OK, so I am finally getting down to working on my homebrew campaign world for my group. My group is on the move to prepare and leave my old DM's game world and set out on a Spacejammer adventure to go to my new homebrew campaign world. It is my hope that that they will reach my homebrew via Spelljammer in roughly five adventures so I have a couple of months to work on this but I will also be in school with a full load of classes. So it is also my hope to have the very basics of my home world fleshed out enough for them to adventure and even shape the world through their adventures. Down below is a summery and teaser of what my campaign world is and I have already shown my group this and most of them have expressed interest in playing there.
Terrafumus
A Homebrew Campaign World
By
Ito Saith WebbWelcome to Terrafumus, also known as Terra for short, it is a place of high magic, a place of high science and a place of high political intrigue. Terra is a place where both dragons and airships rule the sky. It is a place where the savage jungles dominate the ground. Lastly it is place where the unknown controls the seas. Terrafumus in actuality is a terrestrial-moon in orbit around a large gas giant called the Anima Fontis. According to legend all life came into being from Anima Fontis. No mortal has ever gone to Anima Fontis for it is said that this is only a place for the Gods. Terrafumus is not only a giant moon but it is also a great conjunction of dimensional pocket gateways that lead into the elemental and para-elemental planes of existence; the most numerous of these pockets are those of steam. It is from these pockets that fuel the very magic and science which govern and support Terra society today but is also from these pockets and the proximity of Anima Fontis that fuel the savage jungles. These jungles are always growing, always expanding and never relenting always filled with all manners of creatures both wondrous and horrible to behold. Only the mighty walls of the City-Nations keep the jungle at bay and it is there where three of the dominant species of Terra reside. It is a kill or be a killed world, not only in a very physical sense but also in a political sense which can be just as deadly, so watch your back and get ready for a place of adventure!
I like what I have so far but I know that I have a ton more work to do, so I am open to suggestions on any cool ideas or things I might not have considered. So I am asking for insights on how to improve my world based on what I have so far.
My Current Thoughts:
The World: Except for what is described above Terrafuma is basically an alternate Earth and it actually does have links to the real earth but for now those are dark secrets kept by the Gods.
The Gods: I am currently using only the Earth gods out of the 1st edition AD&D Deity and Demi-Gods book. They may actually be the Gods of old or they may just be taking the names but they are Gods. I have already gone through and assigned Domains and Sub-Domains to the Gods I have mentioned. I am also using every Pantheon.
The City Nations: They will be multi-level cities that stretch both a mile up into the above and below ground. Most of the lower levels would be the slums and the upper levels are for the upper class. Although this is not always the case depending on the city. Each city nation is more or less dedicated to one pantheon from the Deity and Demi-Gods book and there will be a correlation between the city name and it's patron pantheon. However, the other pantheons do of course have finger holds in the other city other than their own.
The Jungle: This is a bit of a misnomer because it refers to the fact the wilderness outside of the city walls is totally uncontrollable and has a life of it's own. The jungle could be anything from temperate to tropical forests, be wild grassland taller than your head, or even a desert that is always moving and this it is more of a sea than sand dunes and this you have to sail the across the dunes.
Science Vs Magic: This will all depend on the city in which you are traveling through. Some cities will embrace both science and magic or one will favor one or the other viewing the other as a taboo. Other cities merely will tolerate both and are just trying to get by.
Technology: Science and technology wise, Terrafumma is you basic steampunk world that also happens to be filled with magic. There level of tech is roughly between the early 1900's and late 1800's.
Culture Level: The culture level is very high and the styles and trends tend to follow the same level of technology of he early 1900's and late 1800's.
Famous NPCs: For some reason they are being re-born here on Terrafumma but they are out of sync with their original time lines. They are not born into the right eras and so their lives are very different but their genius, greatness and their personalities are still the same. They have no recollection of their past lives.
Ruined or Lost Cities There are in fact two lost cities or nations from old earth that exists here on Terrafumma. Atlantis is up and running but it is a city under the seas where they exploit the bounty of the sea for profit in the world. (It would be very similar to the feel of Rapture from Bioshock but it will be it's own beast eventually). It is also rumored that the civilization of the Mu was alive and kicking but it disappeared during the Great Wars. Lastly, Athens and Rome fell a long time ago during the war but it still exists as New Rome.
Races: One of the three major city races of Terrafumma will be humans and they will be the most dominant. I have not yet decided on the other two races but so far I am leaning towards Saurians and perhaps Shifters. There will be minor races but they share the cities with the major races. The minor races will include most of the standard fantasy crop like dwarves, elves and so on but they don't have their own cultures and only grow up into different ones.
I am also playing around with the idea that the base race will just be human but the genetics of all humans get messed up because of the high magic in and about Terra so you might have human parents but be born a dwarf, halfing, Saurian or Misc. which I think is a fun idea. You are all just a bunch of FREAKS.
Lastly I am currently working up the creation myth which will suggest the ties to the real Earth but I am going to try and keep it ambiguous.
So I would really like feedback on this while I create this world and I hope you all like what I have so far because this world has been fermenting in my head for half a year now at least. Since it is still early in the creation process I am open to all ideas and suggestion but I will be choosy in what I pick. :D
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I recommend something special...
The Blackspear was beyond sight of land when the old man came up on deck.
"All crew clear the midships!" The Captain took the Helm and signaled to Kasavetes the Sworder to remain as crew pushed down the stairs into their rest quarters below deck.
The old priest summoned up a maelstrom all around the Ship. Kasavetes could see down into the vortex - it had no bottom.
"Are we going in?" The power of it was incredible. The Captain shook his head.
"No! We are going further out." He held the Wheel steady as the Storm became bigger. Kasavetes could see land inside the maelstrom. Was that the Dragonshead peninsula?
The Land continued to fill the storm until he thought it must be the whole world squezed on a cluster of islands. The Captain turned away from land and the ocean became dark with a terrible depth.
Kasavetes looked about for the Moon as the Stars ran from the sky like molten gold into the smooth as glass sea.
In the far distance was an island.
"What land is that?" It had no trees.
"Isla Luna. We will be stopping there to take on Balast before we hit the Khaos Sea and make the six month Voyage to Terra Fumus."
