Friendly Fighter

Grayson Delois II's page

5 posts. Alias of Tyrn Jade.




Welcome welcome!

So some updates to the game.....

We will have a default party of 5. Dru, Seanalon, and Grayson can be exchanged for other NPC's you encounter throughout the game. Statistically, and a crude statistic at that, a 1:2 ratio of PC to NPC means NPCs are 66% more likely to land killing blows and do other cool things to creatures. As much as we all love imagining Seanalon hack a hill giant into chunks, I'm sure you guys would have much more fun doing it yourselves, so we will see how this works :)

The other option is that you guys make and control two characters, but that's entirely up to you. The offer is on the table.

Certain NPCs will enable special quests, or may be required for special tasks. It all depends on the quest and the people in your party can make a difference on how successful you are at completing them.

I know you haven't made an avatar yet, John, but if you had your sights set on any of the images I used for the NPCs, please let me know. You have first dibs.

Can't wait to start playing again! Be warned, my internet is really f*#&y and it slows my DMing down a lot. Hopefully I will be getting this remedied.


Welcome welcome!

So some updates to the game.....

We will have a default party of 5. Dru, Seanalon, and Grayson can be exchanged for other NPC's you encounter throughout the game. Statistically, and a crude statistic at that, a 1:2 ratio of PC to NPC means NPCs are 66% more likely to land killing blows and do other cool things to creatures. As much as we all love imagining Seanalon hack a hill giant into chunks, I'm sure you guys would have much more fun doing it yourselves, so we will see how this works :)

The other option is that you guys make and control two characters, but that's entirely up to you. The offer is on the table.

Certain NPCs will enable special quests, or may be required for special tasks. It all depends on the quest and the people in your party can make a difference on how successful you are at completing them.

I know you haven't made an avatar yet, John, but if you had your sights set on any of the images I used for the NPCs, please let me know. You have first dibs.

Can't wait to start playing again! Be warned, my internet is really f%#~y and it slows my DMing down a lot. Hopefully I will be getting this remedied.


Welcome welcome!

So some updates to the game.....

We will have a default party of 5. Dru, Seanalon, and Grayson can be exchanged for other NPC's you encounter throughout the game. Statistically, and a crude statistic at that, a 1:2 ratio of PC to NPC means NPCs are 66% more likely to land killing blows and do other cool things to creatures. As much as we all love imagining Seanalon hack a hill giant into chunks, I'm sure you guys would have much more fun doing it yourselves, so we will see how this works :)

The other option is that you guys make and control two characters, but that's entirely up to you. The offer is on the table.

Certain NPCs will enable special quests, or may be required for special tasks. It all depends on the quest and the people in your party can make a difference on how successful you are at completing them.

I know you haven't made an avatar yet, John, but if you had your sights set on any of the images I used for the NPCs, please let me know. You have first dibs.

Can't wait to start playing again! Be warned, my internet is really f*#%y and it slows my DMing down a lot. Hopefully I will be getting this remedied.


This game is about as sandbox as it gets. The plot is relatively simple compared to my other campaigns and there are few limits in general placed on the players; so things only get as interesting as the players make them. This gives the players amazing power over the world, which may or may not completely change the plot. Hence the generic title.


This game is about as sandbox as it gets. The plot is relatively simple compared to my other campaigns and there are few limits in general placed on the players; so things only get as interesting as the players make them. This gives the players amazing power over the world, which may or may not completely change the plot. Hence the generic title.


This game was originally reserved for a few players (myself and a buddy) and it was put in storage for sometime. However, I have found my imagination traveling to this world again and felt the need to revive it and open it to the public. The game will pick up where it left off, which is at the end of one of the player's introductions. There should not be any continuity issues in the gameplay thread, but there will be some edits to some of the information and lore provided in the spoilers below in the next few days (8/16/2014-8/20/2014). This game is homebrewed into every orifice. Inspirations for this world include Elder Scrolls series (open sandbox style), Alpha Centauri (grand concepts and tech ideas), Fallout (for ridiculous gameplay and action), and Pathfinder (for all unoriginal elements where I fell short on creativity).

Setting:

The campaign will take place mainly in Anthropos and Maor. I should mention that the names of the human races represent the land they call home, which is usually part of, or entirely, a continent. So Maorens are native to the continent of Maor, Anthrosians to Anthropos, and so on.

It is the Anthrosian year of 5515 (the year is arbitrary), and it has been 65 years since the Master Race, as they are commonly referred, invaded Ningen and began their conquest over the human world. The Master Race call themself “Eridani”, and they have never been seen before by humans prior to their invading. Current theories suggest they came from the lands across the Simmering Sea to the east of Ningen, and over the Serpent’s Spine; an endless mountain chain that marks the edge of the world. Common people believe the world simply drops off over the mountains. The Serpent’s Spine can be reached sailing east or west, hence the reason people think it is the end of the world, though Anthrosian scientist have different theories that are not easily accepted by the majority.

The Eridani were met with resistance at first, but the war was short as their technology and use of magic was far superior to even the grandest Anthrosian gizmos or even to the archmages of Manava. There were five strong years of war between the humans and the Eridani, but the resistance became too weak and scattered that it fizzled into what became the surrender of all the sovereignty of humanity. The generation that fought in the War of Skies would be in between the ages of 65 and 95 in present day.

Ironically, as soon as the resistance stopped, the Eridani began trade and sharing resources including their magitech, or what is more commonly known as “dragontech”, which has greatly enhanced infrastructure and ease of life. Currently, the only really defined resistance against the Eridani is from the “feral” orcs in the southlands of Bantu. The Eridani have decided to use the orcs’ lack of intellect against them, by essentially domesticating them in extremely efficient housing that eventually became the products of slums. Orcs in these societies are known as “drones”, but they would find that insulting, as some orcs take pride in their work. The war in the southlands is seen as a syphon for the bulk of the Eridani’s workforce and military. Slaver barons are contracted by the Master Race to raid and capture orcs and bring them back to Eridani controlled territory for indoctrination.

The years of takeover following the rebellion were more cooperative, as the Eridani wanted to be met with little resistance. Instead of indoctrinating the populace into their laws and way of life, they simply allowed the humans to proceed somewhat normally, though there is no doubt the looming sense of living under a totalitarian state. Though the governments of the differing people can function as they usually do, the will of the Eridani supersede any rulings and any judgment they would normally have power over. Every divine household in Maor, every city-state in Anthropos, every dynasty in Ningen, every merchant king in Manava, and every kingdom in Bantu have at least one Eridani within their council. The laws of the Eridani are simple: Most crimes are punishable by death, but a few crimes are rewarded with rehabilitation centers, where criminals receive education and therapy with the hope of making them more productive members of society. Another rule is that no human is allowed to be in possession of dragontech weapons without a permit, which is usually earned by exceptional individuals that have significantly aided the Eridanis’ ambitions. These "draconic nationalist" gain mild leadership roles and lordships, and some are even able to rise high in military ranks. Common folk call humans that work directly for the Draconic Dominion “giant-huggers”. The elite military force in the Eridani military is the Deoxul; known in the Common tongue as “Dragoons”. These select Eridani are small in number, but elite in combat, and often lead troops into battle. Their special armor allows them to produce eldritch wings that grant them flight. Entire platoons of Dragoons are a rare sight to see, though that is exactly what the vanguard was composed of during their initial invasion of Ningen.

In addition to the presence of giant humanoids in everyday life, the Eridani also brought with them mysterious and powerful creatures. These "invasives" have greatly disrupted the natural ecology of Nerul. Farmers and city guards alike now have to defend their lands and people from things other than wolves, wandering dead from reckless mages, and the occasional roc. Now people are threatened by basilisk, wyverns, and even beings of pure energy.

In essence, this world was only slightly fantastic prior to the War of Skies. It is now ultra fantastic, and many humans struggle with the rapid changes that have come to their lives.

Relevant History:

In the year 5450, prior to the initial invasion of the War of Skies, the Rhaelian Empire had assimilated many kingdoms into its society as a benefactor to mankind. It was an imperial republic that thrived for 280 years, and the governed were generally in a state of happiness. Culture and technology were thriving as Anthrosian governance toppled despots and gave power to the people of the land. Some lands were won by conquest, and others were won by winning the love of the people. Other lands existed that held on to their independence, such as the Divine Houses of Maor (west to northwest of Anthropos), the Radiant Dynasties of Ningen (east of Anthropos, across the Gulf of Juri), the Kingdoms of the Sun in Bantu (waaay southwest of Anthropos), and the Daemon Guilds of Manava (south to southeast of Anthropos).

The empire would eventually reduce in size following what is known as the War of Skies; the time when the flying giants came from the sky with angelic wings of illuminating energy of varying color among individuals. They attacked the lands of Ningen first, blanketing their skies in prismatic colors as they flew over cities and villages. The ningentu riddle with awe and disbelief while the royal families declared fealty to their mysterious invaders. Even the monks had approved the coming of the Master Race, as their arrival was prophesied from interpretations of hieroglyphs found in a temple to the northeast of Ningen. This temple has become known as the Terminus Paradisus (Final Paradise), and it is also referred to as the Gates of Paradise. Since its discovery 40 years ago, many people have developed a spirituality associated with this temple. It rest at the foot of one of the Vjolnir’s Spines (one of the mountains of Vjolnir’s Spine), and since people believe the world ends beyond the Spine, then on the other side of these colossal gates must be the land of eternal life and supreme happiness. The monks of Ningen took great pleasure in the new understanding, and so the Master Race was met with little resistance from the ningentu, believing them to be their ushers into the afterlife. The manavir also showed little resistance to the invasion from the Master Race, as their power was easily bought out with draconic riches.

The anthrosians rebelled to a significant degree, favoring their freedom over life, but ultimately it was realized that surrender meant survival. The surrender of the Rhaelian Empire was triggered by a grand deceit played by some of the manavi guilds; creating tensions that are present in modern day society between Manava and the rebels. Their betrayal cost the rebels dearly, and the act rippled throughout the lands of humans, dissipating and shattering their cause into pieces.

Since the Feast of Dragons, or also known as the Fall of Ikarus, the anthrosians surrendered their sovereignty, and the remnants of the rebellion fell to the scattered armies of the maorens, bantulu, and the orcs.

The most famous and strongest group among the rebels was the Dead Cloaks, who were founded and led by a young maoren boy of 14 named Indrid Rhoan, who was often mistaken for 17 given his early blooming into manhood. The Dead Cloaks were composed of all civilians who were not enlisted with a traditional military, and they often acted outside of laws of warfare when it came to fighting the Master Race. They are called the Dead Cloaks because every time the Master Race kills a human, the Dead Cloaks grow in numbers because friends and families find motivation to rise against them. They are identified by wearing a black cloak, or a scarf, or some other garment, bearing a white dragon skull.

Indrid Rhoan, along with the bulk of his force, died at the age of 19 during the Feast of Dragons. It is believed that certain guild lords had arranged for an alliance between them and the rebels within the city of Ikarus, which at that time the city was considered safe territory considering all the potential civilian casualties. The bulk of the Dead Cloaks and other rebels were led into a trap, and they were swarmed within the city by dragoons and being torn to bits by their lances and consumed by their wyvern mounts. The powerful magic of the Master Race, coupled with the powerful sorcery of the manavir, caused great destruction to the city of Ikarus, leaving remnant magic auras lingering in the atmosphere in present day, and also statues of soldiers and common people that fell victim to a petrification spell. This marked the end of the War of Skies, and for 65 years the Master Race has made great efforts with the reconstruction of their new colonies. During this time, the Master Race fights only proxy-wars against scattered bands of rebels to the north, and also fight against the orcs in the southlands of Bantu. Resistance against the Master Race is virtually fizzled in this day and age, and the only people that were alive during the invasion are dead or dying.

There are those that still believe living under the dominion of the Master Race is to live like cattle, and with passions fueled from their grandparents’ stories, they join the ragtag militias to the north to try and reignite the rebellion. The demographic usually consist of young-adults of maoren and anthrosian decent, though other races are found in these groups as well. Most people however, have grown content with their presence, as law and order make life under their rule rather peaceful and somewhat safer than before. Also, the Master Race has incorporated their technology into the infrastructure of prominent cities, making them efficient and allowing human civilizations to extend beyond their normal functions.

