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Hello everybody!
Fluffy Stuffs:
I've been learning a lot of history lately and it's put me in the mood to run a campaign. By the end of the 4th to the beginning of the 5th centuries CE Rome was falling. It was divided into east and west and its power was shattered by constant warfare with invading barbarians (Goths, Visigoths, Vandals, Suebi, Bretonia was abandoned to the Saxons, the Huns etc...)
This was also the time of the clash between polytheistic Paganism and catholic Christianity in northern Europe. It's before knights, feudalism and all that jazz. Technology was limited, much of it lost from the height of Roman power. It was the beginning of the 'Dark Ages'.
I want to set a campaign in a similar time and place. Some of the names and places may change, but all the 'major players' will be recognizable from our own history. I want it to be accurate setting-wise without being bound to follow the way things actually went (with breathing room for a bit of fantasy). The players can vote on whether they'd rather be the failing Empire or the 'barbarian' invaders. Either way, you will be minor nobles or chieftains.
If we go Roman, you will be sons of boderland nobles, serving in the Legions to defend the shadow of Empire from the heathen 'barbarian' hordes threatening to overrun it.
If we go 'barbarian', you would be minor chieftains united under a King who's seeking to expand his power at the expense of the Empire that has long oppressed your people.
-Very low magic. Available Classes:
Adept
Barbarian
Cavalier
Fighter
Paladin (Warrior of the Holy Light)
Ranger (Skirmisher or Trapper)
Rogue
-Human only
-Probably 25 point buy (you are to be heroes in the vein of Alfred the Great, Clovis I, Charlemagne, Attilla, Alboin king of the Lombards etc.)
-Beginning level probably 2
-1 extra feat at first level
-3 traits, one of which is Heirloom Weapon
-Armor as DR alternate rules
-Period appropriate equipment (ie. no plate armor, stirrups, castles etc). Most people fought with a shield and spear, maybe a short sword or axe as backup. Many only had helmets for armor, although mail armor was also fairly readily availible. A roman foot soldier at that time earned about 2 GP/year in spending money (after living expenses). Metalworking is difficult and expensive, making a suit of mail could take several hundred hours.
Equipment Available:
Weapons-
Axe, Battle
Axe, Great
Axe, Throwing
Club
Club, Great
Dagger
Falcata
Handaxe
Javelin
Longbow
Longspear
Longsword
Net
Pilum
Shortbow
Shortspear
Shortsword
Sling
Spear
Quarterstaff
Armor-
Padded
Leather
Chain shirt
Hide shirt
Hide
Scale Mail
Chainmail
Shield, Light
Shield, Heavy
Buckler
-Starting equipment would be given not purchased.
-Religions will be Germanic paganism (Thor, Odin/Wotan etc.) or Christianity. Adepts claim to derive their power from one or the other. There are of course other religions, but these are the main ones.
Right now I'm not looking for characters. Just an expression of interest and a vote for whether you'd prefer to be Roman or Barbarian. If there is sufficient interest, I'll start another thread for recruitment once I'm ready to get the game started. I prefer flexible players who know the rules. I'm running a sci-fi game here if you wanna see my style.
I would prefer to be barbarian if I am able to participate.
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Oh one thing I forgot. I'm going with the kirthfinder idea on Alignment. Almost all mortals are N. Supernatural creatures may be either good or evil. But for the most part alignment is not going to play a roll.
Life was brutal, violent and short back then, average lifespan was 30 years and infant mortality was 30-50% (scholarly estimate). You do what you have to do to get by, and if you're catholic you pray for forgiveness later.
Maybe a Saracen so... Barbarian.
I'd love to tag along as a Cavalier focusing on (light) mounted archery (preferably the emissary archetype, though the name would be off). Think late Scythians, Hungarian(Magyar) or Hunnic horse archers, so composite recurve (long) bows and thumbrings (which don't exist in PF, an oversight if you ask me)
EDIT: So I guess that means invader, though ambiguous on the religion part (as in catholic or pagan, would not go for germanic paganism though)
I dwell in Bulgaria and find Slav history interesting and they were also moving into the Eastern Empire at this time. So, a barbarian Slav/Scythians if it is barbarian. A Breton soldier otherwise.
I literally just finished re-watching HBO's Rome, so I feel that fate compels me to express interest here. I am a student of Scandinavian history myself, so I am predisposed to gravitate towards the barbarian angle, but I think playing Rome would be good fun as well. I'll say whatever the majority is, I'll support.
This is a wonderful idea.
I am expressing my interest. I'd like to be Roman I think.
PvP? Some borderline skirmish. We're two elite squads.
Interested. And it might be fun to be Roman, since we would be the ones in decline.
