For King and Country

post_text

With the dawn comes Lieutenant Richmann with a contingent of Purple Dragons: twenty-four knights, two war wizards, and a priestess.

The knights brought with them several hardened wagons to cart off their prisoners. The wizards waste no time, subduing all of the prisoners ere the knights shackle them.

The ranking war wizard spends much time in private conversation with the lieutenant. The priestess tends first to your wounded, casting the Healing Sleep spell upon those with wounds or ability damage. Anyone affected such will be out for one hour per wound or ability point. Elliott is out for most of the day.

It shall take only an hour for the knights to gather the prisoners and leave; anyone with no wounds or who refuses treatment could interject if so desired. Otherwise, the ranking wizard and sixteen knights depart with the hardened wagons, and all of your prisoners.

This leaves the original garrison of six knights plus the lieutenant, as well as eight more knights, a wizard, and a priestess.

The wizard is a 48-year-old man by the name of Adolphus; typically, he brandishes a salt-and-pepper beard, similar hair, and wears a gray cloak with pointy hat. He has a staff, of course, but also wears a longsword at his side. He is fond of pipeweed, and has a hearty chuckle.

Though he is an accomplished wizard in his own right, it is clear to those so indoctrinated (Marcus) that he is apprenticed to the elder wizard, a much older man (who has now departed).

The priestess is a young woman, only a few seasons older than the party members, by the name of Elaine. She wears the gold-trimmed white robes of the Great Church clergy. She has brought with her a suit of armor and a mace. She is of above-average height and build for a woman, which might explain the armaments. She spends most of her day making smalltalk with Adolphus or various guards.

The lieutenant informs the (waking) party members that he shant permit them to adventure further without assistance; three of his guards, as well as the priestess and the wizard. Meanwhile, he has doubled his patrols, and their size, until the party deploys.

It is a clear and sunny day in Arabel.

At 10:00 AM this morning, the High Lord of Arabel, the Lady Myrmeen Lhal, recognized the party's achievements with the Purple Dragons' Medal of Honor for Conspicuous Gallantry and Unwavering Courage. She also signed your adventuring charter; though, to be fully ratified, you will have to procure the signature of Oversword Durtharr of the East Army.

At 11:00 AM, a service was held for the Purple Dragons lost in the battles, and for Adolphus. In addition, several of the bandits themselves were honored, specifically for their service in Tilverton and other, legitimate theaters.

The party took lunch at noon at the Dancing Dragon, and agreed to take some time off. The Lady Elaine retired to her cathedral, with thanks to the party and an invitation to attend this evenings service at 8:00 PM.

Anyone who wishes to do anything, feel free to reply or post your own thread. Your future is in your hands.

REPLY

Elliot rests through the entire day, breath rising and falling rythmically as he sleeps and heals. He does nothing but dream and knit his body back together.

He awakens nearly twenty four hours later, hungry and sore, but only showing the barest hints of bruises and scars to mark the life-threatening injuries he sustained not a full day before.

REPLY

Wittingly or unwittingly Jewel offers to help his scars form iching by rubbing oil into them. Elliot is uncomfortable but allows her to do so.

Arabel

The city and region of Arabel is ruled by the High Lord Myrmeen Lhal. This faction is a feudal entity whose primary purposes are to serve Arabel's interests and serve fealty to the King. Arabel has near-supreme executive power on its own citizens, though is generally in line with most of the land's laws. It may wield the Purple Dragons in the defense of the city, though they are technically a separate, quasi-nationalized faction of their own.

• You have working relations with this faction.

Contacts

• The High Lord of Arabel, the Lady Myrmeen Lhal (neutral)

The Purple Dragons

The standing army and police force of Cormyr, these knights owe fealty only to the Crown. That being said, he has vested in his feudal lords and other organizations (such as the War Wizards) the power to command his knights.

:The Purple Dragons are separated into regional divisions; the local division is the Army of the East, a poorly-named division for it embodies the northern reaches of Cormyr (oops, 3e map fuckup). It is under the command of Oversword Durtharr.

• You have working relations with this faction.

Contacts

• Oversword Durtharr (neutral)
• Knight Captain Sellus Gravius (cordial)
• Lieutenant Richmann (cordial)

The War Wizards

This cabal of magic-users is a very old and very powerful organization. Owing fealty to the King of Cormyr, the War Wizards know great independence from local authorities. When they are deployed to battle, it is by their discretion, or the most urgent command of the King. They very often lead Purple Dragons, especially in unique and dangerous (i.e. high-level) encounters.

• You have working relations with this faction.

Contacts

• Honored Magus Waldo Emery (unknown)
• Magus Alfred Noblum (cordial)

The Red Raven Mercenaries

You have only heard of this force; you have not yet beheld a member of it. This massive mercenary army is legendary for its great success in the Tuigan invasion, and has since been put to much use. Hired in the service of the King (through his liaisons), this company is currently engaged in the Stonelands, and it is rumored that their leader may be vying to become the Baroness of the Stonelands.

• You have working relations with this faction.

There are many other factions in Cormyr and abroad, with every sort of goal. You can find contacts at the Dancing Dragon and other locales frequented by adventurers.

• Assist Captain Lance Gorman (Purple Dragons: Durtharr)

o

Knight Captain Gorman has requested additional resources from Durtharr in a peacekeeping mission in Anderford, a small city east of Arabel on the Immerflow. Durtharr stresses that this is a military engagement, not an adventure. Civil unrest is a matter requiring great discipline, and any to heed his call must follow a strict chain of command.

o

Reward: approval for adventuring charter.

• Investigate the goings-on in the Duskwood (Purple Dragons: Gravius) (accepted)

o

A dark force has invaded the King’s lands. All Knights who have investigated it have disappeared or been slain. On Widow’s peak was the first sighting. Events in the Duskwood Eaves may be connected.

o

Reward: unknown.

• Retrieve Turmish Firestones (War Wizards: Noblum)

o

In an abandoned wizard’s tower in the northern highlands, it is thought there may be some Turmish Firestones, valuable magical components.

o

Reward: 775 gp per stone; other spoils are yours to keep.

• Wanted: Grimetooth the Despoiler, dead or alive (Private Bounty in the name of "Almar Sorenson")

o

In the coal mines to the north, a goblin band led by Grimetooth has been terrorizing miners, sapping their mines and harvesting the bodies of all whom they trap.

o

Reward: 500 dead, 750 alive. Bonus of 1 gp per goblin head.

• Find the Spear of Telderus (Private Quest in the name of "Nel'queth Quermeen")

o

Long thought lost, the artifacts of Telderus, an elven warrior of centuries ago, are said to have great magical power, especially when wielded as a set. (Knowledge: Arcana DC 19).

o

Reward: 3500 gp.

REPLY

After excusing himself from lunch, Elliot makes his way to the castle in order to inquire after the prisoners, specifically Captain Fordan.

color=green:53e0af52eaI'm not sure exactly who to speak to regarding this, but I'm interested in speaking with the captain and the other soldiers of Tilverton about their experiences. I'm also interested in helping them contact their families, those who have them, and seeing if I can arrange visitation rights.

I also have other things to do, like comission a new set of armor, war training for Black Fury, and barding as well. Also some other equipment to buy (adventurer gear mostly)/color:53e0af52ea

REPLY

Jewel is also interested in war horse training. She still seeks to get a tattoo of a lotus blossom above her heart.

REPLY

Okay, so we didn't get to keep the (stolen) horses. If any of the bandit treasure remains in our hands, I will cast Detect Magic over them, and seperate the wheat from the chaff, so to speak. Assuming much of the stuff lies in locked chests, I will leave that alone for now. In any event, it needs to be catalogued.

Regardless of the results of that, Marcus will send letters to both High Magus (don't call me) Waldo Emery, and Magus Alfred Noblum, requesting audience for the purpose of acquiring research materials, in return for possible apprenticeship.

Basically, I'm whoring myself out to learn a few more spells.

Later, Marcus will sit down to write his friend Emery (not the Magus) a letter, and hire a runner to have it delivered to his father's estate in Immersea.

The contents of which, I will post further down in this thread.

REPLY

As far as you recall, this matter was handled by Captain Elling, stationed in the Magistrate's office. He refers you to with a note to the warden of the East Army Headquarters dungeon.

The warden shall allow you fifteen minutes in the dungeon. He insinuates that more is a possibility. He scoffs at the notion of visitation rights and firmly states that communication with prisoners is a matter of the most grave nature...again with the insinuations.

color=green:a83f9f8000

According to your trainer, war training is best done in 3-hour sessions with you and your horse, once or possibly twice per day. There are a variety of other options, but this is best, and the most cost-effective. There is no upper limit to war training, though he recommends a minimum of 20 sessions, because your horse has some bad habits for war (like his unwillingness to jump).

The cost is one gold piece per session.

/color:a83f9f8000

REPLY

quote:3be1e557ed="Colehead"Jewel is also interested in war horse training. She still seeks to get a tattoo of a lotus blossom above her heart./quote:3be1e557ed color=green:3be1e557ed

A couple of problems with this.

As in url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tattooreal life/url, tattooing is nigh-nonexistent in western culture. It is seen as barbaric--the mark of a slave or subhuman, or at the very least uncomfortably exotic.

: Tattooing is still seen among the Uthgardt, the Bedouine, and, of course, the barbarians of the Unapproachable East (Rashemi, Mulan, and Mulhorandi).

: Even if you could find a tattoo artist, it is highly unlikely they would know of the lotus (or you would for that matter) unless they were also a master of botany, for the lotus grows only in distant Kara-Tur; having no practical use, no lotus blossoms are imported, except for the extremely rare Black Lotus, seen as far west as Amn, for a terribly high price. To know of this flowers existence will require a DC 17 Knowledge check of an appropriate type (Botany, Poisons, etc).

That being said, I will roll.

<rolls>

With an extensive search (Cosmopolitan DC 26, you may take 20 as a one-day action), you can in fact find a tattoo artist (you had a 3% chance). This Easterner, a strange, dark woman, is willing to do just as you request...assuming you somehow know what a lotus is.

:However, to have a tattoo will forever mark you as uncouth and uncivilized, and makes marriage to a noble a near-absolute impossibility. Just a heads-up.

/color:3be1e557ed

REPLY

quote:0afc5127c9="Tallas"Regardless of the results of that, Marcus will send letters to both High Magus (don't call me) Waldo Emery, and Magus Alfred Noblum, requesting audience for the purpose of acquiring research materials, in return for possible apprenticeship.

Later, Marcus will sit down to write his friend Emery (not the Magus) a letter, and hire a runner to have it delivered to his father's estate in Immersea./quote:0afc5127c9

The runner time to Immersea is 3 days, and will cost 120 cp. As for the mages, you can leave those with their servants. Expect not to hear back today.

REPLY

Walking down the well light dungeon corridor, still holding the note in his hand, Elliot scans the cells before settling on the correct door. Giving it a brisk knock, he peers into the chamber beyond the bars.

"Hello? Captain Fordan? Could I speak with you, sir? My name is Elliot Grayfall. We met in battle at the elven ring."

Folding his hands behind him, Elliot waits patiently.

REPLY

quote="kenjura However, to have a tattoo will forever mark you as uncouth and uncivilized, and makes marriage to a noble a near-absolute impossibility. Just a heads-up. /color/quote

Did you not think I thought about it 'afore I said I wished to get one. Besides it small and pink and pretty

Jewel says hotly

REPLY

Also, what is the legal status of the treasure we have acquired? Are there claimant laws in Cormyr (I've no wish for us to be considered bandits ourselves)? Are there taxes on this stuff? What about the magical items? Do they have to be run through the War Wizards?

REPLY

color=green:d005d00657None of you are aware of the laws regarding your confiscated treasure. Jewel is the one who gathered it. The rest, as far as you know, was gathered by the Purple Dragons.

Jewel, the tattoo will cost 36 sp and will take four hours. (she performs masterwork only).

/color:d005d00657

Elliott:he regards you coldly, with thickly-veiled confusion, for an uncomfortably long time.

color=blue:d005d00657Met? We met/i:d005d00657? You tried to i:d005d00657kill me.

<silence>

You killed her.

<silence>

The rest of them too. That's all they cared about. All the money, all the things...they just wanted blood.

/color:d005d00657

He catches himself and is silent.

REPLY

Elliot seems to digest this. Work it over in his mind.

"Yes. Yes, I did kill her. And you killed her. And she killed herself. I accept my responsibility for her death. She must accept her share, as must you."

Elliot is thoughtful for a moment. "Who was she?"

REPLY

color=green:c5f35891e3So 15,000 (silver) and 3 potions? Anything else?

Seriously, post the treasure before you go to Pete's./color:c5f35891e3

REPLY

TREASURE FROM THE REDCAPS

Coins

There was several thousand gold lions’ worth of coin in the camp, though much of it was not readily stolen. The majority was in useless trade letters and Shou Lung copper (a blanket term for various exotic currencies)…interesting, since Cormish merchants accept only the King’s coin. What you did find:

• 210 gp in merchants’ trade bars (50, 20, and 10gp denominations)
• 90 gp in mercenary cards, authorized for payment by the Red Raven mercenary company.

Goods

Jewel’s laborious search check netted some fine catches:

• A handful of large aquamarines, marquise cut.
• A bag full of assorted lapis lazuli.
• A small bag of moss agate gems.
• A large emerald.
• A black pearl.

Art Objects

There were dozens, if not hundreds of these in the camp, though you had occasion only to carry off those of the highest value and greatest convenience.

• A silver chalice with lapis lazuli gems. Pretty. Probably part of a lovely set.
• A mantle with a black silk lining and a black velvet outer face that is adorned with beaded stars and geometric shapes. Moonstones are set into the center of each star: 36 in all.
• A silver cloak pin in the shape of a griffon’s head (profile), not the original match for the above mantle, but appropriate enough. It has what appears to be a large ruby for the eye.
• A container of silver arrowheads, 20 in all. They have an elvish design.
• A scroll tube carved of ebony with silver endcaps. It is of fine workmanship.
• A large, ornamental bodice pin (4-inch-diameter disk) of polished brass worked into the shape of a sleeping unicorn. A chalcedony is inset to depict its horn.

Items

• A light mace, its head coated in silver. It has several gems and other frills; it is clearly an ornamental weapon for a ranking clergyman, though it is, in fact, a superior martial weapon.
• 5 flasks of a clear liquid. They are well-stoppered, with foil covering the corks as tightly as champagne bottles.
• A slightly-used set of machinist’s tools, including screwdrivers, a light hammer, and a hand drill.
• An odd musical instrument. It is a rectangular wooden frame, in a shape like a mousetrap fully opened. It is a bowed string instrument of some kind, like a really bizarre violin. Its sound is even more jarring, but, to the trained ear, it is evident that this instrument is of a quality far above average. Its case, lovingly but simply designed, belies this.
• Vial containing a gritty, translucent black liquid. Detects as magical.
• Vial containing a yellow, thick liquid. Detects as magical.

From Riley “Red” Morhan

• A suit of supple studded leather, dyed a very reddish brown, shaped to fit a slender woman. The studs are in the shape of hearts, with a very slight pink stain to them. This suit of armor survived the magical blast which consumed her, though not without damage. With magical repair, it would be quite a piece.

From Ulric Fordan

• A simple, silver ring. Detects as magical.
• A pair of fine leather bracers. Detect as magical.
• A wounded Cormish Dragon warhorse with +6 barding.
• A damaged suit of +4 chain armor.
• A fine bastard sword, well-used.

Last night, you defeated (or rather survived) Valerius and his band, and spent many uncomfortable hours discussing the event with Noblum and various knights.

You have heard that the Commodore Dauntinghorn is coming to Arabel this night, and should like to speak with you on the 8th, the day of the Adolphus Dauntinghorn's Funeral; it is proper for you to attend this event.

Marcus was promised a response to his query (to Noblum) this day; no word on Emery or...Emery.

Should anyone have any actions this day, or late the previous night, this is the place.

REPLY

Last night, if there is time, Elliot attends mass at the temple. Further actions forth coming (If I think of them).

At 8 PM a congregation of 357, mostly noblemen and affluent merchantfolk, gather at St. Felicity's Cathedral on the north edge of town, to hear the sermon of Priestess Elaine Melsember.

A curious amount of lingering delays the start, as always; it seems noblewomen in large quantity have gathered in the foyer and are comparing wardrobes. Meanwhile, men cavort outside and guffaw over in-jokes.

This, of course, leaves some of the best pews for the early arrivals.

The laws of the Church prohibit none from attending mass, so long as you are decent and respectful. That aside, this is a very posh part of town. So what exactly are you wearing, Elliot? And anyone else who shows up?

REPLY

Jewel writes a letter to Noblum

color=darkblue:5caf4620ffDear Honorable Mage Noblum,

I regret to inform you that I am unable to attend the Honorable Lord Adolphus Dauntinghorn’s funeral. This is a matter of great seriousness; otherwise I should be highly honored to attend. Please understand that this in no way is meant to under emphasize the great sacrifice that Mage Dauntinghorn gave to me and my compatriots. I shall be grateful to this cousin of battle for the rest of my life, and feel great sorrow at the world’s loss of such a man. I ask only that you convey my regards to his family and that I regret my inability to attend. Please accept my sincerest apologizes.

Yours truly,

Jewel Williams/color:5caf4620ff

REPLY

Jewel will attend, abet under the cover of secrecy, disguised as a young noble man. (roll die...14 (gino witnessed)). She wishes to go to confession.

REPLY

Elliot arrives dressed simply but well in a simple white linen shirt, a brown leather jerkin, and brown leather pants with polished riding boots. He bears no weapon but a simple dagger in a scabbard at his boot heel. His blonde hair is washed and combed and he is cleanly shaven.

He is obviously well groomed and clean, but also obviously not there to socialize or put himself on display. He smiles at and acknowledges everyone who meets his gaze but keeps to himself, finding a quiet spot near the front and the side.

REPLY

quote:3e9178d6d3="Colehead"Jewel will attend, abet under the cover of secrecy, disguised as a young noble man. (roll die...14 (gino witnessed)). She wishes to go to confession./quote:3e9178d6d3

If you rolled a 14, then unfortunately you failed. Most people will see through your disguise, and you are likely aware of this fact.

REPLY

quote:74e09ad31d="DorianAdricus"Elliot arrives dressed simply but well in a simple white linen shirt, a brown leather jerkin, and brown leather pants with polished riding boots. He bears no weapon but a simple dagger in a scabbard at his boot heel. His blonde hair is washed and combed and he is cleanly shaven.

He is obviously well groomed and clean, but also obviously not there to socialize or put himself on display. He smiles at and acknowledges everyone who meets his gaze but keeps to himself, finding a quiet spot near the front and the side./quote:74e09ad31d

Elliot, you find yourself the subject of disdainful glares; you disrupt conversations as you pass, and hear several muttered oaths.

As you take your seat, a nearby old couple brazenly scoots away from you.

I want you all to complete a character map.

A character map is a diagram which explains all relevant forces acting on your character that have made you what you are. It casts you as the hero in your own personal drama, with your own cast of supporting characters. It is completely out of the context of the game, though it is nice to have something in there to suggest why you are where you are in session 1.

There is one sitting on my piano (at the moment), though the graphical map is unnecessary. It can be written as well.

Cast: Who is the cast of your personal drama? Describe each role. You can do something unconvential; the point is to have some sort of personal connection in the places where a person would. list:745cd3d69fYour best friend/list:u:745cd3d69f list:745cd3d69fYour love interest/list:u:745cd3d69f list:745cd3d69fYour mentor/list:u:745cd3d69f list:745cd3d69fYour worst enemy/list:u:745cd3d69f Family, the first pillar: Your family is where you come from; it or its absence guided your upbringing, and bears important influence even in your adult life. list:745cd3d69fDescribe your father and mother and how they came together to form a family./list:u:745cd3d69f list:745cd3d69fDescribe your siblings (or lack thereof)./list:u:745cd3d69f list:745cd3d69fDescribe your extended family, including any relevant cousins, in-laws, grandparents, or what-have-you./list:u:745cd3d69f list:745cd3d69fDescribe your ancestors, what you know of them, what you have been told, such and such./list:u:745cd3d69f Childhood, the second pillar: Your personality was shaped in your childhood, and, as a young adult, memories of adolescence are fresh in your mind. list:745cd3d69fDescribe your adolescence. This is the period where you were introduced to your vocation, at least as your parents (or guardians) intended. You attended advanced education of some kind, such as an apprenticeship, tutoring, or schooling. You had many (or maybe few) love interests...what did you learn from that experience? You clashed with your parents and tried to develop an identity of your own. How'd that work out for you?/list:u:745cd3d69f list:745cd3d69fDescribe your youth. This is the period where many first were given responsiblities, such as household chores as basic education. It was a time of fun and games marred by piano lessons and round-trips to the town general store. You learned some lessons in your youth which, only now, are you able to recognize. What are they?/list:u:745cd3d69f list:745cd3d69fDescribe your early childhood. Likely it will be scarce of direct memories, more empirical knowledge of what it might have been like. You made your first emotional bonds in this time, and nobody you met later than this stage can ever truly compete for the deepest places in your heart. What memories of or feelings about this stage do you have?/list:u:745cd3d69f Identity, the third pillar: During your youth you built an identity, selecting bits and pieces from the role models you admired most to form a unique person that you, yourself, wanted to be. list:745cd3d69fOf what faction are you a member? Most people classify others according to their affiliation, such as Purple Dragon, Cormaeril, Shadow Thief, etc. Almost all craftsmen are members of a guild. Virtually all people are either members of a faction or vagabonds. No, the adventuring party doesn't count (this is supposed to be done before session 1). Give it some thought./list:u:745cd3d69f list:745cd3d69fDescribe your social life as a teenager. Were you a party animal or a introvert? What about now? If you're different, what changed?/list:u:745cd3d69f list:745cd3d69fWhat hobbies did you pick up in your childhood? Do you still engage in them?/list:u:745cd3d69f list:745cd3d69fWho were your role models? It's okay to admire a brother or grandmother. It's also okay to admire fictitious characters, such as Elminster. Do you still respect them now?/list:u:745cd3d69f list:745cd3d69fWhat are your issues? Everyone knows what their problems are, and that doesn't necessarily mean they are doing anything about them. What sort of problems do you cause through your own vice?/list:u:745cd3d69f list:745cd3d69fWhat accomplishments do you remember with pride? Few have accomplished great things by this age, but there are some small things. If you have few or none, that's okay; that is an important part of your identity./list:u:745cd3d69f list:745cd3d69fOf what do you dream? In fleeting daydreams, what traits or abilities do you have? What is your dream house? The perfect woman or man? How would you spend a million gold? What would your castle look like? Your kingdom? Aim high, or low...just aim./list:u:745cd3d69f Conclusions

Once you are done with all of the above, you will have a much better grasp of your character. See if you can answer these questions, and be verbose if appropriate.

list:745cd3d69fWhat is your character's archetype?/list:u:745cd3d69f list:745cd3d69fWhat is your conflict?/list:u:745cd3d69f list:745cd3d69fWhat is your destiny?/list:u:745cd3d69f Next Steps

I heartily recommend all of the following for maximum fulfillment of your character's personality.

list:745cd3d69fA detailed, written history, in a form of your choosing (narrative, dialog, memoirs, chronicles, etc)./list:u:745cd3d69f list:745cd3d69fAn image (or several) of your character, whether drawn, photoshopped, ASCII art, or what-have-you./list:u:745cd3d69f list:745cd3d69fA miniature, hand-picked and painted just for you./list:u:745cd3d69f

The few hours you spend on this might enhance the dozens (or hundreds!) of hours in a game to come, so it is worth it. Give it a try! You've got nothing to lose.