Current Happenings:

We will begin our campaign in the late spring of the anthrosian year of 5515. Prominent cities tend to have more presence of the Eridani, as they are more formally known as, while more rural areas scarcely see them except for important occasions or if they are using the road. The ningen essentially worship the Eridani as their superiors, and revere them for their power, which is a generalization; no doubt to be proceeded by more. The Daemon Guilds stick to their daemon worship and opulence, while they revel in the luxuries the new technology has provided. The Federation of Anthropos grudgingly live under Eridani rule, but also shamefully enjoy the new technology, as they were once the world leaders in science and technology. The Sun Kingdoms of Bantulu also grudgingly swear fealty to the Eridani, with some southern kingdoms actually joining ranks with the orcs to help break their chains. The orc tribes (and there are too many to list) are at all-out war with the Eridani, and have been since their first encounter. Orcs provide a significant amount of the work-force and military, though orc soldiers are never sent to the southlands as there is too much risk for defection if they were to encounter their kin. The Divine Houses of Maor only swear fealty to the Eridani because they are too weak to resist them. They disdain the presence of the Eridani and use little of their dragontech. Scattered bands of rebels mostly find themselves hiding away either in the wilderness, or hiding in plain sight by not wearing their “colors” when in public. Many rebels live double-lives, one life being spent trying to survive the normal hardships of existence, while the other life is spent secretly fighting the Dominion.

For Cecil Macer only: We will actually begin the game with you and Vincent Tivolt on tour in the southlands. You are both corporals in the Draconic Fleet, and you and your unit are being sent to fight the war against the orcs. This battle is particularly important, as your superiors made it a point to mention that the safe retrieval of what they simply referred to as “the artifact” will be rewarded greatly. The artifact is in the possession of an orc warlord named Turok (yes, it’s staying) who is fortified within his stronghold. The individual that retrieves the artifact is allowed to make a single request of the Eridani, and to those who are aware of their power, the reward could be great indeed.

Character Creation:

• Begin at level 3.
• Max HP for first three levels. Half HP every level after third.
• 87 attribute points to distribute. Cannot have an attribute be more than 18 or less than 3. Racial attributes can bring you to 20 and such.
• Wound/Vitality system with minor modifications*.
• Gestalt (you’re welcome), but no PRC (I’m sorry).
• Third Party Classes allowed with GM approval.
• I prefer the “Armor as DR” variant rules, but I will leave that to a vote. A Link to the AC boosts will be provided in the “Links” spoiler.
o No Armor Prof.: Column A.
Light Armor Prof.: Column B.
Medium Armor Prof.: Column C.
Heavy Armor Prof.: Column D.
o AC boosts from other sources (i.e. spells such as Mage Armor) add to your actual AC and not toward DR. Predominantly physical AC boost (i.e. bonuses from body armor, natural armor, and shields) apply to DR. Half your DR bonus rounded down is applied to WP dmg.
• Heroic Distinctions. All training bonuses are considered “raw” and therefore, stack.
• Archetype flexibility: feel free to opt out of unwanted abilities from an archetype and/or replace them with wanted abilities from another archetype. Just as long as the chosen abilities do not replace the same original ability.
• Class skill changes noted in spoiler below.
• Enhanced gameplay mechanics noted in spoiler below.

Races:

Human
• +2 to any ability score.
• Medium size. Base land speed = 30ft/round.
• Languages: “Common”, plus native language of sub-race.
• Bonus Feat.
• Skills (+1 rank/lvl).

Human Sub-races (add the selected sub-race traits to the above features)

Maoren: a.k.a. Northmen.

Physiology: Maorens are tall, fair-skinned, and generally hairier than their close relatives, the Anthrosians. Their hair can be shown in radiant ruby colors, dark-chocolate brown, honey blonde, or even a subtle green. Their eye-color can be emerald green, icy blue, brown, and for denizens of house Ferron, a frenzied gold color, which is indicative of having Wildmen close in the bloodline. Brown colored eyes are found throughout all ethnicities. Maorens from house Ferron have an extremely strong sense of smell. Lay folk attest it to the similarities in the blood of Northmen and Wildmen, as folklore claims the Wildmen are actually packs of werewolves in their human forms. These claims are often disregarded as the illusions of the frightened minds of lay folk, and that the source of the keen smell is due to conditioning from hunting as a lifestyle. (Conglomerate of Scandanavian and Celtic cultures)

Personalities: Families and those an individual Maoren corporatizes with have strong friendships that last a long time. Equally, grudges do as well. They are wary of those outside of their company, making them skeptical of unfamiliar people. As stoic and stubborn as they are, they are not without celebration. Festivities in the mead halls of Maor draw many adventurers and noblemen to the continent. People say Maorens’ emotions can be as hot as fire and as cold as ice, seldom being in balance between the two.

Culture: Like a strong wolf-pack, Maorens favor cohesive families. Much honor is placed in strong families. Smaller, weaker families are generally incorporated into more powerful, bigger families. These clans are as variable in nobility as they are in sigils (a family could claim their sigil to be of a specific species of moss for all anyone cared). The four most significant clans to know are The Hunt, The Mountain, The River, and The Fertility. They are noble houses, and are nothing like the remote tribes of their wilder brethren. One can find the Wildmen dancing naked around a fire in the woods to appease an aspect of nature, but a Northmen would instead perform chants or hymns in favor of their Goddess, Hera. Their culture resembles medieval times, though since the arrival of the Master Race, more technology has found its way into their lives whether they like it or not.

Society: The four houses rule over the smaller houses, and the smaller houses incorporate even smaller ones, where eventually the rest of the land of Maor is settled by independent clans and further north, the Wildmen. Territory is determined by a family’s ability to defend that territory. Claiming sovereignty over land because of a divine right (or just because one says they do) is not recognized by Maorens. They are not conquerors, however, and do not actively invade other clans unless needed. To avoid conflict, most families assimilate with a larger one, becoming even stronger still as the clans organize and support each other. In recent times, these once powerful families now govern their lands in the interest of the Master Race, though grudgingly.

Religion: TBA.

Abilities: Northmen - Magehunter (4RP). Stubborn (2RP). Low-light Vision (1RP). Wildmen - Scent (4RP) replaces Magehunter (4RP).

Language: Orenic.

Anthrosian: a.k.a. Islanders.

Physiology: Anthrosians are slightly shorter and less hairy than Maorens, but typically have darker hair and darker skin. However, their variability in phenotype is probably the most noticeable among the ethnicities, as their once great and recently fallen empire had spread to many lands, incorporating more genes into their bloodline. Typically, Anthrosians can have fair to tan skin, platinum blonde to black hair, and a wide spectrum of eye color, including violet, blue-green, brown, and ice blue (a genetic gift from their Northmen cousins). (Grecco and Romantic cultures).

Personalities: Anthrosians are cerebral characters, often thinking things through with great rationality and critical thought. They are curious beings, often taking great risks to achieve their goals and to unearth new discoveries. Their large cities develop the average Anthrosian into a socialite by nature. They are progressive, open-minded, and they value their freedom above most things, but are not necessarily selfish. A common drawback found in Anthrosian personalities is an unintentional habit of being condescending. They also pride themselves on their native language and their ability to speak eloquently, which is certainly a result of diplomatic competitiveness found within a society that values free-speech.

Culture: Anthrosians value the arts and sciences, and place an emphasis on an individual’s education and power. They are productive, economical, and most of all, scientific. Their pragmatic nature has eliminated religion in the traditional sense, and the gods are viewed not in disbelief, but as having a tangible, measurable nature. The minority of the population has even claimed the Master Race to be their gods, as their superior technologies and arcane abilities are revered. Individual freedoms are highly valued, so their society tends to attract very progressive individuals. This also develops a variable culture, especially considering Anthropos’s central location and prominent coastal cities that are ripe with diversity and trade. Typical cityscapes resemble renaissance era technologies and artistic architecture with a Victorian wash. Arcane energy is utilized within infrastructure.

Society: Anthrosians have (or had) a democratically elected congress of city-state ambassadors that are charged with making major societal decisions. These diplomats produce laws or acts that are deemed necessary for the betterment of the empire, and they can only be vetoed by a single elected representative (the Prime Elector), who is considered the most important person in Anthrosian society. The elected representative is provided a personal council of experts that he or she can collaborate with for advisement, but the republic has the ability to remove them from their positions. In fact, the republic is entitled to remove any individual in a position entrusted with major decision-making. Though politics can be dark at times, this advanced and humanistic system has proven fair and has allowed the great expansion of the Rhaelian Empire. Presently, the Master Race has established itself as a supreme court over the management of the federation of city-states, granting themselves the power to thwart any law, act, or plea that is not in their favor. They are also given the right to create and enforce executive orders that supersede any laws or acts that have passed through the ambassadors and the representative.

Religion: TBA.

Abilities: Focused Study (4RP). Silver Tongued (3RP).

Language: Rha’lis.

Ningentu: a.k.a. Eastmen.

Physiology: Ningentu are slightly less tall than Anthrosians on average, and have heavy cream and coffee skin. They are virtually hairless on their bodies except for cranial, facial, and pubic hair. Their eyes are almond shaped and are black to dark brown in color. Though they can be strong, their physique tends to be leaner. This is probably due to the different diets they exercise, which are low in fat and high in protein, compared to the diets of Maorens, which is high in fat AND protein. Because of their strong sense of self-improvement within their culture, Ningentu have developed stronger resistances and also a greater understanding of the nature of energy and illusions. (Asian)

Personalities: Ningentu are varied in personality, but typical mindsets tend to favor the community over the individual. Discipline and self-improvement are common motivations among the populace, as it is believed that an enhanced individual is able to have great power, and become leaders and exemplars for the community to follow. Family values are held in high regard, which is a quality that Maorens can appreciate, though the physiological differences nurture xenophobia. They are a philosophically advanced people, often approaching problems with a unique angle. Some individuals are extremely humble, while others walk tall with great pride. This is due to the notion of accepting oneself for who one is. A person who walks with confidence has probably earned that outlook on his or her self by achieving great things, and so there is no shame in being humble toward such people as it is the appropriate feeling in such a person’s presence.

Culture: As stated, Ningen value the community over the individual, and also value personal achievements. Concerning their religion, they believe their world and the life within it are all of their ancestors reincarnated into varying forms of life. They believe when the world began, there was only man as energy, until the first generation died and brought new life, gradually nourishing the complexity of the universe as time recycled itself. The first generation of ancestors are said to make up the very fabrics of reality. Man existed only as a form of energy within a tiny atmospheric ball that laid in stasis within a grand and empty void. They believe many of these spheres existed throughout the Void, and together, with the re-manufacturing of their energy, led to the emergence of the properties of the universe. More recent generations make up the minute aspects of reality, which is associated with a trend the Ningentu noticed in the passing of time; the symbolic (as an evolutionary term) inheritance of knowledge allows more details to become apparent. Therefore, wisdom is the enhancement of one’s perception, which is due to the influx of ancestors and the compiling of knowledge throughout the generations. Many temples and places of prayer are found in natural settings, usually places where the landscape functions well as a structure that would contain a shrine. Their “preserves” are left undeveloped from civilization, as they believe the various climax forests found throughout Ningen are the heavens where their ancestors reside. For this reason, most of their cities are found in barren areas or along coasts, with temples and monasteries built into mountains away from civilization. The monks of these temples live very reclusive lives, and are held in high regard by the people of Ningen.

Society: Ningentu society is composed of various clans, warlords and settlements that swear fealty to a dynastic ruler, who was more than likely a warlord at one point that has risen to greater power. However, religion is virtually homogenous throughout the clans, and all leaders consider the wisdom of the monks to be above all created law. Their supreme understanding of the universe is revered by most people of Ningen, and even though the monks do not claim any power or establish any laws, their council acts as a master court by virtue of being respected. When rulers summon the council of the monks, it is usually concerning a grander idea that requires their wisdom, such as human-rights, or whether or not they should go to war, and other ethical questions that determine the very idea of themselves. The last summoning of the monks was approximately 220 years ago, when the Ningentu decided to invade the fertile lands of the Maorens when they refused to trade food during the years of the Black Sea. There are many dynasties vying for power over the land of Ningen, but with the current dominion of the Master Race, they declared blood truce. Conquering the ningentu was a relatively easy task for the Master Race as their truly awesome power was met with quick submission from the majority of the people, except for a few small, but strong, resistance groups that are now disassembled, leaving an old generation of drunken wandering warriors with no lords.

