One of my PCs and I are collaborating on a homebrew. I wont describe it ad nauseum but the working name for it so far is The Crossroads Campaign setting.
The gist of the setting is that I wanted to turn the clock back to a more traditional fantasy setting imagine the Hyborian age if you added just a little more technology and a smidge more magic. I am also mixing in a litte bit of a cyberpunk ideology. The world is brutal and cruel and the powers that be will make you their plaything if you are not careful.
There is more detailed information about some of the setting on my epicwords blog if anyone wants to check it out.
http://www.epicwords.com/campaigns/1005
Anyway, my player had a great idea that is a staple of sci-fi and fantasy fiction that I thought would work GREAT in my setting and I wanted to shamelessly farm these boards for ideas.
My player's idea is that there is a secret order of High Level NPCs (think 14-20th level) that have dedicated themselves to ensuring that the pendulum of fate does not swing out of balance. Think 2nd ed druid ideology. They are almost like the Q from Star Trek in that they are meddlers and do much of their work behind the scenes. Rarely getting directly involved in the affairs of "mortals," but influencing the course of history behind the scenes.
So far we have come up with one NPC who is a 17th level monk named Myth. I am going to start the convention that each NPC is known only by a simmilar pseudonym to protect their true identities. I.E. Myth, Rumor, Prophecy, Destiny, etc.
I am also assuming that each NPC has found a way to become ageless whether it be lichdom, a special magic item or "just because." Collectively they are even more powerful than gods.
I am thinking that my PCs will encounter one or two of them throughout the campaign sometimes as enemies and sometimes as friends.
If anyone has any sample NPCs or ideas that they think would be appropriate please let me know.
Thanks!
Portent - A conjurer who specializes in teleportation. Modified lichdom (a good version that does not make you undead). Has found a way to use their int modifier for HP.
Omen - A bard-lich. I think that about sums that up.
Great ideas. I especially like Portent!
A friend of mine ran a game with a similar idea. There was a group of beings called Incarnates, that each embodied what they were the incarnation of. Good, Evil, Time, Magic, Life, Death...and Chaos.
They were a cabal who sought to keep things in a kind of wonky balance (but often failed). Because of their natures, they were often opposed to at least one other member of their order, and all opposed to Chaos.
It was alot of fun. We in the party interacted with some and fought against others...one of us even took Magic's place eventually.
They all started out mortal, and transcended godhood. It added a neat twist to the world's cosmology and deific order.
I wish you luck with yours sir. May your players have as much fun as we did.
Hope- LG Paladin
Faith- Any Cleric
Progress- N Alchemist
Legend- Any Fighter/Barbarian
Evoke- Any Sor.
The Keeper- Any Oracle
Other than that, I once had a nameless NPC that would follow the party around and help them out when they least expected it, or push them in the right direction whenever they started to stray into territory that was too dangerous for them. He was simply known as "the Young Man".
Might (also know as Brownie/Dire Claws/Mauler): All names for the least intelligent member of the order.
A bear. Nay not just a bear, but the first bear. A creature in the shape of a bear that has been alive for eaons, possibly since the beginning of the world. Some believe him to be an immortal druid who refuses to return to human form, but this is not true. He truely is an animal, albiet an impossibly ancient and intelligent one.
He may be the least intelligent, but also possibly the most cunning of them. His woodscraft is honed by centuries of use. It is said he can track a person's scent even if they teleport or flee to another plane. His ancient connection with nature has given him the ability to warp the world around him with no apparent effort. His task is to guard nature and to hunt down those threats that would tilt the balance of nature too far.
Take a bear. Leave the size alone but bump the HD up to oh say 50 or so. Give him the stat boosts of a size gargantuan bear but again leave him at size large. Give him an intelligence around 12-14 for being awaken but a wisdom of 20+. Give him the spell casting abilities of a druid equal to whatever level you like (I'd do 20-30) but all spells are treated as spell-like abilities.
Might (also know as Brownie/Dire Claws/Mauler): All names for the least intelligent member of the order.
A bear. Nay not just a bear, but the first bear. A creature in the shape of a bear that has been alive for eaons, possibly since the beginning of the world. Some believe him to be an immortal druid who refuses to return to human form, but this is not true. He truely is an animal, albiet an impossibly ancient and intelligent one.
