Lateral
2010-04-19, 07:39 PM
I'm trying to put together a gritty 3.5 campaign, but I need some help. Here's what I've got:
Magic items are very rare.
Nobody is stronger than an NPC by dint of class- tier 5 and below, and only weak tier 5's.
No incarnum or psionics, and no spellcasters-magic exists, but it's wild. Also, all spell-like abilities become supernatural instead.
Divine magic is more of a plot device than anything else.
I'm using vitality/wound points. I wanted something more 'pulp fiction'-y than HP, but Injury makes it too easy to die- my plans involve war. Also used is the Defense Bonus variant to help survival for the non-heavy-combatants on the team, and this (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/adventuring/deathAndDying.htm) variant- again, more grit.
Characters so far: One of my players wants to play a big, heavy bruiser. Something like this (http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=106398), for example. He's a hard drinker. Another wants to make a clever, witty, swashbuckling character. Think Inigo Montoya. Also, a heavy drinker (seeing a theme here?), but for different reasons. The other 3 players don't know yet. (One of them e-mailed me telling me that he had found a picture of the kind of character he was going to make. The link led here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHg5SJYRHA0). :smalleek:)
I don't play very often with a campaign like this. If anyone could help:
Classes at low tiers that can be like the above.
Good ideas for plot points.
Tips on DM'ing a game like this.
Thanks!
Magic items are very rare.
Nobody is stronger than an NPC by dint of class- tier 5 and below, and only weak tier 5's.
No incarnum or psionics, and no spellcasters-magic exists, but it's wild. Also, all spell-like abilities become supernatural instead.
Divine magic is more of a plot device than anything else.
I'm using vitality/wound points. I wanted something more 'pulp fiction'-y than HP, but Injury makes it too easy to die- my plans involve war. Also used is the Defense Bonus variant to help survival for the non-heavy-combatants on the team, and this (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/adventuring/deathAndDying.htm) variant- again, more grit.
Characters so far: One of my players wants to play a big, heavy bruiser. Something like this (http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=106398), for example. He's a hard drinker. Another wants to make a clever, witty, swashbuckling character. Think Inigo Montoya. Also, a heavy drinker (seeing a theme here?), but for different reasons. The other 3 players don't know yet. (One of them e-mailed me telling me that he had found a picture of the kind of character he was going to make. The link led here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHg5SJYRHA0). :smalleek:)
I don't play very often with a campaign like this. If anyone could help:
Classes at low tiers that can be like the above.
Good ideas for plot points.
Tips on DM'ing a game like this.
Thanks!