Abilities: Lucky, Greater (4RP). Illusion Resistance (1RP). Lifebound (2RP).

Language: Yinjet.

Manavir: a.k.a. Magi. (unfinished)
Temporary General Information: They have darker skin, eyes, and hair than most antrhosians or maroans, but because magic is innate in all manavir, their features can be more variable. Their clothing and architecture are inspired by what is considered typically “evil” or “frightening”, even though they are not inherently evil. Important buildings are often styled as sinister looking towers, and statues of their many daemon lords and heroes of old dot their cityscape. Most people wear robes to combat the dry-heat, including their police forces, though, as always with everything ever, there are exceptions to this generalisation. Their politics are very strange and somewhat advanced themselves. Their society would technically be considered a plutocracy; the rich preserving the powers of rulers. The richest organizations in Manava are the churches, which also fill the role of banks. The manavir worship daemons, very powerful spirits that they believe directly interact with their world. These churches are dedicated to them. Wealth is very important in manavir society, because there are no official national governments or representatives of the people. This does not necessarily mean the manavir are oppressed, because in order for the corporate churches and other powerful businesses to survive, they must have the manavir’s best interest in mind. In this light, their politics are somewhat advanced. This also means that boundaries for city-states are vague, and development just sort of occurs naturally. There is little organization when it comes to city-planning, resulting in the twisted metropoli of their cities.

Religion: The manavir worship daemons; powerful spirits that directly interact with the world. They can be good or evil, and everything in between. They are many, and no one stands out over the other, except for the prime-daemon, Ekillith. His/her domains are associated with time, knowledge, and power. Ekillith is depicted in many forms, the most famous being a large, bald humanoid with black-skin and robes covering only his bottom half. Arcane marks cover his entire body, and he has two feathery black wings and wields a sinister staff known as Calaber.

Physiology: Dark-almond skin, thick black hair, brown eyes (Arabic and Indian).

Abilities: Constant Spell-like Divination (3RP). First lvl Spell-like ability (1/day) (1RP). Third lvl Spell-like ability (1/day) (3RP).

Language: Asyri.

Bantulu: a.k.a. Darkmen. (unfinished)

Physiology: Dark skin, almost black in individuals found near the equator. Thick wiry hair. Brown eyes (African).

Abilities: Defensive Training, Greater (4RP). Fast (1RP). Hatred (Khazahar (orc)) (1RP). Relentless (1RP).

Language: Barentu.

*Any original human traits can be exchanged for any other ones provided on the Human race-page on the d20pfsrd website. Sub-race traits can be exchanged for another sub-race’s traits in the case of mixed heritage, as long as the additional Racial Points (RP) do not exceed 7.

Orc:

Orc: a.k.a. Beastmen.
• +4 Str, -2 Int, Wis, and Cha.
• Medium size. Base land speed = 30ft/round.
• Languages: Khorgesh.
• Hardy.
• Ferocity.
• Weapon Familiarity (Orc weapons).
• Dark-vision 60ft.
• Fearless.
• Frenzy.

Domesticated Orc: a.k.a. Drones.
• +2 Str and Con, -2 Cha.
• Medium sized. Based Land Speed (BLS) = 30ft/round.
• Languages: “Common”.
• Hardy
• Frenzy
• Stability
• Darkvision 120ft
• Bonus Feat
• Ferocity

Physiology: See Orc description. Additional notes: Orcs do not come in green colors, but rather hues of purple that can be so dark it looks black, and then as light as smoke-washed shale. They are considered very distant relatives of the humans; so much so that it is believed birthing a viable hybrid is impossible (according to questionable Anthrosian studies).

Personalities: See Orc description. Additional notes: The barbarian tribes of orcs to the south of Bantulu lands have far different personalities than domesticated orcs. They are very primal in nature, and modesty and dignity are concepts that do not exist in their societies. They are quick to anger, having little remorse and little thought of consequence regarding their actions. Though a minority, there are bands of more docile tribes that are no less dangerous, but more negotiable than their more volatile kinsmen. Domesticated orcs are a whole new breed being given an efficient education (which is not really good) and are then typically placed in the work-force or the military. They are docile, and can even be friendly and able to hold a somewhat meaningful conversation, though their primal instincts are still very strong. Most Orcs do not view the world with much curiosity, as they are not trained in the ways of critical thinking (it had been omitted from their curriculum). More intellectual Orcs do find themselves questioning who they are and their position in society, leading to the occasional rally and eventual dissent that is met only with death by the Justicars.

Culture: The barbarian tribes are typical enough. Tribes that do not domesticate their own food tend to be more aggressive and lead hunting parties that target all manner of beast, including humans. They do not usually eat humans for food, mainly because the taste is not appetizing, but they kill them in order to take their belongings. It would be inaccurate to imagine an Orc tribe consisting of naked, loin cloth-wearing people, but more of a conglomerate of the scavenged items, clothing, and armor they acquired from raiding parties. Domesticated orcs have a different culture, as one would imagine. Their culture is created in the mines of the mountains, or in the clockwork-like factories in Rhael. During the long, arduous days spent doing physical labor; the Orcs can be found entertaining themselves with songs to pass the time, and afterwards they tend to gather in run-down taverns located in the more impoverished areas of the cities. The Orcs are provided efficient lodging, usually in poorly maintained areas where crime-rate is exceptionally high.

Society: Feral Orc tribes are constructed very basically and simply, consisting of a chief who is charged with major decision making, a shaman for healing, teaching, and maintaining contact with the spirit world, and a stewardess, who is generally female and charged with overseeing the more menial tasks of everyday life (assessing food storage, water supply, material processing, etc.). The chief’s word supersedes the stewardess and the shaman, but the shaman holds strong influence over the chief and is allowed to speak freely in his presence. The feral Orcs have always been at war with the Bantulu, as they are the closest people in proximity and it is just in the nature of the Orc to be prone to violence. Recent times have changed the state of their conflict, as the Master Race lay dominion over the Orcs, they responded with great resistance that continues in present day. Strangely enough, some Bantulu people have joined the ranks of the Orcs in order to combat the Master Race. Domesticated Orc society is the working class and the labor force in more developed cities. They can be found virtually anywhere considering they can be bought for purchase as a personal servant, which they do receive a very small allowance and have to live on the same property as their employer. Still, it is better living than the slums, which is where most of them reside. Other Orcs, generally ones that show promise for intellect, are given either foreman positions, or enlisted in the military. The Eridani have a smaller population than the humans, but by domesticating the orcs and essentially indoctrinating them, they have grown their armies rapidly. They are considerable warriors by nature, but are still considered expendable infantrymen, often the first to be deployed to battle as they are cheap and easy to replace. Few Orcs rise in rank within the Eridani’s army, but those that did had to work harder than an individual of any other race would have. The Eridani select for specific and exceptional individuals for breeding, so as to replenish their numbers without having to capture more slaves in the southlands; hence, they are domesticated.

*Any of the alternative race features listed on the Half-orc race-page can be used to exchange some features of the Orc. However, this would exclude abilities that replace Intimidating, as the Orc do not have that ability.

Skills:

• Climb and Swim = Athletics.

• Ride omitted = use Drive checks for vehicles.

• Handle Animal = used for Ride checks to ride a mount.

• Disguise omitted = used in Bluff checks.

• Disable Device = assimilated with the relevant Craft skill.

• Fly = piloting airborne vehicles in addition to normal uses of the skill.

• Sense Motive omitted = Perception vs. Bluff.

• Use Magic Device and Knowledge (Engineering) = Knowledge (Technology).

• Diplomacy and Intimidation = Persuasion.


Gameplay Mechanics:

General
• Called Shots used and encouraged.
• *In regards to Wound/Vitality points, if damage dealt exceeds an individual’s CON score x2 (which is your total Wound Points), then the excessive damage is applied to Wound Points. Also, critical hits apply their multiplier to Wound Points in addition to any excessive damage. Otherwise, Wound/Vitality is vanilla.
Combat Focus: These are “stances” players can take in combat to place emphasis on accuracy, defense, or power. They are “raw” and apply to everyone, even spell-casters. If you feel this is broken, feel free to have civil discourse with me. My argument is that it can make combat flashier and allow people to essentially guarantee themselves a hit while also taking the risk of leaving themselves vulnerable. It also can speed up combat. My tendency is to throw lots of weaker enemies so there are more opportunities to mangle foes, rather than continually mangling a single foe. I also hate that people have to burn a feat for these abilities. I’d prefer they were simply combat modifiers. These also work well with Called Shots. They essentially replace Combat Expertise and Power Attack as feats and the typical Full Defense mode.

• Power Stance: -x to Attack, +x to DMG.

• Cautious Stance: -x to Attack, +x to AC.

• Desperate Stance: -x to AC, +x to Attack.

• Reckless Stance: -x to AC, +x to DMG.

I understand how changes to the game can be overwhelming. I personally feel some of the vanilla rules can be overwhelming, so I just try to simplify them. Again, feel free to negotiate with me as I want the experience to be enjoyable and not tiresome.

This game has been home-brewed into every orifice.

Let me know if you are interested! We'd love to have other players join. I'm thinking a party between 4-6 will be sufficient.


Please post all major out of character (OOC) comments in this thread. Exchange ideas, discuss battle plans, or just talk about yourselves as much as you want!


This story takes place in the year 4720 in the world of Golarion, six years after the current year in the Pathfinder universe. Our heroes are field commissioned by the mysterious Pathfinder Society to find a series of ancient tomes, including the Book of 1,000 Whispers, and a Taldan woman who is believed to be a descendant of Aroden. Their motives are unknown but the pay is convincing enough to attract even the noblest of individuals. Enjoy a setting where fanatical dwarves uncover the mystery of firearms and explosives, and the reclusive Technic League emerges as a recognized power in the Inner Sea Region. This campaign will take you all over Golarion, full of extensive or abbreviated dungeon delves, immersive exploration, shocking and interactive battle mechanics, and an overarching plot that will bring to end an unwritten chapter in the Pathfinder universe. This campaign is rated R (sex, use of drugs and alcohol, gore and violence, and swearing).


Please keep all major OOC inside this thread.

Welcome to the discussion page!


In the early 21st century, during the summer, a supernatural meteor crashes to Earth. Shortly after collision, many organisms undergo mutations, and the dead begin to rise. In this supernatural, undead-survival setting, the party must work to keep each other alive, and slowly rebuild civilization to ensure humanities existence. Players will begin pre-outbreak, living their lives as they normally would with their only knowledge of the meteor being a phenomenon and assumed to be passing by safely. Astronomers named it cryzoloth, which was derived from the scrambling noises of radio waves that are emitting from the meteor.

Game Setup

Setting:
You begin play anywhere of your choosing within New York (it does not have to be where you are from, of course). It is late summer, and autumn is coming (har!). Monday, September 2nd, 2013.

Character Creation:

Level 1

87 attribute points to distribute. Cannot have an attribute be more than 18 or less than 3. Racial attributes can bring you to 20 and such.

All base races available. You're still human though. Just use the other races' stats if you'd like.

Gestalt! You're welcome (or I'm sorry).

Starting equipment can be whatever you would reasonably have considering your background.

Considering the dependence on improvised weapons, there simply are no penalties to using them. It all depends on your proficiency and certain weapons will be treated like certain martial weapons or exotic and so this will determine whether you take a penalty or not.

This can be debated, but I would like for us to just be able to use power-attacks and combat expertise as conditional modifiers. I'd also include Desperate Attack, where you take a penalty to AC for one round but gain that penalty as a bonus on attack rolls. This does not give martial characters a boost in my mind, because it would benefit artillery characters as well, because I'm expending it to work with ranged attacks.

-Power Attack: -x to Attack, +x to DMG.
-Combat Expertise: -x to Attack, +x to AC.
-Desperate Attack: -x to AC, +x to Attack.

Improved Unarmed is no longer required to be a prereq for the other feats in its tree. Unarmed attacks can be lethal as I'm simply considering them Simple Weapons. However, the feat can still be taken, and it provides +1 to CMB and CMD for two combat maneuvers of your choice. Monk auto-gets at lvl 1.

Feint is a combat maneuver check instead of a Bluff check. Follows same principles as other Combat Maneuver feat trees.

