>The world is dying, there is one hope >The first King

>>51828679
Allow me to say right now.
You can NEVER plan against the players. They will always, without fail, fuck you over somehow. Let the spell be cast, then take over at the last second, etc.
Simplest way? The effect only applies to royal blood. Then make sure the PCs never get ahold of any royal blood. Even literal royal blood. Shit, even this idea can get fucked over.

>>51828679
>>The first King of the World created a divination spell
>>It created a guidebook that if followed perfectly would save humanity


>>Kicker: The spell [...] doesn't always work.

Nigga get your setting straight.

>>51828902
As in some times it makes a dud and eats all the people anyways. Once the book is made, it's good to go as long as you follow it.

I'm thinking maybe it just kills the guy who casts it and replaces him with an artificial life form that looks like him

Two suggestions:

1: The caster must possess incredible mental fortitude, as the knowledge of the future flows through them and into the book during the ritual; those of weak will are destroyed by the incredible amount of information overloading their brain, causing the book to become useless.

2: The spell doesn't directly create the book; it's a means of communing with some kind of higher power (deity? demon? unknowable star thing?) that then bestows the book upon the caster IF AND ONLY IF it deems them worthy. That way, you have an out if the PCs manage to cast the ritual; just say they were unworthy and have the spell fail.

>>51828902
There's a difference between The Spell, and The Book.
I didn't get that at first glance either, and was thinking 'man, I miss Ultima', until I got to the last line and had to re-read it.
(Though, I guess you could say that getting The Codex in Ultima required a 'blood sacrifice', since grabbing it resulted in major cataclysms for the gargoyles. Not sure if there's any profit in following that thought.)

>>51828679

So it is basically Dune's, bu with blood sacrifice?

Seems like it could work

>>51828902
The sacrifice doesn't always get you the book.
But the book is always right.

>>51828679
If you aren't the First King's descendant (the PCs) aren't the sacrifice noms you (unless you bail out a few hundred miles).
The nobility is (mostly) eligible to cast the spell (and all believe themselves to be).

Alternatively,
Only the Rightful King can read the book.
Anyone else subtly goes mad in the attempt.
Which probably exacerbates the situation.

Alternatively alternatively,
The first line of the book reads, "Gift this book to X"

>the book only works until someone else casts the spell
>then it just says "Apologies, the world has reset, please refer to the new manual"

>>51833902
> All of our Deities are busy at this time.
> Your spellcasting is very important to us.
> Please stay on the line and your spell will be answered in the order it was performed.

>>51833974
>the blood sacrifice is entirely unneeded originally
>The dieties had to outsource the IT work to imps
>Imps purposefully botch jobs they didn't get paid in human souls on

>>51832553
So basically I just have to do what the Good Book says, and I find salvation?

>>51828679
Is the book separated into seven volumes?

>>51833974
>>>51833902
>> All of our Deities are busy at this time.
>> Your spellcasting is very important to us.
>> Please stay on the line and your spell will be answered in the order it was performed.
This is amazing. I wanna steal this idea

>>51834000
This, I like. But how do they learn to add the blood sacrifice? Mentioned in the first book?

>>51828679
Slowly build up hints about the first King of the World, and how he was an entirely different person after he received the book. By the time the players get to the point at which they could cast the spell, they should understand the truth: He effectively died upon casting the spell. His body went on moving, but his soul was gone, his free will nullified. He could only mechanically act out a semblance of life as he followed the exact instructions in the book. A p-zombie, more or less.

His successors were less virtuous than he. They were unwilling to sacrifice themselves to the book, unwilling to shackle themselves to fate. The player characters can make that choice, can cast the spell and become the new kings of the world, but they will not enjoy it. They will not even truly be aware of it.

>>51828679
The deity contacted with the spell is different, the second one could instead provide a book with actions that lead to it being summoned into the world.

>>51832553
>If you aren't the First King's descendant (the PCs) aren't the sacrifice noms you (unless you bail out a few hundred miles).
>The nobility is (mostly) eligible to cast the spell (and all believe themselves to be).

This is basically the only way. They aren't eligible to cast the spell because of their commoner blood and will be the first on the dinner table once the blood sacrifice starts up.

In addition, you could have another organization willing to pay out the ass to have the ritual stopped and destroyed. There is, however, no real way to predict what your players will do. You just have to accept that they might decide to do something crazy, like a shape change or a total blood transfusion, and try to cast the spell themselves. Have a back up plan prepared for if they do.

