|
Hey, first, I'd like to admit I originally posted a previous version of this in the wrong forum. Sorry, still new to things. :/
Anyway, I'm working on a Campaign World and altered rule set for my friends and myself, and was wondering if I could list the info here to run some ideas past you guys, get thoughts, and even a little help in fleshing it out.
If it helps, the setting is called "Tyrra - The Fractured World", which in the case of the opening campaign, has a dual meaning.
If you guys give me the go-ahead, I'll begin posting the framework of what I'm doing and get things rolling.
|
Anyway, I'm working on a Campaign World and altered rule set for my friends and myself, and was wondering if I could list the info here to run some ideas past you guys, get thoughts, and even a little help in fleshing it out.
If it helps, the setting is called "Tyrra - The Fractured World", which in the case of the opening campaign, has a dual meaning.
If you guys give me the go-ahead, I'll begin posting the framework of what I'm doing and get things rolling.
Sounds good to me. Bring it on.
I can always use inspiration. I have a homebrew that I'm really proud of, but I haven't finished the whole thing yet. Suffice to say that there are glass cats and no halflings and roguish dwarves. And the bookbinders, my mysterious anarchists who disappear into books.
*Sees others snoring*
Nevermind. Anyways, lets hear it!
|
|
Background: The thought behind the campaign world is that its very similar to Earth. Many cultures and peoples are mirrored here. There are a similar number of landmasses in a generally similar location. I did this to make referencing things much easier.
In fact, Tyrra and Earth developed much the same, until one point where they split off. I took one of the more prevalent theories for the extinction of the dinosaurs on Earth, and ran with it. I chose the Meteor Therory, which implies that after the meteor hit, the resulting dustcloud cooled the Earth and killed off most cold-blooded life. Only for Tyrra, I made it fact.
This meteor was exceptionally large and traveling at such velocity that it impacted almost in the center of the super-continent of Eurasia. The impact was so great that it split it in twain, and pierced the crust so deep it created an underwater volcano, which quickly became a volcanic island. This is the literal source for the name of the campaign setting.
Across Tyrra the prehistoric animals that did not stumble upon this island died out. Those that did survived, as the island was warmed by its near constant volcanic activity. The downside is that the meteor that struck was radioactive. Those creatures that did not develop a resistance to radiation either mutated or died. Those that did mutate are the source of Tyrra's abberations(at least, those that do not originate from other planes).
Fast forward a few million years. The Western continent became known as "Erronda", from a now-dead language meaning "to decline"; while the Eastern continent became known as "Ankura", from the same dead language, meaning "to ascend". These two continents are analoges to Europe and Asia, respectively.
Much of the campaign will take place in Erronda, but there will be travel. The era is slightly more advanced than that of D&D, as some matchlock firearms will be available. However, they will be fairly uncommon.
---------------------------
Story: The story starts in a kingdom in Erronda, which has not had a King(or Queen) for quite some time. The various Lords, Barons, Counts, and other nobility had begun to bicker and squable over who had the right to take over when the King and Royal family had died heirless. Wars broke out, and while they never truly ended, an uneasy cease-fire has been going on for the past three generations. However, this has settled into a cold war, of sorts. This is the figurative source for name of the campaign setting.
The country in question(which I have yet to name) has a cultural background of England, Ireland, and Germany(odd, I know, but its different). These lands were brought together by the fore-mentioned dead King.
It was after I'd put this much together that I stumbled across the module Barrow of the Forgotten King. I bought it out of curiosity and found it worked very well with my story, so I figured I'll use it.
I'm thinking that I'll use BotFK and its two follow-up modules as a sort of prologue to the main campaign to allow my players to get used to the altered ruleset I'm working on.
---------------------------
Altered rules-
First, I'm playing around some with classes. The classes will be split into Universal Classes, Cultural Classes, and Allowed Classes.
Universal Classes are classes that people of any culture can take.
Cultural Classes are restricted to certain Cultures.
Allowed Classes are classes I haven't specified as accepted, but after looking it over for the player in question, I allow.
Universal Classes: Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, Duskblade, Fighter, Hexblade, Monk, Ranger, Rogue, Scout, Sorcerer, Swashbuckler, Wizard
Cultural Classes: Erronda- Knight, Druid
Ankura- Samurai, Ninja
SW Ankura- Ninja, Warlock
---------------------------
Varient rules include the following.
Clerics, Druids, and Paladins- Divine spellcasters derive their powers directly from deities, therefore, they must venerate a deity. There is no such thing as a faithless Divine spellcaster in Tyrra.
Clerics- Clerics gain proficiency in their Deity's perferred weapon at First Level. Just like the ability granted from the War Domain. The War Domain Loses this ability.
-Clerics do not gain one extra domain spell slot per day; instead, they may spontaneously cast Domain spells in place of prepared spells, as long as they still have spells per day available. Clerics who choose Healing or Destruction Domains cast Cure or Inflict spells(respectively) with d10s instead of d8s.
Rangers- There is an alteration on Combat Styles for Rangers. The two base styles(Archery and Two-Weapon Fighting) still exist. Rangers do not automatically gain Spellcasting, it has become a Combat Style. The final Combat Style is "Bounty Hunter". Bounty Hunter gets more benefits than either Archery or Two-Weapon Fighting, but, it is more specialized, but also more limited.
Bounty Hunter: 2nd Level- Exotic Weapon Proficiency(Bolas), Improved Subdual(no penalty when dealing non-lethal damage with lethal weapons), Gather Information becomes a class skill.