Skill changes:
Climb and Swim = Athletics.
Ride omitted = use Drive checks for vehicles.
Handle Animal = used for Ride checks to ride a mount.
Disguise omitted = used in Bluff checks.
Fly = piloting airborne vehicles.
Sense Motive omitted = Now used as a CMD of sorts. 10+(1/2)lvl+Perception=SenseMotive vs Opponent's Bluff roll.
Use Magic Device = Knowledge (Computers).

Weapons and Armor and such:

Weapons, especially fire-arms, will often have secondary attributes associated with them. Some have great benefits, to where they are considered exotic and special training is required to use them. Some examples are:

Auto-matic weapons: Double number of attacks, but at a -6 penalty to all of them. -3 for those with Exotic prof (Automatic).

Large auto-matic: Can be fired in a cone. -4 to attack roll for every square the width increases. -2 for those with exotic prof (automatic). Attack roll vs. Reflex Save. Takes a Full-round action to use big weapons, no matter what the kind.

Shotgun: Shotguns have a higher crit range. 18-20x2 for opponents in adjacent squares (5-9ft), 19-20x2 at 10-19ft, and 20x2 at 20-39ft. Those with exotic prof. (shotgun) add 2 to each range. (16-20 (5ft), 17-20 (10ft), 18-20 (20ft), then 19-20 (40ft)).

Snipers: Sniper guns are capable of making shots with long range and great accuracy. To utilize a sniper's advantages, it requires a full-round action. For every attack you are able to make in a full-round action, add half your Dex modifier (as a bonus to the one already incorporated in ranged attacks). Those with exotic prof. (snipers), add full Dex. Snipers can be used as normal rifles, but at a shorter range and without the benefit of this ability.

Semi-automatics are the most standard.

Martial weapons can have special abilities as well, mainly in the form of advantages against certain types of foes. Not all undead are the same in this setting, so some may be more vulnerable to piercing strikes than bludgeoning strikes and so forth. This makes feats and weapons that allow you to shift between these attributes very beneficial.

Armor is less utilized than in a fantasy setting, but it can still be important for resisting bites and other sources of damage. Armor instead provides DMG reduction. Certain attacks may entirely negate or reduce an armors DMG reduction. AC increases as follows...

No Armor Prof.: Column A.
Light Armor Prof.: Column B.
Medium Armor Prof.: Column C.
Heavy Armor Prof.: Column D.

Changes to armor proficiency because of archetypes apply. The Defense Bonus is applied whether you are wearing armor or not, so armor just adds DMG reduction equal to the AC bonus (along with ACP and spell failure and such).

Spells and Healing:

Advanced commercially-hidden technology and the high levels of radiation from Cryzoloth are the excuses for magic in this game. Stable magic users are extremely rare and are more feared than accepted. Other than that, magic and spells are virtually vanilla.

You can resist infection and transformation with a Fort save vs 10+HD (this might be tentative). After 1d20 hours, you will die and rise as the undead. However, for every 4 hours you roll, you get another Fort save (1-3 no bonus roll, 4-7 1 bonus, 8-11 2 bonus, 12-15 3 bonus, and 16-20 4 bonus rolls).

I think this is enough info for a sandbox game. We'll figure it out as we go! :)


Feel free to chat, as if you were in a Chinese bathhouse.


This game is reserved for specific players until further notice. Feel free to watch though! More information will be added but for now, here is some history and some current setting. The following are the rough (more like, "raw") drafts of this campaign setting. The players were eager to get started, and a more eloquent synopsis of the campaign setting is not yet available. The first paragraph is pure vomitus of the thoughts used to create this setting. The other sections are not far better, but for the most part, the sections titled "Relevant History" and "Current Happenings" are accurate...

Setting:

The campaign will take place mainly in Anthropos and Maor. I should mention that the names of the human races represent the land they call home, which is usually part of, or entirely, a continent. So Maorens are native to the continent of Maor, Anthrosians to Anthropos, and so on. All of the following is a vomitus of what I will have for a final, more eloquent, draft. This is just some raw and dirty information.
It is the Anthrosian year of 5515 (the year is arbitrary), and it has been 65 years since the Master Race, as they are commonly referred, invaded Ningen and began their conquest over the western world, for reasons still unknown. The Master Race call themself “Eridani”, and they have never been seen before by humans prior to their invading. Current theories suggest they came from the lands across the Simmering Sea to the east of Ningen, and over the Dragon’s Spine; an endless mountain chain that divides the east from the west. Common people believe the world simply drops off over the mountains. I should note that the Dragon’s Spine can be reached sailing east or west, hence the reason people think it is the end of the world, though Anthrosian scientist have different theories that are not easily accepted by the majority. The Eridani were met with resistance at first, but the war was short as their technology and use of magic was far superior to even the grandest Anthrosian gizmos or even to the Arch-mages of Manava. There were five strong years of war between the humans and the Eridani, but the resistance became too weak and scattered that it fizzled into what became the surrender of all the sovereignty of the west. That generation would be in between the ages of 65 and 95, and the ones in the younger spectrum were only babies and children. Ironically, as soon as the resistance stopped, the Eridani began trade and sharing resources, including their magitech, or what is more commonly known as “dragontech”, which has greatly enhanced infrastructure and ease of life. Currently, the only really defined resistance against the Eridani is from the “feral” orcs in the southlands of Bantu, as they are the most recent of the humanoids to be invaded. The Eridani have decided to use the orcs’ lack of intellect against them, by essentially domesticating them in extremely efficient housing that eventually becomes the products of slums. Orcs in these societies are known as “drones”, but they would find that insulting, as some orcs take pride in their work. The war in the southlands is seen as a syphon for the bulk of the Eridani’s workforce and military. The years of takeover following the rebellion were more cooperative, as the Eridani wanted to be met with little resistance. Instead of indoctrinating the populace into their laws and way of life, they simply allowed the humans’ lives to proceed somewhat normally, though there is no doubt the sense of living under a totalitarian state. Though the governments of the differing people can proceed as they usually do, the will of the Eridani supersede any rulings and any judgment they would normally have power over. Every lordship in Maor, every city-state in Anthropos, every dynasty in Ningen, every merchant king in Manava, and every clan in Bantu have at least one Eridani within their council (more powerful lordships tend to have more Eridani advisors and overall influence in their lands). The laws of the Eridani are simple: Most crimes are punishable by death, but a few crimes are rewarded with rehabilitation centers, where criminals receive education and therapy with the hope of making them more productive members of society. Another rule is that no human is allowed to be in possession of dragontech weapons without a permit, which is usually earned by exceptional individuals that have significantly aided the Eridanis’ ambitions. These “uncle tom’s” (is that a racist term?) gain leadership roles and lordships, and some orcs are even able to rise high in military ranks. Common folk call humans that work directly for the Eridani Dominion “giant-huggers”. The elite military force in the Eridani military is the Deoxul; known in the Common tongue as “Dragoons”. These select Eridani are small in number, but elite in combat, and often lead troops into battle. Their special armor allows them to produce eldritch wings that grant them flight. Entire platoons of Dragoons are a rare sight to see, though that is exactly what the vanguard was composed of during their initial invasion. There has only been one human to become a Dragoon, and he is a good friend of yours and a former significant-other of my character’s. I think that is how I want us to meet. Maybe we were both invited for his indoctrination ceremony? Remember, we do not need to have our secondary characters introduced just yet. I think I would like mine introduced at a later time. I imagine you and Seymour have history so I’ll leave his starting point up to you.

Relevant History:

In the year 5450, prior to the initial invasion of the War of Skies, the Ikarian Empire had assimilated many kingdoms into its society as a benefactor to mankind. It was an imperial republic that thrived for 280 years, and the governed were generally in a state of happiness. Culture and technology were thriving as Anthrosian governance toppled despots and gave power to the people of the land. Some lands were won by conquest, and others were won by winning the love of the people. Other lands existed that held on to their independence, such as the Divine Clans of Maor (west to northwest of Anthropos), the feudal dynasties of Ningen (east of Anthropos, across the Gulf of Juri), the Kingdoms of the Sun in Bantu (waaay southwest of Anthropos), and the Daemon Guilds of Manava (south to southeast of Anthropos). The empire would eventually reduce in size following what is known as the War of Skies, the time when the flying giants came from the sky flying through the air with angelic wings of illuminating energy of varying color among individuals. They attacked the lands of Ningen first, blanketing their skies in prismatic colors as they flew over cities and villages, the ningentu riddles with awe and disbelief while the royal families of Ningen declared fealty to their mysterious invaders. Even the monks had approved the coming of the Master Race, as their arrival was prophesized (more like hypothesized) from interpretations of hieroglyphs found in a temple to the northeast of Ningen. This temple has become known as the Terminus Paradisus (Final Paradise), and it is also referred to as the Gates of Paradise. Since its discovery 40 years ago, many people have developed a spirituality associated with this temple. It rest at the foot of one of the Vjolnir’s Spines (one of the mountains of Vjolnir’s Spine), and since people believe the world ends beyond the Spine, then on the other side of these colossal gates must be the land of eternal life and supreme happiness. The monks of Ningen took great pleasure in the new understanding, and so the Master Race was met with little resistance from the ningentu. The manavir also showed little resistance to the invasion from the Master Race, as their power was easily bought out. The anthrosians rebelled to a significant degree, favoring their freedom over life, but ultimately it was realized that surrender meant survival. The surrender of the Ikarian Empire was triggered by a grand deceit played by some of the manavir guilds; creating tensions that are present in modern day society between Manava and the rebels. Their betrayal cost the rebels dearly, and the act rippled throughout the lands of humans, dissipating and shattering their cause into pieces. Since the Feast of Dragons, or also known as the Fall of Ikarus, the anthrosians surrendered their sovereignty, and the remnants of the rebellion fell to the scattered armies of the maorens, bantulu, and the orcs. The most famous and strongest group among the rebels was the Dead Cloaks, who were founded and led by a young maoren boy of 14 named Idrid Rhoan, who was often mistaken for 17 given his early blooming into manhood. The Dead Cloaks were composed of all civilians who were not enlisted with a traditional military, and they often acted outside of laws of warfare when it came to fighting the Master Race. They are called the Dead Cloaks because every time the Master Race kills a human, the Dead Cloaks grow in numbers because friends and families find motivation to rise against them. They are identified by wearing a black cloak, or a scarf, or some other garment, bearing a basic white skull (similar to the Punisher but not so stretched out). Indrid Rhoan, along with the bulk of his force, died at the age of 19 during the Feast of Dragons. It is believed that certain guild lords had arranged for an alliance between them and the rebels within the city of Ikarus, which at that time the city was considered safe territory considering all the potential civilian casualties, and even the Master Race abided by that agreement. The bulk of the Dead Cloaks and other rebels were led into a trap, and they were swarmed within the city by dragoons and being torn to bits by their lances and consumed by their wyvern mounts. The powerful magic of the Master Race, coupled with the powerful sorcery of the manavir, caused great destruction to the city of Ikarus, leaving remnant magic auras lingering in the atmosphere in present day, and also statues of soldiers and common people that fell victim to a petrification spell. This marked the end of the War of Skies, and for 65 years the Master Race has made great efforts with the reconstruction of their new colonies. During this time, the Master Race fights only proxy-wars against scattered bands of rebels to the north (they are seen as little threat because they are not very organized), and also fight against the orcs in the southlands of Bantu. Resistance against the Master Race is virtually fizzled in this day and age, and the only people that were alive during the invasion are dead or dying. There are those that still believe living under the dominion of the Master Race is to live like cattle, and with passions fueled from their grandparents’ stories, they join the ragtag militias to the north to try and reignite the rebellion. The demographic usually consist of young-adults of maoren and anthrosian decent, though other races are found in these groups as well. Most people however, have grown content with their presence, as law and order make life under their rule rather peaceful and somewhat safer than before. Also, the Master Race has incorporated their technology into the infrastructure of prominent cities, making them efficient and allowing human civilizations to extend beyond their normal functions.

