World of Kythmor

Game Master Lizrd



OOC World Knowledge:

The entire world was created by magical forces, which then became embedded into the land itself. Minor magic is an everyday occurrence. Almost everyone is born with an innate minor magical talent. However, in some places the magical forces have become twisted, twisting the land itself and making even the most minor magic perilous, creating harsh living conditions.

Because the world was not created through natural forces, weather patterns make no sense. Eternal rain and wind storms rage across the oceans; areas of freezing temperatures border areas of scorching heat, the transitions being mere feet in some areas; rivers flow in whatever direction they want, completely ignoring north and south.

OOC Campaign Background:

Prologue:

The Empire of Turnamen fell 117 years ago. The absence of a central power has caused a vacuum in the region that every petty lord and lady wants to fill. Since "the fall," as it is known, the entire region has been in a constant state of chaos, with borders and laws changing daily. No one can predict how or when the violence and chaos will end, but many scholars agree that it will take a very powerful leader and a lot of loss of life. So far, none have come close to uniting anybody, let alone the entire region.

Amidst all this chaos is one area of peace: The Kingdom of Morbern, an island chain off the southeast coast of the fallen empire. One hundred years ago, one human was able to unite the Houses of Morbern under one leader. "The Monarch," as he has become known, was able to unite the Houses of Morbern so that they could withstand the tyranny of the petty lords and ladies of the land and rebel for their freedom. Since the first Monarch, there have been many others, some stronger, some weaker, but all bearing the name, "The Monarch."

The Monarch has been trying to stem the flow of trade into Mondalas on the mainland, especially arms and armor, until some semblance of order has been established. He is not indifferent to the suffering of the people on the mainland, and so does not wish to be associated with it by providing supplies to those in control.

It has been openly wondered in the cities and towns of Morbern: "Why doesn't The Monarch lead the army to Mondalas to stabilize the region?"

To top it off, there have been rumors, grown more persistent, of rebellion on the Northern Island. So far open conflict hasn't occurred, but there seems to be a tension in the air...

The South is an island rich in fertile soil; rivers and forests abound. The east coast is mountainous, with very tall peaks. The mountain range acts as a weather buffer against the violent storms that come from the open ocean to the east. As a result, most of the violence is lost and only the gentle rains are able to reach the inland regions. Unfortunately, as plentiful as the timber and farmland are, every other resource is either extremely rare or nonexistent, which is why trade is so important to the island.

The North is a stark contrast to the South; dry, flat, rocky. Devoid of almost all life that isn't directly involved in the island's industry. Crops do not grow and water is scarce, so food and water has to be shipped in from the South. In return, metal ores and minerals are shipped south for processing, and then either used in the Kingdom (north and south), or traded to the mainland. With The Monarch's trade restrictions, however, the industry of the north is slowly being strangled, and with the drop in demand, food shipments are also slowing.

It is common knowledge among Kingdom Historians that this disparity of climates in two islands that are less than 30 miles apart is not natural. During the waning days of the empire, the islands were not unaffected. When the chaos hit the northern island, there was little resistance. The governor, a mage of formidable skill and power, placed a curse on the island just before he was struck down.

It is unknown what his true goal was, or even if the curse was supposed to be permanent, but after his demise the rains stopped. The wind, however, did not, so it wasn't long before the plants and animals started dying from thirst, with the wind scouring the land clean of all that was dead. Since that time, not a single drop of rain has fallen on the northern island.

OOC Deity Knowledge:

Deities are an ever constant presence. Not true gods in the normal sense, the office of a deity goes to whomever has the power, talent and desire to grab it. A deity changes one of two ways: the current office holder is either killed, or they voluntarily step down (and usually hand picks their sucessor). They are extremely difficult to kill, though not impossible. There is an eternal war between those who wish to protect the world's inhabitants and those who wish to enslave or destroy them. Unfortunately, the world is their battleground.

There are numerous demi-deities that exist in service to the major deities. These demi-deities usually have only a small, local influence. The major deities have global influence and power and transcend all races and cultures. The race of any particular deity changes based on who holds the office.

In general, the deities are divided into one of three pantheons: Light, Dark, and Neutral, sometimes referred to as Grey. This division is a general definition of how the deity helps or hinders humanity. These lists usually change when the office changes hands, though this isn't always the case.