6th Level- Exotic Weapon Proficiency(Net), Exotic Weapon Proficiency(Lasso), +(Ranger level) Bonus to the Gather Information.(A Level 7 Ranger with this Combat Style adds a 7 to his his roll on Gather Information)
11th Level- Manacles as Flail(if holding Manacles, may use them as a Flail with no penalties, but a natural 1 on the attack roll ruins the Manacles), Favored Mark(add the highest Favored Enemy bonus the Ranger possesses to his current Bounty mark), Run
Paladins- Paladins are going to follow the "Paladin as a Prestige Class" as outlined in Unearthed Arcana. Alignment will be loosened to allow Paladins to be LG or LN. Similarly, the Blackguard Prestige Class will be altered to be more of a "Shadowy Reflection" of the Paladin. Blackguards will will be allowed any Evil alignment.
Prestige Classes- Qualification for prestige classes is not based on arbitrary stats, but quests. Completion of the Prestige Quest immediately grants enough experience points to grant the character the first level of the Prestige Class in question. Failure means they must wait before trying again(one level). Any experience they gain during the quest is kept, pass or fail. Party members are encouraged to help when it would make sense to.
---------------------------
Unique items:
The Heartstone
A blood-red crystal the approximate size and shape of a human heart, the Heartstone is said to grant immense power to whomever wields it.
This item deserves its own post, will add it in tonight at work.
---------------------------
The Bad Guys:
Le Cinq Lances
(The Five Spears)
This band of traveling warriors were a great force of Good almost four generations ago. They wandered the lands fighting injustice and slaying menacing beasts, going so far as to lead the armies of the <unnamed country> as Generals against the last Goblin invasion.
So honored were these warriors, that titles above that of "Lord" were coined by King Francois de Sable(not the king mentioned earlier). Dubbed "Le Cinq Lances", each was known by a more specific title.
When the Cleric fell in battle with a Dracolich Demi-God, the rest of Le Cinq Lances were devistated. Even moreso when they discovered something was keeping his soul trapped in a torturous state.
Over time, they began to slide away from their previous beliefs, beginning to think anything was right as long as they were trying to help their friend, as they felt he deserved it.
This soon led to them believing they each deserved much more for themselves, because of all they had done for the people of these lands. Sahmnel, La Lance Verte, became aware of how they were failing their old ideals and confronted the rest; he found, however, that he could not attack his closest and oldest friends. He left them, but not before holding his spear up over his head, breaking it in two, and striding out of their meeting chamber.
The others eventually repaired the spear and gave it to the Druid who now holds the position of La Lance Verte among them.
La Lance Verte - The Green Spear(CN)
A mad druid whose power is limited oly by his failing grasp on sanity.
La Lance Rouge - The Red Spear(NE)
A thief and part-time assassin known for exceptional use of disguises and poisons.
La Lance Noire - The Black Spear(CN)
An Elven Sorcerer favoring cryomantic powers, with questionable ethics.
La Lance Bleu - The Blue Spear(LE)
A Knight, sometimes known as The Blue Knight for the fact that he is never seen by the populous without his suit of deep blue armor. Leader of the Blue Legion.
La Lance D'Or - The Gold Spear(LG)
Dubbed the Gold Spear for his connection to his deity, Metrioch. This is the only member of Le Cinq Lances who is still Good, by virtue of being dead.
(my favorite villains are Tragic Villains)
I'll add more later on, but I work the night shift and need to get some sleep.
...I chose the Meteor Therory...
Bah. I prefer the evolution theory.
|
|
I like the meteor theory.
You could go one step further and say that in the pre-meteor times, there was a civilization of humanoid saurians (the ancestors of 'modern' lizardfolk or serpent men or whatever) that practiced all sorts of crazy magic, which modern scholars blame for the disaster that destroyed their civilization (they tried to pull a star out of the sky to steal it's power!). This doesn't have to be true at all, but could serve as a cautionary tale (don't mess with uber-magics! Hubris!), and be the source of many hideously ancient temples and shattered ruins filled with strange beasties and arcane traps.
The Prestige Paladin / Prestige Quest idea lends itself to one fun tweak. During the quest to become a Paladin, other forces attempt to cause the Paladin-to-be to fail, tempting him to take shortcuts, ethically or morally, setting him up for a fall from grace. Depending on how spectacularly he fails, he might automatically succeed the 'Prestige Quest,' but to become a *Blackguard* instead!
|
|
...I chose the Meteor Therory...Bah. I prefer the evolution theory.
Oh, I'm adding in Evolution as well. This is where things get interesting. I'm working on my own little pantheon here, but I'll allow the standard racial deities in the system. However, Humans will still have no patron deity. It'll be due to the fact that Humans are going to be the only sentient species which evolved naturally, where the other races were created. That's not counting the abberations, of course.
I like the meteor theory.
You could go one step further and say that in the pre-meteor times, there was a civilization of humanoid saurians (the ancestors of 'modern' lizardfolk or serpent men or whatever) that practiced all sorts of crazy magic, which modern scholars blame for the disaster that destroyed their civilization (they tried to pull a star out of the sky to steal it's power!). This doesn't have to be true at all, but could serve as a cautionary tale (don't mess with uber-magics! Hubris!), and be the source of many hideously ancient temples and shattered ruins filled with strange beasties and arcane traps.
The Prestige Paladin / Prestige Quest idea lends itself to one fun tweak. During the quest to become a Paladin, other forces attempt to cause the Paladin-to-be to fail, tempting him to take shortcuts, ethically or morally, setting him up for a fall from grace. Depending on how spectacularly he fails, he might automatically succeed the 'Prestige Quest,' but to become a *Blackguard* instead!
Actually, the Meteor has to do with the pantheon. Myth tells the people of the world that durring the Gods' War(will expand upon this later) the final strike of the current GodKing, he hit his enemy so hard that he split the land in two. The sciences for the people to know it was a meteor strike don't exist yet.
Also, enough time has passed that since the Meteor struck, the radiation has lessened to a non-lethal extent.
The Meteor itself is made of a material from the Complete Arcane: Starmetal. Pretty much the same thing as Adamantine, except you replace Adamantine's abilty to Ignore Hardness of materials with the ability to deal extra damage to non-Native Outsiders. Plus its green instead of black.
