Could you elaborate ?And the bookbinders, my mysterious anarchists who disappear into books.
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Well, basically the 'bookbinders' are troublemakers who say they dislike the current government, but really just dislike government in general. They can disappear into books or other writing to hide, although the writing must be visible (aka an open book or unfurled scroll)and cannot be magic. They are then pretty much impossible to find, except that the bookbinder's name must appear once or twice. For example, if a 'bookbinder' named Quire appeared in 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears', the bears might mention going to 'Quire's Bookshop'.
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Bah, I wasn't able to get to a computer after work yesterday before it was game time. Oh well, here's the other spell.
Wall of Lightning
Level: Druid 4, Lightning 4, Wizard/Sorcerer 4
Components: Vocal, Somatic, Material/Divine Focus
Casting Time: 1 Standard Action
Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Duration: Concentration + 1 round/level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: Yes
Effect: A stationary, shining sheet of pure lightning is erected; either 20 feet long/level, or a ring with a radius of 5 feet per level, both being 20 feet tall.
Anyone coming into contact with this wall, either by walking into it, or it coming into existence where they stand, suffers 2d6 points of electricity damage plus 1 point per caster level(maximum +20).
In addition, every round on your turn three arcs of lightning flare out from this wall within 20 feet of one side(the side is chosen at the time of casting). Any creature within this area must make a Reflex save or take 2d4 points of damage, with a second Reflex save for half damage.
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An idea I had for Rangers. It's a minor concern that's been bouncing around in my head since I said that spellcasting Rangers would be a combat track, and not the norm. How can I justify the non-magical Ranger's Animal Companion?
Then it hit me, why not let them gain Animal Companions by rearing them, taming them, and simply buying them. Yes, plural. The idea is that they can tame wild creatures, raise creatures, or aquire domestic creatures and direct them. The catch here is that since these are not the same a Druid's, they will have base animal-level intelligence. Any animal-like creature with sentient-level intelligence is beyond taming. That would be more in line with a Cohort.
So, how do I keep the players from dipping into Ranger for one level, then getting themselves an army of Lions or Large Monstrous Spiders? I limit the creatures one PC can control based on his Ranger class level vs combined creatures' CR(added up, not figured as it is for an encounter). The idea here is that he can only split his focus between so many creatures at a time; those which are more difficult to reign in(higher CR creatures) require more of his focus, while those that are naturally more docile or at least, less hostile, require less time to keep in line. Furthermore, a character could not control a creature more than one size bigger than he is.
Based on this, an 11th level Ranger could stride into battle with a Lion, a Tiger, and a Brown Bear(Oh my!); due to their CRs totalling eleven, the Ranger's class level (3+4+4=11).
As an added incentive, I am considering allowing Rangers to advance their companions' HD along the way.
Now, this may seem overpowered at first glance, but then you must factor certain things in. Wild creatures must be tamed. Animal-level intelligence means only issuing simple commands to a Ranger's companions; "attack" would be understood, "Kill the Hobgoblin with the Gold Scepter" would not. I may further restrict the challange ratings, but can't think of any that takes much of the fun out of the idea of playing a generic non-mystical ripoff of Dar, the Beastmaster.
Finally, all characters may have at least one "pet", not granted by a class feature(such as Animal Companions or Familiars) that is domesticated or possibly tamed by a Ranger with a CR of 2 or less.
I think this is an alright idea, but you don't seem to understand what an Animal Companion is. The animal companion is simply an animal the ranger/druid trained. The 'link' they have is merely because the animal is especially devoted to the trainer. There is nothing 'magical' about the Animal Companion. That's a common mistake. |:(
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Okay, its been a while, but I got a bit more to work on. This time I'm expanding on two more of the races in Tegara, Dwarves and Gnomes. they're not too different from their base D&D forms, but there are some differences.
Next post I make(when I get the time), I will cover a concept I'm toying with which is alluded to(but not explained) in the Gnome entry: Racial Perks. Racial Perks are similar to Feats, but they're only available every 5 levels and each race has its own list(except Errants, who can choose from both Human and Elven traits). Racial Perks can do any number of things; from boosting a Dwarf's Saves vs Toxins or Spells, to granting Elves increments of DR/Cold Iron, to allowing Humans the ability to use any skill untrained without placing any ranks into it(but not turning them all into class skills).