Current Happenings:

We will begin our campaign in the late spring of the anthrosian year of 5515. Prominent cities tend to have more presence of the Eridani, as they are more formally known as, while more rural areas scarcely see them except for important occasions or if they are using the road. The ningen essentially worship the Eridani as their superiors, and revere them for their power, which is a generalization; no doubt to be proceeded by more. The Daemon Guilds stick to their daemon worship and opulence, while they revel in the luxuries the new technology has provided. The City-States of Anthropos grudgingly live under Eridani rule, but also shamefully enjoy the new technology, as they were once the world leaders in science and technology for 280 years prior to the War of Skies. The Sun Kingdoms of Bantulu also grudgingly swear fealty to the Eridani, with some southern kingdoms actually joining ranks with the orcs to help break their chains. The orc tribes (and there are too many to list) are at all-out war with the Eridani, and have been since their first encounter. Orcs provide a significant amount of the work-force and military, though orc soldiers are never sent to the southlands as there is too much risk for defection at the moment they encounter their kin. The Divine Clans of Maor only swear fealty to the Eridani because they are too weak to resist them. They disdain the presence of the Eridani and use little of their dragontech. Scattered bands of rebels mostly find themselves hiding away either in the wilderness, or hiding in plain sight by not wearing their “colors” when in public. Many rebels live double-lives, one life being spent trying to survive the normal hardships of existence, while the other life is spent secretly fighting the Dominion.

We will actually begin the game with you and Vincent Tivolt on tour in the southlands. You are both corporals in the Draconic Fleet, and you and your unit are being sent to fight the war against the orcs. This is battle is particularly important, as your superiors made it a point to mention that the safe retrieval of what they simply referred to as “the artifact” will be rewarded greatly. The artifact is in the possession of an orc warlord named Turok (yes, it’s staying) who is fortified within his stronghold. The individual that retrieves the artifact is allowed to make a single request of the Eridani, and to those who are aware of their power, the reward could be great indeed.

Races:

Human
• +2 to any two ability scores.
• Medium size. Base land speed = 30ft/round.
• Languages: “Common”, plus native language of sub-race.
• Bonus Feat.
• Skills (+1 rank/lvl).

Human Sub-races (add the selected sub-race traits to the above features)
Maoren: a.k.a. Northmen.

Physiology: Maorens are tall, fair-skinned, and generally hairier than their close relatives, the Anthrosians. Their hair can be shown in radiant ruby colors, dark-chocolate brown or even platinum blonde. Their eye-color ranges from emerald green to icy blue, and in rare breeds, a frenzied gold color, which is indicative of having Wildmen close in the bloodline. Brown colored eyes are found throughout all ethnicities. Maorens have an extremely strong sense of smell. Lay folk attest it to the similarities in the blood of Northmen and Wildmen, as folklore claims the Wildmen are actually packs of werewolves in their human forms. These claims are often disregarded as the illusions of the frightened minds of lay folk, and that the source of the keen smell is due to conditioning from hunting as a lifestyle. (Conglomerate of Scandanavian and Celtic features)

Personalities: Families and those an individual Maoren corporatizes with have strong friendships that last a long time. Equally, grudges do as well. They are wary of those outside of their company, making them skeptical of unfamiliar people. As stoic and stubborn as they are, they are not without celebration. Festivities in the mead halls of Maor draw many adventurers and noblemen to the continent. People say Maorens’ emotions can be as hot as fire and as cold as ice, seldom being in balance between the two.

Culture: Like a strong wolf-pack, Maorens favor cohesive families. Much honor is placed in strong families, which usually pay homage to an aspect of nature. Smaller, weaker families are generally incorporated into more powerful, bigger families. These clans are as variable in nobility as they are in aspects (a family could claim to be the aspect of a specific species of moss for all anyone cared). The four most important family aspects to know are The Hunt, The Mountain, The River, and The Fertility. Lesser houses are usually aspects of specific plants and animals. They are noble houses, and are nothing like the remote tribes of their wilder brethren. They are also intelligent; as it should be stated considering their nature worship can be seen as primitive. Their approach to the philosophy is a bit more organized and advanced than one would assume. One can find the Wildmen dancing naked around a fire in the woods to appease an aspect, but a Northmen would instead perform chants or hymns in favor of an aspect. The act of hunting is also considered a form of prayer in their culture, and it is taken very seriously. Their culture resembles medieval times, though since the arrival of the Master Race, more technology has found its way into their lives.

Society: The four houses rule over the smaller houses, and the smaller houses incorporate even smaller ones, where eventually the rest of the land of Maor is settled by independent clans and further north, the Wildmen. Territory is determined by a family’s ability to defend that territory. Claiming sovereignty over land because of a divine right (or just because one says they do) is not recognized by Maorens. They are not conquerors, however, and do not actively invade other clans unless needed. To avoid conflict, most families assimilate with a larger one, becoming even stronger still as the clans organize and support each other. In recent times, these once powerful families now govern their lands in the interest of the Master Race.

Abilities: Scent (4RP). Stubborn (2RP). Low-light Vision (1RP).

Language: Orenic.

Anthrosian: a.k.a. Islanders.

Physiology: Anthrosians are slightly shorter and less hairy than Maorens, but typically have darker hair and darker skin. However, their variability in phenotype is probably the most noticeable among the ethnicities, as their once great and recently fallen empire had spread too many lands, incorporating more genes into their bloodline. Typically, Anthrosians can have fair to tan skin, blonde to black hair, and a wide spectrum of eye color, including violet, blue-green (the most obvious of identifying features), brown, and ice blue (a genetic gift from their Northmen cousins). (Grecco and Romantic fusion).

Personalities: Anthrosians are cerebral characters, often thinking things through with great rationality and critical thought. They are curious beings, often taking great risks to achieve their goals and to unearth new discoveries. Their large cities develop the average Anthrosian into a socialite by nature. They are progressive, open-minded, and they value their freedom above most things, but are not necessarily selfish. A common drawback found in Anthrosian personalities is an unintentional habit of being condescending. They also pride themselves on their native language and their ability to speak eloquently, which is certainly a result of diplomatic competitiveness found within a society that values free-speech.

Culture: Anthrosians value the arts and sciences, and place an emphasis on an individual’s education and power. They are productive, economical, and most of all, scientific. Their pragmatic nature has eliminated religion in the traditional sense, and the gods are viewed not in disbelief necessarily, but as having a tangible, measurable nature. The minority of the population has even claimed the Master Race to be their gods, as their superior technologies and arcane abilities are revered. Individual freedoms are highly valued, so their society tends to attract very progressive individuals. This also develops a variable culture, especially considering Anthropos’s central location and prominent coastal cities that are ripe with diversity and trade. Typical cityscapes resemble renaissance era technologies and artistic architecture with a Victorian wash. Arcane energy is utilized within infrastructure.

Society: Anthrosians have (or had) a democratically elected congress of city-state ambassadors that are charged with making major societal decisions. These diplomats produce laws or acts that are deemed necessary for the betterment of the empire, and they can only be vetoed by a single elected representative, who is considered the most important person in Anthrosian society. The elected representative is provided a personal council of experts that he or she can collaborate with for advisement, but the republic has the ability to remove them from their positions. In fact, the republic is entitled to remove any individual in a position entrusted with major decision-making. Though politics can be dark at times, this advanced and humanistic system has proven fair and has allowed the great expansion of the Rhaelian Empire. Presently, the Master Race has established itself as a supreme court over the management of the federation of city-states, granting themselves the power to thwart any law, act, or plea that is not in their favor. They are also given the right to create and enforce executive orders that supersede any laws or acts that have passed through the ambassadors and the representative.

Abilities: Focused Study (4RP). Silver Tongued (3RP).
Language: Rha’lis.

Ningentu: a.k.a. Eastmen.

Physiology: Ningentu are slightly less tall than Anthrosians on average, and have heavy cream and coffee skin (coffee with too much cream). They are virtually hairless on their bodies except for cranial, facial, and pubic hair. Their eyes are almond shaped and are black to dark brown in color. Though they can be strong, their physique tends to be leaner. This is probably due to the different diets they exercise, which are low in fat and high in protein, compared to the diets of Maorens, which is high in fat AND protein, which helps ease the bite of the cold. Because of their strong sense of self-improvement within their culture, Ningentu have developed stronger resistances and also a greater understanding of the nature of energy and illusions. (Asian)

Personalities: Ningentu are varied in personality, but typical mindsets tend to favor the community over the individual. Discipline and self-improvement are common motivations among the populace, as it is believed that an enhanced individual is able to have great power, and become leaders and exemplars for the community to follow. Family values are held in high regard, which is a quality that Maorens can appreciate, though the physiological differences nurture xenophobia. They are a philosophically advanced people, often approaching problems with a unique angle. Some individuals are extremely humble, while others walk tall with great pride. This is due to the notion of accepting oneself for who one is. A person who walks with confidence has probably earned that outlook on his or her self by achieving great things, and so there is no shame in being humble as it is the appropriate feeling in such a person’s presence.

Culture: As stated, Ningen value the community over the individual, and also value personal achievements. Concerning their religion, they believe their world and the life within it are all of their ancestors reincarnated into varying forms of life. They believe when the world began, there was only man as energy, until the first generation died and brought new life, gradually nourishing the complexity of the universe as time recycled itself. The first generation of ancestors are said to make up the very fabrics of reality. Man existed only as a form of energy within a tiny atmospheric ball that laid in stasis within a grand and empty void. They believe many of these spheres existed throughout the Void, and together, with the remanufacturing of their energy, led to the emergence of the properties of the universe. More recent generations make up the minute aspects of reality, which is associated with a trend the Ningentu noticed in the passing of time; the symbolic (as an evolutionary term) inheritance of knowledge allows more details to become apparent. Therefore, wisdom is the enhancement of one’s perception, which is due to the influx of ancestors and the compiling of knowledge throughout the generations. Many temples and places of prayer are found in natural settings, usually places where the landscape functions well as a structure that would contain a shrine. Their “preserves” are left undeveloped from civilization, as they believe the various climax forests found throughout Ningen are the heavens where their ancestors reside. For this reason, most of their cities are found in barren areas or along coasts, with temples and monasteries built into mountains away from civilization. The monks of these temples live very reclusive lives, and are held in high regard by the people of Ningen.

Society: Ningentu society is composed of various clans, warlords and settlements that swear fealty to a dynastic ruler, who was more than likely a warlord at one point that has risen to greater power. However, religion is virtually homogenous throughout the clans, and all leaders consider the wisdom of the monks to be above all created law. Their supreme understanding of the universe is revered by most people of Ningentu, and even though the monks do not claim any power or establish any laws, their council acts as a master court by virtue of being respected. When rulers summon the council of the monks, it is usually concerning a grander idea that requires their wisdom, such as human-rights, or whether or not they should go to war, and other ethical questions that determine the very idea of themselves. The last summoning of the monks was approximately 220 years ago, when the Ningentu decided to invade the fertile lands of the Maorens when they refused to trade food during the years of the Black Sea. There are many dynasties vying for power over the land of Ningen, but with the current dominion of the Master Race, they declared blood truce. Conquering the Ningentu was a relatively easy task for the Master Race as their truly awesome power was met with quick submission from the majority of the people, except for a few small, but strong, resistance groups that are now disassembled, leaving an old generation of drunken wandering warriors with no lords.

Abilities: Lucky, Greater (4RP). Illusion Resistance (1RP). Lifebound (2RP).

Language: Yinjet.

Manavir: a.k.a. Magi.

Physiology: Dark-almond skin, thick black hair, brown eyes (Arabic and Indian).

Abilities: Constant Spell-like Divination (3RP). First lvl Spell-like ability (1/day) (1RP). Third lvl Spell-like ability (1/day) (3RP).

Language: Asyri.

Bantulu: a.k.a. Darkmen.

Physiology: Dark skin, almost black in individuals found near the equator. Thick wiry hair. Brown eyes (African).

Abilities: Defensive Training, Greater (4RP). Fast (1RP). Hatred (Khazahar (orc)) (1RP). Relentless (1RP).

Language: Barentu.

*Any original human traits can be exchanged for any other ones provided on the Human race-page on the d20pfsrd website. Sub-race traits can be exchanged for another sub-race’s traits in the case of “hyrbids”.

Orc:

Orc: a.k.a. Beastmen.
• +4 Str, -2 Int, Wis, and Cha.
• Medium size. Base land speed = 30ft/round.
• Languages: Khorgesh.
• Hardy.
• Ferocity.
• Weapon Familiarity (Orc weapons).
• Dark-vision 60ft.
• Fearless.
• Frenzy.

