If you do not know what DUNE is then you may want to stop now, But heres my thinking, I would like to GM an Online PbP DUNE game set in the
University of Frank Herbert's DUNE book. Only the DUNE books written by him in his life time. No other works by his son and others.
In fact the 3 core books of DUNE, Dune Messiah, Children of Dune.
The setting will be some 70 years before DUNE the main book, On Arrakis
where 3 house's mine the spice.
House Harkonnen (as overlords of the world)
House Jazaria (A young house miner to House Harkonnen who do the work)
House Shilack (A demoted house Major who used to control all of Arrakis spice mining rights)
House Shilack and house Jazaria are in the middle of a war of assassins
wile the only thing the Harkonnens care about is the flow of spice.
Players will be Village Fremen living inside the shield wall but outside of Arrakeen city, you live close to shield wall.
Ok Pathfinder with some limits.
Race - Human only but Humans have a range of types.
As Village Fremen you get
Sand Freman
HD 1d10
Skill 2+int Level
Str +2
Dex +2
Cha -2
Wild Freman Contacts (Cha skill)
Poison resistance +5
Spice addition 1/day
Knife +1 + Still-Suit
Starting wealth 1d4 x10 Spice units
Town Freman
HD 1d6
Skill 4+int Level
Dex+2
Int+2
Wis-2
On world House Contacts (Cha skill)
Poison resistance +3
Spice addition 1/3days
1 tech Item or tech weapon.
Starting wealth 2d6 x10 Spice units
Spice Smuggler
HD 1d8
Skill 3+int Level
Con+2
Int+2
Cha-2
Off-world contacts (Cha Skill)
Poison resistance +1
Spice addition 1/week
1 off world item or tech weapon.
Starting wealth 2d10 x10 Spice units
Ever Human gets all simple weapons and armor use.
For any higher tech you have to take a feat for it
or be trained to again the feat.
Things like Shields and Lazguns cost as much as a small Village
so you will not start with them, or have the skills to use them.
Budi Pistols.
explosives are fine but have other problems, so if you want frag grenades and such Ill have to ok that.
Amro comes in 3 kinds
Still-suits = cloth to chain mail depending on its type.
Battle suits = Used by house Guards, useless in the desert.
Body Shields = Very high cost and used by elite house Guards and very fast death in the desert as they drive the sand worms mad.
DUNE and Pathfinder Magic,
Well there is no magic in the DUNE world, So all spell caster classes are out. Now some "magic" powers could be down to Spice use. So we will have to take this case by case.
This is where the Players come in, I need you to come up with ideas for your PC, who are they, what to they do in village life, do they have contacts out in the great dusts beyond the world.
you are all Young, and know each other, all born in the same "Singing rocks" village ages 15 to 19.
Well what ya think.
Well if your interested
NOTES: about you me The GM
I like to write, but i'm dyslexic, I use my computer to help me as best I can but I say now, Sorry for the bad Grammar and spelling.
I will be posting often, as I have a lot of rest time at work. Slow un-stressful job is what I wanted.
NOTES: About pos players.
Would be good if you have read the DUNE books, core ones most of all.
We will be working to make this a good game so feel free to pick me up
on things you feel I have gotten wrong.
Posting, I know RL gets in the way, But please if you can not post often
or RL means you may not post for some time, let me know and Ill pop your PC on hold until you come back.
Number of players, well was thinking 4 to 8. I know * sounds a lot but I have run DUNE games with 12 before at cons and feel that's ok is groups will brake up and do own things in the same setting of its large.
Ill keep you all linked so not to worry.
Last thing.
My game play.
A run rounds like this.
1: Running away - Always go's 1st, if in the middle of combat you say on our next round "I'm running away, Your Initiative becomes 0 and you run away as best you can. remember this is a game with Guns and no healing magic.
2: Doing things, That is any action that is not direct combat, you go next. So shooting the struts under the walkway where the troops are shooting at you, may be more effective that shooting one troop as time.
3: Direct combat, last in a round for good and bad guys alike, Dune is a deadly place this is the last thing you want to do unless you really have no other way.
there is a saying on DUNE
"God created Arrakis to train the faithful and who am I to go against the word of god"
Remember that.
Helpfull links
I would say tentatively interested. I have never read any of the books however when I was a child I played the computer game and loved it :D
I could quickly read up on the wiki and I will probably buy the books at some point in my life :) I think this is a cool concept.
