D20 Mechanic: The Impossible

This page outlines the impossible status, what it means (both mechanically and in-world), as well as effects that can cause, prevent, remove, or otherwise interact with it.

What Is Impossible?

The impossible status is a condition that, once acquired, cannot be removed by any effect that does not explicitly state that it can remove said status. Anything that exists - be it a creature, an item, or even a given area - can acquire this status.

This status has no effect on a creature aside from interacting with effects that cause or otherwise interact with the status itself.

The Forces and the Impossible

There are two distinct ways in which to view the Forces: along alignment lines, or by the means with which they interact with their relevant "physics."

Three Forces - those of Magic, the Divine, and Time - directly modify their physics. Each directly interferes with how the world is "supposed" to work, producing effects that should not be possible but are, due to a variety of factors. Mastery of any one of these Forces can eventually lead to an individual being capable of wielding an impossible-causing effect, but are incapable of removing it.

Another three - those of Psionics, the Void, and Chaos - alter their physics by means of exploiting loopholes in the existing physics. Each finds holes in implementation of their given "physics," and exploits them to the fullest, allowing them to produce effects that should not technically be possible, but are due to circumstance or circumvention of particular prerequisites. These Forces cannot directly cause or remove the impossible status, but repeated usage of some of their more powerful abilities can result in these effects compounding and resulting in the impossible status.

The final three - Technology, Nature, and the Blue - follow their physics. They use the existing system and build upon it, using the consistent ruleset already provided. They can make basic assumptions and work from there, rather than utilize loopholes or simply force reality to their whim, which can have unforeseen side-effects. These Forces can undo the impossible status and the effects that caused that status to occur, but they cannot cause it themselves.

Making the Impossible Possible

Each Force has a singular ability, which can only be attained by an individual's research into the inner secrets of their Force. Each of the primary Force-using classes has a talent available to them, which can only be taken once they have reached at least 16th level as a Force-user.

These effects are relatively unique. None of these Force effects has a path, discipline, field, or similar (that is, specialization is irrelevant, and has no effect on these abilities). While these effects can be learned by mortals, they are effectively higher in power than most mortals ever gain access to (that is, they are treated essentially as Epic effects, despite not being Epic in level).

Force Effects

The following is the list of Force effects that interact with the impossible status.

WISH
Path: None [Impossible]
Level: Mag Archmage
Casting Time: Standard action
Target, Effect, or Area: See text
Duration: Instantaneous
Mana Cost: 36 mp
Saving Throw: No
Spell Resistance: Yes
Reality is malleable. Nothing is impossible.
When you cast this spell, whatever target, effect, or area you affect immediately gains the impossible status, even if this spell fails to have any effect on the target, effect, or area in question. If your target already has the impossible status, this spell automatically fails (at no XP cost). You cannot use this spell to remove the impossible status from any target. This spell itself - and each casting of it - is considered to have the impossible status, and thus you cannot alter it in any way with a casting of this spell or similar effects.
By casting this spell, you can alter reality in any way you see fit, be it altering a creature in some fashion, creating an item from nothing, totally changing the local terrain, or performing some other normally-impossible feat. Regardless of how you choose to alter reality, all elements involved gain the impossible status; if any one affected element already has such status, the spell fails (at no XP cost).
In regards to creatures, you can cause a status of your choice to permanently affect the creature (such as haste, slow, petrification, or reraise, keeping in mind that this is not an exhaustive list). Such a status affects the creature until it would either end (such as with reraise) or is ended by removing the impossible status from the target. A status put on a creature by virtue of wish can only end by the status' own natural course or by an effect that can remove the impossible status.
In regards to items, you can spontaneously create an item of any sort, so long as it is an item that can be created through Magic (that is, if the item you wish to create is a normal item, or a Magic-aligned item, you can create it). Such an item has the impossible status upon its creation. Alternatively, you can alter an existing item in any way you see fit, either by adding or removing abilities from it. You can attempt to alter Magic-aligned artifacts in this manner, though doing so increases the chance of this spell failing.
Effectively, this spell is essentially a much more free-form version of standard d20 wish. Any effect that that spell can produce, this spell can produce up to double such an effect with minimal chance of failure.
If you use this spell to attempt to perform a particularly impossible task, it may fail. The chance of failure is at the DM's purview. You may choose to accept the impossible status upon yourself in exchange for a single casting of wish, no matter how egregious, to succeed. If you do so, you gain the impossible status as part of casting the spell (and as such you cannot affect yourself with such a casting), and the total XP cost of casting this spell is tripled.
Due to the nature of this spell, nothing can make a saving throw against any effect it produces: you are essentially rewriting reality to your whim, which cannot be overcome simply by physical endurance or force of will. However, if you affect anything that has Spell Resistance, you must overcome that in order to affect such a target with this spell, as SR represents an inherent resistance to such rewritings of reality.
XP Cost
Casting this spell costs 5,000 XP.
If you create an item, you must pay additional XP equal to double the XP normally required to make the item. If you modify an existing item, you must pay additional XP equal to the XP normally required to modify the item.
If you attempt to alter an artifact, you must pay an additional 15,000 XP.