Because of this, I've removed Adamantine from the game, and made the volcanic island the only source of Starmetal. Although, one Adamantine item will be in game. Merthuvial, the King-Maker, the Legendary Weapon from BotFK.
My next post will be an in-depth description of the Heartstone.
|
|
The Heartstone
A blood-red crystal the approximate size and shape of a human heart, the Heartstone is said to grant immense power to whomever wields it.
History, Religion, or Bardic Knowledge
DC 10- Born of great conflict between the Sacred and Profane, its power is Divine in origin.
DC 15- It is said that the Heartstone burst forth from the chest of a powerful Cleric who was trying to destroy the phalactry of a Dracolich, who himself was attempting to ascend into godhood.
DC 20- Unable to destroy the phalactry by normal means, the Cleric turned to his deity for Divine intervention. Hearing his follower's plea, the deity granted his Cleric the ability to break through the phalactry's defenses.
DC 25- Using his newfound power, the Cleric poured all of himself into destroying the phalactery, and would have succeeded, if not for the clever Dracolich, who turned his attention from the Cleric's comrade's to the Cleric himself.
DC 30- The Dracolich had stolen the Cleric's sould at the exact moment the phalactery was destroyed. The Dracolich, being as powerful and wise as he was evil, turned the Cleric's own heart into his new phalactery.
DC 35- But, something unexpected happened. The Dracolich, having hurriedly taken residence within the Cleric's heart to cheat death, had forgotten about the soul, which quickly returned.
DC 45- The Confluence of Sacred and Profane power of the souls within the Cleric's heart was too much for his body to bear. His heart crystalized and destroying the Cleric's mortal form and leaving his soul to fight an unending war against that of the Dracolich in his heart.
-------------------
Okay, with that done, onto the abilities of the Heartstone.
First, the party will be protecting the Heartstone, but they will not realize it. They will be attacked, and as the leader of the raiders dies, will will absorb the Heartstone into his body to live again, boosting his power. He will not understand how to use it, however, so it will not be as big a boost as one would think. Whoever makes the killing blow on him will also shatter the Heartstone(inadvertently), causing shards to scatter about the world. To keep things simple, there will be no more than 100 shards.
This will begin a race to gather the missing pieces of the Heartstone. By both Good and Evil. Shards of the Heartstone, while not as potent as the completed Heartstone, will empower people/monsters/demons.
Gathering shards doesn't just increase the effect of the shards by one, shards in proximity increase each other's power geometricly.
The following guidelines give ideas of how to empower them.
Splinter Shard- Smallest piece, 1/100th of the Heartstone
Grants: 1 minor feat, 1 minor spell-like power, or +1 to a skill
Lesser Shard- Two splinters fused into one, 2/100 of the Heartstone
Grants: 1 feat, 2 minor spell-like powers(or 1 moderate, or more uses of a single minor power), +1 to an ability Score(dependant on where in the body the shard is placed), or +2 to a skill.
Greater Shard- Five fused splinters, 5/100 of the Heartstone
2 Feats, 3 Spell-like powers, +4 to an ability, +7 to a skill.
Least Fragment- Ten fused splinters, 10/100 of the Heartstone
3 Feats, 4 spell-like powers, +3 to two ability scores, +12 to a skill.
Lesser Fragment- Fifteen fused splinters, 15/100 of the Heartstone
4 feats, 5 spell-like powers, +4 to two ability scores, +18 to a skill.
Greater Fragment- Twenty fused splinters, 20/100 of the Heartstone
5 feats, 7 spell-like powers, +6 to two ability scores, +25 to a skill.
Shard stages: Each shard, from Splinter to Greater Fragment is considered a Shard Stage. Splinter being Stage 1, Greater Fragment being Stage 6.
-------------------
Taint/Purity & fusing
Due to its dichotomic nature, the Heartstone can be Tainted or Pure. Posessors of shards who regularly carry out Evil will cause their shards to become Tainted. Likewise, posessors who do Good will begin to Purify theirs. However, those who do Good rarely seek out the Heartstone, they do not normally have the lust for power that would make them want it. Because of this, the Heartstone is Tainted more often than not.
Practicioners of Divine magic can pray over their shards to more rapidly Taint or Purify theirs, depending on the alignment of their deity. Tainting/Purifying a shard/fragment takes a number of days equal to 2 times the percentage of the whole Heartstone(A Cleric with a Greater Shard would have to spend 10 days of prayer to alter the shard's alignment).
Purified and Tainted shards can influence your behaviour, Pure shards pushing you towards Good, Tainted Pushing you towards evil. The shards impart Will saves every time you try to do something contrary to the alignment of the shard, larger shards have much higher DC than smaller ones.
Using a shard of opposing alignment imparts a number of temporary negative levels equal to the stage of the shard(s) that player has in possession. These negative levels cannot be overcome in any way, other than to stop using the shard, allowing the shard to change your alignment, or bringing the shard into your own alignment.
Fusing shards happens by either using the shards together for a period of several months, or by praying to a deity for a number of days equal to the total percentage of the Heartstone in your possession plus the stage you are trying to reach. For example, a Cleric with 10% of the Heartstone(lets say its a Greater Shard, a Lesser Shard, and three Splinters) who wants to put them all together to form a Least Fragment, would spend 14 days in prayer, 10 for the percentage and 4 because a Lesser Fragment is Stage 4.
Characters who are not Practicioners of Divine Magic double all prayer time to alter shards. Similarly, they must venerate a Deity to do so.
Using a shard requires you to place it within your body. Its effect on you is in relation to your class, personality, alignment, and where in your body it is placed. Placing a shard in your arms could result in a Strength boost. If placed in your hands, a boost to skills that require manual dexterity. If placeed in your back, a boost to Dexterity. If placed in your legs, a Movement speed boost and/or bonus to Initiative.
|
|
The Pantheon
Aside from a race's Patron Deity, there are ten gods, one for each alignment, and two for True Neutral. For the most part, they are the same as the PHB, just known by a different name. As of this moment, I only have the Lawful three.