Final note: I didn't list any Weapon Familiarity abilities in any racial entry because treating a Racial Weapon as a Martial weapon instead of Exotic for that race shouldn't need to be written down, in my opinion.
Dwarves
Dwarves are stocky, stout creatures who are known mostly for their hardiness, stonework, and love of ale. Most other races tend to see the Dwarves as gruff, but this is far from the truth; they are simply reserved around those they don’t know, and see friendships as something that take more time than most other races.
Cultural relations with Dwarves are occasionally awkward, due to Dwarven nature. They seem stand-offish for the longest time, but it is merely the Dwarves getting a feel for those they are meeting for the first few times. For those who can get past this initial warm-up period(which could take anywhere from 3 to 20 years, in some cases), they find good company and better friends.
They do naturally relate more quickly with Gnomes, as the two are cousin-races. Halflings, Humans, and Errants will always be capable of getting along with them. They tend to keep Elves at arms reach, as they seem too arrogant and flighty much of the time. However, when push comes to shove, the two have put aside their differences and Dwarves have allied themselves with Elves for mutual benefit.
Dwarven Culture
As previously mentioned, Dwarves tend to take their time with everything they do, moving and acting very deliberately and cautiously. Whether this is intentional by their deity, or a psychological development from living in an environment where a single slip could mean falling into the depths of the earth, is unknown.
Dwarven social and political structure has developed based upon their measured nature, into a series of clans. When born, Dwarves are referred to as “Son of” or “Daughter of” their parents(and refered to as “Second” or “Third” Daughter/Son in the case of many siblings) until they reach adolescence, where they receive their first name. Once they reach adulthood(which is based upon accomplishment and importance amongst the clan), they are granted their clan name. Should a Dwarf ever disgrace himself, the clan name is stripped from him. Such a disgrace can be redeemed, however, and the clan name reclaimed. Should he irrevocably disgrace himself, however, then the Dwarf looses his personal name, cast out of the clan, and disowned by his family, no longer allowed on clan territories.
Dwarves with no names, are largely ignored by other Dwarves, treated as non-people. They tend to wander aimlessly, trying to regain their honor. Occasionally they find it in other clans.
Dwarven Traits
· +2 Constitution, -2 Charisma
· Medium Size
· Base Land Speed: 20 feet(does not decrease when encumbered)
· Darkvision
· Stability
· +2 to saves vs Toxins and Poisons
· +2 to saves vs Spells and Spell-like effects
· Automatic Languages: Dwarven & Regional
Gnomes
Gnomes are small, about waist-high(compared to a Human), inquisitive creatures, distant cousins to both Dwarves and Elves. Like their Dwarven relatives, they can show great focus in what they do; and like their Elven relatives, they exhibit flights of fancy, but not near the extreme of Elves. Quick to befriend, Gnomes are well-liked by most of the major races on Tegara. Gnomish metalworking and gemcutting is said to be on par with that of Dwarves, although there are fewer examples and more mechanical in nature.
Like the Dwarves, Gnomes use a clan system, albeit nowhere near as strict and taciturn. Unlike their Dwarven and Elven kin, Gnomes do not have any particular Ethical tendency; you’ll find just as many Lawful as you will Chaotic.
Another similarity to the Dwarves is that Gnomes build their homes underground, but not in the depths as Dwarves do. Gnomish homes are built into hillsides and woodlands, with much of their life actually spent above ground.
Of particular interest in regards to Gnomes is their senses of hearing, smell, and taste. They are particularly sharp, and many claim to be capable of listing the ingredients of any food with just a taste.
Gnome Traits
· +2 Constitution, -2 Strength
· Small Size
· Low-Light Vision
· Base land speed: 20 feet
· Illusion Familiarity(see Racial Perks for details)
· +2 to Awareness; the Gnomish sense of hearing is sharp
· +2 to Craft-Alchemy; so is the Gnomish sense of smell
· Favored Classes: Bard & Druid
· Automatic Languages: Gnomish & Regional
EDIT - Oops, sorry, thought this was a different thread - didn't mean to cut in here, I'll take my notes off. Apologies.
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An idea that has been wandering about my head for a little while, a change to the Barbarian. A Barbarian is more of a product of a culture than a class, in many ways, so one thing I've been considering altering the class some, changing the flavor and way the Rage works, and with a new name. The Berserker. Not the Frenzied Berserker from Complete Warrior, although the two do share similarities. The Berserker I'm thinking up is basically someone who at birth, became inhabited by a spirit of fury. This would turn the Rage feature into a Supernatural ability, and make many of the things that the class gains due to the spirit "improving" its host's body for its own purposes.