''(Note: Characters who don't will be eaten by dragons.)/list

REPLY

Cast: Who is the cast of your personal drama? Describe each role. You can do something unconventional; the point is to have some sort of personal connection in the places where a person would.'' list:24b8b3af9cYour best friend/list:u:24b8b3af9c

My best friend is Margarette Marliir, we went to finishing school together, I was always getting her in to trouble and she was always bailing us out. She is an amazing diplomat and speaks seven languages fluently. She is married to a decent man, who seems to love her; She has a young daughter Mina, who is five. She has been sheltering me off and on while I have been in Arabel. I am a little jealous of her happiness, but she chose a path I knew I could not, and I love her, so I want only the best for her.

list:24b8b3af9cYour love interest/list:u:24b8b3af9c

Well That used to be Roul, a scruffy mangy mongrel of a Sembian pirate, but since he stole all my finest dresses ( thank gods I wasn't foolish enough to pack my best jewels) and left me on the dock while the law was coming for me, I think I am over him. Currently I have two love interests, well, potentials, there’s the scoundrel social climber, Marcus, and the noble lost little Elliot.

list:24b8b3af9cYour mentor/list:u:24b8b3af9c

My father was my hero, he saved the king from assassination, and was a brave hero. I want to be just like him

list:24b8b3af9cYour worst enemy/list:u:24b8b3af9c

That would be my dirty brother in law. Why did my grandfather make my sister marry him? He is a thief, who couldn't run a noble estate is his life depended on it, let alone captain a ship. I suspect him on all sorts of villainy, including high treason. It is a mission of mine to denounce him.

Family, the first pillar: Your family is where you come from; it or its absence guided your upbringing, and bears important influence even in your adult life. list:24b8b3af9cDescribe your father and mother and how they came together to form a family./list:u:24b8b3af9c

My father swept in and carried off my mother like a knight in the old stories. He rescued her from bandits, and fell in love with her on sight. My mother was a tall blonde regal noble woman, my father unbeknownst to her, was the first son of Admiral Daughntinghorn. He had run away to become a pirate. She however, convinced him to love her and marry her and let her bare his children.

list:24b8b3af9cDescribe your siblings (or lack thereof)./list:u:24b8b3af9c

I have one younger sister. Since I was raised as the son my father never had, she was raised to be a proper young lady. I love her, but she is weak, and lets others control her, especially that damnable husband of hers. She has even let him sire three children on her, a boy, William, and two girls, Elizabeth, and Mary.

list:24b8b3af9cDescribe your extended family, including any relevant cousins, in-laws, grandparents, or what-have-you./list:u:24b8b3af9c

I have a huge family. The head is my grandfather Admiral William Daughntinghorn. I have a boat load of cousins and second cousins. My family is fifth in line for the throne, though we would never want it. My family has a tendency to be brash and wild. Most however accept the yoke of marriage and family without scandal.

list:24b8b3af9cDescribe your ancestors, what you know of them, what you have been told, such and such./list:u:24b8b3af9c

Well my family has been in charge of the navy of Cormyr since there was a navy to be had. The first Daughntinghorn, also a William, was a privateer, who came to the defense of the king’s land from an ancient foe, I can’t remember who it was since I slept through most of history but that was how we came to be the naval family of Cormyr.

Childhood, the second pillar: Your personality was shaped in your childhood, and, as a young adult, memories of adolescence are fresh in your mind. list:24b8b3af9cDescribe your adolescence. This is the period where you were introduced to your vocation, at least as your parents (or guardians) intended. You attended advanced education of some kind, such as an apprenticeship, tutoring, or schooling. You had many (or maybe few) love interests...what did you learn from that experience? You clashed with your parents and tried to develop an identity of your own. How'd that work out for you?/list:u:24b8b3af9c

I had a tumultuous adolescence. I was the scandal of boarding school, but also the most popular girl there. The teachers, although exacerbated by my behavior were inspired by my intelligence. I had a reputation for deflowering stable boys and midnight kitchen runs. I thoroughly enjoyed school. Then it all came crashing down, my father was killed, and Black Bill, my fathers best friend, and one of my early childhood heroes, came to fetch me from school. I was bitterly depressed and the only thing that could comfort me was sitting at Black Bill's knee, as I had done as a child, and listening to the old Negro Mulharanis deep and resonating voice tell the stories of my father, as well as his people’s myths and legends. Then despair hit, my sister was married to that man. He stole my fathers ship command from me, forbade me from wearing pants and dressing like a man, he tried to keep me from sneaking out and going gambling with Roul, he was always after me for something or another. Then he tried to marry me to one of his disgusting cronies, and I refused. That night he came into my room and called me a whore and tired to force himself on me, but I was my father’s daughter and kicked him between his legs. I jumped out the window and ran to Roul, after that I never went back. In retaliation I believe he was the one who murdered Black Bill, the only reminder of my father I still had.

list:24b8b3af9cDescribe your youth. This is the period where many first were given responsibilities, such as household chores as basic education. It was a time of fun and games marred by piano lessons and round-trips to the town general store. You learned some lessons in your youth which, only now, are you able to recognize. What are they?/list:u:24b8b3af9c

When i was little, my father promised me the world. He told me that when I grew up I would go on adventures, just like he did, and that when he died I would inherit his ship, and would sail the seas, just as he did. My childhood is a bright golden spot in my mind. It seemed to always be summer, and there were berry picking and horse riding lessons. I remember feeling very loved. Everyone one was happy. I listened to Black Bill's stories and my sister and I pretended to be Mulharandi princesses dressing in our mother’s jewels. I learned painting and dancing. Every summer I went sailing for a week, just me, my dad, and old Black Bill. I learned the value of true friendship, and I learned that I was special and loveable. I never had much responsibility and was never in trouble, though I did many things that as I think back on them I probably should have gotten in trouble for. Like the time when I convinced my sister to help paint the stables black with tar and I don't think even after all this time the east side of the barn has ever come clean. When Black Bill brought my father to us, he just laughed and told us to wash up before our mother caught us. I guess I was a rogue even then.

list:24b8b3af9cDescribe your early childhood. Likely it will be scarce of direct memories, more empirical knowledge of what it might have been like. You made your first emotional bonds in this time, and nobody you met later than this stage can ever truly compete for the deepest places in your heart. What memories of or feelings about this stage do you have?/list:u:24b8b3af9c

I just remember always being warm, and always being safe. The thing I think I remember most is the smell of my father, leather, salt, and tobacco smoke. When I smell those things now I always feel the way I did when he held me in his arms.

Identity, the third pillar: During your youth you built an identity, selecting bits and pieces from the role models you admired most to form a unique person that you, yourself, wanted to be. list:24b8b3af9cOf what faction are you a member? Most people classify others according to their affiliation, such as Purple Dragon, Cormaeril, Shadow Thief, etc. Almost all craftsmen are members of a guild. Virtually all people are either members of a faction or vagabonds. No, the adventuring party doesn't count (this is supposed to be done before session 1). Give it some thought./list:u:24b8b3af9c

I am a Daughntinghorn. A woman of noble birth. I love my country and will die to protect it. I am a hero, and want to prove it to myself and the world.

list:24b8b3af9cDescribe your social life as a teenager. Were you a party animal or an introvert? What about now? If you're different, what changed?/list:u:24b8b3af9c list:24b8b3af9cWhat hobbies did you pick up in your childhood? Do you still engage in them?/list:u:24b8b3af9c

I have always been a mess. I have always liked the taste of ale, even when I was very young and snuck into the wince cellar to take dainty sips from the casks. I love to be around people. I still love to paint and to sail. I try to do them as much as my lifestyle allows. I also love to do slight of hand tricks, these Black Bill taught me to the amusement of my father who could never master them. I have found that the tricks I thought were harmless as a child have saved my neck more than once.

list:24b8b3af9cWho were your role models? It's okay to admire a brother or grandmother. It's also okay to admire fictitious characters, such as Elminster. Do you still respect them now?/list:u:24b8b3af9c

Well my role model is obviously my dad, I am a daddy's girl, although I do greatly admire both my grandfather and Black Bill. I also greatly respect the late King Azune, and think it would be a noble way to die as he did, defending the country (not to mention killing a dragon).

list:24b8b3af9cWhat are your issues? Everyone knows what their problems are, and that doesn't necessarily mean they are doing anything about them. What sort of problems do you cause through your own vice?/list:u:24b8b3af9c

I have a bit of a gambling problem, though I manage to keep it under control, I also like to drink and carouse a little excessively but hey you only live once. Sincerely though I think my main problem is that I hate being controlled and buck at any rein put around my neck. I never learned any real discipline. I never had any sort of responsibility either, although I am loyal and hardworking.

list:24b8b3af9cWhat accomplishments do you remember with pride? Few have accomplished great things by this age, but there are some small things. If you have few or none, that's okay; that is an important part of your identity./list:u:24b8b3af9c

I think my greatest accomplishment thus far is in not ever being caught. I have been able to keep myself safe and untied. I have had some pretty close scrapes, but I've come out alive and well.

list:24b8b3af9cOf what do you dream? In fleeting daydreams, what traits or abilities do you have? What is your dream house? The perfect woman or man? How would you spend a million gold? What would your castle look like? Your kingdom? Aim high, or low...just aim./list:u:24b8b3af9c

I dream of owning my own ship one day. I dream of sailing the sea and being in charge of my own destiny. I want to do great deeds, and further the glory of Cormyr

Conclusions

Once you are done with all of the above, you will have a much better grasp of your character. See if you can answer these questions, and be verbose if appropriate.

list:24b8b3af9cWhat is your character's archetype?/list:u:24b8b3af9c the gold hearted scoundrel list:24b8b3af9cWhat is your conflict?/list:u:24b8b3af9c My duty to family and my duty to myself list:24b8b3af9cWhat is your destiny?/list:u:24b8b3af9c To be able to both serve my family and still be myself. Next Steps

I heartily recommend all of the following for maximum fulfillment of your character's personality.

list:24b8b3af9cA detailed, written history, in a form of your choosing (narrative, dialog, memoirs, chronicles, etc)./list:u:24b8b3af9c list:24b8b3af9cAn image (or several) of your character, whether drawn, photoshopped, ASCII art, or what-have-you./list:u:24b8b3af9c list:24b8b3af9cA miniature, hand-picked and painted just for you./list:u:24b8b3af9c

The few hours you spend on this might enhance the dozens (or hundreds!) of hours in a game to come, so it is worth it. Give it a try! You've got nothing to lose.

''(Note: Characters who don't will be eaten by dragons.)''/list/quote

Once you've completed a Character Map...

color=darkblue:cebbd00553 The Campaign Map/color:cebbd00553

A campaign map is an exploration of the various themes, factions, and characters of a campaign, and how your character views or interacts with them. The purpose is not only to establish how your character fits into the campaign, but also gives the DM and other players an idea of your conception of the game.

'''PC's'''

List the PC's of the campaign. For each one:

• Describe how your character sees the PC. Do you like him or her? What do you know about the PC?
• Describe how your character interacts with the PC, and how you would like to interact with him or her.
• How would you play the PC, if you were in control?

'''NPC's'''

List the important NPC's of the campaign.

• For each one, describe your character's opinion of that NPC. Does your character like the NPC? What would your character like to do to or with the NPC? Describe the NPC as your character understands him or her, as if to someone who has never met the NPC before.
• Also, describe your out-of-game thoughts on the NPC. Do you think the NPC is a good character? Does he or she belong in the game? What do you think are the NPC's secrets, if any? How would you run this NPC if you were the DM?

Factions

List the important factions (groups, organizations, armies, etc) of the campaign.

• As with NPC's, describe your character's in-game opinion of each faction.
• Describe your out-of-game thoughts of the faction.

Themes

List the themes of the game, as you understand them. For each:

• How does your character reflect this theme?
• Do you think this theme is appropriate for the game?
• How would you develop this theme if you were the DM?
• What do you think other character's should do with these themes?

This map should give everyone a clear understanding of how they and others fit into and understand the campaign. It is important that all PC's complete a campaign map.

Last night, you attended a grand event at the Dauntinghorn estate. It ended badly (for Zirconia), and everyone was quite tired when you arrived at the inn around midnight.

Morning dawns on Mirtul 8, 1378. Victoria bade you call on her this eve, though that will be dealt with in-game.

As of 4 PM, the manor is now owned by Marcus.

This and other forums should follow these guidelines:

Specific game forums ("For King and Country", "Silverymoon", "Evereska")

When posting in-character, prefix the subject with IC:

When posting out-of-character, prefix the subject with OOC:

"Other Games" forum

When posting about a game, including the game name in the subject, as well as the IC/OOC prefix. For example: "IC (Dorian Game): Wtf, Hyacinth?"

5th Edition forum

This forum doesn't need any more rules.

REPLY

When roleplaying:

Use a color code to denote speech, such as:

Greetings, citizen! Fine weather we're having!

In black text it is assumed you are speaking in PC voice, i.e.:

I walk into the store, stab the storekeeper, take his wallet, and piss on his corpse.

Use italics/i:41eb4a3888 for spells and special ability names if you care to. i:41eb4a3888colored italics are even cooler!

Use green text to speak out of character, as in:

While I'm pissing on the storekeeper, I also cut open his bowels and chalk up another "incident". Ha ha j/k.

A brief history of the game:

Tarsakh 14, 1377:

On a mission for the Red Wizard Gael Zorn of Bezantur, Dorian encounters Hyacinth. Long story short, she kills him, burns down his house, runs away with Dorian, gets cornered in a bar, and blows another red wizard’s head off. They teleport to Calimport.

Hyacinth tells her story; he completely doesn’t believe her, but it does have that impossible ring of truth. She is concerned about this strange black sword she encountered; it’s likely the reason she’s here. Turning on the charm, she appeals to him to help her return home. Diplomatically, he offers to examine the sword. In the meantime, she is free to stay in his home and explore the town, provided she doesn’t murder anybody or get him in trouble.

He calls in Nerrick Spellchaser, a shadow mage he met 5 years ago in Cormyr, on an adventure he’d rather people didn’t know about. Now calling himself Kage, Nerrick had undergone some changes, but he was still amiable to the idea. After several days of analysis, he concluded that the sword was none other than Midnight, a sword forged in a far away world, long thought to be destroyed. It was an extremely powerful artifact with the power to rend and destroy magic; though none of them knew how to use it, Hyacinth seemed to have some sort of resonance with the thing.

Tarsakh 21, 1377:

Kage explains to them that this sword of magic is poorly understood by terrestrial mages; it is Shadow magic, and they must consult the experts in that field. Kage introduces Dorian and Hyacinth to Lucia, a high priestess of the largest temple to Shar in all the realms—right under the Syl-Pasha’s nose.

At this point Hyacinth is growing desperate to find a way home; Lucia insinuates that she can help with that, should Hyacinth help her with some tasks of her own. Hyacinth accepts, pushing Dorian to comply as well.

Mirtul 11, 1377

The party slays an elder brown dragon in the Calim desert. In his lair they find a grand statue of Tiamat, and steal some artifacts from it. An earthquake strikes, and they barely escape with their lives.

That night, Dorian consults with Suryn, an elven archmage and scholar of ancient artifacts. She identifies the artifacts of Tiamat, and notes that the goddess of greed might take issue with the party. Dorian tells her of the nightmare shards, and she is intrigued—enough to join the party.

Mirtul 26, 1377

A half-elven harper agent attacks Dorian in the night; he is soundly defeated, thanks to the handiwork of Den, Dorian’s newly-hired personal bodyguard. Dorian takes the subdued agent into his lab, and nobody ever sees him again.

Kythorn 15, 1377

Kage explains the existence of the nightmare shards. The party ventures to Anauroch to raid a recently-unearthed Netherese ruin. Among rescued texts, ancient treasures, and mythallar shards, they find a nightmare shard. This begins Dorian’s extensive study into mythallar creation and Netherese magic. He has an odd knack for understand the cryptic texts, even while Kage does not.

Kythorn 22, 1377

Tensions ignite between Dorian and Hyacinth. A heated argument ends with Lucia intervening magically. Later, Hyacinth thwarts Dorian by befriending his thrilled manservant, Faysal. She tries to heal his destroyed mind using an artifact stolen from Tiamat.

After enduring such an affront, Dorian arranges a traumatic event for Hyacinth. He summons a powerful demon to assault her as she meditates with her new best buddy. Alone, she is powerless against the mighty demon. It attacks and kills Faysal, but just in time, Dorian arrives to save Hyacinth. Defeated and humbled, Hyacinth backs off...

Kythorn 24, 1377

Hyacinth doesn’t back off in the slightest. Dorian uses a powerful divination spell to help the Syl-Pasha route a group of anarchists touting a theory about “democratic rule”, which Hyacinth herself fostered in them. He is paid off and the group is captured. She thwarts him by setting them all free; he thwarts her by having them hunted down and murdered. This leads to a greater degree of isolation on Dorian’s part, and staunch independence from Hyacinth.

Flamerule 8, 1377

The party journeys to hell to retrieve a nightmare shard from Stygia. They defeat an army of devils at the Pit of Avernus, and bribe their way past guards in Dis. In the third layer, Dorian purchases a fiendish green dragon as a slave from a devil. They breeze through Phlegethon with magical protection (lame Manual of the Planes spells), and in Stygia they find what they’re after. It’s protected by a great wyrm blue dragon priest of Tiamat in a devil city. Great. Anyway, they kill it, and grab the shard.

Flamerule 30, 1377

Dorian and Hyacinth embark on a private date to Myth Drannor and other exotic locations, during which they revel in the murder of a bunch of Zhents.

Elasias 4, 1377

Dorian, Hyacinth, and Lucia venture into the Forest of Tethyr to seek the ruins of Shoonac, all in the name of Dorian grabbing some super-powerful artifacts. Their plan is derailed by a great wyrm ghost dragon who persists for an unrequited love of Elminster. They travel to Shadowdale to the get the whole thing straightened out. The dragon goes away, but they don’t bother heading into Shoonac. It’s about time for a vacation.

Eleint 25, 1377

Far from actually getting a vacation, the party is invited to a gala at an estate on Thaymount. Coming as it does in a time of tension between Thay and its neighboring countries…not to mention the fact that nobody’s ever heard of this guy…it is a rather odd request. Still, divinations reveal that the Count von Durzig has a nightmare shard.

Eleint 27, 1377

In Bezantur, the party meets with Sherry, who Kage convinces to join their mission. She isn’t sure why, but she agrees to help.

The party attends a ball at the Estate von Durzig, a very old, very grand mansion which he recently acquired. He is, of course, a red wizard of notable power, on par with perhaps the least of zulkirs. Conspicuously in attendance is Dmitra Flass, tharchioness of Eltabbar.

Schmoozing commences, and Hyacinth tries to charm the shard off of him. Ultimately, in a masterful work of legerdemain, she nicks the thing and attempts to run off. At this point, the silver elf statues in the house come alive and attack. In a bold and rash move, Hyacinth cracks the nightmare shard with Midnight…and it unleashes a terrifying sucking void, a singularity which sucks in everything around it. Many who were fleeing are caught in the vortex and are never seen again, including Dmitra Flass. Finally, Dorian ends the effect with a Disjunction spell.

At this point, von Durzig has retreated into his inner sanctum. The ball is over, and all the guests are gone. The front end of the house is ruined, and silver golems all over the house are chasing down the party.

The party hunts him down, mostly out of anger for putting them in such a situation. They destroy armies of golems, and just barely defeat two gold golems, through which a wizard (von Durzig? or someone else?) is casting powerful spells.

They ultimately encounter him in his tower, and slaughter him easily. At the party’s behest, Kage annihilates the man, body, mind, and soul, using his nightmare shard dagger. Exhausted, they return to Dorian’s villa. (No more golems)

Eleint 28, 1377

No sooner does the party arrive in Calimport than Dorian is arrested. He is put to trial for the alleged murder of Prince Rajiv Djenispool, heir to the throne of Calimshan. He acts as his own legal representation, easily outmaneuvering the prosecution, while trying to determine from whence this attack truly came. Ultimately, he traces it to the Twisted Rune.

REPLY

This is where it gets really silly. Did the party really eradicate the Twisted Rune overnight?

There's corrections, then there's just plain revisionist history. I'm not sure how to rectify the Twisted Rune situation without majorly rewriting it.

Suffice to say, the campaign against Dorian was rather fiercer, and the retribution took rather more effort. Ultimately, they reached a truce; with Sapphiriktar and Shyressa defeated, the others agree to lay off. It was all still part of Rhangaun's machinations, and it ended with his demilich-transcendence.

Now as for Faysal...let's just say the demilich ate him properly?