Hey Jelani :)
This looks like a great idea - unfortunately I don't think I'd have the time to play or enough knowledge of the universe. I'd love to read over it though, so I'll be following the game thread if/when it starts!
Its better if you have read the books or seen the film/TV show. But thats ok. Its a harsh world where one mistake can cost you your life and as Village Freman your the lowest of the low. Wild Fremen think you soft villagers only fit to be rendered down for you water. Any one from a house thinks you scum any one from off world thinks you the lowest of the low. But your on the world that makes the most precious substance in the universe.
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dotting for interest, martial classes are still avaiable right? Would like to play a Sand Freman Rogue. Anything I should know before I create a character?
I have read the core books, seen all the movies and mini-series. Really liked the original movie even though it took a lot of poetic licence from the books, like it can't ever rain on Dune, the worms would die. But I digress, we could get into a lot of conversation about it.
I havent even read the whole first post and I want in. Now I will read the OP and see what I need to do to be in.
edit:So i'm definitely in but I was curious about how the race thing works. You give skill and Hit Dice numbers. Are we playing as our human type with no classes? If so do the BAB follow the Hit dice progression. If not Are we all getting a level of human for free and then taking Pathfinder classes. I think both work fine as for me it's about living on dune. I'll probably be a spice miner since we're living near Arrakeen and I can't be a deep desert Fremen. I sure hope others get interested!!!
I have read the core books, seen all the movies and mini-series. Really liked the original movie even though it took a lot of poetic licence from the books, like it can't ever rain on Dune, the worms would die. But I digress, we could get into a lot of conversation about it.
Well the worms could dive deep and wait for the water to evaporate. Also Mua'dib probably just made a localized downpour over Arrakeen. He's powerful but to make it rain over a whole planet is some serious stuff. But in all honesty your right we could get into a conversation because DUNE is that sweet.
@Tierce - Yes martial classes, so Sand Freman Rogue is perfect, please feel free to make a PC along that build.
@Shizzle89 - I see your point, yes ill go with you get a human level for free that follows your "Human type" and gives you HD and skills for that level v "Human type" thats your upbringing then Classes after that.
Follow them,
I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with a Ranger not sure about archetypes and such. I want to be the repairman for a spice mining company. Out there in the open desert risking lives and fixing ornithopters and harvesters. Also I was wondering if I would still get a companion? Not sure what yet, I'll have to look at the fauna of DUNE but perhaps a bird of some sort.
Cue the ride the worm jokes.
On that note what skill/skills should I be looking at to ride a worm. I figure we are Fremen after all and I know at least I was born in the desert.
Tierce's Sand Freman Rogue, let me know what you think
Crunch is in the alias
Remember this is 72 years before Paul-Muad'Dib and the Battle of Arrakeen
The Wild Fremen or just that, separated tribes using low tech and always fighting each other of this or that stile. They are not yet as they will be in the books and films. Some one has to change that, Hint hint.
There are storys with in the Village freman of wile fremen out in the great dessert who tamed "Shai-Hulud" The sandworm, but they are seen as story's like Jonner and the whale, for Chilean and old women to believe in. To the wild freman is a very closely guarded secret. Even when the Harkonnen have one of their "hunts" into the deeper desert (killing any wile fremen they see from Thopters with the use of missiles and Lazguns.) they have never seen such a site. If you take Sand Freman, then you may know about it but your family has links with wild fremen and would never talk about such things. As the Harkonnen would kill every one in a town or village to get such information.
@Shizzle, Yes you can be born outside the Shield wall in the deeper desert, but you moved as a child into the Villages around the main city at the pole. This means you have not done the rights to learn how to ride a worm. But you may know it can be done.
The players will be at some point heading out side the shield wall.
trust me your young and will be learning things in game.
When Riding the worm you will have to lean to use. maker hooks.
The Wild Fremen secretly master a way to ride sandworms for transportation across the open desert. First a worm is summoned with a thumper, the worm-rider then runs alongside it and catches one of the ring-segments with special maker hooks. The hooks are used to pry up the front of the segment, exposing the soft inner-tissue to abrasive sand. To avoid irritation, the worm will rotate this to the top of its body, carrying the rider with it. The worm will then safely remain above the surface until the hooks are released. Other Fremen may then plant additional hooks for steering, or act as "beaters", hitting the worm's tail to make it increase speed. A worm can be ridden for several hundred miles and for about half of a day, at which point it will become exhausted and sit on the open desert until the hooks are released, when they will burrow back down to rest. The worm-riding ritual is used as a coming-of-age ritual among the wild Fremen. Worm-riding is used by Paul-Muad'Dib during the Battle of Arrakeen for troop transport into the city after using atomic weapons to blow a hole in the Shield Wall.
