expirement10K14
2009-01-20, 07:00 PM
I had an idea for a new game, hopefully to save our group from the disaster brought upon us when we switched to 4E and I stopped being the dungeon master.
The idea is a low tech world of barbarians. Some tribes have discovered the great uses of bronze, and hide its secrets from the other tribes, while the rest are stuck using bone, stone and wood to create inferior weaponry. Armor is rarely heard off, but the tough skin of the barbarians can withstand many blows a normal man could not (Armor as DR and Class Defense Bonus variants will be employed).
This will be a high-low arcane magic setting, with only spontaneous casters and limited divine magic. Some barbarian clans pride themselves with the few great sorcerers they have, while others have many sorcerers of limited power that work together to conquer the enemy casters. Shamans, or low level clerics (thinking of limiting progression to level 3 or 4), rule the clans with their god given powers, while the rest are strong willed fighters.
While this is a high magic setting, the dwindling lineage of the sorcerers has limited the power of the new ones, causing the sorcerers to create powerful families and having many children in order to continue the lineage with another sorcerer family. The sorcerers, even with these precautions, are dying out (max of 3rd level spells, most clans can only reach level 1 or 2 spells).
The plains the barbarians live in is prone to dragon attacks that have been known to kill off as much as ninety percent of the barbarian tribes. Most attacks result in large alliances between tribes, mostly the shamans and sorcerers, to kill off the dragons quickly. The tribes split the hides, as they know of the future men that give their creations for it.
Being of simple origins there are other areas to the land that the barbarians do not know of, as they have not created boats to cross the oceans to the east, not thinking of them, or crossed the mountains to the west- or, rather, no one crossing has returned. Every once in a while a seemingly futuristic group will appear, in truth merchants or wizards from the west, and bring fabulous gifts, mostly iron weapons, and in return the barbarians give them the hides. More than one tribe has received wands, though they usually result in quick death to the wielder and his tribe.
Recently, the merchants have brought new items. Small, or sometimes large, metal and wooden contraptions they call guns, that shoot death upon the enemies. The metal balls they require are sparse, and the guns are usually held to kill enemy shamans. They are kept by the tribes most powerful warrior and are used only at the shamans command. (I would be using the Forgotten Realms idea of renaissance weaponry, found in DMG p145 along with rules for stone and bronze age weaponry.)
Some tribes have been thought to mine, refine and use iron to create weapons, although only one tribe currently holds this knowledge, as it wiped out all others. The Tribe of the Running Bear has rebuilt it's sorcerer's heritage with the help of travelers from the west, and can now take on the dragon threats alone, winning exclusive trade with travelers.
The PC's may be from either the Tribe of the Running Bear, or another. The setting could be quite open ended, with the PC's being able to fight off a dragon, barter with foreigners, set off to the mountains, invade an enemy tribe or attempt to create their own tribes.
My main concern is the tech levels, and how people think it could turn out. Any other advice is appreciated.
The idea is a low tech world of barbarians. Some tribes have discovered the great uses of bronze, and hide its secrets from the other tribes, while the rest are stuck using bone, stone and wood to create inferior weaponry. Armor is rarely heard off, but the tough skin of the barbarians can withstand many blows a normal man could not (Armor as DR and Class Defense Bonus variants will be employed).
This will be a high-low arcane magic setting, with only spontaneous casters and limited divine magic. Some barbarian clans pride themselves with the few great sorcerers they have, while others have many sorcerers of limited power that work together to conquer the enemy casters. Shamans, or low level clerics (thinking of limiting progression to level 3 or 4), rule the clans with their god given powers, while the rest are strong willed fighters.
While this is a high magic setting, the dwindling lineage of the sorcerers has limited the power of the new ones, causing the sorcerers to create powerful families and having many children in order to continue the lineage with another sorcerer family. The sorcerers, even with these precautions, are dying out (max of 3rd level spells, most clans can only reach level 1 or 2 spells).
The plains the barbarians live in is prone to dragon attacks that have been known to kill off as much as ninety percent of the barbarian tribes. Most attacks result in large alliances between tribes, mostly the shamans and sorcerers, to kill off the dragons quickly. The tribes split the hides, as they know of the future men that give their creations for it.
Being of simple origins there are other areas to the land that the barbarians do not know of, as they have not created boats to cross the oceans to the east, not thinking of them, or crossed the mountains to the west- or, rather, no one crossing has returned. Every once in a while a seemingly futuristic group will appear, in truth merchants or wizards from the west, and bring fabulous gifts, mostly iron weapons, and in return the barbarians give them the hides. More than one tribe has received wands, though they usually result in quick death to the wielder and his tribe.
Recently, the merchants have brought new items. Small, or sometimes large, metal and wooden contraptions they call guns, that shoot death upon the enemies. The metal balls they require are sparse, and the guns are usually held to kill enemy shamans. They are kept by the tribes most powerful warrior and are used only at the shamans command. (I would be using the Forgotten Realms idea of renaissance weaponry, found in DMG p145 along with rules for stone and bronze age weaponry.)
Some tribes have been thought to mine, refine and use iron to create weapons, although only one tribe currently holds this knowledge, as it wiped out all others. The Tribe of the Running Bear has rebuilt it's sorcerer's heritage with the help of travelers from the west, and can now take on the dragon threats alone, winning exclusive trade with travelers.
The PC's may be from either the Tribe of the Running Bear, or another. The setting could be quite open ended, with the PC's being able to fight off a dragon, barter with foreigners, set off to the mountains, invade an enemy tribe or attempt to create their own tribes.
My main concern is the tech levels, and how people think it could turn out. Any other advice is appreciated.