I've been kicking around this idea for a gameworld for a while. It follows the basic question of "whenever you disintegrate something, what happens to it?" My answer to that is Junkworld.

Junkworld is a massive, flat plane, that serves as a dumping ground for the other multiverses. For the most part, one cannot travel freely between Junkworld and the material worlds. That does not mean that it is not possible, just not obvious.

Events that might cause something to be sent to Junkworld include disintegration, massive explosive force (a nuke) binding/sealing rituals, or those things that just get "lost"

If something has ever been lost, chances are it has ended up on Junkworld. countless races have used it as a convenient place to put devices or creatures that they can't handle. It also adds more inhabitants in the aftermath of cataclysmic disasters. Various places and creatures of myth might also be found here. For example, it is very likely that there is a portal to Junkworld hidden somewhere in the bermuda triangle. For the most part, the general populace of Junkworld is not aware of its true role in the multiverses. In many cases, the people that are transplanted there might see it as a second chance, since the last thing they might remember before getting here is a gigantic ball of death. Others see this as a great new adventure, since they can explore an ever changing world. Treasure hunters are right at home, since countless valuables and treasures have been "lost" over the millenia.

Junkworld can be divided up into 5 "levels".

The highest level is far above the surface of the plane. Many highly advanced and winged races make their homes here.

The second level is the area that most humanoids find most comfortable. It consists or several large floating islands. Airships are the main mode of transportation.

The third level is a region known as the Dustlands. The dustlands is a perpetually gloomy area, where the landscape is dominated by deserts of metal so old it has corroded to almost nothing.

Below this is the subterranean level. This level is very similar to the underdark.

Below this level is a level that looks like amirrir image of the second level, except upside down. The fifth and final level is a yawning void. This area is home to some of the more unimaginable creatures of Junkworld, but there are those that maintain residences in the area. Brave treasure hunters may also venture into this area, because this is the area that the most powerful, and the most dangerous artifacts are usually put.

I'll add some more info on some of the established regions, and magic system details later.

REPLY

I'd' imagine Junkworld still has the dyson sphere effect; i.e., if you keep going in a certain direction, you eventually end up back where you started, and if you try to escape the atmosphere, you'll just end up upside-down somewhere else.

However, unlike a physical dyson sphere, I'd imagine that far from only seeing the same two-dimensional ring as you walk in a straight line, you'd see virtually everything in junkworld if you kept walking, and only return to where you started once you'd been everywhere else, like a mobius strip. Except, of course, it's infinite.

REPLY

quote:3edf725e6e="kenjura"This is where it gets really silly. Did the party really eradicate the Twisted Rune overnight?

There's corrections, then there's just plain revisionist history. I'm not sure how to rectify the Twisted Rune situation without majorly rewriting it.

Suffice to say, the campaign against Dorian was rather fiercer, and the retribution took rather more effort. Ultimately, they reached a truce; with Sapphiriktar and Shyressa defeated, the others agree to lay off. It was all still part of Rhangaun's machinations, and it ended with his demilich-transcendence.

Now as for Faysal...let's just say the demilich ate him properly?/quote:3edf725e6e

Yeah, we kicked their asses over the course of one session. I forget if we killed Rhangaun before the liches came knocking at the door or not. You know, when Hyacinth began combat with a *BLAMO* during Shangalar's evil speech, and Dorian used his cheese-rod of Absorption to critically hit one of them with Arcane Fire.

Sadly, Mystra was the one who saved us from Rhangaun. He had a contingency to summon the Hecatonchieres. 'Nuff said.

As for Faysal, about the only lasting things he did was lead Sherry to the Fire Weird and give her the Cloak of Titania, which he somehow made. I'm pretty sure he was hitting on her.

REPLY

One of the primary features of Junkworld is the Ley lines that crisscross the plane. These lines corrsespond to a series of 13 elements, that most spells fall under. These seeds are divided up into three group of four, and one at the center

Greater:

Light:healing, light

Dark:darkness, decay, undead

Time:time, divination that involves sensing the future

Space:dimensional travel and force effects

Elemental:

Fire:fire, rage, and destruction

Earth:earth, stability and defense

Wind:flight and divination that involves long distances

Water:water and polymorph spells

Lesser:

Mind:logic, enchantments, and mentalism

Beast:raw fury, physical enhancement

Metal:constructs and animated objects

Wood:plant control

Void:entropy and nothingness

These seeds are not inherently good or evil, although some seeds, like Dark, are more often used with evil intent.

The ley lines themselves are basically conduits of energy running all over the plane. If an area is in close proximity to a ley line, it will be affected by the energy. This energy can have different effects on the area. For example, a river would follow the path of a water ley line, animals would be more powerful and ferocious around a beast ley line, and a dark ley line would be surrounded by deserts or swamps. Areas where two or more ley lines intersect are often sites of power, though depending on the combinations, it may result in erratic environmental conditions.

In some areas, the energy from ley lines can coalesce into solid crystals. These can serve as a power supply, and can be used to create devices that function as capacitors for the given seed type.

In general, magic functions in Junkworld much like it functions on the material plane. There are a few exceptions, though. The first exception is that disintegration magic is not nearly as effective. It can be used for cutting, but it cannot be used to simply make blocks of mass disappear. The second is that dimensional travel out of Junkworld is almost impossible. Divine intevention can sometimes breach this barrier, as well as specific sites, but for the most part, once you're in Junkworld, you're not leaving through conventional methods. The third is that dimensional travel within Junkworld is more limited. Spells that teleport over short distances still function, but longer teleportation requires more forethought. In this case, the ley lines serve as chanels of transportation for teleportation. Therefore, if you are trying to teleport somewhere, if there isn't a network of ley lines that can support the effort leading to your destination, you're going to have to walk/fly the remaining distance.

Creatures that remain in areas of very high ley line energy for extended periods of time sometimes start to take on characteristics realted to the energy type they were exposed to. Most of the time, this just results in a slight affinity with the associated seed, and a slight aversion the the opposed element.

REPLY

I seem to remember Faysal and Hyacinth had a date at one point, right about when she was getting really good at perform and she sang in the forest and had sex with Faysal to make Dorian jelous, I think that was when he fed him to the demi-liche...Rangon...yeah that was his name.

REPLY

Not correct, my dear Colehead. Dorian fed Faysal to the demi-lich before he ever met Hyacinth. He fed Faysal's mind/spirit to Rhangaun, Master of the Twisted Rune, in exchange for his own life being spared, then he took Faysal's body and constructed a new mind for him (albiet a rudimentary one) and used him as a manservant.

REPLY

As for the fight with Shangalar the Black and Sapphiriktar the Blue, we began unraveling the Twisted Rune by hunting down the Dracolich (Sapphiriktar) in his lair in the ruins of Calim's palace beneath Calimport proper, then, when we finally fought him three times and beat him three times, we corned him in his final chamber, into which he summoned the nearest Twisted Rune ally he could, Shangalar the Black. The lich brought several Nightwalkers and Deathbringers with him while only fighting casually. While Hyacinth and Den faced Sapphiriktar, and Kage dealt with the minions, Dorian absorbed an Energy Drain and a Finger of Death from Shangalar, got hit with a Horrid Wilting, and returned fire with his rod of absorption, channeling it dry of spell energy, adding a ninth level spell to the mix, and throwing it all into a bolt of arcane fire that critically hit the lich (two twenties) doing over 400 damage.

REPLY

After dealing with the two guildleaders, we decided that we needed to continue the assault on the Rune before Sapphiriktar and Shangalar could reform from their phylacteries, so we tracked them down to Calim's Palace again and found the resting place of not only their phylacteries, but also of Rhangaun the Demi-Lich, who we had to fight (Sherry's doublecast intesified shatters) who, upon death, chained-mazed us. He critically failed on Lucia's SR, and Dorian counterspelled with dimensional anchor on himself. Then the hecatontirexes showed up. And we cried. And then Mystra dismissed the spell, cause Rhangaun was a dipstick who abused Gate, and then Sherry took contemplative cause she met Mystra.

Tsk, tsk, the paladin.

I've already made my version of Lay On Hands for the paladin:

quote:dac7c2346dLay on Hands: Any time you suffer lethal damage, keep track of it. All damage you suffer goes into a pool from which you can heal others instantly by touch. The maximum size of this pool is your max hp. No subject can receive healing more than once from you in a 24-hour period. Obviously, self-inflicted damage doesn’t count; only damage suffered defending your oaths./quote:dac7c2346d

Now I'm trying to brainstorm other cool ideas for possible (optional, of course) paladin healing abilities. Obviously, Cure Light Wounds and other such things are right out. Something unique, with its own flavor and mechanic, to help out the paladin who, say, doesn't take very much damage in combat but still likes to heal.

Any thoughts?

Here is the druid in progress:

urlwww.talarie.com/d&d/5th%20edition/current/Magic/Druid%20Magic%20-%20Spell%20Briefs.doc/url urlwww.talarie.com/d&d/5th%20edition/current/Classes/Druid.doc/url

I've kind of gone back to the 3e roots here, which I generally do when I run out of ideas. Of course, some specifics have been altered, and the class supports the 5e base.

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Hum. Well, how about a pain mechanic? The Sword of Truth novels (Which I don't recommend, because they are filled with objectivism and horrible torture) have a device that, whenever wizards work magic, they feel a level of pain proportional to what they are doing. So, if a person gets, say, flayed, and somehow survives, the wizard who tries to go and heal them has to deal with the pain that the target is suffering. Which, in the case of lots of missing skin, is a whole lot. This is probably symbolic of power and responsibility and strength and the burden of the leader, but who cares.

In game terms, what if you could heal as much as you want, except that for every point healed, you take 2 points of subdual damage. Of course, if you take enough subdual to knock you out, they you're unconscious, and you can't give any more. For every 10 points of subdual damage you take (Thus, for every 5 HP you heal), you also take a cumulative -1 penalty on skill checks, attack rolls, damage, &c. How's about that? Too complicated?

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They used to have an ability, Transference, which allowed them to freely absorb the damage of others by touch. An interesting one considering they can also gain fast healing. Ultimately, they still are no substitute for a full-blown cleric, but can actually heal more in a single move in some situtations.

I like your idea though; one of the areas paladins are definately weak in is healing things other than vitality points (3e: hit points), such as wounds, ability damage, and energy drain. Perhaps they could heal these things, but they might have to suffer through great ordeal to do so. Obviously, I don't think any good god would have you physical absorb the wounds of others, but bearing their mental anguish certainly seems a fair price for the power of healing mortal wounds.

Perhaps such an ability would depend on your Discipline and Endurance skills (3e: Concentration, Con check); how much anguish you can endure determines how much you can heal. Also, you would be mentally drained, perhaps suffering damage to your ability scores, or even full-blown energy drain (temporary of course).

I like the idea of a paladin healing at great cost, calling upon great inner strength, while the silly old cleric just whacks people with a healy stick like a lazy bum.

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Here are some ideas gleaned from Green Rohin's masterwork "The Book of the Righteous", admittedly designed for their "holy warrior" class, but seem to work, with some tweaking, for a 5th ed paladin:

• Healer's Aid: As a standard action, the paladin may call on her god to aid in any one healing spell, her own or another's. The spell so aided is automatically maximized and is augmented by +1/level of the paladin.

• Indomitable: A testament to stubborness, the Paladin adds her Charisma modifier to all Will saves. Further, she is immune to charm and compulsion.

• Impervious Mind: The Paladin is immune to all effects, magical or otherwise, that directly alter her mind. (i.e. debilitations, insanity both magical and mundane, feeblemind, confusion, daze, alter memory, etc.)

• Overthrow Tyranny: When fighting the forces of tyranny (slavers, corrupt guards, etc.) the Paladin may add her Charisma bonus to all attack and damage rolls.

• Save Soul: All allies within 10 times her Charisma modifier in feet are marked as protected and do not easily cross over into death. When a protected person reaches (death) he dies as normal, but his spirit does not depart his body. Instead, it remains there in slumber. This also pertains to anyone slain by negative energy attacks. Such people are not possessed or turned into spawn. They instead die, awaiting salvation or release.

• Winged Feet: The palaidn gains a bonus of +10 feet to her base movement. She also ignores all armor penalties to movement for medium armor or lighter, and movement penalties for heavy armor are halved. Carrying a medium load does not slow her at all, but a heavy load will reduce her speed by 5 feet.

• Battle Cry: As a move-equivalent action, the paladin can release a powerful cry that summons up the power of her god. For the rest of the encounter, all allies within 10 times her Charisma modifier in feet gain a bonus to their initiative equal to the paladin's Charisma modifier.

• Cherished Bond: The Paladin is bonded with what is real and true and thus disbelieves all illusions and may take 10 on any save vs. illusion magic.

• Confer Blessings: With a touch and a prayer, the Paladin may grant the boons or her god to another. The touched being recieves 1 temporary hit point per paladin level + the paladin's Charisma modifier, which last 24 hours or until lost. Also, the touched party receives +4 moral bonus to saving throws vs. fear for a number of minutes equal to the Paladin's level.

• Turn Undead: The Paladin may turn undead as a cleric of equal level. Retake: Retributive Turning: ''''Undead of 1/2 the Paladin's level that would normally be annihilated by her turning check are instead purged of the dark taint within their souls and instead seek out their creator for vengeance.

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Oh, just thought of another ability:

• Bonded Mount: Gain a bonded mount. The choice of the mount is subject to DM approval. The mount gains one HD each time you level; it also gains an ability score increase and +1 Intelligence every 4 levels.

Tied in with a bunch of bonded mount abilities (increases to speed, fast healing, DR, celestial qualites, ?flight?)

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I really like all those ideas, espeacially Greg's. I also thought of a cool thing for pallys. Instead of their lame 3.5 ability, paladins can take an ability...call it healers grace, that gives them immunity to posion and disease, and they can tell if another person is ill by touch and then with a intuition or medicine check (i like intuition since it realies on Wis) against the DC of the spell they can figure out how to cure it. I really like the idea of having specail abilities that in part depend on skill checks, the only problem is of course not having enough skills (specailly with pies new list)

Well, regardless of all other changes, it is clear to me we need to find ways of reducing the power level in 5e. Specifically, the cheese factor.

We have found two things to be overly cheesy:

1 - cheesing out one particular aspect; i.e. Tactical Defense 10 or Power Charge 20. The theory is that, by focusing this hard, you're opening weaknesses in yourself. The reality is that, compared to a 3e character, you rarely ever have fewer abilities no matter your special ability selection. Thus, you have nothing to lose by overdoing it.

2 - cheesing the natural weaknesses of a character. The obvious example is a barbarian who is totally immune to mental effects, or a fighter who can innately fly and shoot fireballs. PC's don't really need this--they are supposed to cover the weaknesses of one another--and monsters don't either--since they can just be assigned arbitrary powers.

So I ask for brainstorming. If you have an idea, go into depth. I have a few, and I'll make them their own threads.

Interesting source of medieval prices:

url=http://www.gamedev.net/reference/articles/article251.asp/url

In the 14th century, a craftsman's house might cost 10-15 pounds...while a fashionable noblewoman's gown costs 10-50.

Talk about a dichotomy! That's like owning a $250,000 dress.

It mentions the cost of a warhorse at either 50 shillings or 80 pounds (1600 shillings!)...not the most definitive answer.

Not that the rarity of gold and silver hasn't changed drastically, but if a pound sterling is still a pound sterling, it's worth about $50.:I'd buy (as in, believe) a $4,000 horse bred for war. A draught horse for 10 to 20 shillings? That's like fifty cents of crappy 2005 dollars.

Maybe we just have a lot of fricking silver now.

In any case...maybe the d&d book will have to stand. If an ordinary horse costs 75 gp, the war training is likely to cost a couple hundred or more.

Still no word on how long that would take, but it could be several years.

A plate cuirass for 1 pound? That 80-pound horse is looking rather unlikely. In d&d a breastplate costs 200 gp, not much less than a warhorse. Then again, a full suit of knight's mail is priced at around 16 pounds...perhaps that corresponds to the 1,500 gp full plate mail? If these were pounds of GOLD then they'd only be off by a factor of two.

Looking at these prices really makes you understand the value of medieval currency, that walking around with bags full of gold is the province of unbelievably rich and stupid kings. Also, platinum wasn't discovered until the mid-18th century.

Call me anal, but I'd like a dose of realism in the game if it's possible...to hell with the "adventurer's economy".

I've been using this feat in the Loretan game, and I wanted to present it for disection and potential addition to the 5th ed core

Caster Training

Benefit: Choose one aspect of your magic (Schools for Arcane Casters, Domains for Clerics, Element for Druids, Discipline for Linguistic Casters). Your caster level with spells of that aspect is increased by one.

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Magical schools average like 40-50 spells. Domains have 10. Elements are (supposed to be) about as large as schools.

Some different form of balance would be needed.

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Then what's a broader catagory for Clerical Spells, because the feat is supposed to work on something as broad as a whole school of magic.

I was wondering about the other DM's who use this system, what is your prep time like? I'm not talking about designing the adventure itself, exactly, but creating any monsters that you need during your session.

I've ended up making anywhere from 1-10 creatures a session, and it seems to me that there are some aspects that can be faster then normal D20, and some that probably take about the same amount of time.

After a little amount of time, you find that if you have a clear concept in mind, you can create a creature in about 15 minutes. Most of that time seems to be spent in the clean-up for a monster, filling out the right side of the entry and optimizing the creature.

I was just wondering if Andy and Gino, you guys found this, or do you find something differnt than I do? *side note: I don't give creatures items, I really think this system works pretty smooth, at least on the NPC-side, with a lack of magical loot in the enemies hands. It just gives them false levels*

We need them. Most of these monster abilities are redundant, so what we need to do is come up with a master list of monster abilities that we can use when we are trying to create a monster.

Basic questions like: How much of a bonus is Natural Armor bonus worth? In the Dragon Doc, it's +5, but elsewhere it's valued at +4.

We need a standard mark of balance so we can push this towards some sort of conclusion. This doesn't really apply just to Andy, all of us make monsters, hell, I think I might have made about a third of the potenial monsters that are for use in this system (See: The Goons.doc), and it's currently easier to make a Barbarian beater as a threat then it is to make a Chimera.

If we start using this thread and just post abilites down that can be an agreed upon set of standards, I'll compile them into a useable document that can be uploaded.

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it has occurred to me that monster abilities may be on the weak side. Many of the coolest monsters are cool because they are cheesy. For instance, look at the Shade template in FRCS. Two level adjustments get you skads of extraordinary, supernatural, and spell-like abilities.

Of course, I stand by my decision to reconcile hit dice with level adjustment. There is no possible way to balance having a +10 level adjustment and being 10 hit dice behind. But, I always assumed that converting +2 level adjustment into merely 2 special ability slots was "more powerful", because I'm granting template-users hit dice they wouldn't otherwise have, and in many cases those boost the powers from the template on their own.

I may have been wrong in that regard. Comparing it to the old system doesn't make sense; other monsters and PC's have special abilities now that they didn't used to have, and you forgo those for a powerful template.

Of course, I don't want to go down the template road.

I had hoped I could achieve a monster system whereby all monsters had to account for their stats and abilities in the same manner as a PC. I've already folded on the stats...maybe I'll fold on the abilities, too. Using the system I already use for templates, simply determine (the old-fashioned way, by acid test) the overall level adjustment for a monster's abilities, and their stuff costs that much.

:What does this cost us? It means we no longer have a super-cool way of doing monster classes. But, I'm willing to make that sacrifice. It's one thing to have a mind flayer class, a vampire class, etc...it's another to have a zombie class, goblin class, and an ooze class.

:Generally, I think monster races should be so rarely used, that any time you do use them, you simply make an appropriate class for them.

What would this portend? It might make monster design easier. Arbitrary seems to be the way to go with monsters. My only major complaints with 3e in that department were the absurd "no Con score" rules which led to stupid hit dice in powerful undead, and other such nonsense which I've abolished.

:I still think monsters should have access to a pool of special abilities, usually determined by their type, but sometimes (mind flayer, vampire, etc) by their specific family. No longer, though, do I think basic abilities need to be kept to an absolute minimum.

After all, the point of monsters using classes was to ensure that anyone designing monsters would find themselves designing well-balanced foes for the PC's, as long as they picked the right level.

: I think we've seen that my system isn't perfect in this regard. =)

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I have commented before that monster design now takes me somewhat longer. The strict template means that the simplest monsters now take as long as complex monsters of the same level. Of course, I always had a problem with monster design; it needs to be automated.

:Just give me a handful of hours some day and I could make a monster-maker. Of course, it would be out of date real soon.

In one aspect, this system has definately increased my prep time; that is, I always have to make monsters for every session, and that cuts into time I could be spending doing something more creative.

I have asked people to make me monsters, but I've only ever gotten very brief spurts of activity. I cannot use 3e monsters, unless I double their CR. So, I have to make my own monsters.

My own efforts to produce generic "thugs" have yielded limited success. They seem to be adequate for 1-3 sessions, but only if the initial design was correct; otherwise, their flaws will only echo louder in every further instance.

And this is to be expected; after all, no DM uses the same monster for ten sessions in a row. I just need a wider breadth of monsters, and to get that, I need a large expenditure of time.

I may not be taking classes this summer; in that case, I would endeavor to clock many hours on 5e.

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If you keep me in the loop, I would be quite willing to help you out after I move, I probably should have some amount of free time since I'm not taking any classes either, and I do want to remain in the loop on the system.

One of the most complicated things in high levels in 3e is armor class; there are almost a dozen different types of bonuses, each of which apply at certain times, and stack in certain ways.

:This, in fact, was one of the triggers for my system. I had hoped to eliminate this complexity. In fact, I've made it worse.

Couple this with the absurdity of stacking armor, shields, defense feats, dodge, parry, spells, and feats, to achieve near-30 AC's at level 3, and you have one serious problem.

My idea for this was to somehow achieve a single armor class.:This would shift physical combat greatly toward randomness, but would also dramatically reduce certain combat calculations.

:The basic idea here is that armor bonuses wouldn't stack. Since all of the different types of armor can be extended into infinity, this does not inherently limit any type of armor class.

