Looking for about 4-6 players. Check out the details below and express an interest. If I get enough, I'll start up an OOC thread for full character creation etc.
Overview
Master of Jade, Mistress of Iron (MoJ/MoI) is a D&D 3.5 campaign set in the homebrew World of Conclave. It has a vaguely Asian feel to it, in that it has jade, spirits, fighting styles, elephant-headed gods, divinely-appointed Emperors, rice, bamboo, yen and ancient empires (etc.) but it is not meant as a Fantasy Asia. It has other elements such as worldwide banking and merchant empires, printing presses and clockwork that puts it closer to late 17th century Europe. It also draws upon a range of other influences such as Egypt, Polynesia and Imperial Russia.
Website
The Background
You’ve lost track of how long you’ve been here. Five days working the mines, one day off, then back to the rock face again. Manacled at night, fed on watery gruel, driven by sadistic slavers all for the sake of the magical metal they call dragonsblood.
In fact, you’re not even sure where you are. You were bought here by ship, you are on an island with volcanoes and jungles inland. The prison, or simply Prison, is a colony of ne’er-do-wells ruled by the cruel warden they call Little Tev, (but never to his face). Your fellow prisoners are men and women sent here for all sorts of reasons. They annoyed the wrong people, they were framed, they were in the wrong place at the wrong time and ended up as “warm cargo”. And some, perhaps you, are really guilty of the crimes they were accused of. One thing you’ve learned, it’s best not to ask. Another thing you’ve learned is that you want out. And the most interesting thing you’ve learned… there are others who think the same.
Character Creation
Ability Scores: Use 28 point buy.
Character Race: Use World of Conclave races, as given below. Further details found at www.creativeconclave.co.uk/racescultures.html
• Humans. There are a variety of different racial types of human with purely role-play differences between them.
• Salsham’ai (Tree Folk). Small-sized, human-like except for their prehensile feet. Wise, dextrous, with a kinship to nature spirits. Pick one of these of you like characters who are always calm, or if you want good stealth abilities.
• Tlaxu. Somewhat cat-like, the tlaxu have at least three known cultural/racial subdivisions (although all are the same in mechanical terms). Relations between humans and tlaxu are shaky due to long years of mistrust and mutual skirmish. Good senses and the chance of taking racial levels to improve physical stats. Pick a tlaxu if you like cat-folk, active characters or having a sinister reputation.
• Ura. Tiny-sized folk from beneath the deserts of the Outer Continent, Ura are proud warriors who make opportunistic use of the discards of larger races. Pick an ura if you like small but feisty characters or gregarious travellers.
• Ti-Kop. Also known as ‘gloppies’. The Ti-Kop are an aquatic race common to the shoreline. They are tough, but materially poor, with a tense relationship to humans due to fishing rights and egg-stealing. Pick a Ti-Kop if you like aquatic races or want to play a primitive race.
• Nai-nek-chai. Shapechangers that can take the form of human or animal, nai-nek-chai are the descendants of mortals and great animal spirits. They generally do not fit in in either the human or animal worlds. Pick a nai-nek-chai if you like shapechangers or like playing the confused outsider.
• Edraldi. Earth spirits in mortal form. The edraldi are tough, stocky beings with earth-dark skin and tangled roots for hair, often resembling ram’s horns. They come in four different variants and are quite secretive of their society. Pick an edraldi if you like tough characters or having an otherwordly touch.
Character Class:
• You may use any class in the SRD. You are allowed (and encouraged) to use any of the class variants (originally from Unearthed Arcana) that are given in the SRD. Of the psionic classes, only psion or psychic warrior are allowed – these represent the Yana Mystics of far northern Ut’Bharma. Other classes are allowed by arrangement but bear in mind I don’t have any Complete books or PHB 2 so you may have to give me details. This game may involve a fair amount of sea-based play, so options (but not races) from Stormwrack are possible. Spells from Oriental Adventures are allowed, but I see no need for the classes.
• Conclave races do not have favoured class. Multi-classing may be done freely without penalty.
• Paladins do not serve an alignment, instead there are variants based upon causes. Ask for further details.
• Shaman characters are available, these are a homebrew variant that function mostly as spontaneous divine casters. Ask for further details, or see website.
• Various fighting styles exist that can be used with monks or fighters. You may use the styles from the SRD, or there are also some in-house styles available. Ask for further details.
• Priests are either wandering mendicants or ceremonial priests. Most revere the Ten Thousand Immortals as a whole, whilst a rare few focus on specific gods.
• Your characters start with no equipment except the clothes on their backs, so bear that in mind if creating a character that relies heavily on an item or focus. Spellcasters can start with their full complement of readied spells.
• I usually allow for a re-jigging of your character after a short while of play (perhaps a month realtime) if you find that your original concept doesn’t work for you.
Other elements
• All characters begin at 1st level.
• Your character starts with nothing. The standard currency is the glass yen. One yen equals one copper piece, thus 1 sp = 10 yen, 1 gp = 100 yen and so forth. Relative costs, etc. are the same as SRD.
• Generally, I prefer feats, spells etc. from the SRD only since it makes it easier to look up, but I’m open to variants (with the caveat given above re: class). There are a few homebrew feats available.
• There is no alignment.
• Starting hit points are Con score, plus Con bonus, plus maximum class hit die. Hit points beyond 1st level are hit dice plus Con bonus, as usual.
Your character background
As sparse or as detailed as you’d prefer. I’m open to Design In Play background as much (perhaps more) than a long and in-depth backstory. You will need some reason for being in the slave mines – perhaps framed by a rival, or you got on the wrong side of organised criminals. Perhaps you are a habitual criminal yourself. This game would probably suit characters with fairly low moral fibre and a will to expediency moreso than a Johnny Upright, but a personality clash or two will make for interesting times.
See the World of Conclave for more cultural notes. Human characters can come from pretty much any of the nations given, from the Empire of Splendour (and former holdings) to Moa Ruaki. Many non-humans have different subcultures and races too.
Try to avoid real world names – most Conclave names tend to be translated into some from of description such as Chance, Amber, Five Lives, Fifth Fortunate Son etc. Generally, the richer somebody is, the more florid their name tends to be. See the World of Conclave website for other ideas. Non-human names are covered in the PDF file for each race.
Are the basic classes from OA allowed?
Samurai and Shugenja, no.
Shaman, can be. There is a variant shaman up on the Conclave website, you can choose one or the other if you wish. Wu Jen is possible. Off the top of my head, I don't think there are any other new classes in that supplement.
Although there is no Samurai, you can use a paladin variant with Ancestral Weapon or Bonded Item (from Arcana Evolved) feat for a similar effect. Both of these feats are only available from 3rd level onwards, but also you start with no equipment so they would be useless initially.
I'm in.
Further to my above, I forgot the Sohei. It's possible to be one of these, if you wish.
Count me in. How does the application process work?
random/selected/first come first serve?
I'll toss my hat in for a monk.
More likely than not
Discussion Thread is now open. Any further character creation should take place there.
Recruitment will be first-come, first served on getting a character concept up in the OOC thread, but I will take substitutes if you don't mind sitting on the virtual bench.