Jarta(LN) - Known as Jarta the Unforgiving or the Frozen Consul, Jarta sits upon his throne of ice, passing judgement upon the souls of those past who have grieviously transgressed Law.(Jarta is pronounced Yar-ta)
Favored Weapon: Morningstar
Domains: Destruction, Protection, Law, Strength
Metrioch(LG) - Refered to as the Allfather, Metrioch was the god who rallied the pantheon together and led them to victory in the Gods' War, becoming the godking. (Based on Heironius)
Favored Weapon: Longsword
Domains: Good, Law, War, Courage
Baloth(LE) - The Betrayer, The Deciever, the Lord of Lies; all titles for the brother of Metrioch, who attempted to strike down his brother as he was weakened from the final battle of the Gods' War. His brother survived the onslaught, but was not strong enough to kill his brother in his condition. Enmity has existed between the two ever since.
Favored Weapon: Evil, Law, War, Tyrrany
Metrioch/Baloth Backstory-
At the onset of the Gods' War, Metrioch enlisted the aide of his brother, who while he knew to be evil, was also at risk if the Primal Gods won the war. Baloth joined, and made a vow to fight by his brother's side as long as the War lasted. He kept his word, for while evil, he is honorable. The moment of Betrayal happened almost immediately after the end of the War. Once the Primal Gods had been stopped, and Metrioch had been weakened from his final assault, Baloth took his chance and attacked his brother.
The battle carried on for quite some time, and while Metrioch managed to defeat his brother, he colapsed, unable to produce a finishing blow. Baloth, barely able to move did not have the strength left in him to kill his brother. He drug himself back to his domain to recuperate. But not before notifying <name unknown, a True Neutral god> of his brother's condition. His reasoning behind this is that if he couldn't kill his brother himself, he would not leave him to be killed by someone else.
------------------
The Primal Gods
There were originally five Primal Gods. One for each pure alignment. Lawful Neutral, Chaotic Neutral, Neutral Good, Neutral Evil, and True Neutral.
These five had no names other than Law, Chaos, Good, Evil, and Neutrality. They are the First Ones.
------------------
Details of the Gods' War are all but lost. It is known that one of the Primal Gods defected to the new pantheon, which was a major factor in the new pantheon winning the war.
|
|
Elements and Energy Types
I wanted to alter the elements somewhat, to shake things up a little. I tried adding two more to the standard four, but I did not get them to balance as I would have liked. Those two were Lightning and Plant.
I settled with dropping Plant from the list. So now, the five elements are Lightning, Fire, Earth, Water, and Air. This had the unforseen bonus of allowing me to arrange them in a star patern.
Because of this, the number 5 is going to recour throughout the game, I can make use of the Penticle/Pentigram for more than bland imagery, and a slightly more complex elemental system. Now, every element has two opposing elements.
Lightning can be countered by Earth and Water.
Fire can be countered by Water and Air.
Earth can be countered by Air and Lightning.
Water can be countered by Lightning and Fire.
Air can be countered by Fire and Earth.
The elements are arranged in the following paterns:
Penticle(Good)
L
AF
WE
Pentigram(Evil)
EW
FA
L
With this setup, I was also able to tie each energy type directly to an element. Heat to Fire. Cold to Water. Sonic to Air. Electricy to Lightning. Acid to Earth.
|
|
Potential Rules:
Item Cards- I'm thinking of having my players run their inventory on the GameMastery Item Cards. I got some and I love these things. I already know I'm going to buy some small binders for my players to keep all their papers in. It would not be out of the way to by a few Card Sleeve pages to put into the binders, labling each little sleeve in the page "Body", "Head", "Feet", "Right Ring", "Left Arm", "Waist", and so forth. Then a couple pages for miscellanious carried inventory.
Spells & Magic: The following may be considered always prepared and do not count against a character's daily allotment. They are cast as first level.
Arcane
Oth- Detect Magic, Read Magic, Light, Arcane Mark, Prestigitation
1st- Hold Portal, Detect Secret Doors, Alarm
Divine
0th- Detect Magic, Read Magic, Light, Create Water, Purify Food & Water
1st- Bless/Curse Water, Magic Weapon, Magic Stone, Magic Fang
Additionally, each player is allowed to select one minor offensive spell not on this list to add to it(for that one character). It can only be cast at its lowest level. The spell will have to be approved by me.
This is to keep spellcasters from being spent for the rest of the day after three rounds. As they level up, these will become less and less handy, so I feel it balances well.
If the character is of a class that does not normally get one of the spells in his list, then he cannot use that spell(for example, a Druid will not get Magic Weapon, and a Bard will not get Hold Portal).
|
|
The Pact
Ages ago, the Pantheon formed a pact. An agreement among all the gods that to avoid causing another conflict like the Gods' War, they would cease taking direct roles in the affairs of mortals. Good, Evil, Lawful, and Chaotic alike agreed to this. Anyone who broke this accord would recieve swift retribution from the others.
The Pantheon was allowed to continue to take indirect action amongst the mortals of the world. The most common is the granting of power to Divine Spellcasters. The Faith they show their deity rewards them with a portion of their chosen god's strength. Such followers have been known to use these powers to perform deeds for/to others to sway their minds and bring more into the fold.
This relationship is symbiotic, for every devout follower of a deity increases that deity's power. This has also led to gods directing their followers against other gods' as pawns upon a chessboard in a never-ending game.
Oh, I'm adding in Evolution as well. This is where things get interesting. I'm working on my own little pantheon here, but I'll allow the standard racial deities in the system. However, Humans will still have no patron deity. It'll be due to the fact that Humans are going to be the only sentient species which evolved naturally, where the other races were created. That's not counting the abberations, of course.