:Now, you'd still have multiple types of AC. For instance, we already know how to work with "flat-footed AC" and "touch AC". In this system, certain types of attack would still bypass certain AC components, but instead of being a calculation, it's simply a yes-or-no decision for each type.

The types as I imagine them:

Dodge: negated by sneak attacks. = 10 + Dex + dodge + parry

Armor: negated by touch attacks. = 10 + armor + shield

Defense: negated by surprise attacks. = 10 + defense feats

Deflection: negated by nothing. = 10 + deflection bonus

Concealed: applies when gaining concealment bonus. = 10 + concealment bonus

So, take for example a character with +9 armor, +5 dex, dodge 2, and 3 defense feats. His AC's are:

Dodge 21

Armor 19

Defense 16

Deflection 10

Concealed (special case only)

So he would choose to rely on his dodge AC for all attacks...except sneak attacks, which would shift down to the next AC (armored).

The obvious negative effect of this system would be a drastic increase the ability to hit enemies. This would lead to greatly increased lethality, and would strongly encourage one of the primary cheeses: over-focusing in one area. However, I prefer strong focus as both a DM and a PC, as long as it is limited.

:And, of course, we all know it is easy enough to achieve a sneak attack or touch attack; if someone has a 30 dodge and 10 armored AC, they'd better watch out.

Also, I think I could relax many of the abilities which improve hit bonus. Monsters have trouble with hit bonus, since many are large and few have access to the best abilities to increase that number. PC's don't have much trouble with hit bonus, and that drives the AC's of monsters upward in the DM design phase.

This system would ideally bring AC's back down their idealized levels, i.e.:

:The average AC of a player or monster should be equal to 10 + level.

Response?

I point the finger at Wesley for demonstrating the power of stacking.

He stacks feats with special abilities with basic tactics with magic spells, and the end result is devastating.

If we switch AC's, monsters can only suffer more.

I can't point the finger at any one ability. Two-weapon fighting, power charge, improved flanking, pack fighting; I wouldn't want to decrease the power of any one these without a sweeping revision to the rules.

Sure, it would be okay if all the numbers were lower; if power charge were +1/+1, and melee focus was further limited, and dodge was +2 or whatever. But that only serves to bring back one of the original problems with 3e: that feats, as rare as they were, were often meaningless to non-fighters.

Anything insufficient in small doses has an insufficient net result. 3e fighters achieved power only through copious amounts of feats, and truly, honestly, it was all about the magic weapons. Not so anymore, and I consider that a victory; however, well...fighters (that is, fighting classes) have outrageous amounts of feats and fighting abilities.

If we take it as read that a barbarian or ranger combat ability is equal to a fighter's bonus feat, then we can safely say that all the primary fighting classes have two feats per level. The stacking becomes monstrous at high levels.

:Yet, at low levels, you can't get enough feats. So what gives?

One is perhaps the drive to stack. There are many interesting feats, but also, most feats stack with themselves or similar feats, and thus a given 20th-level fighter may be quite far from having every type of feat. By contrast, a 13th-level fighter in 3e could easily achieve near-mastery of every line of combat feats in the PHB. So, barring supplemental material, every high-level fighter was the same.

:I, of course, want to avoid that, so I have linear, uncapped feat stacking. But, as we all know, that causes huge power curves. No other class does that; a wizard may get slightly more versatile spells every two levels, but the power gain is mostly a slow crawl based on caster level. Fighters already have BAB.

I think the solution is to give high-level fighters something else to strive for, rather than stacking feats ad infinitum.

:In Oriental Adventures there are styles which can be mastered by taking certain feats and abilities. The idea is to reward well-styled fighters with mastery of their field. While no one can argue that a 20th-level fighter with skads of feats has mastered his chosen areas...a monster of the appropriate level may be able to meet him turn for turn. He may deserve the title "master of disarming" or "master of grappling", but it's only apparent when he's fighting inferior foes...and that's no good.

:What stackable feats never give you is absolutes, such as "you never miss" and "you always confirm critical hits". Sure, you have near-absolute abilities, but it would be nice to transcend the feat-stacking system itself.

:Perhaps by taking aerial charge, power charge 2, pounce, and spring attack, you have mastered Tiger Style, and gain some sort of nifty ability for it.

But the question is...what do you give the fighter who has everything? More power? Giving a character with two-weapon fighting more attacks, or offsetting the hit penalties, seems to defeat the purpose. So something more esoteric? Learning to dodge spells and extraordinary effects? No, that would violate the Second Cheese Law. Fighters are already bad-ass, they don't necessarily need to overcome all of their weaknesses.

:The primary complaint with fighters is that, ultimately, they are just hack-and-slash masters. That can get boring at high level, where a round of combat takes 30 minutes. Hell, that can be boring at level 3, thus driving PC's toward cheesiness.

:So perhaps the goal here is to give fighters something to do that doesn't work the same way as their normal abilities. Something like spells.

Can't you just picture a 15th-level fighter charging up to perform a super attack, knowing he risks losing the use of 5 feats should he fail? Just channel the cheesiness of Final Fantasy and every other VG-RPG ever, and you'll see a world of unending possibility.

Here are some random ideas to get a feel for it:

Armor Break

- requires Armor Penetration 2; optional Melee Focus, Armor Specialization; minimum feats 5

- as an attack, you shatter an opponent's armor. Works as a normal sunder, except you automatically ruin the armor if you hit. If you miss, you lose the feats for the encounter.

Tiger Charge

- requires Power Charge, Pounce, Spring Attack; optional Aerial Charge; minimum feats 5

- on a pouncing charge, you gain a bonus grapple attempt; you may use all of your normal attacks while grappling.

Any others?

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I like this idea, once I'm finished with some final papers I'll see what I can think about adding. This address one of the factors that was driving the cheese in my game, giving me something more complicated to build into a character then just an absurd abundance of feats.

Comet Punch

– Requires: Iron Fist, Knockdown, Knockback, Bull Rush; Optional: Tactical Defense, Power Attack; minimum feats 5

– As an unarmed attack you may choose to attempt to send you're opponent flying into the air as a bull rush attempt, gaining a bonus to your check equal to the amount of damage you would normally deal with an unarmed attack, and causing the creature to land prone if you get at least 10'. If you miss, you lose the feats for the encounter.

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• Deleted due to going back and reading the post. It makes no sense whatsoever*

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I think your estimate of expected average AC is a little low, even if you spread the numbers out somewhat. I think even with this change a bump of a point or two on the expected baseline is probably to be expected, just to keep the numbers coherent with reality.

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Idea base 1: I think that the group of abilities that correspond to "basic abilities" i.e.: natural Armor, Stat bonuses, Size increases, standard additional attacks, extra limbs, and so forth should all be based upon a single standard that doesn't change from type to type.

A couple of suggestions

Natural Armor: Natural Armor is a +5 to Armored AC, or

: Natural Armor – Gain an Natural Armor bonus equal to your level. You may take this ability again, with each additional expenditure after the first giving you a +2 Natural Armor bonus to your AC

Stat Bonuses: I've found that staying within 20 points allows for the monsters to remain powerful as a base-line, but the factor for Uber stats needs to be there. I've seen two versions of this ability: A +6, divided as you see fit among your stats; and +4 to one stat.

:The +4 version is comparable with the Barbarian's class ability that allows them to boost their Strength and Constitution, but it might not be enough.

Size changes: This should be simple, you start from medium and tack it from there, using all of the aspects of the size change, primarily including the stat bonuses. With the jump to Strength, any creature that you increase is size falls into the trap of being completely unable to hit the PC's.

Animals: This one is less obvious, but the most relevant. When you stat up animals, any ability you can give to an animal is an ability that is generic. That's what all these monsters are really, just our nightmares of animals twisted into something even more fierce.

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Limit it so that you cannot take the same ability or feat for two levels in a row. This reduces a great deal of the cheese factor involved, and forces some amount of variety. It would also mean that the balance you have to achieve in offensive and defensive abilities would be one built throughout the evolution of a character, instead of doing something like loading up on defensive feats in the early levels, making yourself impossible to hit, and then picking up much later abilities that allow you to hit hard. It might work out the same in the end, with a character just bouncing between two feats, but it slows the progress of the cheese, and might smooth the power curve.

For the purposes of this idea, to keep it fair across the board, all the dodge feats and parry feats should be considered the same as the core feat.

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well, for example:

a 10th-level fighter might have a suit of superior armor +6 (total +8), with Armor Specialization 2, for a total armored AC of 22.

Then again, he might also have masterwork full plate (+15) with Armor Specialization 5, for a total armored AC of 35.

It's still possible to be cheesy, but at the very least you know he won't be adding his +3 Dex, +6 Dodge, and +8 Defense to either of those.

I'm looking for average AC, and it will be tough for a 10th-level wizard to have an average AC of 20. Even with 5 defense feats, that's an average AC of 20 + 10 + 10 = 13.33. He'd need a high Dex, some dodge/parry, and some armor. So he might be on the low end, to balance out the fighter at 30+.

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+5 natural armor as an ability seems a bit high; I'd rather high natural armor be factored into basic abilities, and err on the side of caution with +4. Definately wouldn't go with level-based.

As for abilities; the going rate is 6 for basic abilities, and 4 for not so.:The difference is that access to stat boosts as an ability is highly restricted. Monsters might have access to those abilities at a +4 or +2/+2 rate. When counting basic abilities, pay for extra ability points at a rate of 6 per level as a guideline.

Size changes are as listed in the several monster docs in which they appear. The ability boosts are not included. Those must be accounted separately.

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Dragon Master"Limit it so that you cannot take the same ability or feat for two levels in a row. /quote:d28d9aeb5c

I've been there, and I put a stop to it for a reason. When designing a 10th-level fighter from scratch, nothing keeps you from taking 10 or 11 of a given feat. It's just an annoyance when making your character sheet; it makes your feats tougher to plan and read.

quote:d28d9aeb5c

It would also mean that the balance you have to achieve in offensive and defensive abilities would be one built throughout the evolution of a character, instead of doing something like loading up on defensive feats in the early levels, making yourself impossible to hit, and then picking up much later abilities that allow you to hit hard./quote:d28d9aeb5c

I find that characters who level up organically rarely over-focus. I've never seen anyone design a character level-by-level the way many monsters and cheesy NPC's are designed.

quote:d28d9aeb5c

It might work out the same in the end, with a character just bouncing between two feats, but it slows the progress of the cheese, and might smooth the power curve.

For the purposes of this idea, to keep it fair across the board, all the dodge feats and parry feats should be considered the same as the core feat./quote:d28d9aeb5c

In many cases, you can bounce between two or more feats and still be cheesing out the same basic ability. Such as taking Power Charge and Aerial Charge alternatively, or Dodge and Parry.

Ideally the solution would not hinder those players who design their characters organically.

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Really? I've got versions of the document where size changes to abilities are included. If that's a mistake, then I need to change some things, because I was including them in the creatures I created I believe it was in both the dragon document as well as the Outsider doc..

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But at the same time, I must agree, there is a high cheese factor to be found.

I think the DM is presented with a hell of a time coming up with monsters, traps, challenges, and dramatic obstacles. Its really hurting my game, I feel.

Basically:

To hit bonuses are too high because ACs are too high.

Hit points are too high.

Many magic tricks are too prevalent. I am beginning to loathe mastered sorcerer spells (specifically flight, ability enhancements, and magic weapons/armor).

Magic items are actually too useless (perhaps we were too successful in eliminating them).

Dramatically and cinematically it must be possible for even high level characters to be challenged by low level monsters, otherwise, you have "the stock 30th-level wizard/cleric/barbarian" syndrome. Total destruction of suspension of disbelief.

Aragorn would be a fool to stay and fight after the wall blew at Helm's Deep.

Qui-Gonn Jinn would die if he charged a hanger of battle droids.

I don't want our games to turn into Drakengaard. Argh.

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I like this idea. Less AC = better games (and this coming from the Lord of ARMOR, creator of Kasaam, Dorian, and Cirion).

But, I think the to hit bonuses also need to be addressed. Shorter combat is good, more lethal combat is good, but:

More rounds in combat is also good, just each round taking less time.

The more rounds in a combat, the more everyone gets to participate and the more cool things get to happen. If every fight is like the three second holocausts of the epic game, that gets really stale.

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Everything you say is true, except for one minor point:

:Hit points haven't changed. At all. In fact, I have reduced PC hit points by mandating sub-average rolls (2 on 4, 4 on 8, etc). Virtually all monsters have found their hit dice reduced, and thus their hit points as well.

As for the rest:

I've already mentioned my suggestion for AC. Perhaps something similar makes sense for attack bonus.

I do not believe, in Max's case, that the blame lies with Spell Mastery--it lies with the spells themselves. (By the way, he didn't master Flight). And I have shown that you need not take flight and transportation away from the PC's...simply relegate it to a background role. When searching for something, the PC's can't just fly. There are no maps good enough to aid aerial navigation. It's actually very hard to fly by dead reckoning without a map. If they're following a road, then fine...it's easy. And you don't have bandits and highwaymen sacking 11th-level characters.

:Flight serves to quicken the drudge tasks, such as returning to home base after a successful dungeon raid. The characters themselves would do almost anything to avoid all that walking. Their players would rather not relive the journey in on the way out.

:Maintain not the illusion that walking through forests passes game time. It doesn't. I'm not sure why we think it does. It only takes so long to get somewhere in the same basic region, and doesn't happen frequently enough to really pass time. Instead, if you aim to lengthen the timespan of a game, you must find other ways. That should be an enlightening discussion.

A "stock 30th-level wizard" would lay waste to a 20th-level party if he were prepared. I stand by that statement, and I have never seen it made false. In fact, it is quite normal for a 16-17th-level monster to challenge an 11th-level party.: The fact is, a single monster of lower level than the party can't possibly challenge the party using pure skill. Why should he? Simply give the monster the correct amount of hit dice.

:I believe I have shown that level matters less than tactics. If you're having trouble challenging the party with 16th-level monsters, question the tactics. If you're having trouble challenging the party with single 11th-level monsters, I am unsurprised. We all know that at best, as in at BEST, the DM is about 40% effective as a PC, plus or minus pure fudging. Factor in the complexity of running multiple monsters (essential when taking on the whole party at full strength), and having to run your own NPC's, and this effectiveness will drop. That is only natural.

:So we should be talking about ways to take some of the processing load off the DM. The DM should be able to spend more time in combat thinking about the best tactic, rather than managing giant piles of dice.

You say you don't want our games to turn into Drakengaard. This implies to me that you believe these effects of which you speak will get worse. A valid fear of the effect, but not the method; it is at equilibrium, and will get worse only if the system is made worse.

Oh, and I disagree with the way you word your comment on magic items. Never have I had a character so benefit from a 6,000 gp magic item well into high levels in 2e or 3e. Never have I seen a game where characters can continue to use the same items from low level into high level. Never have I seen less reliance on magical items.

:I stand by my goal of removing the necessity of magic items. Thus, I have removed their necessity. Thus, they are not necessary. Thus, adding them increases the power of the PC's above the expected line (further decreasing the DM's relative effectiveness).

:In every fantasy world of note, magic items are singularly powerful and nearly useless. They always have mysterious powers that rarely come into play. What did Excalibur do, anyway? The One Ring (besides make you ethereal)? The Evenstar? Gandalf's staff? Nothing at all. Gandalf walked around in a humble woolen cloak. When he upgraded to Gandalf 2.0, he walked around in a nice, fancy, totally non-magical white linen cloak. Because the value of his improved appearance was all the magic he needed.

:That and he's a 20th-level wizard, who needs no help from items.

Seriously, there is no reason to believe that magic items should be prevalent. And, we've found no way of allowing them to fit in. That is what we should focus on...finding a way to work them into a game.

So, in summary:

- the AC and hit bonus problems need a powerful solution.

- the Magic Weapon, Magic Armor, and Enhancement seeds need to be considered for alteration.

- magic items are not useless, they just aren't necessary.

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I'd like to note that I ran an epic game (22) last night, and the length of the combats ran between 1 round and about 6 rounds, with an average of 3. This is maybe a little bit shorter than my 5th-level game.

Combat can't simply take longer. People only have so many hit points. The number of actions it takes to win combat is appropriate. When you translate that into time, it seems less appropriate.

So maybe the 6-second round needs to be longer to accomodate the massive amount of actions PC's can take during it.

Andy had commented upon this to me, and it's been percolating in the grey matter for a day or three, and this was the first one that came to me.

urlwww.rit.edu/~drs9031/berserker.doc/url

I mean, we know what the barbarian's role in combat is, to flip out and kill people. He's not a trained or seasoned warrior, but someone who just lets go and lets his anger do the killing for him. I dropped the BAB for that reason, because he isn't that good at using his weapon in skill, just in anger. I think the way it should work out is that round one, a barbarian is a worse combatant then the fighter, in every aspect. Round two, his hit bonus and damage potential are up to equaling the Fighter's, and every round after that, the Barbarian does an unstoppable, but absurd amount of damage.

I think that the Berserker above is at a point where I need feedback or just to be told to stop trying, so url=http://www.rit.edu/~drs9031/mysticalwarrior.dochere's/url the Mystical Warrior. I was thinking over what each class did, analyzing how to inject that element or core flavor into each, that the class that I wanted, a class that blended Magical powers with fighting but didn't cast spells, could be built by taking the monk in a different direction. This is a very rough draft of the class, and not all the abilities are there, but the idea is visible, I believe.

As I was looking at the monk, I kept thinking that they suffered when compared to a class like the Barbarian, Fighter, or even Rogue in that so many of their abilities seemed to be utterly defensive in nature or somewhat worthless in the concept of a party. The ability to exist without food is a nice ability, but it isn't that useful to a party. The ability to survive in combat is useful, as is the ability to perceive what the rest of the party can't.

The Mystical Warrior should be roughly as effective as a fighter in combat, but drawing on a different set of skills and talents to get to the same point.

Criticisms?

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Let us establish a bit of terminology, which may be necessary for the discussion.

"Crunchy" describes a complicated, arbitrary, non-reusable rule, such as 3e barbarian rage, bardic music, or the fortification armor enhancement. Or any rule at all in 2e.

"Greasy" describes a "crunchy" rule which has been coated in grease so as to make it seem palatable. For instance, all of Savage Species--an attempt to system-ize a bunch of crunch rules. Any prestige class ability that appears more than once with the same mechanic.

"Creamy" describes a smooth, easy-to-digest rule, something very ergonomic and simple to use. Example: 5e spell slots, 5e armor system, 5e fortification (well, by comparison). Symptoms: more use of numbers, more use of the core 3e mechanic (d20+mods versus a DC), more multiclass- or monster-class-friendly, etc.

Let us assume that crunchy and creamy both taste quite good. However, you can only crunch so much before your jaws get tired, and soon, you'll chip a tooth. Whereas if you eat only creamy rules, you'll soon long for some tree bark to gnaw on before your teeth pack up and leave.

:Oh, and greasy sucks no matter what.

This illustrates, at least for me, an inherent problem I've had with system design. We shall call it the Laxative effect.

:What happens: designer gets great idea for a mechanic, let's say, a new system for bards to sing songs. It's powered off a mana-point-esque system, and leverages the skill system as a primary accessor method. The songs themselves are derived from a list of seeds, with individual factors; you can assemble seeds together, configure the factors, and write your very own song (spell), then cast it using the system above.

:The problem: This rule is super-creamy. The lack of arbitraryness in the rules is a plus, and it is certainly open-ended, but it may in fact be too open-ended. It lacks the "old school" d&d feel, or maybe just the compliance with d&d's core story.

:The fact is, crunch holds flavor better than cream, and if something is too creamy, it's basically just water. You have to find a sweet spot. Ideally, you want yogurt with granola. The crunch keeps things interesting, but it goes down easy. Of course, that's if you like yogurt, and who does?

That being said, the Berserker's rage ability is near the sweet spot. It reminds me of the Archer's "aim tokens". Very creamy, but no so open-ended as to be crippling. Where might it lead?

: On the creamy side, it could expand. The "rage points" could have a number of uses. We could go so far as to harness the monk's outrageous combo points system here. After all, with only half as many special abilities as before, a barbarian is going to need some room made for flexibility.

:On the crunchy side, it could play second fiddle to the old-school barbarian rage. The 4e-style rage could be the core ability, with "rage points" replacing the pure Str/Con buff. Other arbitrary mods (immune to fear, speed boosts, gradually increasing magic resistance) could remain fairly arbitrary.

I'm leaning toward crunch on this one.

As for the mystic warrior...the link is broken. I tried to fix it, but failed. Try taking the space out (of the filename before re-uploading it), then posting a new URL.

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The link is now fixed, it should work.

Both these classes are essentially riffs taken off of your class designs: The Berserker's rage is pulled from the 5e barbarian's rage ability, which I felt should be the core aspect of the class, they are rather normal (average skill points, average BAB), but during combat let loose and become an engine of destruction. The only rage is probably another way to take it, I just wanted to posit an idea that had occurred to me.

The Mystical Warrior is a shameless stealing of the monk. I filled off the serial numbers, stuck a sword in the concept's hands, or at least removed the unarmed default (You have a very good system of unarmed combat thru feats, I really don't think a single class needs to be dedicated to something that any class can do). I instead looked at what the monk did, and saw a class that fought with supernatural abilities that wasn't spells, so that was where I was trying to push the class. I still think it's the way the "monk" should be pushed, the supernatural warrior is the missing position (Paladin and Ranger are different, much more focused in their own area of expertise, and defined archetypical characters).

The idea of the mystical warrior is heavily influenced by anime, but we have the monk because Gary Gygax was a fan of Kung-Fu. Start the point of argument from that perception, that our target audience has a small shelf of anime DVDs on their bookshelf. We deep in the culture of geek, to ignore its influences would be slightly foolish.

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I'm not quite sure how the mystic warrior works. My response is half question, half suggestion.

The non-ki-powered abilities are mixed in with the ki abilities. Let us separate them. Ki-abilities, like spells, are accessed in a side system. These comprise the basic ability. For now, let us say that you have access to all generation methods at first level. But do you have all powers? No spellcaster has such a luxury. What to do?