Kasavetes looked back at the world he was leaving behind. The ship was still riding up out of the Maelstrom they had created - never quite reaching the edge of the Vortex.
The Captain followed Kasavete's Gaze.
"The Maelstrom will continue to grow the closer we get to Terra Fumus. Fortunately you will not be on the return voyage."
I recommend something special...
** spoiler omitted **
Is that quoted exactly from something or did you insert my homebrew campaign world name into something else as a suggestion? I was pretty sure that the name of my campaign world was original.
It sounds interesting what you have going. It feels like a 'Sword and Planet' type of setting, so if that is the way you are going, it might be worth looking towards Speed....er Flash Gordon for a little more inspiration. I am assuming you know who that is, but if you don't here is the wiki link. I can see each of your City Nations plotting to destroy the other in order to curry the favor of a deathless lich overlord that rules your world from the largest and most powerful of the City Nations (this lich is the last of his race and has access to vast amounts of technology and magic). Despite his formiddable armies, bountiful coffers and absolute power, he keeps the various nations of Terrafuma fighting so they don't ally and overthrow him. Granted, it is merely a cloned characterization of Ming the Merciless, but you could take it any way you wanted to.
I think it was the tall cities in the clouds that reminded me of Flash Gordon, but it also reminded me of something else too. Something I am sure you can draw stuff from. It is called The Mysterious Explorations of Jasper Morello. Cities that stretch into the clouds...steampunk...airships....where the world beyond civilization is a savage one and a man lost can be easy prey. The video runs for about 26 minutes. You can find the main website here.
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Is that quoted exactly from something or did you insert my homebrew campaign world name into something else as a suggestion? I was pretty sure that the name of my campaign world was original.I recommend something special...
** spoiler omitted **
I Used the name of your little home brew to give you a feel for it...So you would have that whole 'how travel between worlds works' feel.
I Used the name of your little home brew to give you a feel for it...So you would have that whole 'how travel between worlds works' feel.Is that quoted exactly from something or did you insert my homebrew campaign world name into something else as a suggestion? I was pretty sure that the name of my campaign world was original.I recommend something special...
** spoiler omitted **
ahh OK, I was hoping it was just that but it is always good to make sure. This, in at least a metaphorical way, is pretty close to what I have planned for the journey. For PC motivations of why they are leaving I am using both the carrot and the stick. The carrot is the promise of the new world full of cool stuff plus there are multiple quests connected to the main story that leads them there. In addition if they don't leave a terrifying force is seeking out to capture one of the party and will destroy anything and anyone to get what they want.
It sounds interesting what you have going. It feels like a 'Sword and Planet' type of setting, so if that is the way you are going, it might be worth looking towards Speed....er Flash Gordon for a little more inspiration. I am assuming you know who that is, but if you don't here is the wiki link. I can see each of your City Nations plotting to destroy the other in order to curry the favor of a deathless lich overlord that rules your world from the largest and most powerful of the City Nations (this lich is the last of his race and has access to vast amounts of technology and magic). Despite his formiddable armies, bountiful coffers and absolute power, he keeps the various nations of Terrafuma fighting so they don't ally and overthrow him. Granted, it is merely a cloned characterization of Ming the Merciless, but you could take it any way you wanted to.
I think it was the tall cities in the clouds that reminded me of Flash Gordon, but it also reminded me of something else too. Something I am sure you can draw stuff from. It is called The Mysterious Explorations of Jasper Morello. Cities that stretch into the clouds...steampunk...airships....where the world beyond civilization is a savage one and a man lost can be easy prey. The video runs for about 26 minutes. You can find the main website here.
Yes I was trying to go for a little bit of the sword and planet feel with heavy elements of steampunk. I am not sure what kind of evil presence yet I want but I do know that I want each city to have it's own flavor. The lich king idea might fit in well for one of the cities. I want each city to have it's own type of government but they are all basically cosmopolitan but each one might be mixed with other stuff. I watch just a little bit of the video (will watch more later) and it looks great for the feel of one city that is not devoted to just one pantheon but a theme. For now I am calling it Metropolis and is governed by Nikola Tesla (alternate version of him) and the place is basically a technocracy and the Gods they do worship there are all the craft gods from all the pantheons. I think one city will probably be very Flesh errrr Flash Gordon-esc.
Politics, I was thinking that a cold war phenomena might be a good way to go. There is peace but it is always a precarious one full of political problems.
One of my main concerns is how the cities acquire their food. There is the sea of course but it is dangerous as it is as bountiful. The jungle provides like a cornucopia but it takes just as much as it gives. I would like some kind of agricultural farming and husbandry but because of the jungle it is next to impossible. I thought perhaps in some more of the day exposed areas of the city-nations there could be farms or perhaps the farms are all vertical hanging down.
Adventurer wise, I was thinking of having a guild system for basically just adventures. I was thinking of calling it the Tutelar Guild and their main focus is hiring out mercenaries as soldiers and or guards which every city uses because just even farming is dangerous just because of the Jungle. Or sometimes they are hired on as hunters. *adventure hook* The city is having a holiday celebration and is planning on having a Dino BBQ and the party needs to go and hunt a Dinosaur to throw on the barbie.
These ideas of course are not set in stone until I write them down officially.
I am still working out what major races I want to be present on Terrafumus as the dominant species.
I am really leaning toward the idea that the major race is actually the human race. Now because of the high density of the elemental pockets and the proximity of Anima Fontis this messes up the genetics of the human race so there is always a chance you give birth to something else other than human. So all demi-humans are basically mutants or freaks. They would be accepted in some communities, tolerated in others, subjugated in others, or killed upon sight or birth.
I am also playing around with the idea that Anima Fontis is guarded by un bound eidolons and some of them even have class levels. They are wild, intelligent and in full control.
This also lead to the idea that of having a half-eidolon race. This would allow my players or anyone who plays the game to look like almost anything they want.
I am thinking it would work like this.
Half-Eidolon (perhaps a different name)
After mating for generations with summoners and then with each other a a true breed of half eidolons were born. Half-Eidolons can look like anything and can share many similar attributes but they don't evolve and they are born as is. Half-Eidolons are always in a biped humanoid form and they are born with evolutionary traits common to eidolons.
Medium Humanoid
Attribute Bonus: None but the cap for ability score of a Half-Eidolon is 20 instead of 18.