Here's an interesting notion. What if humans are looked down upon by all the other races because they weren't created?
Hey Cato,
Did Evolutionary Anthropology in college and have done
some work toward an advanced degree. You might consider the possibility of multiple human (broad sense) species running around the planet. We take it for granted that we, Homo sapiens sapiens, are the only member of the human family on Earth. But that is only a very recent development. Between the time that our lineage split from the ape lineage and started to diversify, maybe 6-7 million years ago, and the time the Neandertals disappeared, maybe 30,000 ya, there were always at least a couple of human species around.
Oh, I'm adding in Evolution as well. This is where things get interesting. I'm working on my own little pantheon here, but I'll allow the standard racial deities in the system. However, Humans will still have no patron deity. It'll be due to the fact that Humans are going to be the only sentient species which evolved naturally, where the other races were created. That's not counting the abberations, of course.Here's an interesting notion. What if humans are looked down upon by all the other races because they weren't created?
Naaa naaa!!! Loser humans! You weren't created!
(Say, I think I like this. Bwahahahahaha!!!)|
|
Oh, I'm adding in Evolution as well. This is where things get interesting. I'm working on my own little pantheon here, but I'll allow the standard racial deities in the system. However, Humans will still have no patron deity. It'll be due to the fact that Humans are going to be the only sentient species which evolved naturally, where the other races were created. That's not counting the abberations, of course.Here's an interesting notion. What if humans are looked down upon by all the other races because they weren't created?Naaa naaa!!! Loser humans! You weren't created!
(Say, I think I like this. Bwahahahahaha!!!)
"Nobody loves you! You humans can die and nobody cares!"
|
|
Hey Cato,
Did Evolutionary Anthropology in college and have done
some work toward an advanced degree. You might consider the possibility of multiple human (broad sense) species running around the planet. We take it for granted that we, Homo sapiens sapiens, are the only member of the human family on Earth. But that is only a very recent development. Between the time that our lineage split from the ape lineage and started to diversify, maybe 6-7 million years ago, and the time the Neandertals disappeared, maybe 30,000 ya, there were always at least a couple of human species around.
That's something I've considered, but more along the lines of Psions. The only thing is that I've no Psionic manuals. If I do go down this route, I'll probably say that the Psions were treated like those accused of witchcraft back in Salem, making the surviving members rare.
"How is he doing that? Its not not Arcane! Neither is it Divine! He must be some sort of abomination!"
Oh, that reminds me, whether or not I do have them rare like that, I'm also going to retool Psionic powers, because I don't think they should be magic. This will also mean I will need to build a form of defense against Psionic powers similar to Spell Resistance, but also bolstered by certain equipment similar to Armor Class.
I think I'll call it Mental Resistance, and it'll probably be 10 + Wis + Mental Gear.
More tonight, focusing on... RACES!
|
|
Races
Most Common Races
Humans
Elves
Dwarves
Moderately Common Races
Half-Elves(or Half-Humans)
Halflings
Less Common
Centaurs
Gnomes?
Rare
Monster Races(Drow, Doppleganer, Goblins, etcetera)
First, I will say that there are NO Orcs on Tyrra. I have not decided if they were driven to extinction or just never placed here. However, if they were driven to extinction, I will so make a quest in which an anthropological archeologist, along with a heroine who's just as stubborn as he is, go upon a journey in which they search for the remains of the final one. I'll call it: Raiders of the Last Orc!
Okay, jokes aside, there are no Orcs, and by connection, no Half-Orcs. Why? I never really liked them. They just seemed so bland. I can achieve the same thing with all the various Goblinoids.
Note: While I don't expect anyone to take the Centaur race, if that is done, I'll give them three options. First, they can let me power it down to first level equivilency. They can let me trade out the three racial levels for class levels, but start with Zero experience. Or, they can use the base effective character level setup.
Ugh. I suppose that your dwarves are 'gruff, tough axemen', and the elves are 'graceful bowmen of great prestige/wizards of great lore?
Oh well...
Psionics are here at the online SRD
|
|
Ugh. I suppose that your dwarves are 'gruff, tough axemen', and the elves are 'graceful bowmen of great prestige/wizards of great lore?
Oh well...
Yes and no. I'm going to try to not hold stereotypes up as the model for each race. Yes, Dwarves will be sturdy and tough, yes, they do have a racial fondness for axes, but that's not every single Dwarf. Elves, on the other hand, have always seemed like they should favor Sorcerer more than Wizard. After all, they are racially bent towards chaos. Chaos itself doesn't favor book-learning so much as it does just trying random things out.
Just two minor details, Cato :
The plural for La Lance is "Les Lances".
The Blue Spear is "La Lance Bleue" (feminine "e" at the end of bleu).
Good luck on your project, which looks nice :)
|
|
Okay, three new ideas.
First, state of health.
I've had an idea that will allow players to gauge how much health a creature has without actually giving them a hard number on it. I'll set up a few hitpoint percent ranges, and assign titles to them.
100%= Unwounded
86 to 99%= Slightly Wounded
75 to 85%= Wounded
50 to 74%= Moderately Wounded
25 to 49%= Heavily Wounded
10 to 24%= Severely Wounded
-10%= Near Death
Then I make it so that checking this is a Swift/Immediate Action, with a Spot Check of 10 for common creatures, 15 for uncommon creatures, and 20 for rare creatures. Common, Uncommon, and Rare refer to that character's familarity with the creature in question(a Native Errondan would not likely know anything about a creature indigenous to Ankura), and also plain common sense(someone from Erronda may have never seen a rhino before, but can recognize that it's bleeding).
A player can then call for the creature's state of health at any time, assuming they have a Swift or Immediate action, and can pass the Spot check.