He may be the least intelligent, but also possibly the most cunning of them. His woodscraft is honed by centuries of use. It is said he can track a person's scent even if they teleport or flee to another plane. His ancient connection with nature has given him the ability to warp the world around him with no apparent effort. His task is to guard nature and to hunt down those threats that would tilt the balance of nature too far.
Take a bear. Leave the size alone but bump the HD up to oh say 50 or so. Give him the stat boosts of a size gargantuan bear but again leave him at size large. Give him an intelligence around 12-14 for being awaken but a wisdom of 20+. Give him the spell casting abilities of a druid equal to whatever level you like (I'd do 20-30) but all spells are treated as spell-like abilities.
Wasn't he on Johnny Bravo?
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Might (also know as Brownie/Dire Claws/Mauler): All names for the least intelligent member of the order.
A bear. Nay not just a bear, but the first bear. A creature in the shape of a bear that has been alive for eaons, possibly since the beginning of the world. Some believe him to be an immortal druid who refuses to return to human form, but this is not true. He truely is an animal, albiet an impossibly ancient and intelligent one.
He may be the least intelligent, but also possibly the most cunning of them. His woodscraft is honed by centuries of use. It is said he can track a person's scent even if they teleport or flee to another plane. His ancient connection with nature has given him the ability to warp the world around him with no apparent effort. His task is to guard nature and to hunt down those threats that would tilt the balance of nature too far.
Take a bear. Leave the size alone but bump the HD up to oh say 50 or so. Give him the stat boosts of a size gargantuan bear but again leave him at size large. Give him an intelligence around 12-14 for being awaken but a wisdom of 20+. Give him the spell casting abilities of a druid equal to whatever level you like (I'd do 20-30) but all spells are treated as spell-like abilities.
Well heck, if you're gonna go balls-to-the-wall on this one, I may as well too.
Deception (also known as Asura or The Man of Masks)
A man who is never without a mask and, according to some doesn't have a true face. An accomplished mage, his primary ability is the ability to take the form of any creature, living or dead. On top of this, if killed while in this form it merely breaks his mask, which is immediately replaced with another. The number of masks he has is unknown, but assumed to be in the thousands.
The closest thing to his "true" form is a 6' male humanoid with a clockwork left leg and three masks hovering around his head. One is smiling, one is frowning and the last is furious. You better hope he's wearing a smile when you meet him.
TBH I'm not sure how I'd stat this guy out.
Might (also know as Brownie/Dire Claws/Mauler): All names for the least intelligent member of the order.
A bear. Nay not just a bear, but the first bear. A creature in the shape of a bear that has been alive for eaons, possibly since the beginning of the world. Some believe him to be an immortal druid who refuses to return to human form, but this is not true. He truely is an animal, albiet an impossibly ancient and intelligent one.
He may be the least intelligent, but also possibly the most cunning of them. His woodscraft is honed by centuries of use. It is said he can track a person's scent even if they teleport or flee to another plane. His ancient connection with nature has given him the ability to warp the world around him with no apparent effort. His task is to guard nature and to hunt down those threats that would tilt the balance of nature too far.
Take a bear. Leave the size alone but bump the HD up to oh say 50 or so. Give him the stat boosts of a size gargantuan bear but again leave him at size large. Give him an intelligence around 12-14 for being awaken but a wisdom of 20+. Give him the spell casting abilities of a druid equal to whatever level you like (I'd do 20-30) but all spells are treated as spell-like abilities.
Well heck, if you're gonna go balls-to-the-wall on this one, I may as well too.
Deception (also known as Asura or The Man of Masks)
A man who is never without a mask and, according to some doesn't have a true face. An accomplished mage, his primary ability is the ability to take the form of any creature, living or dead. On top of this, if killed while in this form it merely breaks his mask, which is immediately replaced with another. The number of masks he has is unknown, but assumed to be in the thousands.
The closest thing to his "true" form is a 6' male humanoid with a clockwork left leg and three masks hovering around his head. One is smiling, one is frowning and the last is furious. You better hope he's...
Very cool! I like the idea of an NPC who has no true face.
They're about balance, eh? So they need to make sure both sides retain a presence.
I'd suggest there is one NPC or each of the Cardinal Virtues (or another set of virtues, like the Seven Heavenly Virtues), but there's also NPCs for the Deadly Sins.
