Steam-Punk PF Setting


Advice


Qreetings friends,

I am working on a steam-punk style settig for my pathfinder campaign and would like some tips, tricks, or advice from those of you who have experience with this type of setting, because sadly, I have none...back in the day my group prefered high fantasy style (forgotten realms) type games over the more eberon looking games.

The basic model I am working off at the moment is something along the lines of Final Fantasy VI. The only problem with the VI model is it doesnt really look like a medieval setting so much as a victorian era earth--more or less. I thought about using the dwarf city and towns from World of Warcraft as a reference but over all that really didn't feel right either because i the case of WoW it's more of a racial gimmic really than the way the world works.

I also really don't want to just drop gears and pipes pumping steam and what not onto a basic medieval building and say there you go, but I'm really having an akward time coming up with the way the setting should look.

The whole reason I came up with running this type of world as opposed to the "standard" medieval world is becuase I was musing one day "how cool would it be to have the bad guys flying around in airships ala Baron from Final Fantasy IV." However, a friend of mine pointed out that I really can't just drop airships into a standard medieval world without at least attempting to account for the technological level of the world. So I decided to go all the way and just run a steam-punk looking game...I find myself now needing some advice or tips on how to make the world feel authentic and interesting.


Firstly I say don't worry about it being medieval fantasy. Even Eberron as a setting wasn't "medieval Europe." One facet of steam-punk is the fact knowledge and applied science are on the rise.

As to look and feel. Remember that most of the "improvements" are going to take place where wealth is. Now that doesn't necessarily require a middle merchant class. While a lord's castle could be decked out in steam powered doors, moving stairs and so on. His serfs may still be living in thatch huts.

How much magic is in your steam? Are you looking at something purely non-magical or will bits of magic help? I guess what I'm saying is to figure out how your fantasy world is setup politically. Not in detail, just who holds most of the real power. Who gets stuff done and pushes money/influence around. Is it divine mandate Kings and Queens, their Nobility, the Merchants, the People?

====

Plausible excuses for getting refined hydrogen or helium for a dirigible without the actual scientific reasons:
• Court Wizard chatted up an Air elemental one day.
• A rift to the elemental plane of air just happens to be spitting out pure hydrogen/helium.
• Asked a devil.
• Asked a demon.
• Cleric of an Air/Sky portfolio god prayed for it.

Combine any and all of the above.


Well, in answer to your first question the most concentrated amount of power within the world would be the church, but they cannot normally exercise it. The kings and queens of the kingdoms of my world hold all power within their kingdom. The Church can, with the declaration of a religious crisis (something that threatens the life of the church) circumvent the rulers of the nations and take direct control of the kingdom themselves.

Arcane casters have been nearly wiped out with only a limited number within the world and only one actual school for learning arcane magics...so there is no magic in the steam at all.

As for the airships, I was thinking something along the lines of water based ships as far as look goes, that fly by using propellors powered by a steam powered engine below decks...or something like that I guess. I was just kind of planning on pulling a George Lucas and not really explaining how it works ever and just saying it does.


Not even Divine magic? If the main deity of is a sky god, perhaps it could be the church that drives innovations and holds the secrets to airships. A big accomplishment would be a Sky Citadel which gets them closer to their god or into the god's mortal seat as it were. Another question is fuel source. Wood, coal, oil, something mystical/supernatural?

In a feudal world technological improvements would be the exclusive domain of the ruling class and those who maintain it for the rulers. Thus "castles" or manors would likely be steam powered in some fashion, including perhaps steam based conveyance. The people who maintain and design steam devices would likely have some rudimentary furnishings if fuel is available.

Mostly this would be confined to select areas in major cities or seats of power. You could occasionally see it in rural areas where a royal family member has been sequestered and brought the technology (plus workers) with him or her.


I see your point. I like the idea of a sky citidel housing the main body of the church...I think I have to use that.

As for the fuel source, I was thinking a coupling of a fire elemental, howls moving castle, and maybe a water elemental to produce the superheated water that then generates the steam. What I originally had in mind was that my BBEG and his armies only had access to the airships, the rest of the world being behind in the tech.


I love Steampunk. Or Anachronistic Fantasy. Or whathave you. I have run several different steampunk style games.

Let's start off with your world as I understand it:
-Feudal
-Arcane magic is largely gone and generally distrusted if not seen as down right evil
-There is a single powerful church whose power is reined in by the nobility and visa versa most likely.

First thing you need is a source for your steamtech. It can either be the product of antisocietal forces (and thus punk) or the product of prosocietal forces. You seem to like the idea of the church controlling it so how about this:

All technology is based on the remains of a powerful demon lord (or if you want to throw conspiracy into it - a god). Blood, bone, and other have amazing powers when harnessed correctly. This was discovered by the church's own demonologists and exorcists. The church, always looking for more secular power, employs this material to build -among other things- flying ships. They now control the fastest and best means of communication, transport, and travel in general. You want to do business in a far off city? Better cut the church in on the deal. You want to preemptively invade another country? Better convince the church of the righteousness of your cause.

There is a catch however. Or several. Can't let people know you are using evil materials to do the church's work. Can't let people get to close to it either, because it has a corrupting influence. So every air ship has a cleric/engineer to man the infernal engine and acolytes to handle refueling. Only Paladins are allowed to wield guns.

Of course you have several opportunities for opposition. Evil forces, perhaps having inflitrated the church or captured a downed airship, have no fear of the corrupting influence of the engines and in fact welcome it. Good forces may sense something is going on and become good old fashioned Luddites. Neutral forces associated with Druids and Rangers may oppose the tech as unnatural without knowing its origins. Sorcerous births are on the rise near concentrations of tech inspite of the church's efforts to keep it all nice and warded. Of course there is opposition who is willing to do whatever it takes to find a technological counter, perhaps reviving old schools of magic to do so. Oh, and Hell might not be to happy with being press ganged into service of the forces of good and would be willing to loan out some infernal devices of their own just to keep things interesting.


Go buy the album Lost Horizons by Abney Park for inspiration. Oh and the book the difference engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling.


I would second abney park their great also try 'the men that wont be blamed for nothing'.

As for settings and gamebooks that might help you could look up 'iron kingdoms', 'steam and sorcery' and 'dragonmech' all have some great ideas. there is alot of stuff out for ironkingdoms which has a sort of medieval steampunk feel. See what you think.

The Exchange Kobold Press

One more, the Zobeck Gazetteer is very much medieval clockpunk, and written for the 3E/OGL ruleset.

Available here at Paizo --- and the first review really nails it.


Is there any conversion that needs to be done to the Zobeck Gazetteer to make it meet PF? or is it already PF appropriate? i ask because you said it was written for 3E.

The Exchange Kobold Press

I think it's pretty much right on track for easy PF use, but I'm one of those odd ducks who thinks pretty much all 3.5 D&D material is easy to use with PF.

And I'm a little biased, given that I wrote the Zobeck Gazetteer...


And the Wolfgang has spoken.

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

Did someone say Infernal Combustion Engine???

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