Next, as either the second or third mission they undertake(in the main storyline), I'm considering making it a Caravan Escort, comprised of two parts. One is where they have to defend the Caravan when its stuck in a single place, the other is where they are riding in the Caravan, being chased by Goblin Worg-riders. They'll be able to move across the carts and wagons they're on, and even potentially jump from wagon to wagon(provided they're close enough, as they won't be able to get running starts). I am prepared to drop the Caravan Chase, however, if I can't get the logistics down right, because one misstep would mean almost certain death for the characters. Falling off would be treated as 1d6 for the initial landing plus 1 or 2 d6 for the speed they're traveling at, plus potential damage for being trampled.
Finally, I'm probably going to allow Action Points. These will not be handled in the standard manner, however. Instead of replenishing AP through leveling, I'll have them start out with five like they normally do, but once used, the only way to get them back is through performing "Heroic Acts". Not as in good deeds, as that would screw over anyone wanting to be evil. I mean Heroic Acts as in feats of great skill and luck.
Example 1: One game, my friend's character(a Necromancer named Layne) had something the size of a cat leap past his head(he succeeded a Reflex to avoid it actually landing on his head) and start to scurry off. He took an AoO and fired his crossbow, scoring a 20 on the initial roll and somehow also confirmed the critical. A Necromancer. That would be worth a point or two.
Note- I would not award any Action Points for any Heroic Act a player performs, if that player spends an Action Point to perform it.
|
|
Two Potential Character Classes.
There are two full character classes I'm working on; the Pugilist and the Witch.
--------------------
The Pugilist is best described as a fusion of the Monk and the Barbarian. They're best pictured as a stereotypical tavern brawler.
The Pugilist gets Improved Unarmed, and does Unarmed Damage of 1d8+STR(for a Medium sized creature). This damage does not increase as the Pugilist gains levels. Where Monks learn where to hit and how to hit to increase damage, Pugilists hit harder, not smarter.
Pugilists gain proficiency in all simple weapons, and no armors.
Pugilists are hardy individuals, capable of taking quite a beating. They gain a bonus to AC equal to their Constitution Mod. This remains active when unconscious. However, the Pugilist loses the benefit of this if he wears any armor.
Sturdy Frame: A Pugilist's athletic nature allows him to shrug off damage. A successful saving throw against an attack that allows a Reflex save for half damage, deals none instead.
Note- I know that second sentence almost word-for-word how Evasion works, but I named it Sturdy Frame because the Pugilist isn't avoiding the damage, he's withstanding it. This ability never improves, unlike Evasion.
While Pugilists aren't the finesse fighters that Monks are, they are clever and creative with how they fight. A Pugilist who picks up an improvised weapon suffers no penalty on the attack roll. Likewise, some of the items they pick up may have distinct features that grant them abilities they may not normally have in combat(a ladder could grant them reach, a broken wagon wheel could could grant them a bonus to disarm). A natural 1 on an attack roll destroys the improvised weapon.
Overwhelming Assault: Overwhelming assault allows a Pugilist an extra attack at a -4 penalty(to the lowest BAB). The resulting barrage of blows can render an opponent Staggered untill the end of the Pugilists next turn, unless the opponent succeeds a Fortitude save equal to 10 + STR Mod + 1/2(Pugilist Level).
Improved Overwhelming Assault: The penalty is lessened to -2. In addition, all attacks used with this ability increase by one damage category. Attacks not used with Improved Overwhelming Assault do not get this damage increase.
Great Overwhelming Assault: The penalty is removed.
Hit Dice: d8
BAB, Fort/Ref/Will: 3/4, Good/Poor/Poor
That's all I have on the Pugilist for the moment. I may be dropping the DR. I'm unsure. Part of the problem is finding where to place the class features so that they are balanced well. I'm also considering allowing the Pugilist Bonus Feats from the Fighter's list.
--------------------
The Witch
Barely have anything for the Witch at the moment. I got the idea from the DMG. The modifications I know I'm making are as follows:
7 spell levels instead of 9
Elemental Affinity- At Second level, a Witch choses an element to specialize with. The Witch gains a resistance to that element. The Witch also casts spells which are based on that element as if she were 1 level higher. Spells from opposing elements, however, are cast as if 1 level lower.(A 5th level Fire-Witch would cast Scorching as if 6th level, but would cast Gust of Wind as if 4th level)
Later on, as the Affinity improves, the which can make the extra damage on spells(such as that +1 at the end of every Magic missile) deal elemental damage that she has the Affinity for(the player must declare this when casting, however).
--------------------
That's all I have on these for the moment.
In my opinion, the druid and sorcerer are the 'witch'. You want the evil stereotype? Take the sorcerer. You want the nature-loving one? Take the druid. I don't have CW, but maybe the hexblade could also work. Maybe merging the sorcerer and druid together would get your witch.
|
|
In my opinion, the druid and sorcerer are the 'witch'. You want the evil stereotype? Take the sorcerer. You want the nature-loving one? Take the druid. I don't have CW, but maybe the hexblade could also work. Maybe merging the sorcerer and druid together would get your witch.
Actually, that's kinda what I was thinking. Although the Witch class is not one that is inherently evil. I'm thinking that the Witch will have access to level 1-7 arcane spells and some level 1-7 Druid spells(only those that are elemental spells, that aren't pure Druid flavor, such as Flame Blade).
One thing I forgot to mention is that the Witch does not need material components as long as she has a Wiccan Focus, which is the five pointed elemental array(Penticle or Pentigram, as mentioned earlier in the thread).
|
|
Locations
-Farwood Forest-
Named "Farwood" for the fact that this forest is found out far away from any others, in the midst of a land known for its rolling plains. A single river bisects this forest, with at least one creek branching from it. Little is known of its depths.