For the Sins, you might look at the Thassalonian Runelords from the Pathfinder Campaign Setting.
Ideas for the Virtuous Ones:
Iustitia: Blind female paladine who gained blindsight from some source.
Fortitudo: Male cavalier and/or stalwart defender. Maybe go dwarf with this one.
Prudentia: Female monk, or maybe wizard (depending on how you want to define the whole prudence angle
Tempereantia: Another female monk
They're about balance, eh? So they need to make sure both sides retain a presence.
I'd suggest there is one NPC or each of the Cardinal Virtues (or another set of virtues, like the Seven Heavenly Virtues), but there's also NPCs for the Deadly Sins.
For the Sins, you might look at the Thassalonian Runelords from the Pathfinder Campaign Setting.
Ideas for the Virtuous Ones:
Iustitia: Blind female paladine who gained blindsight from some source.
Fortitudo: Male cavalier and/or stalwart defender. Maybe go dwarf with this one.
Prudentia: Female monk, or maybe wizard (depending on how you want to define the whole prudence angle
Tempereantia: Another female monk
Good idea. I had a simmilar idea. I wanted there to be five of them and make them all neutral. Two LN, Two CN, and one True Neutral.
So far I am thinking they are going to be.
Myth - LN Human Monk
Legend - LN, ?
Rumor - N, I liked Stabbity Doom's many faced idea
Portend - CN, - Also Liked Stabbity doom's conjurer
Prophecy - CN, Monkamuk's bear was cool
The titles represent their control over the past, present, and future. They work independently of eachother much like the Isatari in LOTR and even clash from time to time. Keeping a small number of them makes them that much more mysterious but I like the idea of balance between good and evil, they are all neutral, and they represent perfect balance between law and chaos. I was also thinking of adding one NG and one NE to round it out to a nice, prophetic 7. Maybe Grace and Stife.
AWESOME IDEAS!!! Thanks, keep em coming!
One of the things I did was to make six dieties, each associated with an ability score. Each one was neutral in some way: Str-LN, Dex-CN, Con-NG, Int & Wis-N, Cha-NE. I wasn't every really satisfied with the NE, but it did have to be done for the sake of balance. I can't remember their names, but it worked out very well until one of the party decided to play a N Cleric with a negative in Wis and Int. Dumb for both a character and as a choice made by the player (especially when he realized he couldn't cast any of his spells).
Legacy - NG - Physically blind, deaf, and mute, all traded for the ability to know and understand all things at all times... past, present, and future. Never walks, always floats around (on a nimbus or some such?). Maybe communicates through images and forced empathy (for instance, he puts images of a war in one's mind then forces a feeling of dread for an ill omen, or the thrill of victory for a good omen).
He would be atrophied and frail looking. Lots of facial hair? Hairless?
I'm losing focus on my mental image here... cartoons are on. o-o;;
Awesome idea, btw. Hope this one sparks some inspiration.
Legacy - NG - Physically blind, deaf, and mute, all traded for the ability to know and understand all things at all times... past, present, and future. Never walks, always floats around (on a nimbus or some such?). Maybe communicates through images and forced empathy (for instance, he puts images of a war in one's mind then forces a feeling of dread for an ill omen, or the thrill of victory for a good omen).
He would be atrophied and frail looking. Lots of facial hair? Hairless?
I'm losing focus on my mental image here... cartoons are on. o-o;;
Awesome idea, btw. Hope this one sparks some inspiration.
Interesting. Almost reminds me of Dr. Manhattan.
When I saw "Legend - LN ?" I immediately thought of some kind of uber-defense person made of bronze. Why bronze? Not sure. Greek colossi maybe?
I just had an idea, building off of your construct idea. Legend is an intelligent sword that moves from person to person inhabiting their bodies for their lifetime. Dozens of people have risen to power throughout the ages completely unaware that they were posessed by legend. His deception is so complete that he even convinced them that they had free will.
When I saw "Legend - LN ?" I immediately thought of some kind of uber-defense person made of bronze. Why bronze? Not sure. Greek colossi maybe?I just had an idea, building off of your construct idea. Legend is an intelligent sword that moves from person to person inhabiting their bodies for their lifetime. Dozens of people have risen to power throughout the ages completely unaware that they were posessed by legend. His deception is so complete that he even convinced them that they had free will.
