Endarire
2011-02-21, 01:12 AM
Brief History
About 20 years ago, the western continent became almost uninhabitable due to a magic-fueled war. Now, most civilizations are on or under the eastern continent, though magic has not fully recovered.
On the eastern continent, there are small numbers of large settlements controlled by trade houses. Each major trade house favors arcane magic, divine magic, or psionics. Meldshapers and Tome of Magic classes exist, but are not the focal point of any house. Non-casters- those lacking magic due to low mental stats or racial discrimination- commonly become martial adepts and, on occasion, Factotums or other classes.
Meta (slightly reflavored Warforged) are considered the world's best remaining artisans. Indeed, many Meta are Artificers or Clerics or Wizards or Psions. Their main problem is their inability to reproduce. Their creator is effectively dead and no one has been able to reinvent the means to make them. There are about 80 Meta remaining in the world and all are highly protected by every nation. Whoever kills a Meta has his nation, his family, and himself destroyed.
Mechanics
I envisioned the remaining cities as having lots of magic. For now, let's assume no one on this plane is higher than level 5. Level 5 is reserved for heroes and prominent members of trade houses and the most experienced Meta.
The average person is level 1 or 2. They might hit level 3 before middle age and level 4 by the time they die.
In this setting, there are Artificers who can work with the 'old ways.' They can make items from every obscure PrC's spell list, especially these Complete Divine PrCs:
-Blighter: Druid Spells
-Divine Crusader: Domain Spells. Due to Divine Magician (Complete Mage 33), this includes every Abjuration, Divination, and Necromancy spell. Being domain spells, anyspell and greater anyspell are here too.
-Ur-Priest: Cleric Spells
This means that, with minor caster level boosts (like the Spellgifted trait and Complete Champion 133's masterwork holy symbols), a level 5 Artificer can make items of level 9 domain, Cleric, and Druid spells if they get the resources. I was shocked when I thought of this.
For our purposes, let's assume level 4 spells are the practical max with level 5s happening rarely and levels 6 and 7 perhaps once in the Artificer's lifetime. Anything more is theoretically possible but so far hasn't been done.
Homunculi and other Constructs are somewhat common in major cities, especially since dead Homunculi and their creators don't hurt each other if either dies.
There are no feat or caster level requirements for the three item creation feats, Craft Consumable Item, Craft Charged Item, and Craft Construct. Classes that still get specific item creation feats still do, but only that aspect of the feat. For example, Wizards can still get Scribe Scroll from their class (so they can create magic scrolls), but don't automatically get Craft Consumable Item.
Magic and Society
I envision magic affecting societies as such:
-Major cities have plant growth (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/plantgrowth.htm) farms tended by unseen servant (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/unseenservant.htm)s, Elementals, Undead, and Constructs. Similarly, there are mount (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/mount.htm) butcheries for carnivores and prestidigitation (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/prestidigitation.htm) is cheaply or freely available for reflavoring.
-Major cities have at least one permanent wall of fire (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/wallOfFire.htm) or daylight (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/daylight.htm) power plant for continual energy and warmth.
-Major cities have mini mithals, granting everyone see invisibility (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/seeinvisibility.htm) and +lots (let's arbitrarily say +20) to Spot and Listen checks. There's far less crime when far more people can be witness to such things.
-Magic is prevalent, though highly controlled. Because of the prevalence of trade houses, the classifications of what spells are considered black, gray, or white (see below) are in flux. They're usually decided by whoever (re)discovers this magic or who has enough authority to enforce the classification. The main distinction is the public availability of items of these spells, or finding a caster willing and able to cast these spells. Finally, casters still learn their normal spells when leveling and through independent research, meaning Ye Old Illusionist can still learn silent image at level 1, or research it, or spend a feat to get it. Sorcerers can learn charm person or dominate monster because they innately know and cast spells.
The most societally disruptive magic is kept in black books for use by governments and for emergency purposes. Mind control, glibness (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/glibness.htm) (an indirect form of mind control), and significant wealth creation abilities are here.
Magic intended for law enforcement and very trusted licensed practitioners is in gray books. Direct damage spells, most battlefield control spells, most creation spells, and most summon and calling spells are here. Most future-telling or security-bypassing Divinations are here, as well as dimension door (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/dimensiondoor.htm) and teleportation magic. Finally, stealth magic like invisibility (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/invisibility.htm) and silence (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/silence.htm) are gray.
Common magic for the layman is in white books. Defensive spells and healing/restorative spells are here. Any spell that's more for flavor than power is here too if it does not fit as a black or gray spell (prestidigitation (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/prestidigitation.htm)).
What People Do All Day
There is no peasantry. Instead, there are 2 main types of people in civilization:
-Producers are the artisans and administrators who run the government, maintain the city, train people, and, oh , make items, especially magic items. They're effectively the shopkeepers and trainers in World of Warcraft. No, there are no floating punctuation marks above, below, or around their bodies.