Domesticated Orc: a.k.a. Drones.
• +2 Str and Con, -2 Cha.
• Medium sized. Based Land Speed (BLS) = 30ft/round.
• Languages: “Common”.
• Hardy
• Frenzy
• Stability
• Darkvision 120ft
• Bonus Feat
• Ferocity

Physiology: See Orc description. Additional notes: Orcs do not come in green colors, but rather hues of purple that can be so dark it looks black, and then as light as smoke-washed shale. They are considered very distant relatives of the humans; so much so that it is believed birthing a viable hybrid is impossible (according to questionable Anthrosian studies).

Personalities: See Orc description. Additional notes: The barbarian tribes of orcs to the south of Bantulu lands have far different personalities than domesticated orcs. They are very primal in nature, and modesty and dignity are concepts that do not exist in their societies. They are quick to anger, having little remorse and little thought of consequence regarding their actions. Though a minority, there are bands of more docile tribes that are no less dangerous, but more negotiable than their more volatile kinsmen. Domesticated orcs are a whole new breed being given an efficient education (which is not really good) and are then typically placed in the work-force or the military. They are docile, and can even be friendly and able to hold a somewhat meaningful conversation, though their primal instincts are still very strong. Most Orcs do not view the world with much curiosity, as they are not trained in the ways of critical thinking (it had been omitted from their curriculum). More intellectual Orcs do find themselves questioning who they are and their position in society, leading to the occasional rally and eventual dissent that is met only with death by the Justicars.

Culture: The barbarian tribes are typical enough. Tribes that do not domesticate their own food tend to be more aggressive and lead hunting parties that target all manner of beast, including humans. They do not usually eat humans for food, mainly because the taste is not appetizing, but they kill them in order to take their belongings. It would be inaccurate to imagine an Orc tribe consisting of naked, loin cloth-wearing people, but more of a conglomerate of the scavenged items, clothing, and armor they acquired from raiding parties. Domesticated orcs have a different culture, as one would imagine. Their culture is created in the mines of the mountains, or in the clockwork-like factories in Rhael. During the long, arduous days spent doing physical labor; the Orcs can be found entertaining themselves with songs to pass the time, and afterwards they tend to gather in run-down taverns located in the more impoverished areas of the cities. The Orcs are provided efficient lodging, usually in poorly maintained areas where crime-rate is exceptionally high.

Society: Feral Orc tribes are constructed very basically and simply, consisting of a chief who is charged with major decision making, a shaman for healing, teaching, and maintaining contact with the spirit world, and a stewardess, who is generally female and charged with overseeing the more menial tasks of everyday life (assessing food storage, water supply, material processing, etc.). The chief’s word supersedes the stewardess and the shaman, but the shaman holds strong influence over the chief and is allowed to speak freely in his presence. The feral Orcs have always been at war with the Bantulu, as they are the closest people in proximity and it is just in the nature of the Orc to be prone to violence. Recent times have changed the state of their conflict, as the Master Race lay dominion over the Orcs, they responded with great resistance that continues in present day. Strangely enough, some Bantulu people have joined the ranks of the Orcs in order to combat the Master Race. Domesticated Orc society is the working class and the labor force in more developed cities. They can be found virtually anywhere considering they can be bought for purchase as a personal servant, which they do receive a very small allowance and have to live on the same property as their employer. Still, it is better living than the slums, which is where most of them reside. Other Orcs, generally ones that show promise for intellect, are given either foreman positions, or enlisted in the military. The Eridani have a smaller population than the humans, but by domesticating the orcs and essentially indoctrinating them, they have grown their armies rapidly. They are considerable warriors by nature, but are still considered expendable infantrymen, often the first to be deployed to battle as they are cheap and easy to replace. Few Orcs rise in rank within the Eridani’s army, but those that did had to work harder than an individual of any other race would have. The Eridani select for specific and exceptional individuals for breeding, so as to replenish their numbers without having to capture more slaves in the southlands; hence, they are domesticated.

*Any of the alternative race features listed on the Half-orc race-page can be used to exchange some features of the Orc. However, this would exclude abilities that replace Intimidating, as the Orc do not have that ability.

This game has been home-brewed into every orifice.


Hey community. I would appreciate some critique on a Free Runner feat tree I made, as I have always wanted to play this style without protest from anyone. I'm big into homebrew, and I feel these feats are balanced considering the cost of prereqs and such. If there is anything that seems overpowering (though a little is acceptable), or conflicting, please let me know.

Free Runner: Prerequisites – Dex 15, Acrobatic Step, Nimble Moves, Ranks in Acrobatics 6 and Climb 4.

This feat provides some additional uses to the Acrobatics skill:

Wall-Running: As a move-action, you are able to run up or along walls with ease. Movement while wall running cost double the speed (every 5ft = 10ft of your allowable movement in a round). The DC for this check is equal to the desired distance to achieve, as long as it is within the players base land speed (a player with BLS of 30ft can move a maximum of 15ft with a wall-run, therefore the DC is 15). Failing the DC by 4 or less grants an immediate Climb check to grab a ledge or some other graspable structure to prevent falling. The player must end their turn on a safe surface (angle less than 60 degrees), or attempt to grasp an object or climbable wall that can support him with a normal Climb check (See Climb skill descriptions). This includes ending a wall run movement braced between perpendicular walls, or clasped to a rope, or gripping a ledge. Falling from a wall run is treated normally as per use of the Acrobatics skill.

Wall-to-Wall: As a move-action, when the player is flanked by walls that are no more than 10 ft apart, she can jump from wall to wall to ascend or descend a distance totaling her Acrobatics roll, but not exceeding her allowable movement per round. When using this ability to ascend, the squares cost double, but not for descending. She must end her move in the same way described in Wall-Running. This move can be done as part of a Wall-Run move, where the player can wall-run and then begin wall-to-wall ascension using the remainder of the move action.

Free Runner, Improved: Prerequisites – Dex 17, Acrobatic Dodge*, Free Runner, Ranks in Acrobatics 8 and Climb 6.

Wall-jump: The player can roll an Acrobatics check to leap from a wall-run movement up to half the remaining amount of feet within her move-action (DC=Remaining movement x 2) in any open direction. Rolling an Acrobatics check to break a fall applies normally. This ability can also be used to place the player on the other side of her opponent by wall running and jumping over an enemy’s square. The enemy must be adjacent with the player, and the player must have no more than 5ft between her and a walkable wall to perform this feat. The DC=the opponent’s CMD, but without the +5 penalty for moving through an enemy’s square. If the check fails, the movement does not occur and an attack of opportunity is provoked. When the check fails against the enemy’s CMD and provokes and AoO, the player can choose to expend a use of her Acrobatic Dodge feat to use her same roll against the enemy’s attack roll. Using Acrobatic Dodge is an immediate action, so using this feat against an AoO is legal and is only augmented by this feat based on its rules. Normal rules for successfully executing Acrobatic Dodge apply (such as ending your turn in an adjacent, available square).

Free Runner, Greater: Prerequisites – Dex 19, Improved Free Runner, Ranks in Acrobatics 10 and Climb 8.

The movement cost for free running along walls is reduced to normal values (5ft=5ft), and the player can take 10 on Acrobatics checks to use free running feats while under stress.

Creator’s Proposal (The Benefits): Wall-running allows the player to gain distance up or along walls at only twice the movement cost, rather than the quadruple cost for climbing. The movement must end with the player in a stable position, or a Climb check may be necessary to cling to a wall or perch between perpendicular walls. Wall-runs can only be initiated from a flat surface. Difficult terrain applies, treating wall conditions as ground conditions for determining what is considered difficult terrain.

Wall-to-wall allows the player to ascend or descend up to her base land speed if flanked by walls no more than 10ft apart. She must end her movement the same way as with wall-running, and using this ability to ascend requires the player to start from a flat surface. Descending in this way, however, does not need to be initiated from a flat surface.

Wall-jump is great for combat situations where the player is pinned against a wall, or to gain access to an otherwise hard to reach area. Enemies lose the +5 bonus CMD when the player uses a wall-jump to leap over an enemy's square. Acrobatic Dodge applies simply as the feat normally does, and should not be seen as an added benefit granted by the feat.

*Acrobatic Dodge is a third party feat, and I added Nimble Moves to its prerequisites and also, I'm allowing it to be functional with armor with a check penalty, but no heavier than light-armor.

Your constructive criticism is appreciated.

p.s. - Please do not be intimidated by all the writing, the rules just include information that apply to use of the Acrobatics skill, and are not necessarily provided by the feats.


Hello community! So I've always wanted to play a "free-runner" type character that uses a lot of mobility in combat. I figured I would homebrew a feat tree to compliment this style of play, but making it basic enough to only grant movement benefits and not much else. I would appreciate opinions, comments, and suggestions for balancing these feats as I would like to play this style without protest.

Free Runner: Prerequisites – Dex 17, Acrobatic Step, Nimble Moves, Ranks in Acrobatics 8.

This feat provides some additional uses to the Acrobatics skill:

Wall Running: As a move-action, you are able to run up or along walls with ease. Movement while wall running cost double (every 5ft = 10ft of your allowable movement in a round). The player must end their turn on a safe surface (angle less than 60 degrees), or attempt to grasp an object or climbable wall that can support him with a normal Athletics check (See Climb skill descriptions). This includes ending a wall run movement braced between perpendicular walls, or clasped to a rope, or gripping a ledge. Falling from a wall run is treated normally as per use of the Acrobatics skill.

Wall-to-Wall: As a move-action, when the player is flanked by walls that are no more than 10 ft apart, she can jump from wall to wall to ascend or descend a distance totaling her Acrobatics roll, but not exceeding her allowable movement per round. She must end her move in the same way described in Wall Running. This move can be done as part of a Wall Run move, where the player can wall run a certain amount of feat and then decide to roll an Acrobatics check to jump wall-to-wall, but only if she has the remaining feet available in her move-action.

Free Runner, Improved: Prerequisites – Acrobatic Dodge*, Free Runner, Acrobatics 10.

The player can roll an Acrobatics check to leap from a wall run movement up to half the remaining amount of feet within her move-action (DC=Remaining movement x 2). Rolling an Acrobatics check to break a fall applies normally. This ability can also be used to place the player on the other side of their opponent by wall running and jumping over an enemy’s square. The enemy must be in combat with the player, and the player must have no more than 5ft between her and a runnable wall to perform this feat. The DC=the opponent’s CMD, but without the +5 penalty for moving through an enemy’s square. If the check fails, the movement does not occur and an attack of opportunity is provoked.

*Acrobatic Dodge is a Third Party feat, in which I have added Nimble Moves to its prereqs and also allow the feat to be used while wearing light-armors with an armor check penalty, which applies to the skill check normally.

Your constructive criticism is appreciated.


Okay guys! Everything seems to be good so I figured we'd get this started. I'm just going to spew information about the universe as I go so if you don't understand a concept, feel free to ask. If there's any kinks, we'll find them as we play. Again, if something isn't working with a homebrew rule or I'm not interpreting a core rule correctly, please let me know as I have not DMed in about two years so my memory may be dodgy. I DMed often, it's just been a while since. Okay, enough yip-yap!

A New Era is Born

It is the year 7512; the 12th day of the fifth month of an Adelene year. Spring illuminates the great city of Illia, a wondrous stony matrix of districts connected by pathways, creating cities that cover more ground, but allow for enormous amounts of green-space. Seas of forests flood either side of a pathway, but within a district (a.k.a. a Center), the Rhaelians have built tremendous cities. Mons, those stony automatons you see operating within cities, make up the bulk of second and third tier jobs (manufacturing and resource extraction). The Free Republic of Species, the sovereign name that the people of the Adelene Stewardship identify with, are able to live less laborious lives and pursue creative interest. The will of the people is directly manifested in this amorphous, naturalized way of society. The abundance of resources coming from mining-mon in the asteroid fields and derelict planetoids has allowed for incredible advancements in science and technology.

Between the perceptive capabilities of Kajiiatans and the calculating mentality of the Rhaelians, they have finally completed the greatest accomplishment in the history of both of their species: the creation of the Avanestra. It is a voidcraft, or spaceship, possessing the capabilities of traversing the stars much like the stationary Conduit Anchors located in Illia and Kajiiata. Zir Ysdir Jules created this particular engine that is capable of utilizing the same principles. It's called a Jules Atma Core, and it won him countless merits on top of ones he received for creating the first synthetic humanoid, though he was unable to receive them as he mysteriously disappeared a month after its creation.