-Farwood's Edge-
Located on the edge of Farwood Forest, lies the small(but quickly growing) town of Farwood's Edge. The residents having chosen a fortuitous settlement near the river and a well-traveled trade route. Resources include two wells, Edge Creek, Farwood Forest itself, and various other minor resources.
-Kingsholm-
Five days West and North of Farwood's Edge is the town of Kingsholm, birthplace of a long-passed king who once brought many of the lands of Erronda together. Now a primary city along the King's Road.
-Ferroton-
The reknowned "City of Steel", Ferroton sits six days South of Farwood's Edge. Named for its rich deposits of iron ore, Ferroton began as a simple mining village, but rapidly grew into a prosperous city through trade.
Unusual Materials/Construction
-Serren-
An uncommon wood which grants items crafted from it Ghost Touch as an Extraordinary ability. Hd=5/HP=10; Additional Cost= 4000 gp
-Ironroot-
Rare(and small) tree which has a root as tough as iron, at only 75% of the weight. If crafted into armor, it allows the wearer to swim on the surface of water with no check penalty, but below the surface, it is still difficult. Items normally made of metal can be made of Ironroot instead. Hd=10/HP=20; Additional Cost= +4000 gp for Medium Armor, +9000 gp for Heavy Armor, +500 gp/pound for all other items
Note- Any armor made of wood has a -3 penalty to saves versus Fire unless specificly noted.
-Starmetal-
Rare green metal, only found on the Island of Flames and Torment. Overcomes certain damage reduction(as Adamantine). Deals +1d6 damage to Extraplanar creatures that are currently on the Material Plane. Armors made of Starmetal grant damage reduction based on class of armor(as Adamantine). Hd=20/HP=40; priced as Adamantine
-Dwarvencraft-
Improvement upon Masterwork. +2 to Hardness, +10 HP, +2 to saving throws by item, +2 to saving throws by item, +2 to attack or -2 to Armor Check, can hold two Augment Crystals. Additional cost = +1000 gp
-Elvencraft-
APPLIES ONLY TO LONGBOWS AND SHORTBOWS. Allows use of a bow as a melee weapon at no penalty and with no abnormal risk of breakage. Longbows are treated as quarterstaves, Shortbows as clubs.
|
|
Okay, question for anyone reading: Do your games have called shots? Called shots in this case means targeting a specific part of the body for more damage/or a special effect(for example, trying to shoot an arrow into a vampire's heart to make it easier to slay, or attempting to break the jaw of a spell caster so that he has a hard time casting spells).
The way I've handled it was to place a +4 circumstance bonus to AC for the enemy, and if the attack succeeds, consider the damage to be one class higher(1d6 becomes 1d8) and grant a x2 modifier. In exchange, the player forgoes any critical they may qualify for with their roll.
I'm thinking of making it require an action point to perform a called shot.
How do you guys handle Called Shots?
|
|
One option would be to come up with a list of Conditions; similar to Dazzled or Dazed or Sickened, but including stuff like Hoarse (trouble speaking, spell failure similar to Deafness) and Lamed (as the Caltrops effect), and have a melee attacker be able to inflict one by taking an attack at -4 or -5 to hit. If he hits despite the penalty, he inflicts the specific Condition (but damage is nonlethal damage!), and if he hits by twice that number (or perhaps only if he Hits Critically), he inflicts the next greater Condition!
Dazzled -> Blinded (opened a bleeding gash over the eyes)
Dazed -> Stunned (bonked on the noggin)
Sickened -> Nauseated (morningstar to the junk)
Hoarse -> Mute (throat smash)
Lamed -> Crippled (leg gash / foot stab or stomp)
Other options might present themselves such as a 'lesser disarm' that forces the target to lose an action re-readying their weapon or a 'lesser trip' that causes someone to be off-balance and lose their Dex bonus to AC for the round.
Conditions would require a Fort save to get over the following round, with a cumulative +1 to the roll each round (and perhaps a penalty, based on how well the attacker struck, or just a blanket penalty to save on book-keeping, like -4 or -5). Greater Conditions (like Blindness) would 'downgrade' to the next lower Condition (say Dazzled), and then that would also be overcome the say way. Any type of healing magic that cures the nonlethal damage caused by the injury that caused the Condition would also clear up the Condition.
How do you guys handle Called Shots?
When I allow them (which isn't often) I use the DMG table for that. They take a lot of extra time to adjudicate, which I don't think enhances much during play. I can achieve a similar "oooh" result with a good description when someone gets high damage. Not to mention which, I don't mind gimping a mook for flavor purposes.
|
|
How do you guys handle Called Shots?When I allow them (which isn't often) I use the DMG table for that. They take a lot of extra time to adjudicate, which I don't think enhances much during play. I can achieve a similar "oooh" result with a good description when someone gets high damage. Not to mention which, I don't mind gimping a mook for flavor purposes.
I understand, but many at the table have a tendancy to want to try and effect the target with ways other than standard damage. I'm simply trying to keep my bases covered, and spend less time at the table trying to figure something out by having done so before hand.
|
|
Now for the Wizards: I think I'm going to be loosening the school restriction for them. They'll only have to give up one school of magic to specialize.
I believe I'll also allow a wizard who has exhausted his mainstay of spells to cast from his spellbook, for a price. These spells will be cast at the highest level that wizard is capable of, but casting directly from the book causes the wizard to lose the spell.
Action points cannot be used to recall this spell. This basicly allows a near-spent wizard to turn his spellbook into a collection of spell scrolls if he absolutely has to.
Is it me or does Cato Novus' avatar look a little like Val Kilmer?
|
|
Prestige Quests
Paladin: "The Final Test"
Provided Materials: Every candidate is provided with a Merciful Longsword that they must use throughout the quest.
--------------------------------------------
Qualification Exam #1: Mounted Combat
The Candidate must ride his mount through an obstacle course to the end, all while destroying stationary targets. Any candidate who falls from his mount or injures his mount is disqualified.