Some deities are at direct odds with each other. Some deities have conflicting objectives, but are not necessarily "against" each other. Other deities care only for their domain and, as long as another deity doesn't step into it, cares not what the other deities do.

While the role of religion varies greatly between cultures, the clerics in any culture are those who serve the deities by acting as intercessors for the common people, and in return are granted powers by the deities. The common people usually do not petition the deities directly, but will ask the clerics to petition on their behalf.

The influence and power of the deities are felt in varying degrees based upon the culture. Some towns and villages have clerics for only one or two deities, while clerics for each deity can be found in the larger trade towns, if one knows where to look.

Individual Deities:

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Name: Chilsanda

Title: Protector of Life
Portfolio: Life, Growth, Birth, Healing
Typical Worshippers: Healers, Midwives
Typical Worshipper Alignment: Lawful Good

Domains:
Subdomains:
Favored Weapon:

Lore:
Goddess of everything Life, including birth, growth, fertility, and healing, she is known to also be a protector of children everywhere. Though she realizes that death must eventually come to all, she is vehemently opposed to the actions of Thanselor, the Destroyer of Life. Working to bring life to every corner of the world in hopes of overwhelming The Destroyer, Chilsanda charges her clerics with restoring life to the dying and encouraging fertility in the young. Although supreme when dealing with all life, Chilsanda generally leaves plants and animals to Mashta and deals mostly with the intelligent races of the land. The season of Growing is dedicated to Chilsanda, and the first month of the season (the first month of the year) is named in her honor.

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Name: Datana

Title: The Harvester
Portfolio: Harvest, Rewards, Justice
Typical Worshippers: Farmers, Judges
Typical Worshipper Alignment: Lawful Neutral

Domains:
Subdomains:
Favored Weapon: Scythe

Lore:
Goddess of the Harvest and Rewards, she is invoked to ensure a bountiful reaping of crops during her season, the season of Harvesting. Datana is also the personification of the saying, "That which you sow, so shall you reap." She rewards deeds (good and bad) justly. Because of this, Datana is also supreme over Justice, saying "Every action bears fruit." The first month of her season (the sixth month of the year) is named in her honor, in hopes of being rewarded with a good crop. She charges her clerics with the task of justly rewarding actions, whether good or bad. More often than not buildings that are dedicated to her double as courthouses, or at least a part of the building does. The decisions of her clerics are (generally) accepted without issue by the common people. Truth is paramount to The Harvester, and of all the deities The Trickster is her arch-nemesis, foiling her lies at every opportunity.

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Name: Torrin

Title: The Controller
Portfolio: Travel, Trade, Commerce, Weather
Typical Worshippers: Merchants, Tradesmen, Travellers
Typical Worshipper Alignment: Neutral

Domains:
Subdomains:
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Lore:
Torrin is fickle in how he exercises his power. He can both punish and please in an instant. Because he seems to follow his own desires, and because the people do not wish to annoy him, he is considered a neutral God. He can make sea or land travel seem to pass in an instant, or make every second of the journey a fight against the elements. Torrin also controls trade and commerce and, while he will generally protect the innocent from being swindled, he rewards business savvy. Because he is everything commerce, his clerics are often hired as temporary accountants and usually oversee large trade deals, including business mergers. His clerics are charged with making sure trade contracts are always carried out to the letter. Although travel and trade occur year round, the last month of the Harvest season (the tenth month of the year) is dedicated to him, to speed along the last preparations before The Destroyer takes hold of the land. As the Controller of Weather, Torrin works closely with most of the other deities.

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Name: Thanselor

Title: The Destroyer
Portfolio: Death, Dying
Typical Worshippers: Assassins, The Terminally Ill
Typical Worshipper Alignment: Chaotic Evil

Domains:
Subdomains:
Favored Weapon:

Lore:
God of Death and Dying, he is considered a Dark Lord because he refuses to let people and things die naturally. Although all unnatural death is his realm, Thanselor concerns himself only with the intelligent races of the land and, for the most part, ignores plants and animals. However, if the Dark Lord can cause a premature human death, he has been known to use plants and animals, much to the annoyance of Mashta. The season of Dying is dedicated to Thanselor, with the first month of the season (the eleventh month of the year) named in respect to him. He attempts to defy Chilsanda, the Protector of Life, at every opportunity. The Dark Lord encourages his clerics to bring a speedier death to all, and especially the sick and injured.