But this day, the 12th day of the fifth month of the known year 7512, is a day of celebration. It's actually the fifth day of the Eve of Launch Festival, and the Conduit Anchor has never been used so much in such a little amount of time. Both the Rhaelians and Kajiiatans celebrate this day, and though people around both worlds hold festivities, the ones held in Illia and Kajiiata are renown. It's a day to celebrate the symbolic union of two species, originating light years apart, now only hours away, and the dawn of the new era and the opening of a frontier hardened explorers. A tremendous honor is to be accepted on the expeditionary team, known as Deoxul, a Kajiiatan name for a concept. This concept can be interpreted as "that which shows the universe". The Deoxul will engage the unknown, so the world may one day know.

I will have personal posts coming, but as of right now, I am assuming you guys to be in Illia, Anchor Center (hub where the C. Anchor is located), in the late morning, two days before launch and one day before the reception. You guys have your own rooms at the Celeborn Retreat, where the reception will be. You've been in Illia for about five days (since the festival began). You guys could have already introduced yourselves or not, it's up to you. You're able to explore the city. Some points of interest are the promenade, Celeborn Retreat, CSA Academy, and the Adelene Stewardship government building but these are just examples. So yeah, you're free to post what it is you're doing in the city. Xan, I'll PM you, guy.


Welcome aboard, star-seekers! You are not on board the ship yet, as we will be beginning pre-launch. Feel free to discuss among yourselves and get to know each other. My Eridani, we will need to keep your backstory a secret for now until your introduction. I will put most of your posts in spoilers or PM until... FIRST-CONTACT!!! Feel free to ask any questions or if you see any significant kinks that should be brought to attention before we boogey. I do not mind if you guys converge backstories (except you, nightflier. Quite a distance to cross!). I hope you guys enjoy this universe. It's homebrewed and free-form, like that perfect cup of coffee on the porch with the smell of Fall in the air. I like my games gory, flashy, creative, and suspenseful. You will find that you have a lot of resources at your disposal to do things (hence the feats, and other presents) so I can push you to near-death situations and still have there be a chance for you to survive. So enjoy max VP! You gonna' need it. I will be honest and say I picked you guys because you seemed more down-to-earth. Your builds were a close second. So I'm sure we'll all get along and have a good time with this. I will try to post as much as I can. I should be able to stay on top of it, but I am a student and I work so there may be times where RL calls and I must respond. I don't expect you guys to posts constantly. We all have busy lives, I'm sure. But efforts to be consistent would be good, because we have a big party and one person can hold the game back. Okay, I'm done "reading the syllabus"! Haha. Glad you guys are interested. To those that don't know, my name is Marc. Nice to meet you all!

p.s. - I also know John (Kieran) from RL (good friends) so I get to f##& with him unconditionally. It'd be really funny if I forgot to type "with".


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Voyages of the Avanestra

It is the recorded average year 7512 in another instance of our universe. Here, two species on two distant planets have emerged from undersea vents as simple organisms, and have evolved for millions of years into their elegant humanoid shape. Eventually, and still separately, these two species began to commune together, in what started as nomadic tribes would soon become vast empires of incredible power, which will have crumbled and risen repeatedly over the centuries, often under the influence of powerful individuals and the decisions they make; an omniscient cosmic heartbeat from a planet’s inhabitants.

In this point in both of their history, they have overcome incredible odds, raised from the ashes of anarchy to form fantastic advanced civilizations. Atmatic engineering (magic use) and atmatite refinement have allowed for incredible technologies to emerge, and would eventually lead to the first long-distance contact between these two intelligent beings, inhabiting planets four light years apart, a feat thought impossible. Together they have formed the first known interstellar alliance between two distinct intelligent species.

This alliance, plus the recent advancements in space technology, has ushered in a golden age, and in result, even greater advancements are being made. The Rhaelians, a very logical and scientific species, have wondrous technologies that reduce labor, and create room for more holistic pursuits with their lives. The Kajiiatans exemplify art and culture, and have advanced approaches to ethics, philosophy, and overall governance, but lacked more in their tech advances. Still, both of these societies are very advanced, and together they form an iconic interstellar community. In honor of their exalted diplomacy with each other, the Rhaelians and Kajiiatans have agreed to construct a ship capable of interstellar travel, much like their current means of using Conduit Anchors, only portable. This ship is called the Avanestra, which is Kajiiatan for unity. It is a monument dedicated to all that they are; an avatar of their two great people acting as a pioneer to further their lives beyond their planets, for it is well known that even stars can die.

The Avanestra is the vanguard, and its crew must know no fear as they explore the vast unknown. Only the best are crewmembers aboard the ship: exalted citizens, great people, geniuses, experts, technicians, the finest warriors. This includes prominent representatives as well, such as cultural representatives (religious figures). It is as best of an embodiment of the Rhaelians and Kajiiatans that could have been practical. Despite this enthusiastic joint venture, their people are not without disagreement or conflict over this leap into space, nor the open borders between the two species’ planets. As the two humanoids traverse the great expanse, life as they know it may not be what it seems, and maybe certain distances were never meant to be crossed.…… ::queue music and opening credits::

You are a crew member or a passenger aboard the Avanestra. Who you are exactly is entirely up to you, as I have no control as to how you will awaken within this universe. Let your electro-resonance guide you into this world of exploration. How will you be a part of it? Most people on this ship have similar goals for being here; seeking the secrets of life being the most profound, or simply occupying an apartment on the ship and enjoying the journey. Are you a scientist? A cartographer? An archaeologist? Or perhaps you are aboard as a psychologist, or a doctor? A warrior assigned to the ship to protect its people or lead away-teams? Are you a religious representative? Or a diplomat? Perhaps a stowaway or a criminal that has found freedom in space? There are many niches to fill aboard the Avanestra and as always, the choice is yours.

Setting:

Space-fantasy
Homebrew to the 1000% (hence, all the writing). The setting is in the future, but the world and universe are different. So Earth is not the home planet. Humans are residents of the planet Midgar. Their star is named Rhael. I’ll keep it simple and try not to get crazy with details and changing an entire universe, so the solar system I’ll say is the same set-up as ours (Sol: 9… I mean 8 planets, Oort cloud, Asteroid belt, etc. I’ll keep the planet names as well, except Earth and the Sun). Also, to keep it simple, Rhaelian (in the space community, species are often named after their home-star) civilization has progressed on a similar path as humans, but with more fantasy elements to it. So, similar course of human history (Classical era, Renaissance, and Industrial age, etc.) …. ONLY FANTASIZED! *confetti* I’m kind of merging a lot here, but I think with all its components put together, it is something entirely unique. It’s a metamorphose of Star Trek, EVE, Elder Scrolls, Final Fantasy, Ancient Greece, Norse Mythology, and of course, the Pathfinder world. I really hope you enjoy this universe. Its goals are to explore and use imagination to create what other worlds might be like, and the possibilities that civilizations can achieve. Anthropology and xenoanthropology will be big components of this campaign.

Magic degree:
Magic-use is the manipulation of matter and it can be augmented through technology. Magic is denoted as atma by Rhaelians (Humans), and other species have their own words for the same concept. The use of raw atma or natural magic (magic is a Kajiiatan term) is typically how spell-casters utilize spells. They tap into raw omnipresent energy to manifest it into a substantial force. Magic is used in technology a little different. Atmatite, the condensed mineral form of atma, is used to fuel many machines, and is an incredibly efficient source of energy. Magic is essentially augmented through these machines in order to push magic to its limits that few biological forms can achieve by just using raw atma. Atmatite is found in abundance in asteroids and planets and this surplus of resources had led to a benevolent form of economic collapse, reducing the value of once very expensive items, thus people need to work less as they do not need as much money to afford things. Atmatite is used even by spell-casters to augment their spell-casting ability (okay… so it’s materia. You’re welcome). Another note, since I think it’s corny that there are verbal components to spells; all spells do not require a specific verbiage. I do not want to eliminate the benefits that silencing a spell-caster can bring, so those effects still work normally, so just suspend disbelief and assume some other reason for not being able to talk has an effect on spells, I just don’t EVER imagine any spell-caster chanting something. Not in this campaign. None of that in this house, no siiiiiir. So if you want to not be affected by those conditions, you can still take the meta-magic feat Silent Spell for that benefit.

Combat:

Everyone is considered to have Power Attack, Combat Expertise, and Improved Unarmed Strike as written in the Core book. I would rather have you invest your feats than burn them on abilities I think you should just be able to do. If you acquire one of these feats through a class feature (such as monk) then pick a bonus feat of your choosing, but keep it within the same type (combat, magic, etc.). I guess these are all technically combat feats.

I allow and encourage Called Shots and the feats that are provided with them. The only difference is I’m treating Challenging shots as -8 instead of -10.

I also will be using Wounds and Vigor. Combat is more flashy and realistic, and this paired with Called Shots can make for some really intricate combat displays. Toughness is actually a useful feat with the Vigor/Wound system (+1 Wound point per level! Great for taking critical hits)! So your regular HP is your Stamina (including your Con mod/level) and your Con score x2 is the amount of Health you have (Wound points). When your Health is at half (equal to your Constitution), you’re considered wounded and staggered until no longer wounded. If you take a move or standard action while wounded, you lose -1 Health that round and THEN make a Con check (1d20+Con mod) DC 10 or you else fall unconscious. IT’S FREAKING BRILLIANT!

Notes on this system:
Alternate Feats: As listed on the SRD.
Favored Class Bonus: You may choose 1 Wound Point or 1 Vigor Point at each level. Skill ranks and racial alternates are unchanged.

Healing:

All the same except the following: The Wounds and Vigor system alters some healing processes. A cleric’s channel power can increase either stamina (vigor) or Health (wound). It is decided upon casting, as they would technically be two different spells. One rejuvenates lost energy and the other repairs cells. Vigor is healed normally. When the channel ability is used to regenerate Wound points, the target heals a number of wound points equal to the number of dice it would normally roll for the healing spell or effect, plus the caster’s Wisdom modifier (so a lvl 6 cleric with a 17 Wis channeling positive energy would heal 6 wound points). When using the Heal spell, a cleric heals his caster level+wisdom modifier of Wound points.

The Heal skill will be more tactical in combat, allowing everybody a chance at reviving an ally though not as well as a magical healer. The following actions are added to the Heal Skill:

Rejuvenate: DC 15. AoO: Yes. Time: Varies
Note: You must expend one use from a healer's kit to perform this task. You take a –2 penalty on your check for each use from a healer's kit that you lack.

By expending one use of a healer’s kit you can stimulate the natural growth rate of impaired cells in your target’s body. Rejuvenating allies restores 1d4 vigor points +1 for every 5 rolled above the DC. Using this skill takes 1d4 rounds to perform.

Regenerate: You must expend 2 uses of a healing kit to use this action. In order to heal wound points in combat with the Heal skill, roll a Heal check (1d20+Heal) and a d6. Subtracting 20 from the Heal check will be how many Wound points you heal over 1d6 rounds. During those rounds, the person healing and the patient are unable to take any other actions, and provoke attacks of opportunity where applicable. If the healer is attacked successfully, he is interrupted but still heals a portion of Wound points depending on how many rounds had passed. The healer must then reroll both die in order to finish reviving the patient. Getting a negative result still applies, so if you are not an experienced healer, then it may be best to build up your skill before attempting in combat, as you could end up killing your ally rather than helping. I like the dynamic and urgency this system creates for combat, as more situations can emerge this way. I will create feats to make this ability more beneficial to those that want to be effective healers without being spell-casters.

Races:
It’d be extremely cool if the party was made up of 1 of every race (I anticipate only a party of 4 or 5, but who knows, it might be just as easy to tack on one more, making a solid 6, Baldur’s Gate style). Well, I’ve created four races; the Rhaelians, Kajiiatans, Eridani, and Animus. I am tempted to create more because I had a lot of fun creating these ones, but that’s all in time (or perhaps more become available as more are discovered).

Rhaelians: This race looks virtually human, but bear in mind, humans do not exist in this universe, though the term humanoid is still used to describe a hominid shape. They are a tech savvy, scientific species, who often approach many aspects of their lives with the intent of improving upon them. They are natural diplomats, and have a comfortable way of communicating with people. Their civilizations are mostly constructed of stone and marble, with massive panes of blue-glass, a signature material used in Rhaelian architecture. Rhaelians excel in many classes, but especially the more skill-based roles.

