow magic/spells because it’s in their blood/ it’s a racial trait. Again I’m sorry if I worded this wrong, also I hope you’re having a good day.

A clever deduction! Actually, that is an interesting topic.

Truthfully, not all drow can cast Darkness, nor do they all have an affinity for shadow magic. That is a trait unique to the udadrow!* Virgil is not aware of this, though, since all the aevendrow and lorendrow he's met have just never mentioned it (after all, why would they?)

All drow species can cast Faerie Fire, Detect Magic, Dispel Magic, and Levitate by blood. The last three have been forgotten by the udadrow — their Priestesses keep those abilities a secret, so they don't know they can do it. This is why Virgil's feet don't seem to make any sound/touch the ground when he walks, and he can "feel" magic around him like he can feel hot or cold.

The reason udadrow have an affinity for darkness/shadow is because of their natural habitat: the Underdark. The underdark is very deeply infested with energy from the Lower Planes (like Hell, the Abyss, and Hades) because there are several open portals to them around the underground. After all, devils and demons travel freely to the underdark. It is rare for them to wander it haphazardly — the underdark is a dangerous place even for them — but they trade with udadrow settlements, and some even immigrate there.

Virgil's exceptional affinity for shadow is not because of this alone, though. There is another reason...

*Udadrow are the subspecies of drow who live in the underdark. The Lorendrow reside in dense forests, and the natural habitats of Aevendrow are the frozen poles of the world!

#graphgirl2977 #game lore #lets roll

[ask-fantasy-sanders-sides]

Why so flighy today? Did we upset you? If so not our intent, only wish to understand and comfort. If a subject does upset you, feel free to say as such V

(Virgil thinks back to the reveal of Roman's aura only moments ago, when unwanted memories flashed behind his eyes. He gave himself no time to recover from the sudden flashback, refusing to acknowledge that it happened at all, but it definitely affected his mood...)

Virgil: It's nothing. I'm fine.

#lets roll

[ask-fantasy-sanders-sides]

Loyalty. Your brothers are still alive despite them being dead being better for your survival. Kindness. The twins being safe and loved now, brondar being alive.

Just off the top of my head.

(Virgil scoffs,)

Virgil: Oh really? I abandoned my brothers and sisters to the horrors of the Underdark, and then abandoned Dee and Remus, and have been trying to abandon these new three any opportunity I got. And I won't even waste breath arguing that i'm not kind, it'd be too easy. So don't waste yours on an even dumber argument, yeah?

#lovelivingmydreams

[ask-fantasy-sanders-sides]

I feel dreadfully prejudiced but I'm having a hard time picturing what would be considered a war crime in the Underdark.

(Virgil freezes solid, not sure where this question came from but clearly uninterested in asking. He looks like he's going to explain for a moment, but his teeth snap shut with a painful-sounding click, and he winces at the taste of his own blood in his mouth.)

Virgil: ...

Virgil: Even we had our limits. Society doesn't work without them.

#thebestworstidea #lets roll

[ask-fantasy-sanders-sides]

What makes a ghost different to a whisper then? Aren’t we ghosts? Or is it more like if you imbue a dead being with enough magic it becomes something else? - 🌫️

(Logan tilts his head slightly to the left — a quirk of his, when he's pondering something confusing.)

Logan: Essentially, it is the matter of your manifestation. Ghosts are ethereal in nature, and reside primarily in the ethereal plane. Whispers are abominable by nature — if you'll forgive the unkind term for the classification's name — and reside primarily in the astral plane. No one knows for sure what causes a person to become one or the other after their death.

#🌫️

[ask-fantasy-sanders-sides]

Grief is a difficult thing especially when that person was your safety. I hope you can have peace one day, general

(Virgil sighs,)

Virgil: "Safety" is a con, and "peace" doesn't exist. I'm not a fool. But I appreciate the gesture, I guess.

#lets roll

[ask-fantasy-sanders-sides]

Don't be emberassed V. You not having magic was a matter if survival. It takes peolle who've been exposed to even a fraction of the hostile enviroment you faced growing up years of therapy and a good suport system to unlearn those things.

Magic, kindnes, loyalty, they are all different up here but you didnt survive this long down there by embracing those aspects of yourself even though you had them in you.