Due to the nature of this Rage, the Berserker can enter the state only when angered(to begin with), and must make a will save to end the Rage early; but later learns to control the Spirit of Fury better has he levels. When in the altered Rage, the Berserker only recognizes the friends and foes as they were when he entered the Rage. If the situation changes, or characters realize those they are fighting are not enemies, the Berserker won't realize it.
This Rage means that the Spirit of Fury has taken over control the body, such an act always tires the host afterwards, so the Tireless Rage feature would be removed.
The Damage Reduction would still be Extraordinary, and there would be a couple more Fast Movement boosts along the way, but that's all I have for the moment.
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"Dark" Elves and Goblinoids
I have a player who is really into Drow, and while I've told the group that there are no Drow on Tegara, I do wish to accomodate my player somewhat, so here's what I've got. Plus, its given me a chance to work on a little more of the world's history.
"Dark Elves" have no physical traits or stat differences from the standard elves. Dark Elves are members of four outcast tribes. They are refered to as "Dark Elves" because of their practices which are considered taboo to all the other elven tribes. These Taboos include Necromancy, canibalism(albeit only one of the four tribes performs this), and the twisting & perverting of life to serve their needs(a thin distinction from the "education" the human servants recieved, but enough to matter to the Elves). As a side note, among these four tribes(sometimes referred to as "The Four Lost Tribes", when Elves are willing to aknowledge their existance at all), they refer to themselves as "True Elves".
Like the other Elven tribes, the Dark Elves kept humans among them as servants, but over time they began to experiment with altering them to suit their particular needs. They began to magically mix bits of their own heredity to "improve" the human stock along traits of particular animals to create a sentient slave race capable of greater amounts of endurance. These Four Tribes saw their method of improving humanity as subservient workers superior to the others.
The initial trials were to take the base Human stock, then to add a generous amount of traits from bears and wolve, as well as some pig and finally infusing this monstrosity with Elven blood. These brutish creatures were derisively refered to as "Bugbears" and considered an overall failure. However, a few families within the Four Tribes found uses for them when pure strength was desired over all else.
Bugbears take a -2 to Intelligence and lose the +1 level adjustment along with all other bonuses and penalties when compared to the core rules.
A change in thought process led them to try altering a younger generation. The concept was that by changing the nature of the human as a child, this would allow the changes to take a stronger hold and the new creature would grow into being superior to Humanity. The alterations included using traits from wolves and pigs, but forgoing the augmentation of traits from bears; once again, they were infused with Elven blood and brought into the world.
Unfortunately, the beings created were little more than gibbering little psycopaths. Their fragile minds were broken and the changes warped their bodies so that they would never mature. They could age, wither, and die; but would never grow and therefore could not procreate(to the Dark Elves, this meant that they could not self-perpetuate, and would require creation every time a generation died out). The Dark Elves saw these horrid creatures as utter failures. They were referred to as "Goblin", which was an amalgation of the Elven words "Perverse Failure". Many of them escaped captivity and disappeared into the wilderness.
This new species began to propigate itself by taking Human children(and the occasional Elven child, if they can find one) and changing them through a process unlike the original Dark Elf method, yet achieves the same results.
Goblins take a -2 to Intelligence and lose the -2 to Charisma.
There were three more attempts, the final was the most successful of all hybrisations to date, but this is a realtive term.
The Dark Elves had returned to using adult Humans as their subjects. This attempt was much like that which resulted in the Bugbears, although the Dark Elves decided to use more wolf traits than those of the bears, without the use of pigs. Once the combination of the creatures and infusion of Elven blood was completed, the first "Hobgoblins" came into existance.
These hybrid creatures had all the desired traits, save one, they retained the Human will to be free. After generations of servitude, they broke free from the Dark Elves. Exploiting the Errant War, and the other Elven Tribes unwillingness to use goblinoid troops in the war; the Hobgoblins staged a revolt and escaped(along with the majority of the Bugbears) to carve their own niche in the world
Durring their years serving the Four Tribes, they had developed their own language, built upon a bastardization of the first human languages, the Elven tounge, and beast-like growls, simply calling it "Gob". Gob eventually developed a written form, based loosely on a haphazzard mixture of elven script and two or three very old human languages.
