Looking for some advice/ideas on how to run a neolithic era campaign. While the general concepts associated with adventuring wouldn't change all that much (kill monsters, get loot), it seems to me some of the specifics would be very different indeed.
In particular, I'm thinking these would be some of the major areas of change:
Get Loot
In a pre-currency campaign, the traditional forms of "loot" would be very different. I've never quite come across a good barter system for d20, although I'm currently thinking of implementing something along the lines of the Trade Unit idea from d20 Apocalypse. It would need some tweaking, obviously, to generate equipment/armor/arms tables for the Trade Unit "currency" equivalents.
Magic Items would be another area that would be very different, though, and I'm not sure how to handle it. Since magical equipment plays such a large part in the leveling up process, but this would be basically a "low magic" sort of world, how best to handle it? Offhand I'm thinking of doing something playing off of the "add magical abilities" concept for items; there wouldn't be a lot of magical loot to find in treasure hordes, but the characters could essentially "power up" the items they do possess by calling on ancestor spirits, deities, and the like. Questing to add abilities to their weapons would also be a good adventure hook.
Magic
Which brings us to magic. Ideally, I see the Neolithic game as being low magic. Probably wouldn't have any wizards and possibly no clerics, but sorcerers and druids, summoners, witches, and maybe alchemists would be okay. Offhand I'm thinking of limiting the higher order spells (cutoff at 4th or 5th), but allowing any additional spell slots of higher levels to be used for lower level spells (ie, a 6th level slot can be used to prepare 2 3rd level spells, etc.). I'm not sure how much that would impact spellcasters vis a vis more martial classes, though.
Types of Adventures
What sorts of adventures would the players go on? Fighting tribal enemies/monsters would be there, sure, but the traditional "dungeon delves" don't seem quite as applicable- at least not in the same degree. Some ruins from older or more advanced civilizations would be fun, but not as a staple. In particular, I'm wondering about adventures for high level PCs- they should start to become more like tribal leaders. Could the Kingmaker rulership rules be used to help simulate this?
Let me know what sorts of thoughts you have, or if anyone's run campaigns like this (I've seen some posts pondering it, but nothing that has talked about experiences they've had with it.)
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You could have a neolithic campaign set in a world where civilization was well and truly wiped out. These people are descendants of the very few surviving humans. That would give you dungeon crawls and powerful magic items. Magic could be provided by Oracles acting as shaman. Maybe make up a mystery that covers exactly that. Maybe adapt witches for a different type of shaman.
Magic
Which brings us to magic. Ideally, I see the Neolithic game as being low magic. Probably wouldn't have any wizards and possibly no clerics, but sorcerers and druids, summoners, witches, and maybe alchemists would be okay. Offhand I'm thinking of limiting the higher order spells (cutoff at 4th or 5th), but allowing any additional spell slots of higher levels to be used for lower level spells (ie, a 6th level slot can be used to prepare 2 3rd level spells, etc.). I'm not sure how much that would impact spellcasters vis a vis more martial classes, though.
You could restrict spellcasting to 6-level progression classes to get this effect: Bards could fit the storyteller/shaman/oral tradition role fairly well. Rangers obviously fit in. Alternatively, Adepts cover the minimal spread of arcane and divine magic, if you don't mind the limited power level of NPC classes. Summoners, paladins, or inquisitors could work depending on the exact feel of the campaign you're going for. Magi and alchemists keep spellbooks, so they're right out.
Maybe allow magi and alchemists to use the Spell Mastery feat? And give Spell Mastery as a bonus feat in place of Scribe Scroll to wizards? Illiterate wizards are going to be weaker than standard wizards or spontaneous arcane spellcasters, but that's kind of the point of a Neolithic campaign.
You can easily restrict weapons to wooden or knapped flint weapons (spears, morning stars, arrows, etc.).
Armor would be limited to leather, hide, padded, and wooden shields.
What this means is that PCs are going to have lower ACs, and possibly do less damage with flint weapons, but this just means the PCs have to work on tactics, using cover and concealment and reach weapons to protect themselves.
Neolithic doesn't have to be low magic. It might be high magic since the primordial powers are closer to the people.
In a pre-currency campaign, the traditional forms of "loot" would be very different. I've never quite come across a good barter system for d20, although I'm currently thinking of implementing something along the lines of the Trade Unit idea from d20 Apocalypse. It would need some tweaking, obviously, to generate equipment/armor/arms tables for the Trade Unit "currency" equivalents.
The "trade goods" table in the Core Rulebook is decidedly medieval/renaissance era in it's contents, but it could inspire you to make a similar stone-age table.
The base unit could be something abstract that equates to a gold piece for easy conversion of stuff from other books (especially if you decide your society has a "currency" that isn't coinage, like cowri shells or Fallout's bottlecaps.) Alternatively, pick some locally produced item of immediate usefulness, like livestock or a freshly killed animal and reference everything against that.
For instance, if the base unit for your table is a milking goat, a goat will buy three chickens, and a flint knife is worth as much as a goat, you have a basis for trade when the PCs try to sell a captured flint knife to buy a chicken dinner, even though no goats are directly involved.
Hok the Mighty might be a good source of inspiration for adventure topics.
Lost Prehistorica is a great 3.5 book to look into. It's at RPGDrivethru cheap. Helped me back in the day.
Check out primitive weapons in ultimate combat. Also if you end up using primitive weapons or a lot of obsidian weapons and things consider banning shatter as it destroys all obisidian weapons and can be broken from game design.
DR is something that will be a problem as a gm.