(Virgil frowns, mumbling near-silently under his breath,)

Virgil: Magic? Maybe. But I don't think I've ever had the other two...

#lets roll #lovelivingmydreams

[ask-fantasy-sanders-sides]

Can ghosts have access to magic? - 🌫️

(Logan adjusts his glasses,)

Logan: That is a subject of robust debate. But, it is generically believed that magic is separate from ghosts and other ethereal energies, despite the lack of a strong definable difference. It is said you "know a ghost when you see one," and their abilities are not considered magic, but simply a natural process of their intangible state.

#🌫️

[ask-fantasy-sanders-sides]

Aww Logan just wants an excuse to take V under his wing and teach him magic. How cute 🥰

(Logan smiles, chest swelling with pride,)

Logan: I do not need an excuse. He is already my pupil, and we have made great progress in a very short amount of time. I think we have been doing quite well.

(Virgil shrugs, but you can see him smiling as well.)

#lets roll

[ask-fantasy-sanders-sides]

wait which one of those spells supposedly doesnt exist anymore?

Logan: Wraithform. It has not been usable since the Spellplague, to my brother's great upset.

(Logan huffs, amused,)

Logan: He was quite fond of it beforehand, or so he tells me. He is going to be very jealous that Virgil can still do it.

#justsomecatsinatrenchcoat #lets roll

[ask-fantasy-sanders-sides]

I’m so glad to see y’all are okay 🥹🥹🥹

Also quick question if you don’t mind me asking, what is a wraith?

Virgil shakes Logan’s hands off, ignoring the lingering sting in his shoulders. 

“But I could do all that before I could do magic!”

“What are you talking about?” Logan sighs, exasperated, “You’re a sorcerer.”

“If I was caught doing magic growing up I would have been executed,” Virgil hisses pointedly, considering that Logan should already know this fun fact about his underground home, “Everyone can do the glow thing and summon shadows. That’s not magic! I didn’t have magic until two years ago.”

Virgil doesn’t mention Remus’s other accusations about ‘jumping too high’ and ‘falling too slow’ and running ‘too fast’ or ‘too far,’ because those are definitely natural. So what if he was outmatched in speed and agility in his regiment? Being agile isn’t magic, he just takes good care of his legs and exercises properly. It’s not his fault everyone else is so slow.

...Virgil doesn’t mention Remus’s other accusation about speaking with animals because he doesn’t want to think about that one.

“What is the definition of magic?” Logan asks, with the tone of a teacher quizzing a student who had fallen asleep at their desk. Virgil rolls his eyes,

“It’s the…” 

Well.

“..How should I know?!” He huffs, flipping his hood back up over his head and folding his arms to be completely covered under his cloak, like that will make him suddenly invisible to a man standing inches away.

Logan muffles a chuckle at his expense, then continues, “Magic is the ability possessed by some individuals to manipulate the ambient energies of the world to produce desired results in ways typically impossible by physical means, either through personal mental effort or in collaboration with the mental effort of an outside entity. At least, that’s the most widely accepted definition in the art.”

Logan reaches out, slowly, to lift Virgil’s hood as he speaks,

“Could another person — say, Patton — reasonably be expected to turn themselves into shadow at will though physical effort?”

“I don’t know, maybe.” Virgil grumbles, trying to imagining it. “Has he tried it?”

“I think we both know that it would be impossible. No offense to him, of course.”

“None taken.” Patton giggles from their left, updating Virgil on where he’s standing. Virgil wishes there weren’t so many people in their group who like to shuffle around in circles while he can’t see.

“In that case,” Logan retracts his hand, leaving Virgil to wonder what he did that for in the first place, “Did you never assume that the powers that be in your hometown simply decided what was ‘magic’ and what was not on a whim, in order to use that law as a pretense for execution?”

“Of course they did. They’re assholes.”

“So why are you so determined to call your magic something else? You believe what they said about your supposedly-not-magic abilities, but are aware they were lying to you. You realize that no one here will hurt you for having it, right?”

Virgil pauses for a moment, taking that in. He doesn’t exactly believe Logan that no one here will hurt him for having magic, but he is a little embarrassed to not have noticed that contradiction before. 

