He has not been seen in some time. Many think he is dead.
Adventure Overview
The Tower of Time the Wizard is a chronologically damaged dungeon. Within it, there exist three seperate versions of the Tower, the Tower as it is now in the Present, the Tower as it existed when Time successfully cast his first Chronomancy Spell in the past, and the Tower in the future, on the last day that Time ever cast a Chronomancy Spell. Needless to say, the map differs, significantly in some places, depending on the time period you visit in. Sometimes guards are more potent, sometimes they are less.Oh, and the Paradoxes you cause simply by being there are anathema to the Inevitable, who will try to kill you out of time and space.
Paradoxes, how to have already resolved them, and you
For the most part, ignore the whole bloody thing, except for these rules:1 - If you destroy a guardian in one time period, it is destroyed in more advanced time periods.
If you have already interacted with it/them in those advanced time periods, this still stands as part of your paradoxical time-stream. This is what pisses the Inevitable off, that you can achieve this.
2 - If you take an item, you can only take the earliest advanced version with you. You can see early versions of objects you have, but once you take them, the elder version disappears entirely.
For example, you take Time the Wizard's spellbook from the future, where he was weak and frail, and his spellbook bulging with knowledge. You go to the distant past, and kill Time there too, and take his spellbook from there, were it is slim, and mostly full of experimentations. The elder spellbook fades and vanishes, and when you go to back to the present, Time is again dead, and the Spellbook he should have had (and you indeed saw earlier) is gone.
3 - You can never find yourselves, time flows constantly through the tears such that if you spend five minutes in the future, then return to the present, 5 minutes has passed in the present as well.
4 - You can only leave the tower in the present, as the Time-fields that contain your paradoxes end at the door. You can try and leave, but you could only manage it by magic, and even then a flood of Inevitables would quickly isolate you and obliterate you.
Inhabitants of the Tower
Time the Wizard
The man himself, the very picture of the classic mad mage; frizzy hair, wild eyes, and yet a deep sagacity visible only shallowly beneath the weight of years. Would very much like to know what you are doing in his bloody house, and wants to get on with his studies. Time is not his name of course, but due to an accident involving his own mother, he never actually got a proper name.In the past, Time's power is at its peak, though he in inexperienced, reckless, and proud.
In the present, Time is crafty, and knows much about his craft. He is careful, considered, and crafty.
In the future, Time's power has run its course for the most part, though he is still somewhat potent. His greatest power is the vast amounts of wisdom he now has, and the vast amount of preparations he has had time to create. He is tired, curious, and even friendly, though the old storm-clouds of rage can still be stoked up within.
Thesean Eternals
One of Time's most successful experimental creations (from a execution stand-point, if not a practicality stand-point), these servitor-golems exist in exactly the same state in all possible time-states, once the final enchantment is wrought. The unfortunate side effect is that many of them simply underwent catastrophic existence failure as soon as they were activated, due to some mysterious doom in their future that destroyed them simultaneously in all time-states. Some survived, and serve Time as menial labour, and occasionally as intruder disposal. Not even Time quite understands how they work, as some spontaneously collapse of no readily apparent cause.In game, what is done to a Thesean Eternal is reflected across all three time-states; if you put a flower-wreath on its head in the future, when you go to the present, the Eternal will still be wearing the wreath. If you kill it in the future, it is dead in all three time-states.
Chronomatic Golems
The most complex of Time's creations, the Chrono-Golems utilise Time's magics directly, though only as a power-source. They have a field of time energy surrounding them, which they can direct outwards, and slow the actions of things around them, or polarise it and direct it inwards, speeding itself up significantly. The only thing is, if you break their time-core, it explodes, and that would be bad.In the past, the Golem's power-sources are unperfected, and have a 1 in 3 chance of not working each turn.
In the present, the Golems are at the height of their repair.
In the future, the Golems are slowly desolating under the weight of ages, and take damage when they polarise their time-fields.
Results of the Time-Explosion
1 - Unstuck in time! Catapulted back a zone (or to the future if you're in the past).
2 - Un-aged! Reduce your age by d6 years, and forget that many things (such as spells, secrets, skills etc.)
3 - Attracts the attention of the Inevitable, also is a big explosion.
4 - Births a time-spirit, who gives you a Crystalised Moment for your trouble, then leaves, mysteriously.
5 - Aged! Increase your age by d6 years, and lose a point from that many stats from the shock.