Rhaelian racial abilities
• +2 to any ability score.
• One bonus feat.
• +1 Skill point at each level.
• Focused study: Rhaelians are versatile and are diligent when it comes to being good at something (Skill focus to one skill at level 1, 8, and 16th lvl).
• Emissary: Rhaelians are natural diplomats and can connect with people easily. Roll 2d20 for Diplomacy and Bluff checks and take the better roll.
• Weapon Familiarity: Rhaelians are proficient with firearms and the Rhaelian Lysis (similar to the Kajiiatan court and thin blade).

Kajiiatans: This race is virtually elves, but with a very different culture. They exemplify more horizontal cultural aspects, such as art, philosophy, and ethics, which means they’re still an advanced society without massive tech production. Kajiiatans are adept users of raw atma, and have generally fought their wars using atmatic artillery, rather than using firearms. Their cities are more condensed and difficult to navigate, and are composed mostly of metal material. Kajiiatans’ enhanced perception has certainly made their architecture and art difficult to understand by Rhaelians. They favor more spell-casting classes, and their armies are mostly composed of magi.

Kajiiatan racial abilities
• +2 Dex, +2 Int, -2 Con
• Kajiiatan Immunities: Immune to magic sleep effects and +2 to saving throws against enchantment spells.
• Keen sense: +2 to Perception.
• Atmatic design: +2 racial bonus on caster level checks made to overcome spell resistance. +2 to Spellcraft (just in general).
• Weapon familiarity: Kajiiatans are proficient with longbows (including composite longbows), longswords, rapiers, and shortbows (including composite shortbows), and treat any weapon with the word “Kajiiatan” in its name as a martial weapon.
• Low-light vision.
• Magehunter: Kajiiatans have fought countless battles throughout their time on Acceltra, and are specially trained to battle other mages. They get a +2 to Spellcraft and +1 to attack rolls against spellcasters. Kajiiatans gain a level 1 spell-like ability that can be cast 1/day.

Eridani: The Eridani are inhabitants of the planet Halladrax in the Eridon system. The Avanestra’s first voyage is to this planet, so if you choose this race you will experience first contact with mysterious beings from the sky, capable of incredible powers. I would rather give more detail to those that are interested, because if I give too much information, it could shatter the essence of this game. I will provide their stats, and note that they excel in warrior, monk, and sorcerer classes.

Eridani
• Ability scores: +2 Cha, +2 X, -2 X (depending on subspecies)
• Size: Large (+2 Str, -2 Dex, -1 AC, -1 Attack rolls, +1 CMB/CMD, and -4 Stealth). Speed: 30 feet.
• Weapon Familiarity: Falchion, Two-bladed sword, Rip-saw Glaive
• Energy Resistance 5 (depending on subspecies)
• Elemental Assault: Pick one of the following energy types that correspond to the environment the race has ties to: acid (earth), cold (water), electricity (air), or fire (fire). Members of this race gain the following supernatural ability: Once per day as a swift action, a member of this race can call on the elemental power lurking in its veins to shroud its arms in the energy type that corresponds to the elemental plane its race has ties to. Unarmed strikes with its elbows or hands (or attacks with weapons held in those hands) deal +1d6 points of damage of the appropriate energy type. This lasts for 1 round per character level. The creature may end the effects of its elemental assault early as a free action.
• Natural Armor +2
• Stubborn: Members of this race gain a +2 racial bonus on Will saving throws to resist spells and spell-like abilities of the enchantment (charm) and enchantment (compulsion) sub-schools. In addition, if a member of this race fails such a save, it receives another save 1 round later to prematurely end the effect (assuming the spell or spell-like ability has a duration greater than 1 round). This second save is made at the same DC as the first. If the member of the race has a similar ability from another source (such as a rogue's slippery mind class feature), it can only use one of these abilities per round, but can try the other on the second round if the first reroll ability fails.

Animus: The Animus is a Rhaelian creation of marble, blue-glass, atmatite, and conductive rare-earths. It is unique to other homunculi because it actually possesses individuality. If you choose this race, you are the only one known to exist (that is, something other than an animal that is capable of sapient thought). More than one party member can choose to be an Animus. Choosing this role would require some exquisite role-playing, as you’d be taking this character from its moment of awakening, having virtually no information imbibed. It would be acceptable to experience rapid alignment change, and often misunderstood approaches to situations.

Animi racial traits
• Ability scores: +2 Str, +2 Int, -4 Char
• As a construct of this form (theoretically sapient) you cannot be raised or resurrected in theory. +2 for saves against disease, mind-effects, poison, and exhaustion or fatigue. You do not need to eat, sleep, drink, or breathe in order to stay alive.
• Speed: 30 ft
• Greater Spell-resistance: 11+CL
• Stability: +4 to CMB against bull-rush and trip attempts.
• Clunky: -4 Stealth.
• Curiosity: +4 to Diplomacy to gather information. K-history and k-local are always considered class skills, and if they already are from a class, you gain a +2 bonus.
• Damage Reduction 5/silver
• Spell-like abilities (1/day each): Make Whole, Disguise Self. Caster level = Character Level.
• Animi Properties: Animi do not wear armor like most people. They are “born” with a metallic carapace that grants +2 to Armor (armor slot). So in the beginning, an Animi has +2 to armor with spell failure and ACP equal to leather. They can “scavenge” and upgrade their parts (similar to equipment) by completely replacing them or enchanting them. You are welcome to change your starting equipment. If you want to be a heavily armored Animus, you are allowed to start out with such gear (whatever you can afford with starting gold). You are a living construct. You do not need to make endurance checks to resist fatigue, exhaustion, thirst, or starvation and you do not need to breathe. You only need 4 hours of “optimization” to prepare spells. You are healed by craft (homunculus) and knowledge (engineering) checks as opposed to heal. You are also healed by repair spells, such as Make Whole.

Technology in General:

Firearms, commonplace – Firearms are treated as martial weapons. I’m envisioning the firearms to be typically fantasized, ornate, regal, and kind of Victorian in style. Like Fable II or III, only more…. arcane? Not sure if that’s the word. I’ll try to think of better ways to describe it or maybe I can find a nice picture on Google. They would of course be able to do more than the book suggest (like have more cartridge space and such). Kajiiatan society seldom uses guns because they always depended on atma for warfare, but it is not unheard of. Most guns are Rhaelian made, but styles can change that originate from different parts of the world. I’m doing away with the broken b@%~*!@@ with guns. I simply just don’t want to worry about it. Your gun can break when circumstances cause it to; it doesn’t have to be a risk every friggin’ shot.

Other weapons – All the traditional Pathfinder weapons are available and utilized as well as firearms. I know it does not make sense, but I love that style of play and in this world, it can make sense if we want it to. My justification is that war is fought on multiple fronts in order to mitigate overall destruction of what would be strategic areas or simply attempting to have zero civilian casualties. In melee, you’re usually able to identify someone as an enemy and you work to eliminate that enemy. Not just lob a fireball at a building with hostiles and innocent people. Future societies scorn war and certainly have no competition for resources as of yet, because resources in space are so plentiful and relatively cheap to acquire. War is fought for defensive purposes only, and to do so otherwise would be considered barbaric and an atrocity.

Modes of travel – Airships, zeppelins, and arcane elevators are predominantly used to get around on planets. Midgar and Acceltra are connected by Conduit Anchors that can launch passengers between each anchor in faster than light speeds. Some beasts are even still used for travel, though only with consent, as the creation of the Universal Translator has led to astonishing, if not horrifying realities about the minds of animals.

Universal Translator – Most citizens have this piece of atmatic engineering permanently implanted in their resonance, often called a Universal Translator Implant, or a UTI (::giggles::). Communication with a UT is only accurate when communicating with another individual with a UT. This is essentially treated as Common, and its basis is that forms, expressions, body language, and differences in basic anatomic communication organs would make a social connection between two species extremely difficult, if not impossible, so direct brainwave interpretation is needed to comprehend what one species is saying.


The Planes:

The Planes are simply treated as different classes of planets. Realms indicative of the Material plane are Terra-class (T-class), which would theoretically have similar, carbon-based life-forms, and thus, life from these planets are not considered outsiders. If life is found on planets with drastically different properties and are of a different basis for life, communication is impossible and those individuals would be considered outsiders.

Religion:

Xenogenesism (Xenogenic [adjective])
Titles given to supposed ancestors: The Creators, Proteans, gods (only by a few select groups of misinformed individuals; considering people do not consider them to be gods in the traditional sense), archons, Alpha Humanoids (alphanoids), or The Pioneers.

Alignment: Any.

Portfolio: Civilizations, life, science, exploration.

Domains: Animal, Healing, Knowledge, Plant, and Rune.

Favored Weapon: Chakram.

Beliefs: Xenogenists believe that most humanoid life in the universe was created by an advanced god-like race and was engineered to direct its evolution to a form similar to theirs (in this case, Humanoid). They claim that this empire is so old that it is one of the first civilizations to emerge since the birth of the universe, and that its empire spanned multiple galaxies planting life on habitable planets and even created entire solar systems from scratch to harbor new life. It is also believed when one dies that their sapience is traced and downloaded to the Creators’ home planet, and their minds are uploaded into the body of a Creator itself, where they can live in eternity with Absolute Freedom. They claim this because of similar discoveries in archaeological studies found on Acceltra and Midgar. Also, there are significant similarities between flora and fauna on the two planets. Though this new belief has more evidence to its claim than the previous religions (that are virtually viewed as delusions), many still disagree and put it off as simply the people are over excited and making assumptions since the discovery of life on other planets.

Absolute Freedom: This is a concept that represents complete and total freedom from any and all forces. No limitation with physics, society, governance, etc. Xenogenists believe their ancestors have achieved such a life where their lack of limitations makes them virtually god-like. It is believed that all life and even matter function in patterns that seems to strive toward the “zero-limit”, a state of being unbound from any and all obstacles.

Origins: Xenogenesism was created sometime during the 170 years of long-distance communication between the Rhaelians and Kajiiatans, before formal first contact. This belief proliferated more and more as people realized how similar their (referring to their planets) lives are. People became really convinced once research was shared about certain archaeological evidence, namely in hieroglyphs.

Character Creation:

You will begin at level 2.

• You have 89 ability points to distribute. You cannot make a score more than 18 (unless your racial modifiers increase it).
• You have 1000 gold to use when buying equipment. Firearms are at their reduced cost for being Commonplace.
• A party of 3-5 would be interesting. That way if two people picked Eridani, starting out broken-party wouldn’t be so lonely. There is already a spot reserved for Monk/Inquisitor.
• I do enjoy free-form. You are not entirely confined to the Avanestra, though that’s where all the booty is.
• You can pick either 2 traits or 1 Bonus feat that you qualify for at Character Creation.
• You are allowed to pick alternate racial features as provided on the pfsrd website but only for original features (not the ones I added).
• GESTALT!!! You’re welcome. I treat it basically how the rules state if you’re familiar with it. Pick two classes, take the better HP, better Saves, better BAB, and better Skills and both of their class features. You can multi-class if you’d like, though gestalt can get pretty messy that way, so try not to go overboard by tea-bagging many cups of tea. With gestalt, I do not like to allow prestige classes. If it’s a huge stink, I’ll work it out or just not do gestalt.

P.S. – I’m not sure how to use maps and such for battles using PbP (I needs meh whitesboards!). I will certainly learn as I have much to learn about PbP. I hope this game excites you. Those that like a healthy wholesome balance of role-play, discovery, ethical conflicts, and action, will enjoy this campaign. I ask that you always ALWAYS respect each other on threads I produce. I really have no tolerance for trolls and naysayers, nor do I tolerate worthless bantering over semantics. Bullying is bullying, digitally or not. I of course support your right to Free Speech but I simply don’t want to burn the calories debating meaningless things. If you question a rule, or disagree with something, please express your mind like an adult, and don’t explode with an attempt at an intellectual essay. Just have some friggin’ fun and explore this universe with me! I play DnD to expand my imagination, not debate laws so much. This is a sandbox game with a main plot that hopefully gives you that funny feeling in your gut when you watch Star Trek.