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Name: Kiltor

Title: The Joker
Portfolio: Practical Jokes
Typical Worshippers: All who like to laugh at others' expense
Typical Worshipper Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

Domains:
Subdomains:
Favored Weapon: Net

Lore:
God of Practical Jokes and everything that causes laughter at others' expense, he is disliked by the Festive One. Although only out for some good laughs, Kiltor's sense of humor is always aimed at someone. His humor knows no bounds, and he will spare no one for a laugh, including his followers. His pranks can range from the simple to the very elaborate. When The Joker is in town, people work together to drive him out, often turning his own pranks on him, much to his amusement. His clerics are charged with scheming up practical jokes at every opportunity. The fourth month of the Season of Dying (the fourteenth month of the year) is dedicated to him.

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Name: Tanna

Title: The Trickster
Portfolio: Trickery, Deception
Typical Worshippers: Spies, Lawyers, Thieves
Typical Worshipper Alignment: Neutral Evil

Domains:
Subdomains:
Favored Weapon:

Lore:
Goddess of Trickery and Deception, The Trickster is hated by truthsayers and loved by thieves. She is apt at making people look where she wants them to look, and not where they need to be looking. Lies come easier than truths. Tanna will trick and deceive anyone and everyone she can to meet her needs, even going so far as to tell the truth in a way that makes it look like a lie. She is directly opposed to The Harvester, peppering Datana's truths with lies whenever possible. Though thieves may follow Tanna, they must still go through her clerics to petition her. Her worship sites are well hidden and her followers' identities well veiled in illusion. Her clerics are charged with telling lies whenever possible, never letting the truth be known. The fifth month of the Dark Lord's Season (the fifteenth month of the year) is dedicated to her.

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Sun, Light (Light, God)

Magic, Secrets (Neutral, God)
God of Magic and Secrets, called The Mage and The Keeper.

Knowledge, Learning, Teaching (Neutral, Goddess)

Moon, Darkness [good] (Light, Goddess)

Animals, Plants (Neutral, Goddess)

Festivities, Entertainment (Light, God)

Hunt, Survival (Neutral, God)

Suffering, Pain (Dark, God)

Shadows, Darkness [evil] (Dark, Goddess)

Campaign Setting:

Coming Soon

Character and Equipment Rules:

General Character Rules:

• Only Paizo published content (no third party content) - use Paizo.com and d20pfsrd.com There will be absolutely NO excetions to this rule!
  
• Alignments must be non-evil.
  
• The following Races are acceptable: All Core Races plus Catfolk, Dhampir (must take Dayborn alternate racial trait), Drow (no spell resistance; must take Surface Infiltrator alternate racial trait), Duergar (must take Daysighted alternate racial trait), Gripplis, Nagaji, Ratfolk, Samsarans, Tengu (no Swordtrained racial trait), Vanaras
  
• The following Classes are NOT acceptable: Antipaladin, Gunslinger, Ninja, Samurai.
  
• All Class archetypes are acceptable, with the exception of the following: Synthesist Summoner. This list is subject to change if it comes to my attention that a particular archetype is considered "broken" by the general Pathfinder Community.
  
• 20 point buy Use this calculator
  
• You may choose up to 2 traits, 3 with GM permission if you choose an acceptable drawback. This is optional. See the Character Backgrounds section for more details.
  

House Rules:

Just like an attack roll resulting in a natural 20 requires a confirmation roll to confirm a Critical Hit, an attack roll resulting in a natural 1 will require a confirmation roll to confirm (or avoid) a Critical Miss.

On an attack roll resulting in a natural 1, roll the attack again using the same modifiers. If this confirmation roll hits, then the origical attack was simply a miss. If this confirmation roll misses, then it is a Critical Miss.

A Critical Miss with a weapon attack results in a dropped weapon (melee/thrown) or a broken string (ranged). If the attack was part of a Full Attack, all further attacks are lost. Restringing a ranged weapon is a Standard Action that provokes an Attack of Opportunity. You can instead take a Full Action to restring your weapon defensively, avoiding an Attack of Opportunity.

A Critical Miss with a magic attack results in ???. (I'm lost as to an equivalent penalty for a magic attack at the moment.)