:Well, what this class is missing is an ability "tree". I know, I hate trees, but here they would serve a good purpose.

urlhttp://www.rit.edu/~apo2803/mysticalwarrior.doc/url

:In this tree system, one would have access only to the first level of each power, and you would delve further using special abilities. You would necessarily be unable to take every ability by 20th-level, especially if you invested in other, peripheral abilities.

The ability list still lacks much in the way of cohesion and structure, but it's a doable concept.

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I realize the document is somewhat poorly constructed. Let me attempt to explain what is going on in the document.

'

It is a Tree. You get every generation method at first level, but you choose a special ability like Fire, which gets you the base ability and the ability to choose the abilities under it as further special abilities. Once you have taken 3 abilities from inside a tree, you automatically learn the limit break for that branch.

I like ability trees, or at least bushes, that give you the option of taking your class in a specific way. You do it with your specialist abilities in the Wizard Document. A Transmuter has access to special skills that a Enchanter doesn't, and for the Mystical Warrior, a Warrior who has focused in fire fights differently then one focused in power.

I think the last generation method I listed should be moved down and become a special ability, it's probably the best possible method in the list. There also needs to be a list of general powers that don't belong in any tree.

but I think the thing you missed is the way the flavor of the class is supposed to work. The Warrior's abilities, including most of his passive abilities, are tied to him being "up" or on edge, having some small reserve of Ki in reserve. This means that most of his abilities require Ki, even if only passively to operate.

Another thing that does is it sets the Warrior apart from the Berserker, with the Warrior starting combat with a small starting reserve that he can use to increase his effectiveness in combat. Both of these classes are intended to be front-line fighters, the warrior is lighter, more evasive, but just as reliable a front line as a fighter, Paladin, or Berserker.

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The two classes are confusingly similar. Further confounding the issue is that I am currently trying to design a workable Jedi class, improving on the d20 offering, and also complying with 5.4 standards. Toss in the elusive Bladesinger and you're in for a treat.

Rightly, the Barbarian deserves the generation methods. All of those make sense for building "rage points" rather than arbitrary "combo" or "ki" points. We've seen that the flavor of the rage ability is doable in a real game, though obviously the mechanic needs work.

As for another, similar system, well, here is what I envision for force users:

Access to the Force in the movies does not seem to be an accumulation/regeneration mechanic--i.e., spell slots, vp, etc. Rather it seems that you can draw a certain amount per unit time with no ill effects; you can draw a little more, but it is quite draining.

:I like the idea of strain building up as a fairly long-term problem, kind of like pushing yourself too far in athletics. You can do a certain amount easily. The harder you push yourself, the more strain you accumulate, which eventually lowers your potential, and takes days to wear off. In fact, if you push too hard, you risk permanent damage.

:Harnessing the concepts of the 3e psion, I propose basing one's potential on ability scores. But also, you are limited by level--i.e. knowledge of the force (or whatever mystical power). Thus...

A lower-level character is limited not by his potential (or talent), but by his knowledge and skill. At higher levels, he is limited only by his innate ability, as his knowledge and skill have exceeded his natural limitations.

:Case in point: Anakin Skywalker always knew he had much potential, but clearly, as a young Jedi, his skill was lacking. He pushed himself too hard, and that strained him, ultimately lowering his potential. Past his prime, he could only continue to strain himself to break even, and ultimately it destroyed him.

:Another case: Yoda has long since exceed his natural potential. His knowledge of the Force allows him to command far greater power than he himself can handle. For that reason, he very rarely used power on that scale. He could, but it would quickly deplete him.

So here is a basic mechanic:

There are six schools of powers, one for each ability score. The first level powers are necessarily quite modest in power level; cantrip-level telekinesis, the most basic telepathy, etc. Each time you use a power, you accumulate a point of strain against the assigned ability score. You reach your limit when either -

:a - your strain meets your ability score, or...

:b - your total strain (across all ability scores) exceeds a certain amount.

That level-based threshold must be carefully considered. An average hero (20 points) should find their halfway point around 10th or 11th level, where the two limits coincide.

Now, there are powers you can use freely. This can be determined in a very simple way. If you have level 1 force push, then using that power costs a point of strain. If you have level 2, then level 1 costs nothing.

:As an interesting alternative, perhaps level 2 costs more per use. After all, who at high level has time to strain 80+ points of ability scores at 1 strain per use? Then the lesser powers continue to cost, and thus be useful. This would necessitate one important design standard:

:- Every sub-ability in a tree must allow something the ability above it did not. In other words, it isn't enough that Force Push 2 is stronger than 1; it must also be a bit more versatile, or work a slightly different way.

Now what of strain? Are limits absolute? It seems not. Perhaps you continue to strain yourself past a given limit. Every time you push a point of strain past your threshold, you roll an ability check; on a failure, you suffer ability damage. The further you go, the more you risk, until double your score, at which point you risk complete ability loss (and thus helplessness).

:And what of the other limit? Can you not exceed your level-based limit? Around this, we must tread more carefully. But to not allow it makes the above mechanic relevant only at the highest levels. Then again, if the level-based limit is sufficiently high, a narrowly-focused character (all Strength for instance) might meet their ability limit even at a low level.

As for strain...it is slow to regenerate, at a rate of one point per score per day, or more with complete rest. The level-based limit necessarily regenerates six times faster.

Permanent strain, or ability "burn" is possible by critically failing an ability check while exceeding your threshold, in which you case you lose an ability point permanently.

What this yields is a mechanic altogether different that a barbarian's rage, and certainly different from spell slots. This kind of warrior knows he has much power in reserve, but must use it very conservatively, making his approach to combat almost the exact opposite a barbarian's.

:The 3e monk, in the vein of kung fu movies, the matrix, and Dragonball, pretty much has a certain "power level", and when evenly matched, the fight is decided by very small random factors. And, of course, the higher level both fighters are, the longer and more dramatic the fight is.

:This puts him in the middle of this spectrum, much like the vanilla fighter with a different flavor. His power is not highly variable, nor is there a high cost to using that power. His abilities tend to be passive or free within limitations.

So, it's all been said, but the doing shall be the trick.

This document's purpose is to define the standards of version 5.4 of the system, as well as restate the prevailing standards of parent versions.

Inherited standards from 4e

- all feats must be accessible by any class.

- a feat shall exist only if it is reasonably usable by at least three classes.

- all skills must be accessible by any class.

- a skill shall exist only if it reasonably usable by at least three classes.

- all classes run from level 1-20(+), with no entry requirements (no prestige classes).

- there are no multiclassing penalties.

Inherited from 5.0

- every character gains one feat per level.

- every class has a list of special abilities. These abilities have no requirements for selection, only for use.

- no ability is limited by x uses per day, or other static time period. Only abstract time periods, such as "per encounter" or "per session" are allowed.

- no feat requires any other feat, nor any skill, class ability, or racial ability. The taking of the feat requires nothing; only the using of the feat, as in the Power Style feats, which function only when you are gaining a Strength bonus to damage.

Specific to 5.4

- All classes have basic abilities, which advance automatically on odd levels.

- All classes receive one special ability per even level.

- Every class should have several subclasses, archetypes, or specializations, as modifiers to their basic abilities. Exemptions are possible as a special case (such as the fighter).

Additions and comments are welcome.

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I have to be honest. I read it three times, and I still don't know how to work that out in a clean way. I might be missing something, but it seems a bit heavy.

That aside, I agree with the general thrust of the argument. The Mystical Warrior was mostly intended to be a conceptual exercise in the idea that I was trying to follow, which is close to the idea that you are looking at with your force-like abilities, but the flavor seems very off from what I was thinking of and trying to accomplish with my idea. You are pulling the concept ideas for your powers and abilities from Star Wars, while I'm leaning towards a more elemental feel to the idea, though I do like the general combat position that you've placed this concept in. Where the image I get of my version of this position is somewhat akin to the Priestess of Fire in El-Hazard, Shayla-Shayla.

One thing I think I need to state because it's been running in my planning, and will continue to be there, is the idea that a berserker is wider culturally then just the Viking-esque cultures. I look at the Dervish, or other similarly erroneous concepts that nevertheless populate popular psyche, a whirling warrior that fights in a similar style to the barbarian, but is slender-built, and doesn't turn into a hulking meat-head, hence my preference for Rage Points that provide a non-stat linked bonus.

Berserker+Power Style Feats= Olaf of the North, Barbarian Meathead

Berserker+Parry, Mobility Feats= Crazy Ahmed, Arabic blender

I think that both of these should be equally available options. For the Moment, until I can think of a better tool for how powers can be used, I will leave your fertile mind to grow, so it is better for the thieving. ;-)

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What should be the strength of the basic abilities, in relation to the special abilities of earlier versions? I assume your snap answer is the same power, but I look to the Rogue, which has *I assume* sneak attack as its special ability. Going with the old standard, every odd level of Rogue, their sneak attack damage would jump by two dice, or is there more finesse expected here?

How much of a class's inherent flavor should be pushed into their basic abilities? All of the base-line things? Just the one most important aspect, and leave the rest out?

I'm asking because I'm trying to create a 5.4 version of the berserker I posted here, and I need to figure out how to lay things out. Logic tells me to place rage as I have it listed at level 1, with the automatic advancement of it's potential every level while throwing another piece of flavor into the "basic" abilities pile.

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I'll post it here and update this thread whenever I update the class:

url=http://www.rit.edu/~drs9031/BerserkerV54.docThe Berserker V2.1/url

That should be a rough draft of a finished version. The Primary abilities cycle between Rage or an ability that enhances it, an ability that makes the berserker harder to kill, a talent to ignore mental control effects, and a speed effect.

I attempt to follow the design standards you have set forth. Tell me when I error in my balance or my thinking.

As an aside, could you either leave this class to me with the Ed. 5.4 or provide criticisms to this class as I shape it?

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The rogue's sneak attack progresses at a rate equivalent to 3.5.

The wizard and sorcerer consume their basic abilities through spellcasting; that is, every odd level, they gain a new level of spells. (Slots and spells known are still the same as 5.3)

The general idea is that the simplest and most powerful abilities are basic abilities--that is, just about all the ones in 3.5--and the complex and less powerful (more mix-maxed) abilities are special abilities--such as prestige class abilities.

But it isn't quite like that, as one facet of prestige classes, the narrowing of your character's focus, is expressed by archetype or specialization in conjunction with special abilities.

Perhaps the barbarian's rage ability works as in the berserker--once rage begins, gain +1 hit/dmg per hit or full attack--and is limited by your basic ability rank. The exact numbers would need to be determined. Of course, they'd get a couple of other things, too.

Think of it this way:

Basic abilities alone should bring a PC to approximately the power level of 3e. You never have to choose on a basic ability level--the abilities just happen. With special abilities, you nudge into a higher power, though pure power boost abilities (like 5.3 Barbarian Rage or the Ranger's Pack Hunting) will not exist. Special abilities can modify your basic abilities, or provide new and interesting options.

I've posted the current 5.4 directory here:

urlhttp://www.rit.edu/~apo2803/5.4//url

So that should help illuminate things.

This idea just occurred to me, as I was reading on Mike Mearl's latest design diary for Iron heroes. We have 2 big skills that are conglomerations of a list of small skills, Knowledge and Perform. There are 2 recognized ways of breaking this up, either grouping them into one uber-skill (Makes it so that a character has a huge laundry list of sub-skills), or broken into separate skills (too big a drain on a small pool of skill points).

I thought of this as a possible solution: When you take a rank in one of these skills (I'll use knowledge as the example), you choose one area of that skill, such as Knowledge(history). You now have a certain skill rank in historical knowledge. You put 5 points into it, so that your modifier is +5. But now you want to expand upon this knowledge, by studying current politics. You can purchase this additional specialization by spending 2 skill points to add (Nobility and Royalty), allowing you to make any check about history or the noble classes at a +5.

This limits the huge list of sub-abilities and carries something that I think is very valid the idea of shared skills. If you have trained yourself to carry facts and figures in your head, it's easier to add more facts and figures then starting over from scratch, but not effortless.

Good? Bad?

I also think this could be expanded beyond these two, with perhaps changing the cost of purchasing a new sub-set.

If you have any nagging little questions about the Evereska game that absolutely need to be explained, I will attempt to field those here. I actually do still have my notes from the game, so I get to cover my ass with that excuse if it seems like I just made something up ;)

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How about a timeline? I have a vague idea of the order of things, but no specifics on when they occurred.

We should probably decide what the Ridiere family line looks like.

I don't recall all that happened between Elaith and Kasylwen; my suggestion to make them brother and sister is based largely on how she was played in the Dorian game (Cormyr)...i.e., she's just like Elaith, but younger and (even) more affeminate.

I also stand by my spelling of Kasylwen; not so crazy with Y's, and has that certain Tolkienesque something. =)

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Well, I happen to completely agree with your spelling of her name, though history would have to be changed somewhat to adapt.

Kasylwen had a big crush on Elaith, highlighted in an extremely embarassing scenario in which both she and Elaith figured out they weren't going to go anywhere. For that to be stricken from the record, the only player involved would have to pitch in. Otherwise, we're dealing with an incestual thing here, which completely does not fit in with the mood of the game, and should be avoided altogether.

The fact that Rym insists that Elatih and his dragonette continue to correspond is another, offhandedly related subject of debate. It does not matter to me, in any event.

Kasylwen can easily be related to Elaith, and it makes a certain amount of sense, discounting what I said above. If it makes Elaith more interesting, great. It's perhaps enough that Arilyn and Elaith had their thing, and that they both moved on, without throwing a kid into the mix. But some tension/confusion can remain without crossing the line.

If Kasylwen is to be Elaith's sister/cousin/whatever, it will remain evident that she idolizes/adores him, and as a relative child she may not know the nature of that love. So that doesn't really change much. Elaith always treated her like a kid sister anyway, so again, it could work.

I think I prefer the idea of her as a cousin to that of a sister. There's not really much of a difference, considering. Her history was never written to the extent that Lina and Arilyn's were; basically I'm looking for some feedback from Rym.

However Kasylwen was played in the Cormyr game really has no effect on my opinion, since I did not witness it firsthand except for one silly session where she and Rialla (sp?) showed up to Dorian's estate in Calimshan. And you had her played as some unicorn maiden, which I didn't really care for. No, what you said is right, she really is just like Elaith.

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I'll see if I can get on it this weekend. I know offhand that the game started in the Spring of 1368.

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Actually, cousins works very well for the girl. She did idolize/love him, and perhaps had some small romantic feelings as well. I don't think Elaith, however, knows of the relation. He saw her as another lovestruck lass and did his best not to lead her on.

I definitly agree that her feelings are more hero-worship than anything else. Her "crush" is probably slightly embarassing to her.

As for the dragon, I'll simply note that what I presented Greg is from Elaith's point of view. He's rather smitten, and probably reads into it far more than the dragon herself does. What few encounters they've had have had a profound effect on him.

Aniamalidyces (spelling? I forget...) is a strong woman who doesn't need Elaith in the least. Part of her appeal is that she can exist independent of him, and doesn't rely on him. Elaith isn't in the least afraid of death*, but he fears being unable to protect those for whom he cares. A isn't likely to need his protection any time soon.

While Arilyn was also a strong woman, I note that Elaith had to save her life more than once. Part of the tension between them was his deep fear that she would die.

The other part is that she's a creature of the sky, something that has always called to Elaith in ways he doesn't quite understand**.

Regardless, he hasn't seen the dragon in some time, and doesn't expect to any time soon. He dallies with women from time to time, but his heart lies with her. Whether she knows this or cares, however, is unknown to Elaith.

• - I've realized that the reason Elaith takes so many risks and is so non-chalant is simply that he is convinced he cannot die. The encounter with the green dragon (back when we still used 2nd ed) convinced him of this. He can't die until he's finished his work for the Seldarine.

• -He's got some Avarial blood in his veins (which back in the day explained his low constitution score - weak bones). I've determined exactly where that blood came from, which I'll post as part of his detailed history (pre-Thay).

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I'll post the vague timeline I gave Greg when I get a chance. I was fuzzy on some bits, but I think I've got a general gist of it. I took a few liberties to fill in the gaps when we said "everyone was out doing things for a year" or to flesh out certain character items.

Aside from character levels, which I care very little about, it works to put the Waterdeep game's events in during the time between the group's periodic reunions in Evereska. Power is relative, and Greg has graciously allowed Elaith the connections he had previously.

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I think it would be by far the most hilarious if they were related, perhaps by a common grandfather or some such, and neither knew, leading to a very embarassing end to their brief romantic hijinx;

"My dear Kasylwen, whatever do you see in a fool such as I?"

"You but remind me of a noble lad I once knew, a young man of such eloquence and grace, such vivacity and lust for life..."

"Do go on, else I shall fancy myself this man you so adore."

"Oh, no, he was but my mother's nephew, a bright young lad, oh, what was his name..."

"Well what was your mother's name? I dare say I should know him if I know her, and surely I must know one of such eminent beauty and lineage."

"The lady Lorien, oh but what was her maiden's surname?"

"Methinks one ought to know, my dearest, but not to worry. Surely her face I should remember. It makes me think of my own dear aunt Lorien, hair of gold and eyes of blue, she looked much like you yourself, dear."

"Rideire!"

<long silence>

<stares>

"Shall we then back to the public hall?"

<runs>

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Animeladyces (I'll always remember it, for it contains "anime" and "lady") is a vicarious youth, and is to Elaith as he is to so many smitten maidens. The trouble is, he knows how it feels to be the brunt of so much puppy love, and how troubling it is to try to let them down easily and/or stealthily. Whether or not she would do the same, he can't bring himself to go further, for want of living up to her superhuman (elven?) charisma.

So, he's his own worst enemy.

That said, she'd probably roll around in the hay once or twice just for fun; in that, perhaps, he vexes her, and ends up with more tension than he knows how to navigate.

All he has to do is just blow the whistle.

Wow, what a metaphor that is. <tongue-in-cheek>

REPLY

Aralyn's relationship with Elaith had more to do with Lina and Lucentio than it did either of them.

Not unlike Animeladyces, Aralyn is a powerful woman. In childhood, she was a starlot, brimming with confidence, blessed with myriad physical and mental talents, and favored by everyone...especially, as Lina imagined, her father. It was no consolation to Lina that Aralyn lacked magical aptitude, for she suspected (rightly so) her sister could not cast spells only for want of trying.

Aralyn took to Elaith as second-nature; she is attracted to men of confidence (read: ego), as so often she is able to win over them. It's a sort of challenge to her, to outplay eloquent and powerful men at their own game. She does enjoy the company, but she is just too narcissistic to truly desire long-term companionship, and she knows it.

In that, she though Elaith would make a perfect fling, for a couple of years at least. They would be resplendent reign at galas and soirees, wearing each other like crown jewels. But Elaith was more than he seemed, and that struck a chord in Aralyn.

Meanwhile, Lina made it all the worse, hinting subtlely, innuendo only a sister centengenarian could perceive, that Aralyn was somehow doing this for Lina's sake; both, perhaps, to shield her from Elaith's charms (as if I can't myself!) or to set her up with Lucentio (what on Earth would I see in a great buffoon like him!). In any case, it was probably a simple resentment for the presumption that Aralyn would get the best man while Lina gets her pick of the runts.

Aralyn, and any reasonable-minded third party, would see it rather differently, but it was mostly impossible to explain. She liked what she saw in Elaith; he truly humbled her, and played the game with greater skill in reserve than she could have anticipated. Yet, for all her eagerness to try him, she could not endure the trials from Lina forever, so, for her sister's sake, and her own sanity, she withdrew. It was an act so unlike her that Lina was greatly stunned for a long time.

In every way, being without Aralyn (a first for Lina in adventuring, at that any activity involving men) was good for Lina. She gained much self-confidence, and self-awareness she had never known before. In their ever-more-dangerous adventures, Lina and Lucentio found great kinship and similarity of mind, even as Lucentio was entreating Aralyn's favor back in Evereska.

Lucentio thought he was helping Aralyn; he second-guessed her, having correctly surmised her reasoning for leaving, but predicting she would appreciate having someone to take care of her in the wake of her "defeat" at the hands of Elaith and Lina. Instead, she went down a different path, dwelling within herself to find something she had long lacked; her magical affinity. Their relationship was lukewarm, both pushed into it as a mating of convenience, of political and economic gain, and both knew it couldn't last long, yet they accepted that and simply made the most of it.

In the wake of Aralyn, Elaith allowed Kasylwen to get closer than he'd have normally done, with predictably unfortunate results. He thought he'd sworn off love for good (for the 538th time) when he met Animeladyces, who permanently ruined him for other women.

In his case, I'm sure permanently will blow over soon.

Lucentio and Lina have an obvious connection which they continuously deny, as Lucentio dives further into his obligations of home and business, and Lina into her magical studies. Aralyn acts the part of the settled lady, but delves deeper into mysticism with each moonlit gathering in the Coven of Sehanine. Magic intrigues her, far more than any of the things in life she's mastered; it is so dangerous, so powerful, so unpredictable. Lucentio worries about her, and foolishly keeps her close to try to protect her from the darkness.

Lina, meanwhile, lives increasingly distant from her family and friends in Evereska. Having made a home for herself in Silverymoon, she has begun a long (in human years) study of magic, her goal no less than the mastery all of the Silver Marches' magical lore, and the furthering of that knowledge. She recognizes that she is relishing her individuality and freedom, perhaps at the expense of those she loves most, but she has not yet had enough; it may be many years before she is ready to be second to anyone again.

This catch-up history begs the question:

Where did Elaith go after 1372 (the failed Thayan expedition)? What of the attack on Evereska? I should definately explain in great detail the happenings of the Silver Marches in 1373 and beyond, since it bodes many things for elves and elf-friends the Realms over. Also, of course, there is the Vyshaan question, explained in detail in the "Forgotten Realms" forum and other places as well. Of course, we needn't merge Elaith into our world, but I would prefer it. He may yet find it more his style.

The last session (#18, ironically entitled "The First of Many"):

Mirtul 6 1378

Somewhere in the Forest of Lethyr

Sergei got a sword of light from some tree chick.

The party decided to assault the Tower of Gorath.

You gathered pieces of a demon and brought him to shiny happy life.