Hobgoblins add "Scent" to their listing, but are otherwise unchanged from the Core Rules.
Hobgoblin Society
Groups of Hobgoblins form into clans, with a Chieftan who heads up each one. Every chieftan along with a select number of each clan meet every ten years to select the next King of All Goblins. The method of selection can vary. It must be one of the Chieftans, but aside from that, the King can be chosen through combat, deception, diplomacy, blackmail, or mutual benefit(although the latter is typically only used in times of war). The only exception is an exiled clan, known to most other races as the "Civilized Clan".
Each clan may be run as each Chieftan sees fit, and may have its own rules as to assencion to the status of Chieftan(hereditary, chosen, et cetera), but some similarities exist between all of them. The foremost is that the Chieftan has the final say in all matters within that particular clan.
Here's a +0 LA version of dark elves I've used in my campaigns.
Dark Elf
Medium Sized
Speed 30 feet
+2 Dex, -2 Con
Darkvision 60 feet
+2 Hide and Move Silently
Proficiency in rapier, shortsword, longsword, and hand-crossbow
Automatic Languages: Common and Elven
Bonus Languages: Abyssal, Draconic, Gnoll, Goblin, Infernal, Undercommon.
Favored Class: Sorcerer
Dark Half-elves
Medium Sized
Speed 30 feet
Darkvision 30 feet
+1 Hide and Move Silently
+2 Bluff and Intimidate
Automatic Languages: Common and Elven
Bonus Languages: Any
Favored Class: Any
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Alright, here's what I have for the Prestige Paladin so far:
BAB: Full
Good Save: Fortitude
Alignment: LG, NG, LN
Restriction: Paladins can not revere Draco, he does not empower his devout followers in this manner.
Features:
1st Level- Detect Evil, Smite Evil 1/Day, Heavy Armor Proficiency, Martial Weapon Proficiency, +1 Existing Divine Spellcasting Level
2nd Level- Divine Grace, Lay On Hands, + 1 Effective Turning Level, Sacred Assistance(Similar to the Mount)
3rd Level- Aura of Courage, Divine Health, +1 Existing Divine Spellcasting Level
4th Level- Remove Disease 1/Week, +1 Effective Turning Level
5th Level- Smite Evil 2/Day, +1 Effective Divine Spellcasting Level
6th Level- +1 Effective Turning Level
7th Level- +1 Existing Divine Spellcasting Level
8th Level- Remove Disease 2/Week, +1 Effective Turning Level
9th Level- +1 Existing Divine Spellcasting Level
10th Level- Smite Evil 3/Day, +1 Effective Turning Level
11th Level- +1 Existing Divine Spellcasting Level
12th Level- Remove Disease 3/Week, +1 Effective Turning Level
13th Level- +1 Existing Divine Spellcasting Level
14th Level- +1 Effective Turning Level
15th Level- Smite Evil 4/Day, +1 Existing Divine Spellcasting Level
As you can see, its obviously built to favor clerics, but I can see making variants for other classes wishing to a chosen warrior of their deity. The restriction of Draco is due to the fact that not only is he Neutral, but he allows Clerics of all alignments. I will be building a Draco-specific holy warrior later on.
There were two primary thoughts I used when designing this. First, I wanted no empty levels, even if the boost is just to a single class feature.
Second, I didn't want this class to be the obvious choice for Clerics to progress into(a la Radiant Servant). I wanted this to be a distinct tradeoff. The character(if a Cleric) would be more Militant than the base Cleric, but less effective at the magical supernatural aspects of the religion than Clerics themselves are(such as Turning and Divine magic).
As mentioned previously in this thread, the Blackguard is going to be a shadowy reflection of this class, so it will now be fifteen levels, and open to LE, NE, CE characters.
If it isn't immediately obvious, I used the Unearthed Arcana Prestige variant as the base for this.
Personally, I will be using quest based entrances into prestige classes, but for anyone wishing to use this, the mechanical requirements for this class are as follows.
BAB: 4
Skills: 2 Ranks in Knowledge(Religion) & (Nobility/Royalty), 4 Ranks in Ride
Feats: Mounted Combat
Spellcasting: Protection from Evil as a Divine spell
Special: Turn Undead
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Hey guys, just a quick note while at work. I have been working on character sheets for Tegara, I don't have them here with me, but would like to show you when I get home. I made it using OpenOffice and managed to save a PDF copy.