@Tierce - Symek, thats great and just what I wanted, Now you earn you weekly water, what dos you PC do, You can help Smugglers, steal from the Houses, even found the odd off worlder to render down for water. You have a house as such to stay in, rent a room etc. let me know what you think.
Your PCs Still-suit is of wild Freman manufacture, old but still a lot better than the Village made ones, you need only 10ml of water a day to live.
Sorry did I not tell you, On dune you need water or you die, water dally.
If you have a Village Still-suit thats 100ml a day.
If no suit you need 1L a day, that's because when you pee the water is cleaned and given back to you in the Public and privet Toilets, ml for ml of water.
Are you still looking for players? I could stat something up.
Symek distrusts off-worlders and hates any member of the Houses. He would steal from the Houses
Nice we both picked one name names. No last names for Fremen. Would you like us to roll for our human level or just take max as Symek did. I'm working on Selick right now and will follow Symek as an example. It's kind of weird we have similar names and I picked mine before I even saw yours. Perhaps we are meant to be brothers.
I think Selick could be good at stealing if necessary. It could be one of the reasons I mine for the bastard Harkonnen. Get close to the spice. Granted they don't exactly go light on the searching after you're in the field. Maybe I'll use my connections and trust to steal supplies like water instead that's a bit easier to do. Much less addicting. If you need us in the city, I could be on leave while a spice field is prospected...or whatever. I want this character to be good at know(engineering) and if possible know how to build or at least repair stillsuits. Maybe I could be why Symek and my old suits still work at all not to mention working better than anything in the city.
Is this the knife we get as sand fremen? That's the kind of knife I want he he. It also mentions the use of rifles in there. I know I wont have one to start but eventually perhaps Selick could build/buy/steal one.
please do SuperUberGeek
Selick - Max as Symek did
I'm ok with being related, it is a good idea.
And yeah, do we get the crysknives? or just regular pathfinder daggers?
I will work something up this evening. I am away from home the rest of the day hopefully I will have an job by the end of it.
Also can we have traits, even just one. I would very much like to make Know(eng) a class skill. Most of my crunch is done just not posted here. Symek we were both born in the desert but we need to find a reason we left. Perhaps you stole someone's water? Or maybe we comitted taboo by trying to keep our blind(from a sand bloom) father from being sent to his death(we were young and emotional). we were sent into the desert with nothing but our stillsuits and told to find our way apart from Sietch ??.
Perhaps we were sent as spys to learn the way of the villiagers. Perhaps a more forward thinking deep desert sietch whos seer has seen the coming of the mua'dib and wishing relations to start now with Arrakeen. Just tossing ideas around. I'll work on something better soon. Today I'm busy with all sorts of errands and helping my friend make a character for my game. Let me know if you've got any ideas.
I'm open for any ideas. Was thinking something more along the lines of coming to Arrakeen at a very young age as our mother felt it was the best idea for us to survive. We could be from a tribe that was all but wiped out and our water was taken from us so living under the offworlders was the only way we could survive
Hmmm i like your idea. It gives us good reason to resent the people who destroyed our seitch(most likely Harkonnen not like anyone needs a reason to resent them.) It also gives us a reason to be hardened and stoic. We may not have been trained completely in a seitch but we got the basics and our desire for vengeance taught us the rest. Perhaps our mother was a stilsuit maker and kept our suits fitted as we grew as well as teaching me to repair them. You didn't need much training except for the blood in your veins to know how to use a crys like an artist.
edit: I was also thinking about taking the falconer archetype. It just seems right to have a hawk on Arrakis. I'm actually asking in the rules section about whether a vulture is alowed RAW. I guess the only important thing though is whether GSV would let me have a giant vulture companion instead. Perhaps a hawk until level 4 and then I can switch to a vulture. I thought i remember reading about vultures in the desert but perhaps I'm just imagining it and they were all just hawks. I'm thinking of the scene when Liet is in the desert dying.
traits - yes two but none magic ones and relative.