Jadzia got ''feebleminded/i:65fce84ab1 and ended up wielding the worst of the artifacts, the demon's heart, and became merged with it. Not all bad; she cast i:65fce84ab1Banishment'' on herself, thus sending both the balor and her soul spiraling directly into hell.

The Tower self-cleaned itself as the epic binding spell was broken. The party returned to the Volodni and demanded help in getting the cleric back. The Volodni countered by dimensionally anchoring you all into the Prime so you wouldn't waste yourselves jumping into hell. Then they walked off.

Any actions?

REPLY

Andurin: I, fvor one, tsink ve should get this curse ofv our hands as soon as possible. I'm sure that machzine in the under-facility could do it, efven if our resident expert isz addled.

He looks disapprovingly at the weakened Lisa.

Und without the priestess ve shall have to walk a very long, tiresome vay./color:e56880b313 <Wicked grin>. color=blue:e56880b313Or, we could see vat kind of power lies in zis spirit...

He caresses a soul gem lovingly.

Anyvay, don't expect me to stand around here for long; zese bugs are making me think evil thoughts.

With that, he casts Shield of Death and they all die on contact.

Oh ho ho hohohohoho....

The Tale of the First Flowering

I've expounded on the established FR lore presented in Cormanthyr: Empire of the Elves and the other rare sources of information on ancient elvish history.

The most crucial change: the return of Gilvaas Vyshaan. In a deep cave, in the far reaches of the north, the unlikeliest of folk have unleashed the greatest and most terrible villain Abeir-Toril has ever known. It just so happens that Vyshaan, long credited with orchestrating Crown Wars, was the first elf to come to the realms, and, if he has his way, he'll be the last alive.

The first elves to come to Faerun were not elves at all, but a faery race called Leshay. The difference is simple: Leshay are an epic, immortal race, on par with the titans, dragons, and genies who once held dominion over Toril. It is known to students of Faery lore that Vyshaan and the other Leshay came through the portal to escape some horrible force that was consuming their homeland. He was the one who led his kind to the Prime, and he rode the momentum of his leadership for millennia to come.

The immense power of the Leshay was sufficient to drive back the dragons and the giants and to make a true home for themselves. They lived at war with their world for a time, and they were at their best when they were united against their common enemy.

As the dragons receded, the Leshay's animosity turned toward one another. As unity faded, individual Leshay reproduced to found great elven clans. Their children were not Leshay; born of a union of two immortals, they themselves were part of Faerun's weave, and were mortal. The race of mortal elves was born.

The clans warred for some time in a typically elven way; small armies would meet after hunting one another for years in the vast wilderness, then individual leaders would duel, counter-duels and followup-duels would commence, and generally someone would walk way knowing they were defeated.

Through this process, warlords were deposed and exiled, one by one, until the great clans as we know them were established. They agreed to detente as their realms had begun to grow slightly too large for one master to handle, and they lived in peace for some time.

The Leshay masters slowly delegated more and more power to their elven underlings, who thought and acted faster than they did, which was necessary to match their enemies and the other nations. The Leshay became gurus and idols, dispensing their power and wisdom only when needed most.

Meanwhile, Vyshaan was building diplomacy. He made earnest efforts to extend friendship and comraderie with the other lords, rather than just hating or ignoring them. His regal, commanding presence earned much respect among his so-called peers, and seemed to promote better relations.

He romanced Araushnee, one of two Leshay who jointly ruled the Illythiri, whose dark, secretive nature attracted him by virtue of opposition. She rebuffed him long, for she intuitively sensed his darker side. He was as a knightly suitor to her, always trumping himself, pledging undying love and devotion, offering his own life to suit her whims. It was never enough.

In time (Leshay time, so millennia), he grew tired of the chase, and his fiery passion turned cold. Telling himself he was banking on the last, remotest possibility of arousing her attraction, he began acting hostilely toward her and her people. At first, it was diplomatic; severing of ties, disruption of trade, etc. Later, it became a shadow war, which was to bloom into the great Crown Wars.

So, ultimately, the wars were fought over a woman.

But things just keep getting interesting. With the waning of power of Leshay relative to their Elven subjects, and the ever-increasing deadliness of the wars, as Vyshaan began to develop the theory of slaughter and pillage as a war tactic (the humans must have gotten the idea somewhere), the lords were having trouble motivating their people to keep fighting. The common elves knew on some level that the whole thing was bunk, but the Leshay had one last trick.

Not to beat around the bush—Vyshaan invented the gods. He used some of his closet allies as the models for these gods; they agreed to recede from public view to enhance the godly image. With his superb artistic abilities and flair for the dramatic, he molded the stories and mythology of the gods, how they had led the People into these lands, protected them against the dragons, etc. It was not unlike the truth, though it favored only those few Leshay who still presided at the time of the myth’s creation, and cast them as divine, benevolent beings, rather than as Fae warlords.

The specifics shall be detailed in a later post, but suffice to say the early elven pantheon had some significant differences; most notably, the existence of Araushnee, the casting of Angarradh as a singular entity, and the conspicuous absence of Corellon Larethian. Though there were hundreds of Leshay who came through the portal, and virtually none ever truly died, there were only scant few deities; those tyrants and kings held in Vyshaan's sway.

The establishment of the pantheon corresponds roughly with modern elvish history's understanding of the founding of the great realms. In fact, the first arrival of the elves took place an indefinite amount of time before that, perhaps some 40,000 years. But it was this moment that Vyshaan preferred to be thought of as the beginning of elven history.

Though they were worshipped as gods, these Leshay were no different from those who had gone into exile. Interestingly, all of those creatures were still around. Many of them were hermits, living in far-flung places and eschewing the warlord lifestyle for good. A sizable number congregated in what became Cormanthyr; they basically sat around shaking their heads at the Crown Wars and saying “shame, shame”.

A being they took for an elf, and who elves took for a Leshay, came to them after the great tragedy of Miyeritar. She encouraged them to go to the mortal elves and use their mythology against its creator. They did; with their magic, they masqueraded as the elven gods, particularly Corellon. Vyshaan had difficulty opposing them; he could do little more than contradict them using his own magic. Of those who could sort it out, the ones more faithful to Corellon than their mortal lords or local gods took up the holy quest and sought a new elven land, one without borders or clans. This is more less well understood in elven history as the precursor to Cormanthyr, the realm of Arcorar.

Arcorar was a haven for all dispossessed elves (except drow), as Vyshaan's wars led him ultimately to conquering all of what he considered the elven lands of Toril. The new land gave no credence to bloodlines and would not be ruled by tyrants. With the power of their faith, which ironically Vyshaan himself had crafted, they grew to challenge his might. Their reach extended to the elves of Vyshaan's conquered territory, and ultimately only those most loyal to Vyshaan defended his cities as virtually all elves were at war with him. His power was so immense that it took hundreds of Leshay, including (especially) the ones who he had once puppeteered as god-kings, just to oust him from power. His empire was dismantled, and the realm of Arcorar reigned supreme.

Meanwhile, Vyshaan had already accepted the fate of his empire, and went to pursue his personal goals. He sought after Araushnee, to vindicate his bitter resentment and unrequited love. She had fled to the Land of Night, the combination of the lands of Maztica and a coterminous plane of the same size which dwells in endless night. By day, all of the night elves transit into the plane, thus dwelling eternally by moonlight. It was a realm she'd crafted during the Crown Wars, whose primary purpose had been the destruction of her original realm, Illythiir.

:While she had been hiding there, her consort and counterpart, Emeresse, had fled into the Underdark, through the gateway city they had both constructed (located in the plains of purple dust, beyond Mulhorand). She had grown a tree of life inside a deep cavern, and thus did the Ilythirii find life in the most hostile of environments.

:Vyshaan sent his sons to the west to destroy the Land of Night, and he personally assaulted the gateway city. In a long, protracted battle, punctuated with loud affirmations of both his love and his hatred, he railed against her defenses. Ultimately, she might even have prevailed...if not for Emeresse.

:Fearing what would happen if Vyshaan invaded the Underdark, where the dark elves were already having a horrible time dealing with the indigenous mind flayers and other creatures, Emeresse had premeditated her betrayal. He sealed the gateway city, drawing it deeper into the earth and closing it from the surface. She was cut off from the power of her tree, and Vyshaan slew her.

:Even for one such as he, the destruction of a Leshay is an impossible task. She was rent into three pieces; her body remained as the tree, her mind, ever tortured in her betrayal, cast loose into the astral and become one with the divine essence of Lolth so long forged by Vyshaan's propaganda, and her memories remained scattered throughout her power bases.

:Emeresse devolved her tree, which was in some essence her body and memories, into the ''faer'zess''-radiating fungus, and spread it throughout the underdark. This final gift of Araushnee gave the dark elves power to conquer the underdark.

:Her godly image had long since been corrupted by false dogma; that she was unfaithful, a betrayer, and vengeful, petty woman who resorts to underhanded evil to get her childlike way. As with all gods, what she was believed to be, she became, and rent from her true soul, her god-essence was powerless to be anything. She lived eternally in the moment of her own betrayal, and her last stand in defense of her people; thus did she become both the staunch defender and the sadistic torturer of the drow.

:Emeresse went into hiding, planting a "tree" of his own deep in the underdark. The city he founded, S'shamath, remains today one of the largest cities of the Underdark, and by far the largest not ruled by Lolth's priestesses.

:While all this was happening, Arcorar was degenerating. The Leshay were more and more taking on the mantles of kings, and it seemed the petty rivalries and wars were to begin anew. To make matters worse, after the drow forged a home in the Underdark, they grew powerful enough to venture out of it, to raid elven settlements for resources and petty revenge. The drow threat was, at that time, on a scale unimaginable now. Everywhere there were light elves, dark elves came to massacre them. That war continues today, though it has slowed to a trickle.

:One Leshay, Suryn, saw the writing on the wall. She convinced Angarradh to gather all elves against their common enemy, Vyshaan, once again, and this time defeat him for good. With a contingent of thousands of elves of epic might, she confronted Vyshaan and ultimately defeated him, in the only way she could surmise. Using a high magic spell of such devastating power that it has long been lost to time, she sealed him in a subterranean prison with a binding spell that could render helpless even the greatest of gods. Into his prison, the mages commuted the elfgate, which had long been sealed against the terror of Faery which longed so to consume and destroy the Leshay. The two spells were linked, so he couldn't possibly escape without the elf-eater emerging and devouring him. To guard against this possibility, several Leshay, who had long been neutral in all regards, volunteered to guard him for all time.

:Of course, there is no such thing as a perfect prison. He slowly ate away at the guards' resolve, with all he had at his disposal; his words. Ultimately, he drove them all mad, weakening the bonds which kept his magic at bay. Slowly, but surely, he extended his reach into the outside world, manipulating the thoughts of distant elves of his bloodline to craft his escape. But that's another story.

With Vyshaan defeated, the elven race had lost one of its great common enemies. It was yet in danger of collapsing under internal strife and the endless drow assault. Angarradh knew what was to blame; the Leshay themselves. She realized the elves could not survive unless they were free of the original sin of Vyshaan and all his kin.

:She convinced all remaining Leshay to congregate at Elven Court. She explained her belief, and they concurred, though they knew not how to destroy themselves. It was the Srinshee--a being they took for a mortal elf, who mortal elves took for a Leshay--who gave them the idea of crafting the moonblades. Into these blades, they would bequeath the whole of their essence. They could use their power only through a mortal elf of their bloodline, and, as part of the compact, the swords could be wielded only by those pure of heart.

:So the Leshay each forged their own moonblade, and into each they bequeathed all of their power and memories. But Angarradh was not to do such a thing; for her role in Vyshaan's plots, second only to Vyshaan himself, she must be truly destroyed. The first act of all of the moonblades, wielding themselves, was to slay her.

:In this pure act, she was absolved, but as a true immortal she could be ended. She has been reborn into every generation, to a pure-hearted elven girl of no particular bloodline, and has long had a legacy of maintaining a fierce battle against evil.

:The moonblades themselves were to be claimed by the members of their bloodline, and the rest, as they say, is history.

In the beginning, the elven gods were little more than deified Leshay. Vyshaan, in his role as spiritual leader of the elven race, and high administrator of the faith, crafted their legends, their dogma, and their image, and disseminated this to all elves over thousands of years. The process was slow and thorough, and ultimately, he was able to create gods using little more than social manipulation and personal charisma.

:As with all gods, the elven gods are the product of mortal's belief. They are formless and soulless, pure ideas propogated by the power of faith. They are not multispheric (my Forgotten Realms follows its own cosmology, not Planescape), though they may believe themselves to be.

:Much has changed over millennia of mostly verbal lore, and this is to be expected. But the original pantheon bears great similarity to what is known today.

The Gods of the First Flowering Angarradh: Vyshaan's consort was the first to undergo self-imposed apotheosis. Long subservient to his will, she was a natural choice for a goddess of the home and hearth, of fertility and defense. For most of the Crown Wars, she was his puppet, ever defraying all negativity regarding Vyshaan and his rule, and rationalizing all of his deeds. Ultimately, she became his worst enemy, and his final undoing.

:Since she was destroyed in a ceremony witnessed at least indirectly by mortal elves, there was some confusion in later millennia over whether or not she had ever existed. This led to her current image as the Triune Goddess, a "virtual goddess" who exists only as the product of Sehanine, Hanali, and Aerdrie Faenya.

Sehanine Moonbow: As with many of her kin, she was given an additional name by later generations, just as they do with their own kin. Originally, she was the Leshay Sehanine, the lone ruler of Miyeritar. Her realm, very near to Aryvandaar, was anathema to Vyshaan. Her people were strange and mystical, with a bizarre fascination for the enigmas of nature. Sehanine herself was a stunningly charismatic and frighteningly powerful witch-queen who ruled through pure intimidation, not unlike the Simbul.

:Her descendants are a race forgotten to the modern world, all but destroyed by Vyshaan's foul magic. She never became a moonblade; she was destroyed in combat with Vyshaan, and her survivors fled with her spirit to the distant land of Aglarond, where they created the Yuirwood. As is understood to modern historians, they diverged widely from the elven norm, crafting their own religion and nurturing their strange ways. They are known as the star elves.

:As a goddess, she had the portfolio of magic, storms, and the feminine mystique, in its magical connotation. When Araushnee was transformed into Lolth, Sehanine inherited her portfolio of the moon, dreams, journeys, and several other things.

Hanali: The goddess of love, compassion, and beauty was the lone ruler of Illefarn, a realm very close to Aryvandaar. In the first Crown War, Vyshaan invaded Miyeritar. Illefarn was neutral, but they took in Miyeritar's refugees, and provided resources to those still warring against him. Vyshaan took this as a show of support, and he destroyed her empire with a backhand strike.

Her people were kind and peaceful, an altruistic folk who followed the Golden Rule more closely than any of Vyshaan's dogma. They are mostly destroyed, but some of their sensibility survives in the modern moon elves.

:Hanali was not stunningly beautiful; her sister Sehanine had that distinction. Yet, she was the goddess of beauty, in a pure, inner form that was far more important to the elves. Over thousands of years, the elvish ideal of beauty has slowly been influenced by human sensibilities, and she is now depicted as the equal (or superior when not speaking to a human) to Sune.

Suryn: A deity long since forgotten, she ruled Shantel Othreier, a realm mostly neutral to Vyshaan's wars. She and her consort Enoreth represented time, memories, and fate. They were the soothsayers among elves, who long predicted the outcome of Vyshaan's machinations. When Vyshaan attacked, the realm was summarily evacuated; he never did find either of them. They led their people to Arcorar, and were the first major population of that area. Suryn herself went into exile, and it is believed she underwent some strange transformation to become the Srinshee, who was to lead elves through their greatest destiny from the time of Cormanthyr and to the fall of Myth Drannor. Labelas Enoreth: "Labelas" is an extra name ascribed to him by later theologians, not unlike "Pallas Athena". He is a diviner and soothsayer extraordinaire, though he never tells anyone anything unless they ask. As a ruler of Shantel Othreier, he was the Celeborn to Suryn's Galadriel; he knew everything, so he felt compelled to do nothing. Before he became a moonblade, he wrote great tomes detailing the future of the elven race, beyond even 1372, and bequeathed them to his descendants. The Chronologians maintained his works faithfully, and in 1372 they are in the frozen city of Milhamniir. Were they known to modern elves, perhaps the return of Vyshaan might have been predicted. Suharesse/Araushnee: The second to be ascribed godhood, Araushnee was given a name and face by Vyshaan. Her own folk called her Suharesse, and she never did acknowledge the name Araushnee as her own. To her own people, she was a warrior queen; an ascetic, enlightened warrior who strove to live in harmony with nature. The dark elves were not great city-builders, and were not naturally inclined to wars of aggression, though they were fierce defenders. Vyshaan did not attribute these qualities to her, but rather applied the dogma he thought described her. From this, she gained no power, until he changed her image to that of Lolth, and slew her; her mind inherited the beliefs about Lolth, and she became that evil, petty, vengeful demon. Emeresse: The dark brother/consort of Araushnee, Emeresse was never well-liked. While Araushnee epitomized vital forces of life, he was the opposite; his affinity was death. As he was immortal, and his children particularly long-lived, this was a rather poorly-understood phenomenon. He was strange and disturbed. Though he behaved as a night elf, his aspirations were darker and grander than hers. Ultimately, he betrayed her, and led his children into the underdark to become the drow. It was not his intention that they become a matriarchy under Lolth's guidance; that was more a factor of Vyshaan's machinations and Araushnee's fate.

:Emeresse, of course, never became a moonblade, nor was he ever destroyed. He remains the longest-lived Leshay other than Vyshaan, and perhaps feels some equality to him on that regard. He dwells in S'shamath, the largest free drow city in the underdark, awaiting Vyshaan's inevitable return.

Arboreth/Rillifane: This marginalized god was the ruler of Keltormir, a nation of wildsmen and naturists. He was a petty jungle prince, revelling in the chaotic ways of his people. He was ascribed the attributes he possesses today by Vyshaan's dogma, and was an able lapdog of his for some time. Ultimately, when Vyshaan betrayed his kin, he used that very image against him; his survivors became the wild elves, a cult of druids who eschew all cities and artifice for fear of what it did to Aryvandaar's gold elves. He took the name "Rillifane" to shunt Vyshaan's dogma, forever sealing the old image of Aryvandaar's lapdog to time. Arborea: This forgotten goddess was the consort to Arboreth. Whereas he was the patron of woodsmen and adventurers, she epitomized fae, satyrs, and the mystical forces of the wood. She is touched by Faery, and has always been distant and mysterious. She was destroyed when she tried to lead some of her people back into Faery; it is not known if the elf-eater devoured her, or if Vyshaan intercepted her. Other Gods:

:Solonor Thelandira was one of Vyshaan's sons, essentially crafted to replace the traitor god Arboreth. He was apotheosed too late to truly become significant, though his image was preserved by later elves.

:Fenmaril Mestarine is of unknown origin; perhaps this is a reconciliation of Arborea's passing, or perhaps some son of Rillifane. In any case, Vyshaan did not make this god.

:Deep Sashelas never existed at all; he is an effort by confused theologians at rationalizing the existence of sea elves. Sea elves are not elves at all, and never were; they are merfolk. Perhaps a Leshay delved into the water and founded his own race in the time before the Crown Wars...it is not known.

:Shevarash is not a god even today, despite what some books say. He is a quasi-divine entity, a legacy passed down from man to man. The current Black Archer selects a successor, and trains him to live up to the legacy. When the Black Archer dies, his named successor takes his place. This cycle has remained unbroken since the first Shevarash; it is not known how exactly he apotheosed into a near-divine entity, in death.

: Aerdrie Faenya was indeed a Leshay, but Vyshaan did not craft dogma in her name. She was a free spirit, ever impossible to tame, and did not fit into his orderly world view. It is thought that her descendants are the result of a union between her and a powerful eladrin. Her portfolio is poorly understood even by modern-day theologists.

Corellon Larethian: Interestingly, he was not a part of the ancient pantheon. Though Vyshaan certainly imagined such a character, a role he himself he could definately play, he could not himself in his narcissism to step out of everyday life. Nobody would believe a god they could see and touch, and he didn't want the god to exist if he himself was not harnessing his power. Therefore, Corellon remained silent...

:...until he became the instrument of Vyshaan's downfall. In the late Crown Wars, Vyshaan went ahead and began to preach of Corellon; only Aryvandaar believed him. The elves of Arcorar, in crafting his demise, supported the dogma, but twisted it against Vyshaan. Corellon was an ever-loving, peaceful warrior. He was not a dominator, but an all-knowing and all-seeing overseer, a presence in every elf's life from birth to death. This image did not allow Vyshaan to gain power, and instead allowed the elves of Arcorar to rally all elves, even many among Aryvandaar itself, against the tyrant god-king.

:He is the purest god, as he was never a Leshay. There is some element of Vyshaan in the way some gold elves view Corellon, but the prevailing image is of an absentee father figure, not a god-king. This benign character may well be a major part of the elves' success, that they could rally behind a concept that led them away from war and strife, from racism and bigotry. They have wrestled with these problems for all time, and will likely continue, but clearly, in today's world, the better Corellon has won over.

And yet, the original evil has now returned, in the flesh, to challenge everything the elves know about themselves and their world.

For those of you who might not read elsewhere on these boards, url=http://zebes.rh.rit.edu/gameforum/viewtopic.php?t=68Here are the rules./url

Feel free to post Ideas about character background and things that you want to do in the time inbetween sessions here.

Sometime tomorrow I'll be writing up a long version of what we have created of the setting and posting it, along with a map in another sticky. The setting's currently very loosly defined, so any ideas you have about the setting, post them and they might get integrated into this world.

If any one has any good ideas or resources for Steampunk and Magitech resources for me to help me flesh out the empire, please post links or idea.

color=blue:88b3bb7395u:88b3bb7395REGIONS/u:88b3bb7395 /color:88b3bb7395 Rasturia

The core of the empire, this great plateau is a mixture of steppe and scrub land. Oddly, though it is near to the empire’s power center, it is a haven for bandits and wildmen, who stalk the desolate landscape between the mighty iron cities of the core.