I did my best to keep the thing as simple as possible; just display the information needed and keep it neat. Hopefully I'll have it up in an hour.
Finally, that took long enough.
Here it is.
Doesn't upload.
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So, any thoughts?
It is a basic outline. I am working on class specific character sheets which detail everything available through that class such as their class skills, skill points per level, features, good saves, and listing what hitdie to roll; but I wanted to get oppinions on how it flows before I get too far.
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I like it. It's basic, but it has everything you would need other than a place to put the spells you know (although most people I know either keep their spells known on a different piece of paper or a dedicated spell sheet). I especially like how you outlined the AC section and blacked out the parts that weren't needed for each one (ie. Flatfooted does not need to count your dex, touch doesn't count armor).
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Putting together a seperate spellsheet is what I'll do once the character sheets are all put together. That way, a player will have the entire list of what can potentially be cast, be able to mark what spells they know, and the spellcaster-specific sheets themselves will have a better listing of how much Mana/Spirit a character has(including both base spell points and bonus spellpoints from high casting attributes).
As a sidenote, I'm using Open Office to put these together as a spreadsheet. Does anyone know how to remove the line on the top that says "Sheet 1" from the printout? It doesn't show up on the spreadsheet itself, but I do see it listed down at the bottom on the tabs.
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Update
You can now find a version of the Druid Character Sheet.
While this one is specifically aimed at Druids, there are also a few subtle updates to the base appearance of the design. Please tell me what you think.
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I really like the entire sheet for the Animal Companion, that's a nice touch. In the sheets we used to use, we had one line on our character sheets to fit all of it's stats and all that, it was really cramped.
I really like it, everything looks clean and coherent. I also like the listing for common wild shape forms.
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I noticed I never made a post clearing up my earlier mentioning of Racial Perks as I said I would have. It must have been one of those times the computer here at work was giving me hell(it takes forever to load almost any page). Its a simple thing, really. I'm changing the traits of most races up somewhat, and allowing the players to effectively upgrade their traits, or add to their capabilities by choosing a Racial Perk every fifth level. In this way, they're similar to Feats, but each race gets its own specific list of Perks.
For instance:
An Elf character might choose to improve his Elvenvision by 20 feet, take Enchantment Familiarity(granting +2 to saves vs and +1 to DC, stacking with their Traits), or get Fey Body(granting DR 2/Cold Iron).
A Dwarf character will have choices ranging from Thick Skin(+1 Natural Armor), Toxin Resistance(additional +2 vs Toxins/Poisons), and Giant Fighting(bonuses when fighting Giants).
A Human character could choose Jack of All Trades(treat all skills as trained regardless of skill points), Diverse Background(additional Tag Skill), or... well, I'll think of something. :P
The racial perks is something I'm kind of interested in. I was looking over the new Pathfinder Beta rules, and PCs get feats every odd level, and ability increases at 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20. But nothing at levels 2, 6, 10, 14, and 18 (besides regular class stuff). I thought these would be good levels for Racial Talents or Bonus Skill Tricks, maybe something along the lines of a Heroic Destiny that isn't necessarily class-based.
On a totally unrelated subject, about a new campaign idea: The War of the Bastards. The King has died and has no surviving legitimate heirs, so some of his illegitimate kids are warring over the throne. The thing is, one of the king's dead children was really a changeling, so the PCs have to go to Faerie to rescue the king's child and end the War of the Bastards. I'd want this to be a campaign with lots of political intruige, and a reliance on horseback riding for long distance travel. Mostly because I have a Rider base class I want to introduce to the players as a possible choice. Also, I want to have lance charges and tournaments.
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The racial perks is something I'm kind of interested in. I was looking over the new Pathfinder Beta rules, and PCs get feats every odd level, and ability increases at 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20. But nothing at levels 2, 6, 10, 14, and 18 (besides regular class stuff). I thought these would be good levels for Racial Talents or Bonus Skill Tricks, maybe something along the lines of a Heroic Destiny that isn't necessarily class-based.
I'll tell you what, I'll make a PDF of the document I have so far and upload it for you to look through the altered Racial Traits and the Perks listing as is stands. I warn you though, a race like Dwarves had to have its number of traits lessened to balance with the rest, and I will probably lessen the traits that Elves get as well.