“You’ve been using magic your entire life. You’re just old enough now to be accessing more powerful spells.” Logan says with some finality, and Virgil can feel the way he’s smiling about it. 

“Hooray for me.” Virgil scoffs, dripping with sarcasm. It stings his throat a little, because of the damn faewild and its damn rules, but he’ll take it.

“Now, there is something to be said about how one of those spells you seem to be using purportedly no longer exists, but you’ve done that before.” Logan mumbles, “I would like to know what you mean about not having magic until two years ago.”

Before Virgil can even sweat about being asked such a question, Dee thankfully interrupts,

“The three of us were exploring some random cave system, and Virgil and Remus touched some radioactive rock,” Dee sighs, voice tinged with annoyance, but Virgil knows he’s more upset about the secret being out than the fact that it happened. “Since then, they’ve been having magical symptoms.”

Virgil can hear Roman’s affronted squawk to his left, “What symptoms?!”

“Oh my god, chill, I’m not hurt.” Remus sing-songs next to him, the sound of rustling fabric indicating that he’s started wrestling him again.

“—Pft! I wasn’t worried about you!”

“A tear in the Weave, perhaps?” Logan hums, “That would explain the wild magic. I would like to explore this place, eventually.”

“Too bad,” Dee chirps, and Virgil can practically hear the maliciously bemused smirk on his face, “None of us remember where we were. Unless you want to scour the entire mountain?”

“If I have the time.” Logan replies, completely seriously. Dee definitely didn’t like that answer, but Virgil can’t help but feel fond.

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Ask 157

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Most Recent Recap, in case you feel like you missed something!

PCs available: Logan, Patton, Roman, Virgil, Janus, Remus, Annie

#lets roll #ttrpgau art #ask fantasy sanders sides #there was another ask abt this but tumblr deleted it before i got a good pic QvQ sorry whisper who made the grape surgery joke #SORRY THIS ONE TOOK SO LONG EVEN THO ITS SO SMALL my house caught on fire :') #we good tho!! most of it is fixed they just gotta turn my power back on and then i will fix the walls #graphgirl2977

[ask-fantasy-sanders-sides]

Hm… if that’s how magic shows itself — yellow, green, blue, purple, red, and orange — do souls manifest along those colour types too? Or would everyone aligned with Eilistraee’s soul be silvery like their magic? Is it even possible to see a person’s soul? - 🌫️

(Logan shakes his head,)

Logan: If you believe ghosts to be the souls of the deceased, then they tend to be largely colorless if they are visible at all.

#lets roll #🌫️

[ask-fantasy-sanders-sides]

Logan, to say someone's magic "did the work for them" is nonsense. That's like saying a knife does the stabbing for you. Roman can be infuriating and frustrating, and his luck rewards his recklessness far more than it should, but that comment just sounds asinine.

Logan: What I meant to imply is that Roman did not accomplish the feat on his own. He was like a hammer, in the analogy about everything — to a hammer — being a nail.

Logan: Roman did the same thing he always does; Flail his sword around, overloading it with divine magic, until the thing he's flailing it at either dies or kills him. He should not be rewarded for this behavior while it continues to endanger himself and others.

#lets roll #logan is a little hypocritical but he worries abt roman #he just has his own way of dealing with that worrying #renee niles

[ask-fantasy-sanders-sides]

If you don’t mind me asking Brondhar, where are you currently because last time you were with the others when they reunited, you were invisible and I’m wondering if that’s the case now? And if you are why?

(Brondhar smirks as he feels your focus shift to him. He is a ways off into the woods with his diremole, stalking the footprints of some large creature.)

Brondhar: No, I only do that when I need to. It's like Virgil's shadow-bubble, it's a self defense thing for my species. I use it to my advantage in my spy work.

(Brondhar pauses for a moment, frowning,)

Brondhar: Wait, have you seen him do that yet? I don't know if he's actually been able to since you've met him, now that I think about it...

#brondhar the ranger

[ask-fantasy-sanders-sides]

(DM do we know Tazen? Or know of him? He's dead yeah?)

"It means to emit light or heat, typically describing something bright." Logan elaborates, entirely ignoring Roman's open shock.

"You don’t know?"

Dee pats Roman's shoulder, smiling sympathetically.