6 - Unstuck in time! Catapulted forward a zone (or to the past if you're in the future)
Wicker-Men
Servants of Time even before he mastered time magic, they are spirits bound heavily within cages of living wood, resentfulness slowly mellowing into indifference, all the while forced to obey the commands of their captor.In the past, the Wicker-Men are still green and verdant, and have half their normal hit die.
In the present, the Wicker-Men are mature and strong, and have their normal hit die.
In the future, the Wicker-Men are gnarled and twisted, and have double their normal hit die.
The Guardian Drake
It entered a contract with the wizard, in return for a steady supply of Arcanite, that precious crystal, it would guard Time's innermost sanctum. It was never all that invested in its job, as Time never had a steady supply of its payment.In the past, the Drake is young and small, but fierce in its duty.
In the present, the Drake is larger and mature, but much more mellow in its responsibilities.
In the future, the Drake is gone, and has left behind a small clutch of eggs.
The Inevitable
A terrifying thing, a manifestation of the Time-Stream itself, detached from time to follow paradox-makers, such as the party, where-ever they go. Something like a humanoid, only built of angular, polyhedral metal-ish shapes, balancing on needle-thin feet, and stabbing forward with clusters of needle-sharp fingers. It acts like the party, in that it follows the same rules about traversing time-states. It will pursue the party doggedly as long as they remain within the tower, chasing them between time-streams.Treasures of the Tower
Time's Spellbook
The most obvious of any list of valuable things held by a wizard, Time's matches his development through the subtle arts.
In the past, the spellbook is rough and scrawled, full of much experimentation and little success.
In the present, much of it has been consolidated into useful magic and practical theory.
It is in the future, however, that the book's potential is fully realised, though the book itself is a veritable motley riot of pages and replacements. Its wisdom is most elucidated of the three accessible versions.
Time's Arcanite Supply
Through his many years, Time did battle with many other wizards, and over time came into quite the collection of Arcanite.
</sidenote> Arcanite is massively valuable, and it is what a wizard's bones become as they cast magic. They crystalise into magically potent Arcanite, and it can be used to store and release large amounts of magical energy. Eventually, the entire skeleton can crystalise, though this is rare for many reasons, not least of which is unscrupulous wizards like Time. </end sidenote>
He used much of it to pay of his Drake, and also to fuel his experiments into Time Magic, much of which can only be achieved with vast amounts of the stuff.
In the past, it is still small, Time's scraps and battles are yet to come.
In the present, the supply is at its largest retrievable state.
In the future, the Drake consumed most of it already, and has left only meagre scraps.
Time's Staff
The real deal, though it only became that way later on, and due to the powerful time-magics involved, it became that way in all points of time, which surprised Time somewhat, as it was quite a mundane stick, until he picked it up and it spontaneously became an instrument of obscene magical power.
Its user can apply a time-effect to any spell they cast, such as sending it into the future, effectively having a magic spell at their beck and call to summon instantly from the past. A wizard could also call forth a spell from the future, though they would then have to cast it in the future to send back, or else face the consequences of an unfulfilled paradox.
Davidi's Witnesses
A painting of vast skill and value, Time's first Chronological outing was to steal it from Davidi's workshop even as it dried as a lark. The lost Davidi has been sought for many years, and the search has pretty much dried up in the present day. Perhaps unintuitively, the value of the painting actually decreases based on the time-period it is taken from, as modern art-scholars will doubt its authenticity due to the warpings of age.
The Tree of Rubies
A bit of a departure for Time, before his obsession with time, he created a tree which grew rubies. Much to his annoyance, the tree adopted some of the tectonic life-cycle of the stones it grew, and would take a life-time to mature, by which point his interest in the stones had thoroughly cooled.
In the past, the tree is still immature, and has only a small yield,
In the present, the tree is at is height, and has a great yield of jewels.
In the future, the tree is wizened and old, and its yield is in between the past and the present.
Time's Alchemical Laboratory
A life-time's collection, full of every and any kind of glass, furnace, distillery, rack, chemical, cooler, and other such trinket of science, eventually.
In the past, the set is still somewhat amateur.
In the present, the set is quite professional.
It is in the future that the set becomes exhaustively complete.
Other Features of the Tower
Crystalised Moments
One of Time's more useful creations, he stole little motes of time from other places and bound them, screaming and fighting, into little soluble tablets, that can be swallowed to allow someone to take twice the normal actions for a minute or so, though the paradox has to solve itself later, by stealing that minute back at some point.