 

ANTIKYTHERA MECHANISM
Field: None
Level: Tec/Inv 10th
Activation Time: Standard action
Target, Effect, or Area: See text
Duration: Instantaneous or 1 round/level (see text)
Saving Throw: No
Tech Resistance: Yes
If there were an engine at the heart of existence, this would be a functional model of it.
This device is essentially an engine designed to "tie in" to the existing physics "engine" that keeps reality functioning. Once activated, it operates on low-level aspects of reality to rebuild it from the ground up, re-establishing standard physics.
This device has two potential uses.
Annul Impossibility
When directed at a creature, item, area, or effect with the impossible status, this device immediately removes the effect that caused the status, as well as the status itself. This effect is immediate, and can only be stopped by failure to overcome Tech Resistance.
XP Cost: This usage of this device requires an expenditure of 2,500 XP by its user.
Build Physics
You can instead use this device to generate a "physics engine," which causes local physics to obey standard physics as per the prime material plane. This affects a radius of 100 feet/student level out from the device. This effect overrides any and all planar traits. When using this aspect, you can opt to not "turn on" certain aspects of the physics engine inherent in the device (for instance, not turning on normal gravity on a plane with nowhere solid to stand). If this device would generate gravity, it generates gravity relative to it.
This usage of this device lasts 1 round/level. Attempting to shut it off early is impossible due to the nature by which it generates a physics engine. When you activate this usage of this device, you may opt to pay an expenditure of 2,500 XP; if you do, the physics engine is specifically written in such a way to prohibit all impossible effects. Creatures and items with the impossible status lose it temporarily while within range of the physics engine, as well as the cause of said status.

 

REWRITE THE WORLD
Domain: None [Impossible]
Level: Pri Inc 7
Casting Time: Standard action
Target, Effect, or Area: See text
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: No
Divine Inhibition: Yes
With a single word, you rewrite the world in your image.
When you utter this prayer, whatever target, effect, or area you affect immediately gains the impossible status, even if this prayer fails to have any effect on the target, effect, or area in question. If your target already has the impossible status, this prayer automatically fails (at no XP cost). You cannot use this prayer to remove the impossible status from any target. This prayer itself - and each uttering of it - is considered to have the impossible status, and thus you cannot alter it in any way with an utterance of this prayer or similar effects.
By uttering this prayer, you can alter reality in any way you see fit, be it altering a creature in some fashion, creating an item from nothing, totally changing the local terrain, or performing some other normally-impossible feat. Regardless of how you choose to alter reality, all elements involved gain the impossible status; if any one affected element already has such status, the prayer fails (at no XP cost).
In regards to creatures, you can cause a status of your choice to permanently affect the creature (such as haste, slow, petrification, or reraise, keeping in mind that this is not an exhaustive list). Such a status affects the creature until it would either end (such as with reraise) or is ended by removing the impossible status from the target. A status put on a creature by virtue of rewrite the world can only end by the status' own natural course or by an effect that can remove the impossible status.
You can also choose to imbue the target - be it a creature, an item, or an area - with a soul, by reaching into the Metaphysic and crafting a new soul from scratch. This removes the target's innocent status, if it has one, and automatically grants it a Faith score of 10 if it does not already have one.
Effectively, this prayer is essentially a much more free-form version of standard d20 miracle. Any effect that that spell can produce, this prayer can produce up to double such an effect with minimal chance of failure.
If you use this prayer to attempt to perform a particularly impossible task, it may fail. The chance of failure is at the DM's purview. You may choose to accept the impossible status upon yourself in exchange for a single utterance of prayer, no matter how egregious, to succeed. If you do so, you gain the impossible status as part of uttering the prayer (and as such you cannot affect yourself with such an utterance), and the total XP cost of uttering this prayer is tripled.
Due to the nature of this prayer, nothing can make a saving throw against any effect it produces: you are essentially rewriting reality to your whim, which cannot be overcome simply by physical endurance or force of will. However, if you affect anything that has Divine Inhibition, you must overcome that in order to affect such a target with this prayer, as DI represents an inherent resistance to such rewritings of reality.
XP Cost
Uttering this prayer costs 5,000 XP.
If you create an item, you must pay additional XP equal to double the XP normally required to make the item. If you modify an existing item, you must pay additional XP equal to the XP normally required to modify the item.
If you attempt to alter an artifact, you must pay an additional 15,000 XP.
If you create a soul, you must pay an additional 15,000 XP.