"They don’t have that kind of mana in the Underdark, dear. The creatures down under don’t exactly dabble in light-based magic. It’s a rare thing even on the surface."

Roman balks, unable to imagine a life without his Mother's divine magic. Radiant energy was a regular occurrence in his home, the guiding light of divine magic flowing from his friends and family as easy as breathing. The first spell he'd ever been taught was radiant, as were most of the others he knew. He'd used several around Virgil, even!

Logan continues his explanation for Virgil, paying the other two no mind,

"It is a type of magical energy, like 'psionic' or 'force,' usually used to describe a light so intense it is physically tangible."

"Hold on," Virgil grumbles, pressing the sides of his head as if to stave off a migraine, "You said the types of magic were...like...enchantment and necromancy and abduction or something."

"Abjuration," Logan smiles, "Yes. Those are the schools of magic, which are a different sort of categorization. They describe spells by their intent and legal classification, not their specific effect. A spell can be an abjuration spell and also be described as being radiant magic; A spell that summons a shield made of physical light, for example."

Logan thinks for a moment, then snaps his fingers, "To describe it in terms more familiar to you, take biology. You would describe a bear as a beast or mammal, its scientific categories, but you could also describe it as being furry." 

"Why is there so much?" Virgil whines, ears drooping. Logan gives him a sympathetic smile, before remembering that Virgil cannot presently see. He opts to lay a gentle hand on his forearm, instead.

"The sciences are an elaborate topic. Arcana is no different." His fingers tap against his staff in a quick pattern, fidgeting, "Regardless, I bring this up to explain that radiant damage is extremely potent against shadow-monsters, like most undead and many creatures from the underdark. However, the reverse is also true; Jisiri’s claws, for example, would do more damage than typical to Roman, if not for his lycan invulnerability to non-magical melee weapons." 

Logan nods to Roman,

"Your weapon could not harm her itself, but your spells could. She could not harm you physically with her own blades, either — Her claws and teeth, I mean — but as soon as she used her dragon's breath, you were ‘toast.’"

Roman flushes with pride, ignoring those negative notes in favor of the comment that started this whole tangent,

"So I really could have beat her in a duel?!"

"With more training," Logan repeats sternly. "Yes. However, if it was any other adult dragon without shadow-magic manifestation? No, absolutely not."

"But I was right!" Roman laughs wildly, having stopped listening after 'yes,' spinning around to latch on to Virgil's hands and spin him too. Virgil gives a violent start at the contact, but doesn't pull away, going limp to Roman's lead.

"If we worked together we could have beat her ourselves!" Roman grins, "We could have slayed a dragon!"

Virgil's expression is hard to read through the blindfold and those confounded bangs. His tone is frigid-cold when he replies,

"If I wasn't such a coward we could have prevented all of those deaths."

Before he's even hardly finished the sentence, Roman feels the thin frame of a walking stick thwack his arms.

Roman pulls his hands away with a start, and Dee slips between him and Virgil. He gives Roman a sly look, as if in apology for the strike, and then sways close to brush his gloved hand against Virgil's hair.

"No one died, darling. There were injuries, but nothing more." He says first, voice soft and reassuring. Then he turns his back to the elf, facing the others with a stern look and folded arms.

"And, no, we still could not have won on our own. Roman is the only one of us who was capable of hurting her, and if we were fighting her in the shadow of the manor instead of the brightly-lit inner city, not even he would have landed a hit. And, if she had targeted anyone but Roman while attacking, they would have died immediately. Way too many coincidences lined up to make our collective survival possible. Hence, training."

Roman scoffs, "It was no mere coincidence. It was fate that we faced each other that day!"

He can feel Logan rolling his eyes before he sees it. But that's no matter.  "I can prove it— Speaking of new spells and abilities~!"

"Well," Roman starts, gathering his resolve once again, "Paladins get their magic from their devotion to an oath, right?"

Roman thinks back to that day, not so long ago, when he officially swore his oath to the order and gained his status as a true Paladin-in-training. Surrounded by loved ones, faces full of pride, watching their prince fulfill a destiny many thought he'd long ago abandoned. Many including himself.