Half-Eidolons can look like anything they player wishes but may only have abilities that he spends evolution points on.
At character creation may spend 4 evolution points to construct the physical or special abilities and they can only spend these points at character creation.
At character creation a player sacrifice his 1st level Bonus Feat to gain one extra evolution point. This can only be done at character creation.
Half-Eidolons only receive 4 evolution points:
They start with Limbs X2 as free evolutions and these come with hands and feet.
Half-Eidolons can choose their evolutions from the eidolon evolution list.
Languages: Common, Eidolon(special must have Eidolon blood to speak)
So what do you think? Would this be to powerful or should I cut back the evolution points down to 3 or perhaps limit the list ?
Did some more work on the broad strokes. Again any suggestions would be grand.
The Anima Fontis & The Twelve Pantheons
The Anima Fontis is the gas giant that Terrafumus orbits about in a peculiar thirteen month cycle in which Terra knows no true day or night and thus the day is divided by dawn, a silvery low lit day, and dusk. There is one exception to the cycles of days because near the end of 13th cycle it is known as the month of darkness and at the beginning of the 7th cycle it is known as the month of the elements; both are times of extreme wonder and danger.
It is said that the Anima Fontis is home to the Gods and houses the twelve great pantheons of Terra; it is also known as the well spring of all life. Anima Fontis is not beyond the reach of the mortals of Terra but every attempt has ended in disaster. Every brave soul that ever approached the Anima Fontis whether by science, magic or both have met the same grizzly end by hands of a hoard of untethered eidolons that fly out of the thick atmosphere of Anima Fontis and attack all but the Gods. However, on occasion the Gods have been known to transport chosen mortals to be witness to the great halls of Anima Fontis, those who decide to return come back with tales of wondrous courts and of a 13th court that is empty and which they were always forbidden to enter. Those rare mortals who have tread the halls of Anima Fontis are said to be tested for if they choose to enter that great abandoned court they are banished back to Terra and always come back stark raving mad and that madness can even infect those around them. It is speculated that this empty court once held a dark pantheon that was probably banished or destroyed by the great twelve Pantheons.
*The Twelve pantheons are in actuality the old pantheons of Earth and are as follows: American Indian, Babylonian, Celtic, Central American, Chinese, Egyptian, Finish, Greek, Indian, Japanese, Norse, and Sumerian.
I kind of like the half-eidelons, you might want to add in some feats to allow them gain evolution points.
You might also want to do an alternate arch-type for the summoner that gives the evolution points to the summoner instead for half-eidelons (they are basically summoning planar power into themselves to enhance their natural abilities).
Alternately, you could just about take the eidelon 20 level progression and make it an alternate class that can only be taken by half-eidelons (or even full eidelons if you wanted to allow players to play as an eidelon).
I would change Jungle to 'Wilds', to juxtapose it with the civilized/industrial areas. There should be lost cities scattered all through the wilds, where the Wilds have triumphed over the cities. You could even turn it into a sub-plot, the Wilds attacking Civilization, and the cities embattled, giant walls and daily battle to keep the wilds at bay.
I kind of like the half-eidelons, you might want to add in some feats to allow them gain evolution points.
You might also want to do an alternate arch-type for the summoner that gives the evolution points to the summoner instead for half-eidelons (they are basically summoning planar power into themselves to enhance their natural abilities).
Alternately, you could just about take the eidelon 20 level progression and make it an alternate class that can only be taken by half-eidelons (or even full eidelons if you wanted to allow players to play as an eidelon).
I would change Jungle to 'Wilds', to juxtapose it with the civilized/industrial areas. There should be lost cities scattered all through the wilds, where the Wilds have triumphed over the cities. You could even turn it into a sub-plot, the Wilds attacking Civilization, and the cities embattled, giant walls and daily battle to keep the wilds at bay.
I played around with the idea of creating racial feats for the Half-Eidolons (not the final name) but I really dislike creating new feats but I am not above modifying old ones. That is why I am thinking just allowing the player to sacrifice their 1st level feat for an extra evo points is strong enough.
I think it is strong enough because I was going through the evolutions and I was thinking on how I would approach them as a player and how I would have to deal with it as a GM. However, I could consider allowing the race to exchange character level bonus feats for Evo points.
On the other hand I don't think it is needed only because because it is a player race that means they are are open to all classes which means since they are half-eidolon they are effected by eidolon boosting spells. Although I must admit that having a Half-Eidolon as a summoner raises some interesting implications.
You pretty much hit the concept of my jungles on the nose because the jungles do keep pushing against the walls of the City-Nations and are full of creatures wanting to eat everyone there. However, not every race will live in the cities and I do want wild native tribes living in the jungles.
Edit:
So far my plots are:Nations Vs Nations: for the most part politically but this can always lead to small wars.
Wilds Vs Nations: The wilds metaphorically and literally attack the cities
The Missing 13th Pantheon Vs Just about everybody: This I want to always keep a mystery because if others use this campaign world then I want them to fill that void themselves.
The problem would be 'saving up' the evolution points to buy a larger evo than they can at 1st level. For example, flight. You have to be 5th level to get flight. But, if they could have wings they can't use yet at 1st, and spend their evo points as they get them toward flight, then that would work. Especially if they can burn a feat to get 2 evo points. So, for example, at 1st spending 2 evo points for wings (that slowly kick in over four levels so they can fly at 5th, maybe gliding at 3rd).
Something like this :
1st : +5 to Jump checks
2nd : +10 to Jump checks, and reduce falling damage by 1/2
3rd : +10 to Jump checks, can fall in a tight circle from any height, can actively glide 20 feet per turn
4th : Can fly for speed 10ft, glide for 40ft per turn
5th : 40ft flight.
The problem would be 'saving up' the evolution points to buy a larger evo than they can at 1st level. For example, flight. You have to be 5th level to get flight. But, if they could have wings they can't use yet at 1st, and spend their evo points as they get them toward flight, then that would work. Especially if they can burn a feat to get 2 evo points. So, for example, at 1st spending 2 evo points for wings (that slowly kick in over four levels so they can fly at 5th, maybe gliding at 3rd).
Something like this :
1st : +5 to Jump checks
2nd : +10 to Jump checks, and reduce falling damage by 1/2
3rd : +10 to Jump checks, can fall in a tight circle from any height, can actively glide 20 feet per turn
4th : Can fly for speed 10ft, glide for 40ft per turn
5th : 40ft flight.