Success = Course completion & 15 out of 20 targets destroyed.
--------------------------------------------
Qualification Exam #2: Personal Combat
The Candidate must compete against others in a tournament of 25 hopefuls. The top 5 proceed to The Final Test. The order in which they each go is determined by their place in the tournament.
--------------------------------------------
The Final Test consists of 3 challenges: The Challenge of Wisdom, The Challenge of Courage, and The Challenge of Strength.
--------------------------------------------
The Challenge of Wisdom
Within this chamber stands Sariel, the Angel of Wisdom. When approached, he introduces himself, reveals the rest of the room, and poses a riddle: "Only those who cross the center of world shall prove themselves wise."
The room beyond Sariel is a great pit, with the tops of pillars interspersed, each pillar has a letter on top.
Solution: Every pillar will fall when stepped on, except for those with an O, R, or L, as those are the center of the word "world".
--------------------------------------------
The Challenge of Courage
As the candidate passes down a corridor, a demon will burst through a wall, proclaiming himself free of his prison, that that he shall burn down the heavens in retribution. The candidate can tell by looking at this demon that he is far from a match.
Attempting to stop or delay the demon while the party backtracks to find Gadrael is grounds for passing. The willingness to take oneself against seemingly insurmountable odds proves that while the candidate is afraid, he acts in spite of his fear. The demon either reveals himself to be an Angel in disguise, or is actually a demon, but one who has seen the light and pledged himself to Metrioch.
--------------------------------------------
The Challenge of Strength
As the candidate enters the next chamber, he meets another Angel named Gadrael, the Holy Messenger of Metrioch. Gadrael informs the candidate that the Challenge of Strength is to be a non-lethal duel against him. Gadrael surrenders when below 20% health or when his Longsword is Sundered.
Upon completion of The Final Test, Gadrael bestows upon the candidate three rewards: the title "Paladin of Metrioch"; a new weapon, a Holy Longsword that has a slight golden glow, and glows more brightly in the presence of Evil; and enough experience to gain his first level as a Paladin.
--------------------------------------------
Questions, comments, smartass remarks?
Awesome :D
|
|
Okay, I've spoken with two of the guys who will likely be playing when I get things up and running.
First is a friend who would like to play a Druid in the main storyline. I've told him I can even help him with his backstory and let him be the apprentice of the old Druid that has lived on the outskirts of town for who knows how long. Possibly even letting that man have raised my friend's character from childhood.
Next is a buddy who likes werewolves, and has told me he would like to play one. I responded that while I can't let him start out as a werewolf, I can give him a lycanthropic bloodline, and a situation that will allow him to awaken this bloodline. He can then progress through three stages. Bloodlined humanoid -> Afflicted Werewolf -> Natural Werewolf.
I say "Afflicted", but its more along the lines that he just has not fully developed his lycanthropic nature untill he makes the change into the Natural Werewolf state. Basicly, in the Afflicted state, he'll have just his Humanoid form and Wolf form. It won't be untill the natural State that he'll gain the Hybrid form.
As a side note, I'm going to modify the Monster Manual's Werewolfs a little, their Damage Reduction looks a little to high to me. I'm thinking 3/Silver for Afflicted and 6/Silver for Natural.
Similar in vein the Paladin Prestige Quest, I will give the player a chance to become a Werewolf Lord. The Werewolf Lord template will get the DR 10/Silver as written.
Things are beginning to come together nicely.
|
|
More on Religion
Greenman(N)- A Primal God, the Greenman defected to the side of the Council of Nine in the later half of the God's War. The Greenman is not truely a member of the council, acting more as an advisor than anything else. The Greenman is responsible for nature and the elements as balanced, yet uncontroled forces.
Favored Weapon: Quarterstaff
Domains: Air, Animal, Earth, Fire, Lightning, Plant, Water
Draco(N)- More commonly known as the "Dragon Lord", "The Great Dragon" or "The First Dragon", Draco is quite the oddity among Patron Deities, as creatures of any race or alignment may be Clerics of Draco, but only those with Draconic Heratige can access all of Draco's Clerical Domains.
Favored Weapon: Scimitar(Claw)
Domains: Dragon*, Knowledge, Magic, Travel, Wealth*
Polaris(NG)- Referred to as "The Heavenly Guide" and the "Light in the Darkness", Polaris is most active at night, with one eye staring upon the world from the night sky, unmoving and unblinking. So steadfast in watching over the world's travelers that many use her location to find their way at night.
Favored Weapon: Ranseur
Domains: Good, Healing, Luck, Protection, Sun, Travel
Faltas(NE)- Keeper of Forbidden Knowledge and Secrets, and a Master of Lies, Faltas is a god of magic with a duplicitous nature. Theories abound that he inspired Baloth to attack his brother at the end of the war, yet would not help him when the attack was made as a means to get the two to kill each other; but there was no proof that he had a hand in any of this.
Favored Weapon: Dagger
Domains: Evil, Knowledge, Magic, Trickery
The Council of Nine
The prime deities who rule the plains formed a council, dubbed the Council of Nine. Each alignment is represented by one member.
The war itself, was instigated by a Primal God who was not one of the First Ones, but was more powerful than any single one of them, and other than the Greenman, was the only Primal God who was not killed. He was imprisoned, and The Pact was made among the Council of Nine, to avoid inciting another God's War.
It became evident that the bonds the Council placed upon him would soon break, so they came up with a plan to rid themselves of him. They sealed him into a mortal form and cast him onto Tyrra, where he would live the remainder of his days.
Changes and notes
Jarta no longer has the domain Protection, it is replaced with Planning(Complete Warrior), also, I'm adding the Cold domain to his list(if I can't find a listing for it, I'll build it as I build the Lightning domain). Jarta's favored weapon is now the Warhammer. Previously unmentioned, the Courage and Tyrrany domains are also from Complete Warrior.