 

QUANTUM LEAP
Sphere: None [Impossible]
Level: Epo 11th
Casting Time: Standard action
Target, Effect, or Area: See text
Duration: Instantaneous
Jikuu Points: 11
Saving Throw: No
Time Opposition: Yes
Time is not a linear thing, but a nebular web of existential freedom.
When you invoke this jikuu, whatever target, effect, or area you affect immediately gains the impossible status, even if this jikuu fails to have any effect on the target, effect, or area in question. If your target already has the impossible status, this jikuu automatically fails (at no XP cost). You cannot use this jikuu to remove the impossible status from any target. This jikuu itself - and each usage of it - is considered to have the impossible status, and thus you cannot alter it in any way with a usage of this jikuu or similar effects.
By invoking this jikuu, you modify the world around you by finding a version from another timeline that suits your fancy. Given the infinite possibilities of time and the progression of events, this effectively allows you to modify the world on a whim.
Alternatively, you can use this jikuu to choose one of the myriad futures for your current timeline, and force your timeline to proceed in that fashion. For all creatures, items, areas, and effects you affect with this jikuu, you choose precisely how they will behave, as well as the results of all die rolls, for 1 round after using this jikuu (you are not controlling them - you have simply chosen the future that corresponds with the choices you are making). If you do this, that entire round attains the impossible status: from a past or future perspective, those few moments are unchangeable save by effects that can undo the impossible status. All creatures, items, areas, and effects so affected by quantum leap in this manner gain the impossible status for the duration of that round. As the round progresses, it is possible for you to lose your stranglehold on time, as keeping track of a tiny sliver of a timeline in the infinite expanse of all possible futures is a daunting task: as such, the more egregiously you abuse your ability to choose the course of events over the round, there is a chance for the effect to end suddenly, freeing all those affected to do as they will and the dice to fall where they may.
If you use this jikuu to attempt to perform a particularly impossible task, it may fail. The chance of failure is at the DM's purview. You may choose to accept the impossible status upon yourself in exchange for a single usage of quantum leap, no matter how egregious, to succeed. If you do so, you gain the impossible status as part of using the jikuu (and as such you cannot affect yourself with such a usage), and the total XP cost of using this jikuu is tripled.
Due to the nature of this jikuu, nothing can make a saving throw against any effect it produces: you are essentially rewriting reality to your whim, which cannot be overcome simply by physical endurance or force of will. However, if you affect anything that has Time Opposition, you must overcome that in order to affect such a target with this jikuu, as TO represents an inherent resistance to such rewritings of reality.
XP Cost
Using this jikuu costs 5,000 XP.
If you create an item, you must pay additional XP equal to double the XP normally required to make the item. If you modify an existing item, you must pay additional XP equal to the XP normally required to modify the item.
If you attempt to alter an artifact, you must pay an additional 15,000 XP.