You see I don't want them to evolve per say but instead I want them to be born with these evolutions as their static abilities. They would be to powerful to evolve and to have class levels in addition so then I would have to deal with LA. So an easy fix is that level requirement is ignored at character creation which I was thinking anyways and forgot to mention.
I am very concerned about balance. For instance, what I have now you have 4 evo points to spend. With summoner level ignored a player could spend it all on the large evolution at character creation which in it's self changes a bunch of stats.
Large (Ex): An eidolon grows in size, becoming Large.
The eidolon gains a +8 bonus to Strength, a +4 bonus
to Constitution, and a +2 bonus to its natural armor. It
takes a –2 penalty to its Dexterity. This size change also
gives the creature a –1 size penalty to its AC and on attack
rolls, a +1 bonus to its CMB and CMD, a –2 penalty on
Fly skill checks, and a –4 penalty on Stealth skill checks.
If the eidolon has the biped base form, it also gains 10-
foot reach. Any reach evolutions the eidolon possesses are
added to this total. The eidolon must be Medium to take
this evolution. The summoner must be at least 8th level
before selecting this evolution.
The summoner level 8 is ignored because well the half-eidolon is not a summoner now is he? He is just born with this stuff and stuck with it.
Now since this is the only ability he would have it is still very powerful because of the increase in stats but it comes with some penalties which help balance it out a little more.
+8 to Str, +4 to Con, and +2 Natural Armor plus a 10 foot reach.
-2 to Dex, Size Penalty -1 to AC and attack rolls, a +1 to CMB and CMD
This right here is very powerful but it balances out a bit when you consider that it doesn't have anything else besides it's physical power. It doesn't have any skill bonuses, no special vision, or no immunities. He will also have problems fitting in society because he is likely to be at least 9 feat tall.
Then consider that the player gives up at character creation 1 feat for an extra 5th evolution point which the player can then pick something else.
Now you have to consider that this is just the racial abilities but you have to look at the big picture which is classes and feats.
Fighters, Monks, and Barbarians with this would be devastating.
Fighters: It makes you a powerhouse, give you reach, gives you huge damage bonus, you are not likely to miss and you will have a ton of HP.
Barbarians: Similar to fighters but With max strength and then a bonus of +8 str plus when the guy rages. Well I wouldn't want to be around him.
Monks : Well they get even more dangerous because while they share similar benefits of fighters it is their unarmed attacks you have to watch out for because these unarmed attacks scale with your size.
Lastly, consider the fact they this particular Half-Eidolon would naturally be large and count as a person so the enlarge spell would make him even more dangerous, especially with the monk class.
Next, you have creatures with multiple arms which is deadly. Flight is also very adventitious.
This is why I wanted to keep the evo points low and limited to a one time thing. They are suppose to be half human as well so they don't evolve.
That's fine.
Notice I didn't suggest giving them flight at 1st level? I don't mind something, personally, that doesn't kick in immediately.
Your large example, if they started off at 1st level as a normal human, but spent their four points on large, and then slowly grew over time until they hit level 8, that would very much simulate someone who was half-giant and had to grow and mature.
But to each his own. :)
That's fine.
Notice I didn't suggest giving them flight at 1st level? I don't mind something, personally, that doesn't kick in immediately.
Your large example, if they started off at 1st level as a normal human, but spent their four points on large, and then slowly grew over time until they hit level 8, that would very much simulate someone who was half-giant and had to grow and mature.
But to each his own. :)
Oh sorry that is what you were getting at. Not a bad idea really but I don't want to make charts for everything. Perhaps if I had a formula for the scale up.
Oh sorry that is what you were getting at. Not a bad idea really but I don't want to make charts for everything. Perhaps if I had a formula for the scale up.That's fine.
Notice I didn't suggest giving them flight at 1st level? I don't mind something, personally, that doesn't kick in immediately.
Your large example, if they started off at 1st level as a normal human, but spent their four points on large, and then slowly grew over time until they hit level 8, that would very much simulate someone who was half-giant and had to grow and mature.
But to each his own. :)
If you just want a formula, you could go with something like :
(Bonus/level attained) per level.
So for large,
STR : +1 per level
Con : +1 per 2 levels
Dex : -1 per 4 levels
Stealth : -1 per 2 levels
CMD/CMB : +1 at level 4
For flight,
Fly (40/5) = 8, or 8ft per level. Rounded down to 5 feet for combat purposes.
1st level : 5ft
2nd level : 10ft
3rd level : 20ft
4th level : 30ft
5th level : 40ft
For Fast healing
1/11th per hit point per round per level up to level 11, or 1 hp every 11 rounds at 1st, etc.
Well I am going to give it some more thought later. But I am really leaning to limiting how many Evo points a Half-eidolon gets.
I really want to keep it simple though nothing complicated.
How does this sound? If a purchased ability has a summoner level requirement then the Half-Eidolon only receives half the bonus(es)(minimum of 1) at character creation and then when the character reaches the character level of the requirement the full bonus kicks in. Any penalties remain the same.
So far the Large Evolution.
At level 1 through 7.
+4 to Str, +2 to Con, and +1 Natural Armor plus a 10 foot reach.
-2 to Dex, Size Penalty -1 to AC and attack rolls, a +1 to CMB and CMD
Then at character level 8.
+8 to Str, +4 to Con, and +2 Natural Armor plus a 10 foot reach.
-2 to Dex, Size Penalty -1 to AC and attack rolls, a +1 to CMB and CMD
Either way I don't want it to crunchy because then people start arguing about rules.
That aside how does the construction and fluff sound so far?
It all sounds good. Lots of interesting things, and doesn't borrow too heavily from any major source.
You know after giving it some more thought I came up with a new idea. Now first off I kind of miss the good old days making do with the hand that you got when it came to attributes but that always made a lot of unplayable characters or pathetic ones. But what about talents and special abilities? In addition by letting a player hand pick the evolutions the characters become a little to hand tailored made. This is totally against the feel I want for them. I want a feel of randomness and of you never know what you are going to get. As an artist I feel this often leads to inspiration in anything that you create.