Dacia

This land, an elevated plain northeast of Rasturia, long resisted occupation with the aid of their natural cliff barrier. A much greener land than those below, Dacia enjoys calm, if relatively cool weather. Strangely, the people of Dacia are cream-colored, with dark hair, and tend to be short and slender.

In fact, long ago, they lived in a distant tropical land; it is not known why or how they migrated to Dacia.

Ajassa

The lands south of Dacia were long at war with Dacia, mostly in competition for resources. Ajassa’s harsh landscape of rocky hills and sparse grasses gave rise to mighty tribes of nomadic riders, but they could not compete with the larger population and impenetrable natural defenses of Dacia. When the empire came, they fought bravely, but were greviously outnumbered and outgunned.

Suria

This small, but fiercely independent republic has long thrived on the fertile east coast southeast of Ajassa. An ascetic folk, these hearty farmers claim an ancient legacy in their lands, and have fought well to defend them. The empire could surely best them if they cared, but Suria has nothing to offer.

Astlund

This temperate land, westward neighbor of Rasturia, is home to an industrious and simple people; they made their homes in the ancient woodlands, farming only sparsely, living mostly off the land. Now, the great forests of Astlund are all but clear-cut in the empire’s wake.

Narnia

The frozen, severe lands of Narnia, west of Astlund across the Sea of Storms, crisscrossed with fjords and staggering mountain ranges, is a realm of huge, powerful barbarians, whose abilities in war are second to none. They instigated war with the empire by raiding their settlements as they came too near; ultimately, the battle for Narnia lasted over generations, but they were won. Now, with a generation passed since the war, the empire rules Narnia, and employs its mighty warriors as its finest leaders and commanders; however, tribes in the mountaintops still resist the empire’s rule with bloody force.

The Elfwood

This great forest south of Astlund, once connected the forests of that land in the distant past, has dwindled under inward pressure from imperial settlements. Protected by several elven nations with no central authority, the elfwood resists with all its might, but its outmoded strategies and severe underpopulation make it no match; it will inevitably fall.

Thurga

These wide, rolling grasslands south of the Elfwood were once home to sparse nomadic tribes, who barely made a home against the indigenous monster races, were an easy conquest for the marauding empire. The rich soil means endless new farmland to serve the greater lands.

The Southern League

This band of mercantile city-states on the coasts south of Thurga long enjoyed relative isolation from the northern barbarians. Now, with the threat of imperial conquest, they have been forced to set aside their long-established differences and unite against the northern invaders. So far from Rastor, the empire has trouble waging war against such a confederacy. Recently, the emperor sent a grand naval assault from Westport, a capitulated coastal city-state, to siege the city of Demon’s Port. Sacked and burned, the city was used as the foundation for Melisande, a grand and beautiful city built in honor of the emperor’s wife. Of course, it is also a strategic location; it commands the Golden Water, and cuts the league off from the open sea.

Not to be outdone, the league commissioned a grand endeavor to found a new city of their own; they transformed a small fishing village into the great city of Angelport, opposite Melisande, opening their own channels into the coastal waters, thus allowing their trade to continue.

The time of a full-scale invasion cannot be far off.

Messala, Indace, Kurzana

The northern reaches of the Essalian subcontinent, a good distance south of Rasturia, are small, feudal nations, known for their enlightened, wealthy cities. These are merely the latest arrangement of national boundaries and loyalties; these lands have long been under constant strife and subterfuge as petty lords sought to claim more and more of the beautiful and resource-rich landscape for themselves.

When the emperor came, he abolished nobility and placed the cities under martial law. When that failed miserably, he reinstated the old noble families into new positions of power—after carefully considering which ones would be most loyal to his rule. The “temporary” imperial forts still stand, and have only swelled their garrisons.

Loria

The central lands of Essalia are a beautiful, pastoral paradise of sparse estates, sprinkled with regions of untouched wilderness. Long have these lands been eschewed for the more lucrative coastal paradises of the subcontinent; but the emperor has pursued this land with a fervent passion. Its resources are under his control, with the merest puppets of government in place to fool only fools.

Santasia, Emrace, Marua

The southern reaches of the subcontinent have felt the emperor’s touch, but are just out of his effective grasp. His enclaves there keep an eye on proceedings, but mostly these small nation-states keep their own counsel, and worry incessantly about the day when the armies come in full force.

These coasts are among the most lovely in all the known world; the white stone, blue sea, and green grass serve as the stage upon which vivacious and spirited folk live their exciting lives, blessed with perfect weather and endless natural beauty. The mercantile nations do much trade with the Southern League, and have long sought a safe route across the Serpent Reach, which would cut their travel time in half or less. With imperial technology, they just might be able to do it, and this has caused much controversy between loyalists and independents.

Veria

This island republic has resisted imperial influence, much to the consternation of the emperor. Their sister state of Kurzana has kept the imperials from building a major port city from which to conduct a naval assault. Veria is the hub of all long-distance trade, and possesses a fleet of magically-enchanted ships which can outrun sea dragons. Their monopoly on trade with distant lands, some of which they refuse even to name or describe, has long been a holy grail to the other seafaring merchant nations.

Even now, the emperor’s fleet of airships amasses in Linvall, gathering for what could be a devastating offensive against the stubborn island republic.

Ferndall, Orvall, Linvall

These lands, which begin just south of Rasturia and crawl southeast toward the coast, are sparsely-populated realms of farming folk. Ferndall was once the empire’s main source of timber—it is now mostly cleared. Orvall is a lowland oft flooded with water from the Ajassian springs. Linvall lies on a elevated plain, and enjoys relative peace and prosperity for it. Known for their use of windmills, the folk of Linvall farm quietly, offering a high perch for the empire’s airships.

Engall

This heavily wooded land south of Linvall is a mixture of forest, jungle, and swamp. Its outlying regions have been claimed, but the capital city of Dornton, sitting on an island amidst the coastal swamps, has yet to break under a six-year siege. Fueled by food and supplies laundered through Verian merchants, King Dorn XVI has long fought the good fight in the name of all free men.

The emperor plans first to claim Veria, then launch a naval and aerial assault against Dornton, with the goal of removing it from the map permanently.

Eberdein

This enchanted forest has rebuffed all attempts at conquest. Not so much as an acre of the forest has been lumbered, as it is defended by lethal force from its native dark elves. The old eaves conceal ancient and mystical treasures, and hint at a much greater dark elf civilization in times past. In any case, the elves are strict isolationists, and nobody knows much of anything about them. It is unlikely the empire will be able to make any headway into their forest in the near future.

Dragon Isles

A loose name alternatively used to describe all islands in the Sea of Dragons, or, by natives, only the isles not in Loretan or the Dragon Crescent. These islands are home to few civilized folk, though their some of their goods are ferried northward by Verian ships. Whatever resources they might have are far out of the grasp of the emperor.

The Dragon Crescent

The eastern reach of the Dragon Isles, this wide arc is home to many northern folk, descendants of those hearty colonists of Veria and other southern states before the first invasions. Now, the colonies have degenerated into lawless pirate towns, and vast criminal empires draw ever-shifting boundaries of the once profitable settlements.

Loretan

This sprawl of islands far south of the Southern League, on the western reaches of the Dragon Isles, is a haven for Imperial expatriates, an entire cast of magocratic elite who have evacuated the emperor’s draconian rule. It all began with the raising of the Three Towers, and the founding of the Imperial University of the Dragon Isles (later renamed the Institute for the Study of Ancient and Magical Lore), in 1316. It was, for a time, a seat of power for the tiny settlements in these lands, mostly just a cushy retreat for the richest of mages.

In the later 14th century, the population of the university and the immediate towns began to swell at an ever-increasing rate. In 1400, the university was renamed, and the city was christened as Lore City. The islands themselves, interestingly, are called Lortaan by many natives, a name similar to Loretania, which, if it were an Old Imperial word, would mean “Ivory Realm”, but has obvious connotations in the modern imperial tongue.

The Ivory Isles, as they were called briefly by the opulent nobles who came to build their great white estates on unclaimed lands, soon became home to hundreds of thousands of imperials and other northerners. The people had in common a great distaste for the empire, and a love of the untouched wilderness that was Loretan. Laws were written to ban all industry which was not quiet, safe, and environmentally friendly. For the most part, this has meant that enterprising resource-gatherers have simply had to operate just outside of Lore City’s jurisdiction, and the city governors would quietly accept the mysterious wood and stone shipments.

Loretan formerly declared itself a sovereign nation in 1441, and in fourteen years the empire has done nothing to contest it. Lore City is its capital, and the Institute widely acknowledged as the world’s finest academy of magic. It is an interesting blend of people from all over the world; especially interesting are the way the native races and tribes are treated in this new nation.

With its command of the local seas, its burgeoning gold and diamond mines, and its vast magical treasures, Loretan is the ultimate prize of the empire, and one of the last bastions of freedom in the world. With the emperor’s arms growing longer, and his grasp stronger every day, how long can this new world last?

As the small canoe rows into the harbor of Lore City, you look at it’s spiraling Granite towers that decorate the city as wizardly abodes, like glass-spun minarets reaching into the night sky, and you think of the damage the metal monsters of the Empire can wreak on this fragile city. If Dragons can barely defeat these metal giants, what hope does the mere hand of man possess?

You have to find out what was going on with the monkeys. Whoever it was that was using them had to be a wizard from Loretan, the Empire’s magic cannot work across the sea of Dragons. You also need to find a way to get to the sage Xenasphere, the water Dragon before the monkeys or the Empire reach him first.

You row the small canoe back towards the main island of the Archipeligo, working yourselves to the bone, but most of you possess only the muscles of mere mortals, and even Lothar cannot row forever. As you emerge on your first morning out to sea, you see a dark shape approaching your craft. Your rowers try desperately to push themselves to land, but Raoul, it feels wrong. Somehow, you know this dragon isn’t here to attack you. You tell the rowers to stop short and let the dragon come closer.

The Dragon Turtle comes above water beside your ship, looks over your boat and speaks in a deep and slow voice, "Greetings, brother in blood and spirit."

Raoul, only you and Lothar can understand what the Dragon Turtle says

I didn't mention anything about it at the time, because you didn't have the time, but the storage room that you found also contained most of the following treasure, with the remainder being looted from assorted monkeys in the lower levels of the Dungeon:

3,000 Silver Peices worth of coins in assorted currency, most are standard Loretanian Golden Flares, with a few old weathered Imperial Marks and an assortment of newer minted Verian Coins.

A small black pearl, dull as if in need of cleaning.

Electrum  bracer, found in the lower chambers. The bracer is designed to look like it is made out of mock scales, with small chips of ruby set in it to make the bracer flare red as it reflects the light.

A Pair of eyeglasses with slightly greenish lens and Steel wire frames. Glancing thru the lenes without donning the glasses give you a slight headache. They were kept in a wooden box inlaid with an ivory and ebony depiction of an eye.

Gold medallion with the image of a winged woman with her arms wrapped around a blue star sapphire gemstone as a setting     

Old masterpiece painting, It depicts the raising of the towers of Lore City. If examined carfully, you can identify individual members of the founding council. If you don’t look directly at the image, the leaves of the trees and the water appear to move

A 3” long feather on a copper chain. The feather shifts between green and brown as it is blown around in the breeze.

Red gold ring, It appears to be a snake eating its own tail with ruby eyes. There’s writing on the inside of the ring in a language you are not familiar with.

A small wooden box with no lid, made out of sturdy oak, the box appears to be tarred to make it watertight. It is 12 inches long and six inches both wide and deep. Inside of the box was kept a spyglass made of copper with long, looping etchings engraved into it.

A pair of slippers, made out of a soft and supple black leather that feels only partially hardened on the soles. The interior of the slippers is covered in a smooth fur, like a kitten’s.

A leather overcoat that the slippers were laying on top of, made of the same type of leather, it’s designed to be a form-fitting article designed for a slender man.

An Angel Pendant, made out of silver. It’s wings sweep downward and form a lattice surrounding a large pearl. The Angel has diamond chips in her eyes, and appears to be clasping a small object to her chest.

Saus’s Blade

This huge great-sword has a notched blade of a red color. Its' grip is of a bronze metal with a pattern made of waves and arrows done in an inlay of bone.

Crusher Axes

These overly large axes are masterfully made out of a fine grade of steel that has been stained to a sky-blue color and engraved with the Symbol of the Academy of War. The handles are made of stained Iron-wood, a rare wood that can only be obtained from Verian traders, with thick leather wrapping to provide a handle.

Armor – 1 Large, 2 Medium, all fitted for a Gorrila

It's strange, but the metal armor you got off Saus appears to have been made for the Ape specifically. You notice this strange occurance seems to be the case with the other apes you fought who wore metal armor, as if the armor was forged for them specifically. The armor also bears no hammer or fire marks.

Time to Divvy up, eh?

urlzebes.rh.rit.edu/~brain/Enforcers.doc/url

The Empire is a big place, with many conquered lands and vast core provinces. These wide expanses are home to many people, not a few of which who are dissenting in opinion from the empire. To this end, a large and powerful security force is needed to keep the peace.

The Emperor has long since declared himself the Emperor of the Known World. Thus, he does not have an “army” for fighting foreign foes, but a “police force” to quell uprisings and enforce his will. This force is known as the Enforcers.

There are several key elements.

• Informants
• Spies
• Patrolmen
• Marshals
• Special Agents
• Armored Knights

Informants

Crucial to the Empire’s survival is knowledge—of who holds dissenting opinions, and what they might do to endanger the empire. Any Imperial citizen can be an informant; it pays well to rat out ones friends and neighbors. In fact, an informant is paid more for each tip they give. Understandably, the Empire employs a vast network of informants.

To be an informant, one must simply report one’s findings with a local enforcer, such as a patrolman. The enforcer is free to decide if the information is valid; should he decide it is a deliberate mockery of the system, he may issue a citation.

The typical informant is a commoner, perhaps a level 1-3 Expert.

Spies

A legion of specially-trained operatives, the spies are needed in the more dissenting areas of the Empire, such as the far south. They are trained in stealth, observation, and occasionally elimination. Usually, local folk are used to spy on their own region, since only they can fit in without question.

Spies usually work alone, employing informants and occasionally patrolmen as needed. Their mission is generally to provide information on dissenters and other threats to the Empire. They are sometimes called on to bring justice to targets who are otherwise difficult to arrest. Occasionally, they spy on other spies or patrolmen who are less than completely honest in their duties to the Empire.

The typical spy is a rogue of 3rd-7th level.

Patrolmen

Thousands of these fine young men walk the dangerous streets of urban centers by night, keeping the world safe from anarchy and corruption. Dressed in sharp, black uniforms, with varying degrees of armor (depending on the local conditions), the sight of a patrolman is a heartening sight to good imperial folk in need. They exist to serve and protect.

Patrolmen always come in groups, from a simple pair (most common in peaceful areas) to squads of 40 or more (with riot gear). The minimum armament for a patrolman is a pistol, a sword, and reinforced cloth armor (+3). For special engagements, more armor (+6 or +9) is used, with larger firearms (shotguns, rockets) and enhanced melee weapons.

Patrolmen are typically fighters of 3rd to 7th-level.

Marshals

The Marshals are devoted to patrolling the frontiers and wilderness, and generally areas where patrolmen hold less sway. They are elite units, with special skills adapted to their environments.

Marshals often work alone or with several deputies. They work with one or more peers only when hunting dangerous foes. Their primary mission is to track down the enemies of the Empire wherever they may be. Typically, they hunt one man at a time.

Marshals are typically rangers or fighter/rogues of 5th to 10th-level.

Special Agents

The agents are the keepers of power: technology and magic. The Agency employs scientists and sages; anyone with the ability to work magic or artifice should enlist (there are consequences if you don’t). There are many offices and many agents, but it is for the Special Agents that the Agency is best known.

Special Agents work alone, employing other enforcers, up to an including Armored Knights, as well as occasionally magical creatures or constructs. Their mission is to secure more power for the Empire, in the form of magic and technology, and to deal with the most dire threats of security. They have absolute authority, even over other Enforcers.

Special Agents range from 10th to 20th-level, and possibly higher.

Armored Knights

The Ancient Order of Imperial Cavaliers is a band of ultra-elite warriors who fight in magical-technological power armor. More generically known as Armored Knights, or, to many commoners, “Armor Jockeys”, these soldiers are truly the Emperor’s most powerful weapon.

A powered Armor Suit appears as a huge, iron monstrosity, vaguely humanoid, bristling with weaponry both technological and magical. Deep inside the thick, iron skin of the beasts are the pilots, who are as one with the great behemoths. The full capability of these suits is unknown to most all, but among those powers witnessed are: fireball hurlers, lightning guns, cold sprays, missile launchers, very big guns, repeating guns, and disintegration beams.

The typical Armored Knight is 16th level or higher (when armored).

Other Tools

This is all rumor and hearsay, but dissenters speak of other weapons the Emperor reserves for future atrocities. They speak of flying armored knights in the shape of dragons; massive fleets of smaller, more maneuverable power suits; ships which can withstand and even slay sea dragons, and a massive gun capable of targeting any city in the empire and destroying it entirely with a single shell.

urlzebes.rh.rit.edu/~brain/TheCircleofNine.doc/url The Circle of Nine

The Circle of Nine, also known as the Ancient Protectors, are the guardians of the land, and keepers of the sacred groves. They oppose the Empire in almost every ideological way, and swear no loyalty to him. They consider themselves apart from society, and not beholden to the Emperor’s laws. For the most part, he tolerates their existence, if only because they are difficult to root out.

Their pagan religion is heretical to the empire, and that alone is a capital offense. They shirk their Imperial responsibilities, and refuse the law of the Enforcers. They are criminals of the highest order, dissenters to be crushed. This, at least, is how they are spoken of when someone so rarely mentions them.

The Circle is one of the Empire’s worst enemies, if only they would bring their power to bear. Instead, they seem intent on guiding the world along its predestined path, no matter what the cost. Could it be they prefer the primordial wasteland that follows the Great War to a peaceful human society?

b:08dbd484e8The Nine Pillars /b:08dbd484e8In the known world there are Nine Great Pillars, places of great natural power, and these are held by the Circle. These are the pillars upon which the world was built, so says the ancient lore. It is in these sacred places where the Circle draws its timeless knowledge and power.

In each of these places is a god, a spirit of great power who lends itself to the Circle. The god and his minions guard the place from intrusion, and would present a credible challenge to all but the most concerted imperial invasions. Of course, those in danger of invasion are guarded fiercely by the Ancient Protectors.

In each sacred grove are two portals, each leading to another grove, if one can activate them. The network of portals forms a circle, thus, the Circle of Nine.

The Nine Pillars:

• Highmoon, in Dacia
• Hearthhome, in Suria
• The Great Grove, in Astlund
• Gods’ Peak, in Narnia
• Lake Mi’astra’iel, in the Enchanted Forest
• The Sunrock, in Thurga
• The Ivory Tower, in Veria
• The Shadowtop, in Eberdein
• The Great Volcano, in Loretan

The Lost Pillar

• The Shifting Dune, in Rasturia

b:08dbd484e8Highmoon /b:08dbd484e8In the northernmost reaches of Dacia, far up into the mountains, lies a secluded, evergreen grove, a place of untouched natural beauty. Winter wolves guard the grove from intrusion by all who come not in a peaceful spirit. The moon always lights the grove, no matter what clouds may rise.

The god of Highmoon is a great wolf by the name of Aurkrenjax, or the Great Northern Wind. He is wise and powerful, a free spirit unfettered by compunction or morality. His wrath is terrible, and he kills without mercy when angered, but he is a good ally if one can befriend him.

Portals in Highmoon lead to the Great Grove and Lake Mi’astra’iel.

Hearthhome

In a golden valley near the coast of Suria, in the windswept plains of Eastfall, Hearthhome provides shelter to those who know of its existence. It is one of the least obvious places of power—it might be some human family’s farm if not for the protectors—but is powerful just the same.

The god of Hearthome is Angalhardra, the Loving Hand, in the unassuming form of a dire rabbit. She is compassionate and empathetic, seeking to understand and soothe the woes of peaceful travelers. Magical rabbits suffuse her grove, and woe betide those who threaten the land, for their wrath is legendary.

Portals in Hearthhome lead to the Ivory Tower and Shadowtop.

The Great Grove

This circle of nine great trees stands defiant against the decay of the Astlund forests. The massive, red trunks shadow the needle-covered ground, and all who dare to tread beneath them risk awaking a sleeping giant.

Brown bears protect the grove, and the god Orburhom, the Sleeping Giant, guards against the most dire threats. While she sleeps, peaceful travelers hear her dreams, and learn from her ageless wisdom. The great bear rarely awakens, but when she does, her wrath knows no bounds.

Portals in the Great Grove lead to Highmoon and Gods’ Peak.

Gods’ Peak

On the craggy summit of Mt. Eyrjal, amidst the ice and storms, is the mountain retreat of the Wanderer God. It can be reached only by traveling the arduous Gods’ Road, which leads up the mountain to a series of ancient temples. The old Narnian gods were once worshipped here, though their resplendent halls are now ruins, gouged and scorched by Armored Knights.

The Wanderer God is one of those ancient gods; He Who Wanders, known to some as Zurnnveist, appears as an old man, shrouded in a cloak, who leans on an old staff. His long, white beard tells of his great age, and he has the wisdom to match. He is a keeper of lore, a chronicler of history since the beginning. His grove is protected by rams, and he has very occasionally taken such form himself.

Portals in the Gods’ Peak lead to the Great Grove and the Sunrock.

The Sunrock

In the rolling plains of Thurga, a great, red rock juts into the sky, to look over the distant sea, jungle, and mountains; it lies at the figurative center of the land. In this place where wild beasts lair, the Mountain King makes his domain.

The great lion Embiturkhan guards this pillar, with a pride of lions. He speaks with authority and a rigid moral code. To peaceful travelers he offers brief shelter, and bids them hurry to their destination, for Thurga cannot long abide the touch of man. He among Gods of the Nine seems to care for his greater domain.

Portals in the Sunrock lead to Gods’ Peak and the Great Volcano.