If we are Romans, I might tend toward an legionnaire-type fighter.
If we're barbarians, I'll consider the adept, though I'm not sure how fun that would be. Would there be some alternate healing rules so I don't have to become the healbot to get everyone through the day?
I'm interested, primarily for barbarians but i could go with the declining Romans and be just as happy with it.
EDIT: I'd especially like to play a Paladin from the barbarian tribes, although i'd like to make an argument that the "sword of valor" archtype with minor, mostly fluff alterations, in adition to the "warrior of the holy light" archtype, would make an impressive Champion of Tyr
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Good to see the interest. Keep in mind the class restrictions are to keep magic out for everyone except adepts. Basically magic is like people believed it was back then. Divination, healing miracles, curses. Or think the Lord of the Rings novels. Magic exists, but it's very non-flashy, quite rare.
I want paladin character to maintain their lay on hands and their charisma-y powers but lose their spells, thus the archetype restrictions. I'm leaning heavily towards barbarians, however I could possibly be convinced to run two parties of four (one roman and one barbarian w/ some possible PVP) if I see enough good submissions in recruiting time. Due to the low magic, gritty, realistic nature of this game I'm looking for good writers and people who can make the game move.
I'll keep Rome and the geographical layout of Europe, but I'll likely invent a 'barbarian' tribe/ethnicity and give the players the chance to put it into the history books.
I'll start ironing out details and keep you guys posted.
Keep in mind the class restrictions are to keep magic out for everyone except adepts. Basically magic is like people believed it was back then. Divination, healing miracles, curses. Or think the Lord of the Rings novels. Magic exists, but it's very non-flashy, quite rare.
I want paladin character to maintain their lay on hands and their charisma-y powers but lose their spells, thus the archetype restrictions.
Very cool, still interested, although you're the dm and have final say, following your above reasons, it's my opinion the sword of valor makes more sense then the warrior of light, who can at 4th level summon a 30 foot radius of healing light, it's hardly subtle .
None of the sword of valor's supernatural abilites are overtly flashy, and they still have lay on hands and very charisma-y powers.
This sounds like a lot of fun. I'm actually currently running a game loosely based on the Holy Roman Empire, and I LOVE the idea of a low-magic, historically-inspired setting.
I personally think the Romans would be fun to play (I love the "declining empire" trope), but a savage barbarian chieftan would be pretty cool, too. I'm a big fan of martial classes in particular, but I can see how a Rogue would be a really neat class for something like this.
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Okay, my current thoughts are as follows (still evolving). I'm looking at setting the game in AD 500, in Saxony (modern day NW Germany).
Italy is under the control of Theodoric the Great and the Ostrogoths, Arian christians who reconquered it for the Constantine Emporer Zeno in the year 493. Though technically Foederati (vassals) of Byzantium, Theodoric is a strong and independent king.
The Franks have conquered much of northern Europe under King Clovis I who converted to catholic Christianity after his victory at the battle of Tolbiac in 496. They are continuing to expand waging yearly wars of conquest.
Gaul and Spain are under the control of the Arian christian Visigoths.
Saxony remains a pagan place. The Saxons are mainly united by their language and pagan culture, but are surrounded by the Frisians, Bruchterians, Chattians, Thuringians and many other tribes. Some are friendly, others not. Every year the Franks come closer, conquering more and more people.
Believed Jesus and God were separate beings, considered Heretics by catholics.
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So to be clear, the game is set on Earth in AD 500. The only differences from real life is that magic is definitely real, though rare and mysterious, and the course history will take. The players will be Saxon chieftains, united under a minor king who I've yet to make up. We don't really know too many details about that time anyway, just broad strokes the important battles and lives of 'great' men.
Religions will be strictly real earth ones, most priests/shaman cannot do magic beyond possibly minor healing or divinations. Ie. they might be a level 1 adept at best. Some famous sorceror or saint might be like a lvl 5 adept. Most people are lvl 1 commoners, with no money.
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Here's a rough draft of Eccard, my knife-master rogue Google Docs Link
Gear/background/details are to be determined, the general mechanics are fleshed out, though.
Basically, a cutpurse/burglar who has managed to evade the law long enough (or picked the other side to steal from) to get quite good at his "job".
In a party role, he takes on "trapfinder" "rogue" and "talker" decently, but will eventually truly shine as a stealth-killer & opener of doors. With the right clothing and language, and a little distraction, there's little he won't be able to steal, and can almost always arm himself quite well with a simple dagger.
Splendid! I'm thinking barbarian with a focus on the mental ability scores, primarily charisma - a warrior-skald type of guy.
Hmm, this pretty much kills the idea of any form of mounted warfare as all those tribes tend to be a little more to the east since this plays after Atilla's death.