So here is my idea:
If a player wants to play a Half-Eidolon then he must announce it to his GM. He must also announce if he is sacrificing his 1st level bonus feat for an additional evolution point, so the player will have 4 to 5 evolution points to play with. There are no level limits and all abilities are full power at character creation, however the abilities or powers they receive are totally random. The player rolls two percentage dice separately and keeps the roll that he likes. The player then subtracts the evolution cost of that listed power/ability and if he has evolution points left then he rolls again for additional powers, however if the rolls that come up cost more than the evolution points left then the player must re-roll or take the roll that is with in his cost. The player keeps doing this till there are no more evolution points.
The player then must keep the set of powers he wants or has to start the whole process over again for a new set.
All Half-Eidolons are affected by spells designed to affect Eidolons, except for banishment, dismiss and similar spells for good or for bad. So later on in a Half-Eidolon's career and when he can afford it he can get the service of a summoner to allow you to change your form and powers through the spell Transmogrify but this is of course with risk because not only is the material cost high but the half-eidolon is at the mercy of the summoner.
School transmutation; Level summoner 4
Casting Time 1 hour
Components V, S, M (a flask of quicksilver worth 1,000 gp)
Range touch
Target your eidolon
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw Will negates (harmless); Spell Resistance no Your eidolon’s form shifts and transforms. This spell allows you to change any of the eidolon’s evolutions by allocating its evolution pool on new evolutions. If you have the aspect or greater aspect ability, this spell also allows you to change the evolution points spent to modify you, including removing or adding points as allowed by those abilities.
Your eidolon cannot benefit from this spell more than once per day. This spell does not allow you to change your eidolon’s base form.
So what does everyone think of that?
BTW, Here are some names I am playing with to call them other than half-eidolons.
Casus
Alea
Incomposite
casualis
OK, I have finally finished the write up on the Alea race also known as Half-Eidolon. I feel that it is going to fit well with in my campaign world and while they can be powerful I have made sure to counter balance it as much as I could.
Alea:
Centuries ago when Terrafumus was still young and during the times of the Great Schism; summoners were in great demand for the war effort. During these times either because of prevision, lust, loneliness or even love many eidolons became the lovers of their masters. There have been numerous stories about the summoners and their eidolons but what is apparent is back in the days of old it was indeed true that for whatever reasons summoners mated with their eidolons. The resulting offspring lead to a hybrid human/eidolon and while tolerated because of their usefulness on the battle field they were often mistreated and were no better than slaves and often they were slaves. Like all of the other genetic freaks born from humans they were thought to be sterile since they too couldn’t procreate with humans. Their numbers became great, so great that all of Terra soon learned of whole communities which lead to a shocking truth. These hybrid human/eidolons were not sterile after all but were in fact only capable of mating with their own kind. Thus the genesis of the Alea was born or so the legend says.Physical Description:
The Alea have no true form and in fact vary in form so much that it is said, “ like the snowflake there is no two Alea alike” and this aspect is very much like the eidolons themselves. The powers and abilities of a single Alea often help define what that Alea looks like but other than that they can look like just about anything that one can imagine or not imagine but they are always roughly humanoid to some degree. In game terms all Alea are medium biped creatures with two legs, two arms, feet, hands and a head but other than that they can look like anything the players wishes the Alea to look like as long as it conforms with the evolution abilities that Alea possesses and that of a humanoid form. Two Alea might have by sheer chance the same powers but at the same time they might look radically different from each other. For example, two Alea both have the claw and bite evolutions but one might be covered in feathers, the other in scales, one might have a beak and the other might have a wolf like head. Some Alea can even look like elementals, beings of energy or whatever the mind can imagine even if they don’t have the associated abilities.Society and Relations:
The Alea have come to terms with their existence and now view themselves as a proud a noble race and have fought hard and continues to fight hard for that honor. How the Alea are treated by the Human and Demi-humans varies greatly from city-nation to city nation. Sadly there are still some city-nations that practice slavery and the Alea fall into this category along with the Demi-humans. Despite of the continued racism against their race they are tolerated and even accepted because they are often very useful because of their powers, abilities, and can be trained like any human or demi-human. Lastly, Alea have a mix relationship with summoners because summoners can be and are very useful to the Alea but on the same token they share a very turbulent past.Alignment and Religion:
Just as the an Alea’s outward appearance can greatly vary then so does their out look on life. Alea worship all the same Gods that the humans and demi-humans worship.Adventures:
While Aleas have set up comminutes of their own kind they are wanders at heart and often become adventures. Becoming an adventure is a noble goal for the Alea race but not all follow it. Most Alea vary in the classes they take and they favor no single class however Alea society tends to persecute an Alea that becomes a Summoner. This is taboo to the Alea because of the bond or as they like to call it “enslavement” between an eidolon and his summoner. Alea that become summoners are considered pariahs and outcasts.Names:
Most Alea are fond of things that are mixed up and often name their offspring using anagrams based on their outward appearances or the child’s abilities. However, this is not a general rule and they can often be called any kind of name imaginable.Alea Racial Traits:
Medium: Alea are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.Normal Speed: Alea have a base speed of 30 feet.
Weapon Familiarity: none
Languages: Alea begin play speaking Common. Alea with high Intelligence scores can choose
from any bonus languages known to man except druidic unless of course they are druids.Static Evolutions: When a player announces that he wishes to play an Alea then he must find out what his Alea’s powers and abilities are via a random roll. At character creation the player rolls two percentile dice and after looking at the evolution chart he or she may select the result that she likes best from those separate rolls and then pay the cost; if a player cannot afford the ability then the player must accept the other ability he can afford or if both cannot not be taken/bought then a re-roll is needed. Rolls are continued to be made until all evolution points are spent.
Alea are given 4 evolution points to determine the abilities and powers the Alea may receive however a player if he so wishes may trade his first level character bonus feat for one extra evolution point. All points must be spent otherwise they are lost.
Alea ignore the summoner level requirements and can take all evolutions on the list however if a power or ability has a requirement of another power or ability then the player must be able to pay for that ability but they in turn gain that ability as well. For example, if a player rolls up the ability “Tail Slap(Ex)” then the player not only pays the cost of tail slap but also the cost of the ability “Tail(Ex)” and gains a tail that can slap. This is of course with the exception that the player has already pick up that ability earlier.