The Ivory Tower

Perhaps the strangest of pillars, this is a tall, spindly tower in the city of Veria which has stood since before men measured time. They use its lower floors now as showcase for human wonders, but in its upper reaches, it houses a sacred grove. A chamber caps the tower, and is open to the high winds of the Sea of Dragons.

The Winged Mother comes to this tower when peaceful travelers make its shelter. The great, winged serpent Ada’huatl is an esoteric and fickle goddess, said to be the goddess of Dragons. Other winged serpents guard the tower only when it is threatened or when she makes her presence known; this is usually invisible to the townsfolk below.

Portals in the Ivory Tower lead to Hearthhome and Shadowtop.

Lake Mi’astra’iel

In the Enchanted Forest, thick with exotic flora and fauna, this pristine lake awes the most savage of souls into peace and tranquility. An old elvish temple stands watch, erected in Time Before Man, and elves of the wood still guard it.

The Lady of the Lake guards this place, aided by rainbow-finned fish. Anyahue speaks desperately of the misery that shall befall the lands, and decries the evil of the Empire. She alone dreams of a peaceful society of men, the breaking of the Cycle, but her word is silenced by the elf guardians who wish men to destroy themselves.

Portals in Lake Mi’astra’iel lead to Highmoon and the Great Volcano.

Shadowtop

The dark forest of Eberdein, with its ancient, untouched dusk oak trees, is a mysterious and dangerous place. In the grove of Shadowtop, the blunted top of a wide tree flanked by a circle of taller trees, ancient forces swell.

Great spiders protect all the forest, and the greatest guard Shadowtop. Exearhob, the Webspinner, is the goddess of the grove. She and her dark elves have something different in mind for the future of the Known World, something that involves neither a primordial wasteland nor a peaceful society of men. She won’t say what it is, only that it draws ever closer as events unfold.

Portals in Shadowtop lead to the Ivory Tower and Hearthome.

The Great Volcano

At the center of the Whitecap Mountains, the sleeping volcano of Loretan overlooks Lore City. The ash-covered peaks tell of the mountains’ fiery heritage, but most folks assume the Great Volcano is long dead, or never existed at all.

Hsatheth, the Auld Ember, longs for the return of the dragons. His rage at humanity has boiled and the pressure of the volcano is building. More so than any, the Auld Ember wishes for a fiery end to humanity and a return to the primordial wilderness. Salamanders guard the volcano and care little for peaceful travelers.

Portals in the Great Volcano lead to Lake Mi’astra’iel and the Sunrock.

The Shifting Dune, the Lost Pillar

This is indeed a place of power, though whether it is a lost pillar remains the subject of much debate. If it is a pillar, why are there no portals to it? All other pillars are constant in location, but this one moves. In any case, it is undeniably a place of power, if it can be found…and reached.

The shifting dune is a place in the sands of Rasturia that only the wisest can see. Legend has it that it is always the furthest and most difficult path, though only the unwise seem to propagate that legend. It has been visited by most of the elder druids, to little purpose.

Purple worms guard the grove; it is unknown if there is a god of this pillar.

REPLY

Dire Rabbits?

REPLY

Just the one.

The great cycle of warfare that has consumed the world is a battle between two parties: The empire and the forces of the Dragons. But they aren't the only actors in history's play. Other groups are there that oppose the empire, and would probably turn down the power of the dragons because of the devastation that they bring with them.

But I need Ideas. I would like it if we could come up with some additional groups, alliances, and factions to populate this world with. Anyone who wants to take an idea and flesh it out is welcome to try and do so.

• Side Note* Andy, can you scan in the map of the known world and post it somewhere so that I can look at it, plan off of it, and quite possibly clean it up and make it look pretty?

Let us Assume that Loretan and the Empire exist on a Planet and system roughly similar to Earth, for convience in comparisons of seasons and Temperatures. Given this thought, Let us set up a Calendar of 12 months, guided by the moon, each consisting of 30 days, with the night between the 15th and 16th of each month signifying a new moon and the night between the 30th and the 1st is the full moon.

I Stated that is was the fall season when we began, in the month of October, around the 11th. Your group has only known each other for the period of one ten-day, so as you enter the Temple of the Water Sage, it is the 21st of October, in the Year 1455.

I want suggestions on what the year means. I had a pair of ideas, tell me which one seems better for the point of reference: the end of the last war between Magi-tech and the Dragons, or the founding of the first human nation after the last war, with an unknown amount of time lost to the ages. Which do you think is more reasonable, or is there a better one I'm over-looking?

The spellguard of Loretan was founded in the year 1400, with the renaming of the Universities and the christening of Lore City as a police force for Lore City. The focus of thier job as peace officers has expanded to cover the entirety of the Islands that comprise Loretan.

The Guard exists in two tiers: the patrolmen and the officers. The patrolmen are all trained in both blade and magic, mostly that which improves thier combat ability, while the officers are mostly enchanters, sons of magical families serving a 3-4 year term after thier graduation. Guard patrolmen are Mage Knights of level 3 to 8, with most being Red Mages; Officers are magi enchanters of 4 to 7th levels.

The patrolmen are generally chosen from the refugee population of Loretan, with open offers of training for anyone willing to serve 4 years in the guard. The Magiocratic elite have been trying in the past 14 years to increase the strength of the Spell Guard, by giving the guard an increasingly nationalist flavor in an attempt to increase the strength of the forces that Loretan can call upon when the Emperor's Forces arrive on Loretan's shore.

Patrolmen's primary job is keeping the peace, ceasing bar fights, settling domestic disputes, solving the occasionaly murder. This is a sharp contrast to the tight military training that the guard goes through to keep themselves fighting fit.

It is suspected that Guard Saregeants and Patrolmen have ties the any Theive's guild that may exist in Loretan, with both sides cooperating out of a mutal dislike of the ruling class. In spite of this dislike, most in the guard still remember the tales that their fathers or grandfathers related to them of what life was like under the iron heel of the Empire, and have come to view thier new land as a home that they will die defending for themselves and thier families.

The Black Academy

The Black Academy was originally the School for the Study of Evocation and Magics of War in Rasturia, dating back to days before the finding of the God in the Machine, when Rasturia was a nation of miners and mercenaries. The School was in Rastur until the year 1311, when the school was disbanded as being "Irrelevant to the notion of modern warfare." The instructors of the school remained, and moved to the islands of Loretan to take a small place in the Imperial University, mostly as a "historical curiosity."

When Loretan seceded from the Empire, the Study of evocation gained a new prominence, being the Mage's primary method of fighting against the Emperor's great instruments of destruction. Lacking sufficient faculty, the administrators opened a call for instructors, seeking to add to their numbers, drawing in a number of rebels and vagabonds from across the Imperial Land whose talents in the destructive arts where more then those of the current faculty. They turned the Evoker’s school into the Black Academy, taking for their new grounds a large mansion in downtown Lore City for their new grounds and taking on students at the age of 10 and teaching them to be implements of battle. Many people willingly send themselves through the Academy, even with its harsh training, because of the large amount of animosity that the Emperor’s actions have engendered. An orphan who escapes to Loretan who lost their parents to the Emperor’s actions are often sent here to be hardened into weapons of war.

The Black Knights are those members of the school who are considered to be of some worth. It is unknown exactly where this concept emerged from, since no organization of such knights exists in recorded history, but seems to have sprung forth as a fully formed concept with the opening of the faculty. All students of the Academy are trained to eventually become knights, whom are treated as peers of even members of the ruling council. They are called The Unproven as students, beaten and trained mercilessly until they become capable of becoming Squires, at which point they are either integrated into the Loretanian government as “Problem-Solvers” or sent away to gain practical experience. A Squire who proves himself to the council is Knighted, allowed one request of the council, and then expected to continue his training on his own.

The school’s governing council is made up of five members, with their leader being the Mage William Monagon, a Verian Black Mage Knight of 18-20th level, well known for his humorless temperament and astronomical expectations of others. Monagon does not teach The Unproven, but leads the training exercised for the Knights. The other members are senior teachers who must duel yearly to keep their position on the board.

All members of the Black Academy are Wizard, Sorcerers, Magi, or Mage Knights. The Unproven are between 1st and 4th level, while Squires are between 5th level and 8th level. There are no Knights less then 7th level, and most are at least 9th level.

Make shit up.

I mean it. There's enough here to form a basis, but more can be added. Make something up and post it in this thread. Have a wild conspiracy theory about what's going on in the Known World? Post it here. Want to Speculate about what it is the the Verians find across the uncrossable oceans? Post it here. What to declare your theory of how the Verians even cross the oceans in the first place? You get the idea.

I'd like it if everyone could post something here this week. We may not use it, but it will be read and respected.

If you aren't in my game, but read this board because you're bored at work and have an Idea, post it.

Tomorrow afternoon, the Crest Dancer will be leaving port. You have one day to shop, train, or talk to anyone in Lore City.

The City of Mages awaits your actions.

color=green I'm gonna be in Toronoto the next few days, but I should be able to respond and check the boards at least once each day.

I'm also going to Stat up Antonio while I'm gone. Congrats, you now have a Party NPC. I'm open to suggestions on what level he should be and what he looks like statwise.

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Antonio? Funny name. I'd say a character like that deserves to be either a cocky swordsman, or a brute force kinda guy, weight lifter man (like sabin from FF6). Choose what you may, but the name says it all!

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The verians getting across the ocean? Maybe they were born there, or bread there. *dumb*

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I guess no one is interested in using any of that money that you guys have.

In the dark hearth of Shadowtop, the Fatespinner Exearhob (pronounced eggs-air-hobe) weaves the threads of destiny in secret. Guarded by zealots of her worship, and nestled deep within the most untouchable territory in the known world, she tugs the strings of the world with impunity. What fate does she weave for all mankind?

The Land

The realm of Eberdein is a vast, dark forest which sprawls over the southeastern reaches of the great landmass.

Flora and Fauna

The forest is predominantly old growth; tall blackwood trees tower over the flat forest floor, whose soaring canopy is in some places three hundred feet above ground level. The canopy obscures most sunlight, but still there is much life beneath.

Fungi prosper at the base of the trees, leeching their moisture from the root earth. Leaves and branches which fall from high above form patches of good soil in which strangely-colored flowers and ferns bloom. Most of the underwood is pale blue or purple, lacking much need or use of chlorophyll.

Smaller herbivores, none larger than deer, subsist on the underwood. Flying and climbing animals thrive in the upperwood, and their dead feed the sparse underwood scavengers. Some wolves and panthers prowl the underwood, subsisting on the modest herbivore population, but the true predators are the spiders.

There are many species of spider in Eberdein, all of them exceptionally dangerous. The smallest of the great spiders is the Galbahresta, or Rust Stinger. The size of a house cat, this brown, eyeless spider is predominantly an underwood-dweller. Her name derives not from her color, but also her ability to corrode metals; her webs and her blood carry the oxidizing chemical. She traps small forest animals in her low-lying webs, which she drapes cleverly over fungi and blossoms. She has little occasion to use her rusting powers, though they are the bane of unprepared adventurers.

Another great spider is the Rukvasta, or Green Longlegs. Its body is fox-sized and its legs twice a man’s height. It is a fighting spider, who prefers to attack prey directly rather than trap them. Rukvasta descends silently from above, using her mild camouflage abilities to catch prey unaware. Her legs are all sharp and poisonous, and she is devastatingly quick with them. Her poison, actually a powerful acid, causes muscle to seize and burn to uselessness (permanent Str or Dex drain). When her prey is disabled, she fills it full of poison to cook its innards, then devours it.

The most frightening of great spiders, besides their goddess herself, is Anshasta, or the Great Black Widow. She looks almost identical to her miniature counterpart, but has a body the size of a tiger. Her powerful legs and mandibles are weapons in their own right, but her poison can easily and instantly kill a man. She prefers to catch prey in her webs, but is not averse to fighting, nor does she balk at using her children to fight for her. She has the ability to command them; at birth, they are the size of normal black widows, and are too small to kill her, even in a swarm. They usually overtake their mother after a year of growth, then war amongst themselves for succession.

The most deadly of all great spiders is not necessarily the likeliest. Yanushta, the Purple Spitter, is a small (relatively) and quick creature, who can fire arcs of venom as far as a hundred feet over level terrain, and further with a height advantage, with deadly accuracy. The venom, a strong base, burns the skin and gradually slows creatures, before ultimately causing death as it enters the bloodstream. If that weren’t bad enough, Yanushta hunt in packs./b

We never touched on this when we talked about this world. What do people believe in? I suppose it might seem perhaps an dumb question, but think about it, it does define the way things are done in a world, both in the following of a Religon and the defiance of it, which is perhaps only a contrarian form of worship.

I think we have the basic religion down, the One god of the Empire, a benevolent spirit that provides humanity with the knowledge and power to no longer fear the beasts and monsters of the world, to drive away the darkness and the creatures that sleep there. A god that takes the souls of it worshippers into itself when they drive, allowing them to become one with the the perfection that is the God-head. I see it as somewhat of a blend of the ideas of Nirvana that you get from Zen and the eastern religions with a kind of medieval sacrifice of the spirit over to the hands of the church.

I see the druids as revering nature, the natural order of things. They see past the rampaging beast the roars across the field and look at the small animals that feed of of it's wake. I think there's probably a lot of different ways to interpret the druidic faith, with some worshipping the nature god that resides in their area as the punitive leader, such as the Dark Elves view their spider goddess, and others view the gods as just a greater spirit, somewhat the equivalent of a druidic angel or ancient priest.

This defines the two most thought out factions within the Known World, but their are other religions, surely, that must have gone before and still exists in the corners of the Empire.

What if, as far as most can tell, there is no reachable heaven, nor is there a perceptible hell looming beneath them. The only other realm that exists universally is the sleeping realm, the place where beings go when they lie to rest. It is from here that humanity creates its angels and demons, lingering hatred and piety accreted into living shapes due to the passing of ages as men move back and forth between the World of Form and the Sleeping Realm, both as they pass in and out of dreams, but also as they die, shed themselves to whatever outsiders that their wills can help to inspire and are reborn.

Damn. I look at that and I see what I want the Wizard's belief to be. It strikes me as the kind of Humanist views that I see wizards ascribing to, the kind that inspires them to view Gods just as a particularly large chuck of essence to be dealt with and absorbed, or summoned and controlled.

I think we need to think more about the other regions before we can come up with their faiths and creeds, but I had an idea that I wanted as the Baseline:

No Other Planes. The Sleeping Realm is a kind of Ether that mages can travel part-way into and use to travel, but they can only skim the surface, not actually dive into. As well, the world should be fairly insulated from outside interlopers: the idea of a Demon Lord or similar thing is a completely foreign concept to all the people of this world. Which means, of course, that there is a creature of such description or two lurking in the shadows, either a noble Angel and his retainers serving as a God of goodness, a Sneaky Djinn who has crafted for himself and his retainers a nation of sea-faring traders, and a Demon Lord, conspiring with all sides, laying betrayal upon treachery and growing stronger.

url=http://www.livejournal.com/users/mearls/97347.htmlRequired Reading for this thought/url

This is the idea of what makes a game fun, the essential story behind the game, the idea of "kill things, take their stuff, get more powerful, do it again next week" is what makes D&D so fun. That was some of the points I enjoyed most is when we were playing to D&D's core story, because it's also FR's core story, some of those silly crawls.

But that leads me to the thought: the story has to be endless, otherwise it's not a enduring world, it's DRAGONLANCE, which is only fun if you're the people originally going over the story. If I could Propose a possible idea for a Core Story:

"A party of adventurers come together to survive in an increasingly hostile world that is being devoured by a powerful empire. They leave civilization for ancient locations rumored to be dangerous and full of important knowledge and treasure. They fight monsters and overcome obstacles and acquire new abilities and deeper knowledge of the world as it moves increasingly closer to the brink of out and out war. They return to civilization to rest and sell the treasures that they have uncovered. Next week, they do it again."

I think more has to be thought about making the last sentence the most powerful part. I mean, hunting down the Dragons and Awakening them should be something that could be done as a mega-adventure, one that should probably that the better part of six months, but there needs to be more! Other abandoned of bygone ages, strange sites of mystical power, working like Indiana Jones against the Nazis to prevent the Empire from taking the powers of the ancients as well as the power they now hold.

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Midnight is a campaign setting for d20 in which, essentially, Zauron won. All good is being eradicated from the world, as the dark lord scours the fully-conquered known world for all possible opposition. The only outcome can be misery, suffering, and extinction.

:So what can you possibly play in this setting? Obviously, you can resist; but there are only two options there - win, thus resolving the core story forever (a la Dragonlance), or lose, thus making it a pointless exercise.

:This is why nobody plays it. It's a nudge up on Middle Earth (what with the core story already resolved), but a long way from the open-endedness of FR.

This campaign setting has to beware of the Midnight effect. One of the most important steps in that direction is establishing the repetition of history. Despite the seeming hopelessness of knowing you will ultimately relive the cycle, PC's seem to be up to the challenge of breaking the cycle and making the serpent swallow his own tail. The Matrix did not suffer for that effect, even if, in fact, they didn't exactly break the cycle.

But establishing that as the core story allows the Star Wars effect. It may be an expansive an interesting world, but all roads lead to the same plot. Perhaps there are other plots to follow, but beyond the death star explosion, all roads stem from the same plot. All games in Star Wars are tied inexorably to the movies.

:So wouldn't all games in this world be tied to the inevitable rise against the empire? Well, they sort of have to be. After all, the whole d&d core story assumes quite a bit -- the party lives in a world where adventurers are free to ply their trade, where they are allowed to loot dungeons and fence the treasures they find. These freedoms can flourish in either a classic Dark Ages setting, where no authority figures bother to care (though the occasional greedy king might lay claim to your goods, which is fine), or where you expressly have the permission through some sort of charter, or direct servitude to the rulers (a la FR).

:The latter style establishes professional adventurers, and tends to focus on good plots. After all, society suffers economy-ruining, trouble-causing adventurers only to the extent that their heroism benefits all. Whereas the latter establishes rogue adventurers, who have no official backing because there is no need of or benefit to it. They take what they want, and could easily slide from dungeon-delving to simply terrorizing villages, and perhaps ultimately keeps and castles. Definately a neutral or evil bent to this type of game.

Which is this campaign setting? The Emperor employs some "adventurers" in the form of his agents. That would be the "professional adventurer" style, though with a decidedly evil motive. Hard to enjoy being on the winning side, though.

:There are a number of resistance movements, perhaps even an alliance of rebels is in the works. This would also provide a "professional adventurer" setting, with an obvious motive, and all the nifty things you get when the pc's are in an organization, like instant plot hooks and chain of command.

:Then, there are the profiteers. In the "lawful" world of the Empire, much as allowed if the right palms are greased. There are many riches to plunder, and treasures to discover, as long as the big guy gets his cut. A license to kill isn't an expensive thing. Of course, he can just decide to alter the terms of these extralegal activities...

So there, you have three branches of the main story, effectively good, neutral, and evil. Anyone who follows similar paths will inevitably end up in the nearest established branch. After all, all roads lead to the same plot. The evil group may turn against their harsh master; the neutral group may get fed up and join the rebels; the rebels themselves, well, their destiny is obvious.

Then, of course, we complicate things by adding third parties. The Circle of Nine care little for the immediate conflict, and offer a broader perspective of the whole issue. Unlike the Star Wars problem (where you can play characters irrelevant to the main story, but it won't feel right), this faction actually manages to make you not care about the main plot so much, while still being able to interact with it.

:Other potential third parties include outsiders from beyond the known world. Who can say who they are, or what they intend, or even if they exist?

:

And then there are variations on the main story. Perhaps the Emperor exceeds himself. Perhaps the Empire is destroyed contrary to the plans of the rebels, and the survivor states initiate a massive war of attrition. Perhaps the rebellion fails, and the empire settles into a grim peace for the foreseeable future.

I think the advantages of the inherent flavor outweigh the disadvantages of the specific core story. Levels of depth, like that offered by the dragons and the history cycles, create a more open-ended experience.

And I definately agree that any setting needs a strong, stated core story to survive.

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Setting Theme in a sentence: In a World being dominated and conquered by a powerful empire, a few heroes reach into the mysteries of the past to uncover the tools that can defeat the invincible.

The slate has been wiped clean several times, but some marks from ancient civilizations remain. In these lost and forgotten places, strange beasts and guardians set atop ancient knowledge and powerful weapons. Entire Cities have been lost beneath the surface of the earth, buried and forgotten, but the Empire's digging tools and the Magi's research into ancient lore seek out the lost and forgotten to be turned to their own ends.

On Dungeons and the Delving of such:

Let's assume that there are essentially 3 Levels of dungeons, each with varying degrees of worth.

At the lowest level is the abandoned caves and castles of this age, forgotten or broken then controlled by any of the typical D&D monsters. These would contain lost gold and weapons of fine make, but nothing spectacular. These should be the dungeons of low level characters, raiding and recovering treasures of this age.

The middle level is the structures of the conflicts past: cities, fortresses, and towers leveled or buried by destructive magics, or hidden in a shattered splinter of mountains raised by the war. Hidden here would be the explanations of the nature of the war, as well as ancient spells and weapons from the height of martial skill of ages past. They are also protected by lost souls and abandoned experiments, Golems and Deadly Chimeras of ages past, as well ancient automated Mecha. This should be the Dungeons of the middle levels, from around level 7 to about 15, where an ancient bit of lore is more valuable then a pile of glittering coins.

The highest level is the Cities that flourished before the forging of the wheel of war, or from the first war itself. Hidden here, our heroes might find out why the world as they know it is locked into and endless war and possibly gain the tools that might help them defeat it. Here is where the bulk of the Sage's dungeons should be, huge temples at the heart of ancient cities protected by elemental forces and Dragons. Also, cities that have been phased out of existence, sent deep into the Ghost World, where the rules of reality don't always apply. Should be 15+, with epic dangers and magical treasures for out heroes to recover.

• Based on the deluded Idea we publish this*

We produce the setting book, detailing the world in all its rich and intriguing detail, providing the hooks necessary for more character-based groups (those that never go near a dungeon) the ability to run a full campaign based on what's there. Then, either as one large book or some other manner, detail a goodly number of dungeons and release it in another volume.