If you lost your Seitch, then a good story would be the "Jacurutu" did it, the Cast out, the stealthy takers of water. The most accused people and destroyer out in the sounds. After the attracted they placed a stolen space craft outside and let the Harkonnen know where it was. You are all that's left.
Long before the arrival of House Atreides on Arrakis, a group of renegade Fremen based in Jacurutu caused havoc on the arid planet by killing other Fremen for the water contained in their bodies.
The other tribes called the group Iduali, meaning "water insects"
I will look at traits and add them in
So Mathematical prodigy is technically a magic trait but has nothing to do with magic, except the know(arcana) part. Can I still take it? Also on a more important note, do you think it's worth it for me to be good at engineering, in other words will it be relevant for where you want this game to go?
Ok so i finished my crunchy bits. I just need some help with equipment. I had thought to take two-weapon fighting but I don't know if I will have the ability to start with 2 crysknives. Also is it cool to have a longbow. I definitely don't have the money to get a +str one or MW yet but it would be nice to have some ranged capability. Finally is the knife you gave us +1 like magic? Is that to represent the awesomeness that is the crys? Or is that just a mistype.
I figure I'll roll my spice starting allotment now.
Selick , yes and yes and if you wish to blow stuff up its an engineering, roll
Selick , yes and yes and if you wish to blow stuff up its an engineering, roll
Oh good i like blowing stuff up. he he
No one starts with a crysknives the Harkonnen have a bounty on them of your own wait x 100 of spice. In other words, if you have one its very very well hidden and never taken out in front on any one but wild freman.
Blades and Knives are made of Steel, or Platie-Steel (MS).
crysknives count as MW and you can only be given one at start of game.
So one more thing, Every player gets one ITEM for free I will ok each item for each player. A sand Freman could have a crysknive but its very high risk to have one. All the houses would kill you for it and all Wild Freman would kill you to keep it safe from them, and they have eyes everywhere.
Awesome, that means I get one!
yes you can have one BUT, Remember if your found with it or any one sees you with it your dead.I will tell you now a wild Freman will come and get it way before a house can get their hands on it. So have it hid out in the shield wall or some other place.
I have added some notes in the Campaign info, on kit and how water to Space units works. If you have 10 units of space you would be a very rich SOB off world, but your not and whats more any one on DUNE for any time gets Spice Addition. You have to eat one units of spice as per your Addition die a very slow and painful death.
rolling spice x10=10
Would I be able be a quarry worker and use an earth breaker hammer as my tool.
Another sand fremen joining the ranks. Noone wants to be the water heavy town freman. We could use a good smuggler though. It's too bad I like this guy so much or I'd play a shifty dealer.
Maybe I will switch to a smuggler
Dude you play what you want that's whats important. when I said we need I meant I have a cool idea in my head not that you should change. If you would have fun with it too then by all means don't let me talk you out of changing up.
I was thinking about smuggler anyway. I want to make a barbarian.
@GSV
so is a longbow enough of a weapon to get me shot on sight or would that be chocked up to me hunting? I'm worried my Slight of Hand will be quite bad for hiding knives and such on my person. I would very much like to have a Complex bow however If it will get me in trouble I would prefer a Budi Pistol(though i still will stink at hiding it...). I would also like to craft a Still Backpack onto my old suit to save on spice.
Craft(SS): I'll assume DC 20 for wild fremen suit.
I was also wondering how we should measure spice versus gold for buying mundane items detailed in the pathfinder books. If I would like a Wrist Sheath for instance (normally 1 gold) would this cost me 1 Spice, 10ml water, 1 credit? I understand the conversion between spice, credits, and water but unless you would like us to ask you about every mundane item purchase(which I'm cool with doing by the way) It would be useful to know what 1 gold or silver even is worth in comparison to one of those other currencies on Arrakis.
Also as a final note I'm stoked to play this game The team looks good so far and Uber Geek is just going to add to it im sure. The harrkonnen better watch the F out.
edit:well failed the craft so try again.
Edit again:Sweet nat 20. so it costs 2 spice units or 40(grams) so I pay 1/3 of that and then fail by 5 or more so have to buy 1/6 of the total price again so total cost is 3/6 or 1/2. sweet saved a day of sweet sweet drug candy.