Lastly, if an ability normally allows for more evolution points to be spent to enhance an ability or power then the player may do so at character creation but only if the player has the ability to pay the cost. Additionally if there is a Summoner level requirement in this case then the enhancement of that ability does not manifests itself until the Alea reaches that character level.
Magic Susceptibility: Alea are susceptible to all magic that effect eidolons with the exception of spells like banishment and dismal spells because Alea are native to Terrafumus and the prime material plane.
I have already tested out a some of the rolls to determine an Alea's power with one of my players and watching which abilities he takes. He told me even the selection and random rolls was kind of fun and now he is going to create a test character to put up against my uber Drunken Monk of the Fourwinds build.
I will post the evolution chart a little bit later after I have it typed up, right now it is all pencil and paper.
OK here is the evolution chart to roll from. The only abilities that I did not include are those that were designed only for the quadruped base form.
1-Point Evolutions
1-3 — Bite (Ex)
4-7— Claws (Ex)
8-11--- Climb (Ex)
12-14--- Gills (Ex)
15-17--- Improved Damage (Ex)
18-20--- Improved Natural Armor (Ex)
21-23--- Magic Attacks (Su)
24-26--- Pincers (Ex)
27-29--- Pull (Ex)
30-32--- Push (Ex)
33-35--- Reach (Ex)
36-38--- Scent (Ex)
39-40--- Skilled (Ex)
41-42--- Slam (Ex)
43-44--- Sting (Ex)
45-46--- Swim (Ex)
47-48--- Tail (Ex)
49-50--- Tail Slap (Ex)
51-52--- Tentacle (Ex)
53-54--- Wing Buffet (Ex)
2-Point Evolutions
55-56--- Ability Increase (Ex)
57-58--- Constrict (Ex)
59-60--- Energy Attacks (Su)
61-62--- Flight (Ex or Su)
63-64--- Gore (Ex)
65-66--- (Ex)
67-68--- Immunity (Su)
69-70--- Limbs (Ex)
71-72--- Poison (Ex)
73-74--- Rend (Ex)
75-76--- Tremorsense (Ex)
77-78--- Trip (Ex)
3-Point Evolutions
79-80--- Blindsense (Ex)
81-82--- Burrow (Ex)
83-84--- Damage Reduction (Su)
85-86--- Frightful Presence (Ex)
87-88--- Swallow Whole (Ex)
89-90--- Web (Ex)
4-Point Evolutions
91-92--- Blindsight (Ex)
93-94--- Breath Weapon (Su)
95-96--- Fast Healing (Su)
97-98--- Large (Ex)
99-100---Spell Resistance (Ex)
OK here is the evolution chart to roll from. The only abilities that I did not include are those that were designed only for the quadruped base form.
** spoiler omitted **
Other than the fact I absolutely abhor random abilities for characters, it looks ok. Note your 65-66 is blank.
Other than the fact I absolutely abhor random abilities for characters, it looks ok. Note your 65-66 is blank.OK here is the evolution chart to roll from. The only abilities that I did not include are those that were designed only for the quadruped base form.
** spoiler omitted **
Thanks for telling me about the blank spot. That missing space is "Grab"
Well I feel it is need otherwise it just becomes an excuse to powergame mucnkin style. Not saying you would do that MDT because I know that others are also motivated by thematic concepts when creating a character, but it is just that there are others who would abuse the system. That is not the only motivation behind my decision however because I also wanted this to be something that you are born with and that you make do with what you have.
I tested this with random roll for powers thing with one of my players and we had a lot of fun just doing that and imagining the possibilities. Now just like with physical stats attribute stats there is nothing wrong with starting over the rolls completely if you are not happy with the out come. This often was a bit of a pain though because that much rolling took forever. However, with these evolution powers it went by rather quickly and we created 6 sets in about 5 minutes.
However, I do have it that you have a choice between two different rolls in the system but I suppose that I could soften it even more by adding in two more random options: A players choice and a GM's choice.
or how about this.
At the GM's discretion a player may pitch a concept for a character to the GM at which point the GM may grant thematically relevant abilities/powers for that character's concept/theme within the limit of course of evolution points spent.
OK, moving right a long here is some more of my world fleshing out. If anyone has questions or perhaps advice on something I haven't thought about yet please let me know. Also I would love some ideas on how agriculture and husbandry would work on a world where the wild untamed lands would simple envelope farm lands.
The following is about as far as I want to go into space and how that all works because the unbound eidolons pretty much don't let a lot of people come or go very easily just as much they protect them from outside intrusion.
In the celestial order, Anima Fontis is the 4th planet in the solar system known as Los. Beyond Anima Fontis are the rest of the outer reaching planets which at the moment are not known to support life and they are as follows: the 5th planet is the ringed world Tarnus, the 6th planet is the fog covered Anusur, and the 7th planet is the icy Pentune. The inner planets of the system of Los are blocked off from Anima Fontis by two great asteroid belts and they are as follows: the 1st planet is the hot planet of Crymure, the 2nd planet is toxic planet of Nevus and the 3rd is the barren red desert world of Rams. The inner planets are also not known to have life either but there have been legends and rumors.
Anima Fontis is the largest planet in the solar system and has two moons by the names of Terrafumus and Ureapo. According to legend Ureapo is always chasing Terra in order to take back the water and ice that she stole. Anima Fontis is millions of kilometers away from the sun but because of it’s high albedo it reflects a huge amount of sunlight which keeps Terra illuminated almost the entire year. In addition to the energy gained from the sun Anima Fontis radiates almost equal energy from it’s own internal heat which in combination with Terra’s own internal heat keeps Terra warm throughout the year.
I wanted this because this is my version of how they have to pay the piper for what they have. There is no escaping it but all you can do is defend against it. I have a love of double edge swords in my games.
The “Month of Darkness” is a time that every city nation fears because it is always a time of great loss. During the 13th cycle Terra travels behind the dark side of Anima Fontis. For a full month Terra is shrouded in almost perpetual night and the only natural light at all is reflected light from the moon Ureapo, except for the last week, in which it is total darkness and only artificial light is what keeps the darkness at bay. During this time most of the vegetation and insect life of Terra go into a kind of hibernated torpor and waits for the month to pass, however there are a few exceptions. The month of darkness is not a time of harvest but rather it is a time of terror and death. During this month, from the atmosphere of Anima Fontis descend thousands of wild raging untethered eidolons upon the moon world of Terra in order to feed. About half of these unfettered eidolons merely feed upon the vegetation on the land but the other half seeks to feed on flesh of any kind and will seek out the highest concentrations to satisfy their hunger. Those eidolon that merely feed upon vegetation are not without danger as well because they ravage store houses where the people of Terra store their crops.