>>51833974
>Please stay on the line and your spell will be answered in the order it was performed.
> in the order it was performed.
> spells don't use the stack

REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

>>51835788
>mentioned in the first book
could be an elaborate scheme by the first King of the World
up to a certain point it's a manual, until after his death, then it's a lie to ensure the outcome he envisioned
>yfw the blood ritual is a ressurection ritual for his apotheosis

>>51828679
By casting the spell, you are stripped of your free will. You become a slave to the perfect plan.

The material component of the spell is your character sheet.

>>51837328

Good one.

Or that the ones casting it are sacrificed and have to choose who will be the king of the world by their own free will.

I doubt the players will all agree to chose someone among themselves to not only survive but be a god emperor.

>>51837328
Or

>Anyone casting the almost ready to cast the spell succesfully is filled with the knowledge that doing so will end all narritive tension and the world will end, as the players will no longer be using that setting.

>>51837328
>>51837886
This is some next level bullshit. Like the referee handing you his screen when you wish for ultimate power.

>>51828679
Why would you need to? Sounds like a perfect end to the campaign.

>>51838967
I mean, the entire conceit is already that you have to follow the plan, and it doesn't work if you don't. The scenario itself spells out a loss of free will.

>>51828679
You know, I'm kind of on board with the "actually a trap by the First King to resurrect him with the powers of a god to lead the new world" idea, but you should drop some way for the players to figure the tweest out, and then in all likelihood still not have it convince SOMEONE to stop. Maybe the die-hard leader of the self serving regime nation refuses to trust them, or can't risk not doing it when the world is at stake anyways. Maybe the kind and noble prince they thought was with them and their greatest ally takes the reigns behind their backs, because he can't risk it either.

>>51841522
It's possible

One thing I'm considering is the "ritual" involves letting a tome fester with a wizard, like a parasite, resonating between him and the Truth, teaching him methods that /will/ work, but act like a monkey's paw. And when the host is used up, it consumes them and needs to be taken to a new host

The First King was just powerful enough that he took one of these parasitic tomes from genesis to apotheosis without going mad from the despair

The new book returns only a word.

"Repent"

>>51828679
Out of pure curiosity, why exactly do you not want the players to do it? Because 'its power fantasy' doesn't quite cut it as a reason. There is nothing wrong with a power fantasy by default, given what RPG generally are - especially ones where you're involved in the process of saving the world.

>>51844260
Because I want the campaign focused on stopping other plots, not just switching sides so you can try and pull a Starscream and end the campaign four sessions in

>>51844291
Well, that all depends on the portrayal. If you want anyone to succeed, then I don't see why it couldn't be the players - if not, then presenting the One True Plan in a negative way is key. Make the players loathe the idea of following some cosmic plan to the letter, deprived of choice. They'll be likely to make characters who will oppose the idea and stop all the plots while having little urge to enact it themselves, as long as you make it clear that even the king would be required to follow the book.

>>51844103
Quality post

>>51844291
Then what does this book/spell have to offer that couldn't be solved with a standard throne war? Why would you expect the PCs to care about the outcome of these events if they don't directly benefit?

>>51847490
>Then what does this book/spell have to offer that couldn't be solved with a standard throne war?

Certainty, I think. The book(which is created with the spell) will contain a perfect plan leading to victory and conquest. Nobody is willing to engage in an actual war because trying to consolidate the throne without it just means that someone else can perform the ritual and then they'll know exactly how to beat you. They'll know a speech that will see your people in revolt, your every strategic move will be known to them, your assassins will be apprehended at the door for their names and descriptions were prophesied as was the exact moment of their arrival. They are, as long as they follow the instructions to the letter, omniscient.

>>51828679
Do you just want the PCs to be side characters to your story or something? It sounds like you want the campaign to focus more on the nobles you create than the PCs. And none of the nobles sound particularly benevolent if they're all killing either other with assassins and performing blood rituals for their stake at the throne. If I was a PC in your game I'd probably want to say "fuck all these people" too.

>>51828679
World save spell requires royal blood.
One character has blue blood (illigitimate child, lesser royal house, exiled prince, whatever they choose) they know this.
Other players have reason to follow this one, not nessercarally follow every word.