Yeh one more edit:I think I'm going to take the catch off guard feat. That way I can use anything as a weapon and the dumb Harrkonnens can go stick it. I'm thinking a thumper will make a good 2h improvised piercing and Bludgeoning weapon.
I was thinking about smuggler anyway. I want to make a barbarian.
Yes you are rocking! It's like you're reading my mind.
Mundane item purchase
1 Spice unit = 1 gold then split the Unit 1/20 for silver etc.
The Bow is a problem, but if your hunting out in the sands inside the shield wall, then you can hid it in cloth, I will not be making you roll Slight of hind unless it becomes a matter in game. With your skill, you can make that Suit 20s do that.
earthbraker hammer as a tool yes fine with that but walking into a water bar with it my be a problem. So outside yes in side get a knife.
Note just about every one has a knife on them some where, if not that they they know "Fremen Kempo"
If you have close links to wild fremen read this ->
Wild Fremen education consists not of formal schooling in specific subject areas but of a total life training. A child is trained by all members of the tribe from his earliest days until maturity. The life and safety of the tribe depends upon each person's ability to observe the water discipline of the sietch and to know how to conduct himself on the dangerous open sands of Dune.
The Fremen are renowned fighters, and Advantages like Combat Reflexes, Immunity to Pain, and Toughness are common among their ranks. Because of the harsh environment of Arrakis, most Fremen with physical disadvantages do not survive, and even mental disadvantages can be fatal if they led to acting without considering the consequences. The Fremen are considered a worthless race of people by the Harkonnen government. Duty to the sietch, Intolerance of outsiders, and a lesser Status are common traits. Most Fremen are vicious in battle and their duels are to the death, not first blood. The life of the desert leaves very little time to put on weight. Many Fremen are Skinny, and none of them are overweight. Due to life in a stillsuit, most Fremen also have a strong body odor which is mildly offensive to non-Fremen.
Fremen Kempo - Monk Class skill + Feat for any one with wild freman (background or contacts) A skill Dex.
This is the martial art of the Fremen natives to Arrakis. Almost unknown to the general population of the Imperium, Fremen Kempo is a dynamic combat style. Its roots are found in the ancient teachings of predecessors of the Zensunni wanderers who first colonized Arrakis. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of different branches of the style, from "soft" styles similar to ancient T'ai Chi to "hard" styles not unlike kickboxing, and numerous variations in between as the various Fremen sietches personalize their own style.
New Feats - Wild Freman skills
Prerequisite Wild freman contacts.
You may now live in younger life with wild Freman or spent time with them, but they showed you some things of great use out in the deep desert.
Pick - 2 from below and get +1 in each
Sand walking - Skill dex
Thumper use - Skill Wis
Knowledge (Water Discipline)
Knowledge (wild Fremen)
Survival (Deep Dersert)
Craft (Sill Suit Wild Freman)
This feat can be taken multiple times.
Feat: Fremen Kempo - Skill Dex
Prerequisite trait - Wild Freman Upbringing
This fighting style is used to incapacitate and disarm in place of Grapple.
New trait - Off world contacts.
Your not a Native of dune, you have off world contacts and can get
black market off world items.
New trait - Wild Freman Upbringing
You may now live inside the shield wall but in younger life you lived with the wild Freman, gain wild Freman contacts.
I'm going to have to bow out of the running for this. I have a lot on my plate to keep me busy with currently. Sorry for the inconveinance
Not at all, as we have so few players I think now with only two players with PCs done none starter, guys.
I will just say that I love the idea and that this has inspired me to buy the Dune book so thankyou :D
NOOOOOOOOO! well I got to say you have inspired me at least. Selick is ready to live on arrakis whenever. If now is not the time perhaps more people will be ready at another juncture. I'm here and ready though and I'll be checking this thread.
Ok I need to do a roll call on who wants to play,
If we have 4 or more then the games on its that simple guys
thats about the min to play :) this thread is still open.
I would really like to run this game but need players of course.
Its funny how players like pathfinder yet will not play the the worlds
if he books its based on. Jack Vance's Dying earth world,
Do not know what I am talking about? then look up where
Prismatic Spray comes from. GG loved Vance more than Tolkin.
But genericism seems to be where RPG is heading more and more.
O well. :)
On a side note: the Idea for the setting is simple if you get the DUNE book read the bit at the back about Pardot Kynes.