Finished a little more progress before I hit the hay.
The “Month of the Elements” starts at the beginning of the 7th cycle of Terra and it is the height of the summer months but it is also when Terra is closest to the sun and the farthest from Anima Fontis. This satellite and planetary alignment causes instability in the various forces that keep the elemental pockets of Terra in check. The result is that for one month Terra suffers heat waves on a average of 100 degrees to 120 degrees but Terra also enjoy full a month of blue skies and crops that grow at insane speed. However while Terra reaps the benefits of the light they are also subject to potential dangers because almost every pocket becomes a two way gateway in which beings can come and go as they please through the pockets. The pockets can also occasionally become geysers of their element causing huge amounts of collateral damage. During this month when the pockets are gateways Terra is subject to a kind of a mixed blessing because this allows for a way to travel to and from Terra which is normally very difficult, it also sometimes opens up trade with some of the more intelligent beings of the elemental planes or to the outer planes if you know where to go. Most Terrans however do not go exploring because should they be lost they could be cut off from their home if they do not return in time. Sadly these portals also let in a lot of dangerous elemental creatures on the lands of Terra who create havoc either unintentionally or with malice. At the end of the month as the gateways shut down, almost all Terrans celebrate the Festival of the Eighteen in which Terrans celebrate the elements and sub-elements that provide for Terrafumus.
I like your setting very much. I've only read three-quarters of the posts so far, and I was wondering how you rationalized gods from our World being real forces in Terrafumus? Are they just there or is it to do with an ancient colonization of the planet by humans or is it something to do with the memory loss you referred to?
"One of my main concerns is how the cities acquire their food. There is the sea of course but it is dangerous as it is as bountiful. The jungle provides like a cornucopia but it takes just as much as it gives. I would like some kind of agricultural farming and husbandry but because of the jungle it is next to impossible."
The ancient Amazonian indians actually intensively cultivated the jungle by mixing soils with burnt organic material. Here's a link you might find useful.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terra_preta
ItoSaithWebb, I have read your whole thread and I must say I find your home-brew world very interesting. I too share the concerns Wrexham3 has brought forth. I think one interesting way the populace could alleviate some of the difficulty of finding food is to rely on their manipulations of magic and/or science. I think you might also find a seamless way of tying that into your campaign ideas rather easily. Some of the upper levels of your city might be used as farming grounds for both live stock animals and edible fruit and vegetable plants (a sort of hanging gardens of Babylon type idea). And some of your lower levels could be used similarly with and create artificial environments via science/magic to best sustain the food.
Also, have you considered posting your campaign world on the web anywhere? It would be a good way for your players to easily access everything you have written and also a way for you to share your finished product with others if you want.
I recently noticed that people were posting home-brew campaign worlds on the Pathfinder Database and it seems like a really good place. Still rather new so only a few campaign worlds to read through, and it is mostly, if not all, Pathfinder stuff.
I like your setting very much. I've only read three-quarters of the posts so far, and I was wondering how you rationalized gods from our World being real forces in Terrafumus? Are they just there or is it to do with an ancient colonization of the planet by humans or is it something to do with the memory loss you referred to?
"One of my main concerns is how the cities acquire their food. There is the sea of course but it is dangerous as it is as bountiful. The jungle provides like a cornucopia but it takes just as much as it gives. I would like some kind of agricultural farming and husbandry but because of the jungle it is next to impossible."
The ancient Amazonian indians actually intensively cultivated the jungle by mixing soils with burnt organic material. Here's a link you might find useful.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terra_preta
Glad you like what I have done so far. To answer your questions they Gods are an active force on Terra but they prefer to see their followers try to solve their own problems first. As far as your speculations I really want to keep something really close to the chest but I will say that you are pretty close to the mark. I am intentionally leaving clues to the dark of the matter. Eventually I am going to create more clues via myths and legends that I will write up latter but right now I am focusing on getting this world functional so that my players can adventure in it which can be an excellent way to help me shape my world.
I would like to clarify though, mainly because I have not written this part up yet, is that the jungle is a misnomer kind of like how New York city was called the Jungle. There is a lot of jungle everywhere but there will be also other types of uncontrollable environments such as deserts, forest, plains but they are always over grown and always full of beasts no matter how much you kill or chop down.
For the husbandry I think might not be a problem when it comes to cattle or similar because you just need a place where they forage and perhaps they adapted to eating different things now but the biggest problem for them would be of course predators and I am not just talking about wolves. =P I am thinking that this would be a great plot hook for some adventures because the PC's would have to play a very dangerous game of Shepard.
Other forms of husbandry I feel can be done in the cities.
The agriculturally wise is more of the problem because the wild growth rate of the "jungle" would just over take any farm land within a week, talk about weed problems :) This I want various different solutions for each city that each think outside of the box. There will be one city-nation called Metropolis and is a very industrial city where artifice runs supreme and I will have more on the various cities later on but for the most part each city generally worships one pantheon.
Anyways, I want outside of the box thinking on how they get around the problem.
Thanks for the link on the amazonian burning thing for soil. I think that would be great flavor thing for the cities who worship the Central American Gods.
ItoSaithWebb, I have read your whole thread and I must say I find your home-brew world very interesting. I too share the concerns Wrexham3 has brought forth. I think one interesting way the populace could alleviate some of the difficulty of finding food is to rely on their manipulations of magic and/or science. I think you might also find a seamless way of tying that into your campaign ideas rather easily. Some of the upper levels of your city might be used as farming grounds for both live stock animals and edible fruit and vegetable plants (a sort of hanging gardens of Babylon type idea). And some of your lower levels could be used similarly with and create artificial environments via science/magic to best sustain the food.
Also, have you considered posting your campaign world on the web anywhere? It would be a good way for your players to easily access everything you have written and also a way for you to share your finished product with others if you want.