Karla from Record of the Lodoss War
Karla from Record of the Lodoss WarWhen I saw "Legend - LN ?" I immediately thought of some kind of uber-defense person made of bronze. Why bronze? Not sure. Greek colossi maybe?I just had an idea, building off of your construct idea. Legend is an intelligent sword that moves from person to person inhabiting their bodies for their lifetime. Dozens of people have risen to power throughout the ages completely unaware that they were posessed by legend. His deception is so complete that he even convinced them that they had free will.
Wow, deja vu. I dont know how this series got locked away somewhere in the back of my head but I do remember watching some episodes. Must brush up on it.
Peril - NE Rogue
Loves to test the mettle of "mortals" by placing someone they care about in delicate and dangerous situations.
Maybe not the best of ideas, but it might be fun.
I would name your cabal the Many. Or maybe just the Mortals.
And all have a code name that begins with the letter M.
Myth, Might, Mask, Mage, Maze, Meek, Mist, Murmur, Mount, Mint, Max, Mass, Moss, Mace, Morningstar, Monster, Midnight, Monk, Moor, Mab, Minx, Momentum, Mystery, Malady, Mission, Maudlin, Milk....
With whatever you decide on, try to include a variety of races as well. In my homebrew Campaign, I have an order of heroes who watch over the world that guide, nudge, and poke the newer generations of heroes in the right direction, and only intervene when absolute annihilation and destruction may occur. Most are former PCs that have obtained a form of immortality. Some are more visible and active among the populace than others but they include the following (with their updated equivalent Core or APG classes):
The Stone Watch
The Great Guardian - LG gold dragon
The Grand Overlord - LG human paladin/cleric
The Wandering Phenom - LG minotaur fighter/cavalier
The Forest Lord - NG elf ranger/cleric
The Great Sage- CG human wizard/alchemist
The Master Rogue - CG halfling rogue/sorcerer
Do some interplay with racail and class mixes to obtain a good variety and balanced represtation of you campaign setting.
Grace - NG Human Oracle
Myth - LN Human Monk
Legend - LN, Intelligent sword
Rumor - N, Stabbity Doom's many faced idea
Portend - CN, - Human Conjurer
Prophecy - CN...Bear?
Strife - NE Human Lich
Here is the final order. They are mostly human or ?? since I wanted to give them a common thread and it is in keeping with the feel of the campaign world.
Grace made a cameo in the last session. I described her as an old black woman (kind of like "the Oracle," from the Matrix). I tried to give her that matronly aura that just reeks of wisdom and common sense.
She had a great exchange with one of the PCs that went something like this.
(Argus the Barbarian is sitting in his wagon waiting for Cleedo the Cleric to come back to his home in the quaint little town of Wholsten)
*knock,knock,knock*
Argus: Who'se there?
Grace: It's Grace, a friend of Mr. Cleedo's. I just baked a lemon cake and I wanted to see if you'd like a slice.
Argus: Sure, come in.
Grace: What's your name friend, are you also a friend of Mr. Cleedo's?
Argus: Hmmm...in a manner of speaking, yes. (there has been some inter-party conflict.
Grace: I'll say that Mr. Cleedo is quite a nice man. There is this boy that is forever climbing trees and skinning this and bruising that and every time he comes to Mr. Cleedo's home he'll fix him right up dont charge nothin'. A fine man he is.
Argus: Yeah, I guess.
Grace: I brought my chess board if you fancy a game? Do you play any?
Argus: A bit.
Grace: So anyway I keep tellin Mr. Cleedo 'If you keep healin dat bah he wont learn nothin' and he'll keep doin those fool things. Cause' that is the way we learn from our mistakes and misfortunes.
Argus: Very wise of you, etc...
(they play a game of chess to a stalemate and she shakes his hand and departs)
Later in the campaign she will get involved by tipping the scales one way or the other to ensure that a balance is maintained. For instance, in this particular campaign she has been tasked with ensuring that a dead god is resurrected by transferring the essence of several items into the body of one of the primary villains while at the same time ensuring that the PCs are in a position to destroy him while he is still DR 0 thus eliminating his essence forever.
You could have a Warforged Artificer as your Bob the Builder.
You could have a Warforged Artificer as your Bob the Builder.
???