A warning, however, Perks can get potentially powerful(an Elf taking Fey Body each time can get massive DR), as they are intended to stack, so if you use them at the levels you are intending, consider them carefully. Also keep in mind that they are not playtested, and may need to be rebalanced.
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Okay, three things to go over.
First and foremost, I recently lost a friend. He had an interest in my campaign world and was going to be involved with the game. I have made a decision to both honor him and allow him to be Tegara. I'm going to be naming one of the deities after him. I think he'd appreciate it. So, here's the listing.
Garrett (CG)
Son to Oceaa and the Greenman, Twin of Typhian, Garrett is one who watches over sailors and others who make their lives at sea. Garrett is usually pictured as a jolly, if somewhat portly, sea captain; and is considered on of the Council of Nine's finest swordsmen.
Favored Weapon: Cutlass
Domains: Ocean, Travel, Water, Weather, Chaos, Good
Here's to you, my friend. May you always roll 20s.
Onto other business, I have a more detailed writeup at home, but I've pretty much finished work on the Berserker. Most of the abilities and features are the same as the Core Barbarian, but as I may have mentioned already, the Rage ability and all features dependant upon the Rage are Supernatural instead of Extraordindary. This has nothing to do with the Frenzied Berserker Prestige Class, which I have informed my players is banned outright. I do admit, one or two ideas from that have inspired this variant of the Barbarian.
The Berserker is a character possessed by a Spirit of Fury, which is the source of the Rage feature. Rage activates when the Fury takes control. Furies(not to be confused with furries :P) are true Chaotic beings, with no Moral outlook(the possessing spirits are always CN), and only attack that which the possessed being feels is a threat, or hates uncontrollably. Manifestation of the Fury(activating Rage) is a taxing process, and thusly the Tireless Rage ability is removed.
Similar to the Barbarian, a Berserker must maintain a non-Lawful alignment, or lose the ability to Rage. Such characters have too much control over themselves for a Fury to properly maintain a hold on them. I am considering changing this, however, as it might be interesting to allow for a Lawful character to just flip out and lose control once in a while. However, the idea of relying on the Rage in my main reason for not allowing it.
One thing I didn't like about the Pathfinder Barbarian was all the Rage Powers, as they just didn't feel right when Rage was Ex(correct me if they made it Su). I may use the Rage points and powers they devised with the Berserker, however, as it does make a little more sense when you have a Su source for everything.
That's all I have on hand for the Berserker. I've already put together a Character Sheet for the class, so when I get home, I'll post that for perusal.
Finally, I've got a basic list of the pre-generated(attributes will be the Elite Array) NPCs I'll give the players to use for the prologue. Mostly just class/name/alignment/race, but some are a little more fleshed out than others(to provide a reason to travel together, as well as why they're all together at once). I'm trying to provide three options for each class; allowing for characters on the positive, negative, and middleground of the Moral spectrum.
Clerics
LG- Cedric Poole; Metrioch; Lightning & Courage; Human Male
An envoy from the Church of Metrioch in Scaredgate.
CN- Giria; Draco; Magic & Travel; Human Female
Traveling Priestess of Draco
NE- "Greyleaf"; Carwes*, Knowledge & Trickery; Elf Male
Stereotypical arrogant Elf.
Fighters
LG- Takedo of the Red Castle; Human Male
Foreign Vassal from Eastern Ankura, searching for the abducted twins of his Lord.
LN- Dwarf with No Name; Male
Wandering Dwarf trying to regain his lost honor
LE- Trina; Errant Female
Knighted warrior from a nearby Barony
Rangers
CG- Terrid; Firearms Expert Track; Gnome Male
LN- Simon "The Hound" O'Brien; Bounty Hunter Track; Human Male
Ex-Farmer working as a Bounty Hunter to track the murderer of his family
NE- Kebble; Archery Track; Hauflan Male
Known as the consumate hunter, caught poaching on the sherriff's land.
Berserkers
CG- Mirta; Dwarf Female, Member of Clan Rhin
Sent as bodygard and insurance for Laro, since she has less disgust for his methods than most other Dwarves, caught defending herself(and Laro) in the midst of a barfight they didn't start
N- Reed; Elf Male
Wandering Mercenary, refused the Sherriff's offer to join his soldiers.