I recently noticed that people were posting home-brew campaign worlds on the Pathfinder Database and it seems like a really good place. Still rather new so only a few campaign worlds to read through, and it is mostly, if not all, Pathfinder stuff.
I am glad you like my campaign world that I am working on and maybe with some luck I will even publish it. When I have time I might post it on-line perhaps as part of a blog or hidden part of my online art portfolio I need to work on. School is starting again plus I have a game to run so progress on this will be a little slow. I do want to get enough done so my players can play in it after they travel to it via spell jammer missions, my little way of stalling for time. :)
I too was thinking both science and magic would solve some of the problems. Hydroponics would work well for the science part but I want a lot of creative ideas other than just casting spells for the magic part. I would like to keep most of the agricultural stuff in the city or perhaps above the city on floating rocks or something. I want lost of creative solutions for each city and perhaps ideas that thematically appropriate with the pantheons they worship since each city-nation primarily sticks with one pantheons although each city would of course have small churches for the other pantheons where they are not as greatly favored. I love the hanging gardens idea but on a more agricultural large scale. Perhaps they use the buildings themselves as scaffolding to hang the crops.
Thanks for the link as well. I have noticed as well that there are no other 3rd party campaign worlds that work with the Pathfinder system. I think it would be fun if I was the first plus I have the skills to do my own artwork and I am friends with a good writer who would be able to re-write my material. At this time of course this is just mere wishful thinking but not out of the realm of possibility but I am keeping realistic here because I have to focus right now on a career in art. Here is some of my work http://king-rastel.deviantart.com/gallery/
As for out-of-the-box thinking, if I remember rightly the Aztecs had arificial islands on which they grew crops called chinampas, sometimes called 'floating gardens' (but they don't actually float). However, in your world you could actually have huge floating islands - perhaps on vast lakes or even in the sea - on which both crops were grown and people could live and fish.
As for out-of-the-box thinking, if I remember rightly the Aztecs had arificial islands on which they grew crops called chinampas, sometimes called 'floating gardens' (but they don't actually float). However, in your world you could actually have huge floating islands - perhaps on vast lakes or even in the sea - on which both crops were grown and people could live and fish.
You know I check out your info because I got curious and I must say those look cool. I had thought about floating islands but I didn't know about real floating gardens.
I really like this idea and I think it would fit in very well with the cities that worship the American pantheons.
OK, I know I haven't posted anything for a while and that is because I have been busy with school and writing up current adventures for my group. Anyways I have been messing around with the Monster Maker over at the PDSDR and I found that it is saving me time.
One of the things that I was kind of playing with was creating an immature Tarrasque and I am am have seriously thinking about having these things roaming my world. They would still be rare and the jungle is just able to kill them as anything else but they are tough.
Tarrasque ( Young x3 ) CR 22
XP 615000
N Large magical beast
Init +8; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +43
Aura frightful presence (300 ft., DC 27)
DEFENSEAC 36, touch 13, flat-footed 32 (+4 Dex, +23 natural, -1 size)
hp 345 (30d10+180) regeneration 40
Fort +25, Ref +23, Will +12;
DR 15/epic; Immune ability damage, acid, bleed, disease, energy drain, fire, mind-affecting effects, paralysis, permanent wounds, petrification, poison, polymorph; SR 36;
OFFENSESpeed 40 ft.
Melee bite +32 (4d8+3/15-20/x3 plus grab), 2 claws +32 (1d12+3), 2 gores +32 (1d10+3), tail slap +27 (3d8-5)
Ranged 6 spines +33 (2d10+15/x3)
Space 10 ft.Reach 10 ft. (60 ft. with tail slap)
Special Attacks rush, spines, swallow whole (6d6+22 plus 6d6 acid, AC 27, hp 52)
STATISTICSStr 17, Dex 18, Con 22, Int 3, Wis 15, Cha 14;
Base Atk +30; CMB 40; CMD 59
Feats Awesome Blow, Blind-Fight, Bleeding Critical, Cleave, Combat Reflexes, Critical Focus, Great Cleave, Great Fortitude, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Critical (bite), Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack, Run, Stunning Critical
Skills Acrobatics +9, Perception +43; Racial Modifiers +8 Perception
Languages Aklo (cannot speak)
SQ carapace, powerful leaper
ECOLOGYEnvironment any
Organization solitary
Treasure none
SPECIAL ABILITIESCarapace (Su) The tarrasque's scales deflect cones, lines, rays, and magic missile spells, rendering the tarrasque immune to such effects. There is a 30% chance a deflected effect reflects back in full force at the caster; otherwise it is simply negated. Powerful Leaper (Ex) The tarrasque uses its Strength to modify Acrobatics checks made to jump, and has a +24 racial bonus on Acrobatics checks made to jump. Regeneration (Ex) No form of attack can suppress the tarrasque's regeneration-it regenerates even if disintegrated or slain by a death effect. If the tarrasque fails a save against an effect that would kill it instantly, it rises from death 3 rounds later with 1 hit point if no further damage is inflicted upon its remains. It can be banished or otherwise transported as a means to save a region, but the method to truly kill it has yet to be discovered. Rush (Ex) Once per minute for 1 round, the tarrasque can move at a speed of 150 feet. This increases its Acrobatics bonus on checks made to jump to +87. Spines (Ex) The tarrasque can loose a volley of six spear-like spines from its body as a standard action with a toss of its head or a lash of its tail. Make an attack roll for each spine-all targets must be within 30 feet of each other. The spines have a range increment of 120 ft.
However, while I love the monster maker I wish it had more options because I would like to auto-tone these guys even more without much effort on my part but if I have to I will. What I am wondering is if there is a more advanced version built for pathfinder. I know that Monster Advancer is out there but that is 3.5 only. What I really would like to see is an engine for Pathfinder where I can input monsters stats and it would calculate the CR of my creatures for me. I would even pay for a program like that and especially so if it also came with templates in which I could apply to my creations.
Now I am not saying that these things will roam my world or not and this is just a passing notion but it has brought my thinking on how tough I want my world to be. I remember back in the day of AD&D and Dark Sun is that you started at level 3 just because the environment alone would be able to kill you and this is something similar to my world. I am thinking of making the starting level to be level 3 but from what I have written up so far I am wondering if it should be more or less. Impute is appreciated.