When does that minute manifest?
1 - In your sleep, when it isn't important at all.
2 - When you next fall more than 20 feet, about 10 foot from the bottom.
3 - In the next combat, after your first turn (you are however, utterly impervious to any damage)
4 - In the middle of the next important conversation you have outside the tower (with all the awkwardness that will surely entail)
5 - The next time you take a saving throw, in the moment before you must make the save (which could also save you from the thing you needed to save against, maybe).
6 - In the next situation that requires you to help someone else urgently.
When does that minute manifest?
1 - In your sleep, when it isn't important at all.
2 - When you next fall more than 20 feet, about 10 foot from the bottom.
3 - In the next combat, after your first turn (you are however, utterly impervious to any damage)
4 - In the middle of the next important conversation you have outside the tower (with all the awkwardness that will surely entail)
5 - The next time you take a saving throw, in the moment before you must make the save (which could also save you from the thing you needed to save against, maybe).
6 - In the next situation that requires you to help someone else urgently.
The Chrono-Vault
A powerful piece of arcano-engineering, though Time himself never really quite appreciated his achievement in its creation. It is unstuck in time, existing perpetually in a state of continuity, no matter what time-stream you are in. In-fact, its benefits can only be reaped by time-travellers, as the contents of the Chrono-Vault are matched to your personal time-line, no matter when you access it, the contents are the same relative to the last time you opened it, regardless of when that actually is.
The Twists in Time
These are how you move between time-zones.
Red ones blossom outwards in brilliant rings, and carry you one step forward into the future, and thus only appear in the past and the present.
Blue ones collapse inwards endlessly, and carry you one step back into the past, and thus only appear in the present and the future.
The Saturnium
It was the first real clock ever built, about the size of a train, its faces are about 30 feet across. Not made, note, but built; and it is one-hundred percent accurate.
It is so accurate in fact, that if you were to alter it, the very mechanisms of time itself would judder, so deep are the Saturnium's roots into the fabric of being. The gods would be pissed, if they weren't already dead. In fact, you can't move the Saturnium without a force that can also alter the fabric of time itself already. Its hands are somewhat inscrutable, but can offer great forecasts of a great many things, and also function (roughly) like immovable rods.
The Lightning-Cage
When Time ran out of Arcanite to both fuel his experiments and feed his drake, he stole a spirit of lightning and bound it in a cage it could never escape, to leach off its energy. It is not around in the past, but in the present, it is very tired, and wants to be freed. Doing so would wreck a good portion of the tower, and that is infact what has destroyed a chunk of it in the future, when Time's conscience finally caught up with him.
Time's Hidden Moment
A moment in time, stolen out from causality, when Time was truly happy. Its up to the DM what the nature of this moment is, but in this room, that moment lives eternally, unknowingly, undisturbable and serene. Over time, Time spent less and less time here. It just made him sad eventually.
The Twists in Time
These are how you move between time-zones.
Red ones blossom outwards in brilliant rings, and carry you one step forward into the future, and thus only appear in the past and the present.
Blue ones collapse inwards endlessly, and carry you one step back into the past, and thus only appear in the present and the future.
The Saturnium
It was the first real clock ever built, about the size of a train, its faces are about 30 feet across. Not made, note, but built; and it is one-hundred percent accurate.
It is so accurate in fact, that if you were to alter it, the very mechanisms of time itself would judder, so deep are the Saturnium's roots into the fabric of being. The gods would be pissed, if they weren't already dead. In fact, you can't move the Saturnium without a force that can also alter the fabric of time itself already. Its hands are somewhat inscrutable, but can offer great forecasts of a great many things, and also function (roughly) like immovable rods.
The Lightning-Cage
When Time ran out of Arcanite to both fuel his experiments and feed his drake, he stole a spirit of lightning and bound it in a cage it could never escape, to leach off its energy. It is not around in the past, but in the present, it is very tired, and wants to be freed. Doing so would wreck a good portion of the tower, and that is infact what has destroyed a chunk of it in the future, when Time's conscience finally caught up with him.
Time's Hidden Moment
A moment in time, stolen out from causality, when Time was truly happy. Its up to the DM what the nature of this moment is, but in this room, that moment lives eternally, unknowingly, undisturbable and serene. Over time, Time spent less and less time here. It just made him sad eventually.
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