Much like wedding vows, he was made to write a speech detailing his reason for swearing his life's service to their Goddess. It had to be personal and honest, and then the magic he would be gifted by Sune would be personalized to it and to him, giving him what he needed to fulfill his desires and keep his promise. (And, of course, Roman was nothing if not an excellent public speaker!)

It was something they had been expected to do since birth, one of the myriad legendary tasks he was born to complete. When he walked onto the stage to take his vow, Roman felt as though he was coming home, more so than any other moment since returning to the temple after years of travel. It was almost everything he'd always imagined; Opulent, emotional, beautiful.

In those moments that he could ignore the painful absence of his mom and brother, Roman felt like a real hero.

"When I swore my oath, I promised to protect the people I love," Roman smiles, 

"The more determined I am to keep that promise, the more power I can summon. But, it is said that some paladins — Heroes of legend! — grew so devoted to that same goal that their desire to keep their beloved from harm consumed them. In reward, an endless pulse of magical energy flowed out from them, reaching towards their beloveds and protecting them from harm!"

Roman shuffles on his feet, full of sparkling energy, hands shaking with giddiness. He glances back at the pool where his beloved Ainsliee is swimming, 

"I realized I was doing it the other day when Annie and I were dancing! I saw she was about to trip so I freaked out for a split second. Then I felt something, there was a flash of red light, and she landed on her feet!"

Logan adjusts his glasses, nodding his assent,

"I had heard of the ability. Admittedly, until now, I believed it to be little more than a mass hallucination among religious fanatics." Logan sighs tiredly, "A cleric devoted to a goddess of love swearing that they feel tangibly, magically safer when in a certain radius of their paladin sounds like an innocent delusion born from affection. Now that I have seen it myself, I am intrigued."

"Are you sure you're not just deluded yourself?" Dee smirks, leaning heavily on his cobra-ornamented cane, "I don't feel anything."

"I am certain." Logan points towards his new left eye, "Considering I can literally see it. Everything in a ten foot radius around Roman is glowing softly red. He seems to be producing more magic than his body can contain."

"Because he loves us so much!" Patton coos, hugging Roman again. Roman gladly returns the gesture, ignoring Remus's dramatic gagging.

Virgil, who had been silently absorbing this information, mumbles something to himself. He tilts his head towards Roman,

"So…that's all it does? Keep people from tripping?"

"And other physical harm, generally." Roman pouts. 

He desperately wishes he could see Virgil’s eyes, hoping their color isn't glowing yellow with fear of him, wishes he wasn't so hard to read even with those glowing signs. More than anything Roman wants to know what scared him so much about it. Wants to help Virgil forget that 'bad memory.'

Instead, he sheepishly shrugs, blushing slightly in embarrassment for his lackluster new power and his sudden, fierce wave of protective upset.

"Some of the novels and legends out there described a paladin's aura to be way more powerful than that, and even farther reaching than ten feet. But that's all mine does, apparently."

"That's cool." Virgil smiles, though it's so hard to tell if it's genuine. He squeezes Roman's arm where his hand is still laying, pricking him slightly with his claws,

"I wish mine did that, instead of fucking exploding into lightning. How come your uncontrollable magic is so kind?"

Remus sighs dramatically, leaning against Virgil as if fainting. Virgil's supernatural senses save him from being crushed, letting go of Roman to push back against Remus's weight and keep them both standing.

"It's no use. I guess we're natural born killers." Remus shrugs, sounding quite resigned, head hanging down to drape his curly hair over Virgil's head. Virgil swats at it, chuckling at his antics. Roman is not so amused.

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Ask 156 (@lovelivingmydreams, @v-albion )

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PCs available: Logan, Patton, Roman, Virgil, Janus, Remus, Annie

#lets roll #ttrpgau art #ask fantasy sanders sides #tsrpgau Tazén #tw blood #tw minor character death #tw eye trauma #but its not explicit this time #v-albion #lovelivingmydreams

[ask-fantasy-sanders-sides]

So people’s magic can change colour depending on if their intention is different? - 🌫️

(Roman shakes his head,)

Roman: Not really. Children's magic changes sometimes, but it's rare for a grown spellcastors's personality and intentions to change that drastically, I guess? Though, magic is rare enough on its own...

#lets roll #game mechanics #🌫️