CE- Anna Grimsdottir; Human Female
Locked up for killing 3 and wounding many more in a barfight
Sorcerers
CG- Edward Brown; Fey Heritage; Elf Male
LN- Hexen; Infernal Heritage; Human Male
Wandering Sorcerer who resists the dark urges within himself simply trying to get by
NE- Patricia Nimble; Hauflan Female; Elemental(Lightning) Heritage
Rogues
LG- Libby Lightfoot; Hauflan Female
Incarcerated for Espionage(I wanted to throw them a curveball and see if anyone wanted to try playing a LG rogue, as well as a reason to justify the alignment.)
CN- Laro; Dwarf Male; Member of Clan Rhin
On a mission to keep his honor by retrieving stolen clan property. Traveling with Mirta for protection, and to keep him out of trouble. Kleptomaniac.
NE- Benny; Human Male
Thug-for-hire. Loyal for the most part, but people who break their deals with him get broken themselves.
That's mostly what I've got. Please tell me what you think.
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I recently managed to get hold of the Expanded Psionic book, and have mixed feelings about it.
I like the idea of using the inner powers(psionics) as opposed to outer powers(prayers & spells).
Part of what I'm trying to do is set up a game world in which science and magic coexist. A "two sides of the same coin" kind of thing, where one uses natural law(science) and the other warps it(magic).
This is why I find the psionics as presented in the book a little disappointing, it feels more like magic, just dressed up to look like powers of the mind. This seems like a cop-out, and I don't know where to push it from here.
I like the information listed which describes how to run campaigns where Psionics and Magic work in vastly different ways, so that an Antimagic Field does nothing against Psionics, and vice-versa.
I may end up retooling many of the powers so that they don't feel so much like spells.
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Yeah, I agree; Psionics feel like magic using the spell-point system. But in their defense, making a completely new mechanic within a system can be trying at best. Making it akin to magic was probably the logical solution without making something needlessly complicated that will suffer in sales due to it's complexity and lack of that ease-of-use people seem to like so much.
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Ugh. I suppose that your dwarves are 'gruff, tough axemen', and the elves are 'graceful bowmen of great prestige/wizards of great lore?
Oh well...
Make the elves from your ascended land...elven samurai are cool!! Imagine how much time would be spent learning ikebana and the tea ceremony...DECADES!
The Ankuran elves would also make great psionicists...
Once you get everything finalized you could actually do a PDF publishing of your world...
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Make the elves from your ascended land...elven samurai are cool!! Imagine how much time would be spent learning ikebana and the tea ceremony...DECADES!\
I like this idea...
Once you get everything finalized you could actually do a PDF publishing of your world...
Interesting, but should I try, I might get in trouble, as I'm drawing very heavily from Pathfinder's magic wielding classes.
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This far into things and I'm still wanting to run the system with six elements. I like the idea of the pentacle of five elements, but something just doesn't feel quite right. So, once again, I come to you helpful people and see what ideas we can brainstorm.
Currently, I can see three methods for setting up six elements with energy types.
#1
Fire-Heat/Water-Cold
Air-Sonic/Earth-?
Lightning-Electricity/Plant-Acid
#2
Fire-Heat/Water-Cold
Air-Sonic/Plant-Acid
Lightning-Electricity/Earth-?
#3
Fire-Heat/Water-Cold
Air-Sonic/Metal, maybe?-?
Lightning-Electricity/Earth-Acid?
Any and all ideas are welcome.
This far into things and I'm still wanting to run the system with six elements. I like the idea of the pentacle of five elements, but something just doesn't feel quite right. So, once again, I come to you helpful people and see what ideas we can brainstorm.
Currently, I can see three methods for setting up six elements with energy types.
#1
Fire-Heat/Water-Cold
Air-Sonic/Earth-?
Lightning-Electricity/Plant-Acid#2
Fire-Heat/Water-Cold
Air-Sonic/Plant-Acid
Lightning-Electricity/Earth-?#3
Fire-Heat/Water-Cold
Air-Sonic/Metal, maybe?-?
Lightning-Electricity/Earth-Acid?Any and all ideas are welcome.
Maybe bend the rules a bit and use Force, Positive Energy, or Negative Energy as your 6th energy. Or Psychic energy.
I like shadow opposing lightning!
Do you have Tome of Magic? There is a new base class and style of magic called Shadowcaster. It's pretty cool, if less than versatile. A lot of the shadow magics cause cold damage, and some even cause electrical damage (Shadow Storm), but some cause an un-named or un-typed shadow damage (Umbral Touch). You might also combine shadow and negative energy. If you do that, you might (MIGHT) also want to combine electrical and positive energy (CLEAR! --shock-- beep beep beep OK we've got a pulse).
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Okay, its been a while because my life has been busy, but I've been doing some work, off and on with this setting and have had a different idea recently that I wanted to run by you guys.
This could change magic significantly. What I'm thinking about is making all magic into Arcane, and combining Divine magic with Turning Dead. I'd still keep the Spirit Points(albeit altered) and use these points for all the Cleric's supernatural powers (Druid would change to an Arcane magic-user).
Based on this, the Cleric's spell list would have to be boiled down into what actions typically define a holyman, the miraculous powers within the mortal world granted to them by their deity.
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This could change magic significantly. What I'm thinking about is making all magic into Arcane, and combining Divine magic with Turning Dead. I'd still keep the Spirit Points(albeit altered) and use these points for all the Cleric's supernatural powers (Druid would change to an Arcane magic-user).
Based on this, the Cleric's spell list would have to be boiled down into what actions typically define a holyman, the miraculous powers within the mortal world granted to them by their deity.
Back when 3.0 was announced, I was enthusiastic for a version of Cleric that didn't cast spells at all, but merely channeled divine / extraplanar energy. He would start out with Xd6 worth of channeling, usable X number of times per day, and able to use it in two ways (say, to heal, or to smite, or to put up a protective ward, or to 'buff' himself or an ally by bolstering them with divine power, or to 'curse' another by hindering / rebuking them with divine power, etc.). As he gained levels in Cleric / Priest / Channeler / whatever, he would gain new bonus feats that could be spent on 'Extra Channel' or 'Channel Focus' or new techniques (so that if he started with the ability to heal and smite, he could use a Feat to learn how to channel his energy to buff, curse, purge conditions (disease, fear, fatigue), impose conditions (disease, fear, fatigue), put up warding circles, summon celestial / fiendish creatures, etc.)
He would also be able to use some of his normal Feats-by-level (at 3rd, 6th, etc.) to pick up the Extra Channel, Channel Focus sorts of feats, but not the special 'Feat to use Channel to Summon critter' Feats, which he could only learn with his class-derived bonus feats.
By 5th level, he might have four different channeling options (heal, smite, purge, summon) and have used his bonus feats to get a few extra uses of Channeling per day, or to be able to Empower his channeling by using a Full-Round Action at touch range, instead of being able to inflict a normal smite (or heal) at close range as a standard action. He'd be doing, say, 3d6 with his heals or smites (or summong 3rd level critters, or purging up to 3rd level conditions (or giving a +6 bonus to saves to purge said conditions, if it's not an 'all or nothing' deal)) and be able to Channel a number of times per day equal to his Cleric level + his Wisdom or Cha modifier + any extra uses coming from Extra Channeling feat(s) or other sources (such as a magic 'holy symbol' or divine focus that allows an extra use or three per day, or something).
Regardless of whether the core rules had a 'retraining' option, this sort of spell-less Cleric would be able to swap out a previously learned Class-Level-Derived Channeling Feat for a different one, much like a Sorcerer ditching a spell known for something else, if the old one doesn't scale so well anymore. Most of the Channeling options *would* scale pretty well (Xd6 heal or smite, purge / inflict X level condition, summon X level critter, X amount of buffage or debuffage to attributes, etc.), but others, such as the divine wards to hold baddies at bay, I hadn't really worked up.
Now that I've seen the Warlock, I'm thinking that having it only usable X times per day might not even be necessary, but making a hard limit on the amount of divine power you can channel. If your 9th level Channeler want to Smite someone's face off with all 5d6 worth of smite-y goodness, he can't have an ally buffed to the hilt, or a 5th level summoned celestial critter running around. As levels increase, this limit will get bent, and then broken, allowing a Channeler to buff a pair of allies, or buff one ally and still heal / blast at full power, etc. as a class ability. Alternately, perhaps the Channeler will gain additional dice of effect, but only for the purposes of doing multiple Channels at the same time. In this case, the 9th level Cleric might have +3d6 energy 'extra' that he can use to buff someone, while still dishing out his (maximum) 5d6 heals or smites.
I know you were working on this forever and a day ago, but since you recently posted I know your still working on it. After having looked over your notes I wanted to mention that based on your history you should seriously consider looking over the Second Darkness campaign from Paizo here's why:
Just a thought.