-Consumers are adventurers. People not content with lying around while others amass greater fortune, fame, and power go out and risk their lives worldwide. What are they gonna do at home, eat themselves to death? These are the player characters of World of Warcraft.
About 20 years ago, the western continent became almost uninhabitable due to a magic-fueled war. Now, most civilizations are on or under the eastern continent, though magic has not fully recovered.
On the eastern continent, there are small numbers of large settlements controlled by trade houses. Each major trade house favors arcane magic, divine magic, or psionics. Meldshapers and Tome of Magic classes exist, but are not the focal point of any house. Non-casters- those lacking magic due to low mental stats or racial discrimination- commonly become martial adepts and, on occasion, Factotums or other classes.
Meta (slightly reflavored Warforged) are considered the world's best remaining artisans. Indeed, many Meta are Artificers or Clerics or Wizards or Psions. Their main problem is their inability to reproduce. Their creator is effectively dead and no one has been able to reinvent the means to make them. There are about 80 Meta remaining in the world and all are highly protected by every nation. Whoever kills a Meta has his nation, his family, and himself destroyed.
Mechanics
I envisioned the remaining cities as having lots of magic. For now, let's assume no one on this plane is higher than level 5. Level 5 is reserved for heroes and prominent members of trade houses and the most experienced Meta.
The average person is level 1 or 2. They might hit level 3 before middle age and level 4 by the time they die.
In this setting, there are Artificers who can work with the 'old ways.' They can make items from every obscure PrC's spell list, especially these Complete Divine PrCs:
-Blighter: Druid Spells
-Divine Crusader: Domain Spells. Due to Divine Magician (Complete Mage 33), this includes every Abjuration, Divination, and Necromancy spell. Being domain spells, anyspell and greater anyspell are here too.
-Ur-Priest: Cleric Spells
This means that, with minor caster level boosts (like the Spellgifted trait and Complete Champion 133's masterwork holy symbols), a level 5 Artificer can make items of level 9 domain, Cleric, and Druid spells if they get the resources. I was shocked when I thought of this.
For our purposes, let's assume level 4 spells are the practical max with level 5s happening rarely and levels 6 and 7 perhaps once in the Artificer's lifetime. Anything more is theoretically possible but so far hasn't been done.
Homunculi and other Constructs are somewhat common in major cities, especially since dead Homunculi and their creators don't hurt each other if either dies.
There are no feat or caster level requirements for the three item creation feats, Craft Consumable Item, Craft Charged Item, and Craft Construct. Classes that still get specific item creation feats still do, but only that aspect of the feat. For example, Wizards can still get Scribe Scroll from their class (so they can create magic scrolls), but don't automatically get Craft Consumable Item.
Magic and Society
I envision magic affecting societies as such:
-Major cities have plant growth (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/plantgrowth.htm) farms tended by unseen servant (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/unseenservant.htm)s, Elementals, Undead, and Constructs. Similarly, there are mount (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/mount.htm) butcheries for carnivores and prestidigitation (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/prestidigitation.htm) is cheaply or freely available for reflavoring.
-Major cities have at least one permanent wall of fire (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/wallOfFire.htm) or daylight (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/daylight.htm) power plant for continual energy and warmth.
-Major cities have mini mithals, granting everyone see invisibility (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/seeinvisibility.htm) and +lots (let's arbitrarily say +20) to Spot and Listen checks. There's far less crime when far more people can be witness to such things.
-Magic is prevalent, though highly controlled. Because of the prevalence of trade houses, the classifications of what spells are considered black, gray, or white (see below) are in flux. They're usually decided by whoever (re)discovers this magic or who has enough authority to enforce the classification. The main distinction is the public availability of items of these spells, or finding a caster willing and able to cast these spells. Finally, casters still learn their normal spells when leveling and through independent research, meaning Ye Old Illusionist can still learn silent image at level 1, or research it, or spend a feat to get it. Sorcerers can learn charm person or dominate monster because they innately know and cast spells.
The most societally disruptive magic is kept in black books for use by governments and for emergency purposes. Mind control, glibness (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/glibness.htm) (an indirect form of mind control), and significant wealth creation abilities are here.
Magic intended for law enforcement and very trusted licensed practitioners is in gray books. Direct damage spells, most battlefield control spells, most creation spells, and most summon and calling spells are here. Most future-telling or security-bypassing Divinations are here, as well as dimension door (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/dimensiondoor.htm) and teleportation magic. Finally, stealth magic like invisibility (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/invisibility.htm) and silence (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/silence.htm) are gray.
Common magic for the layman is in white books. Defensive spells and healing/restorative spells are here. Any spell that's more for flavor than power is here too if it does not fit as a black or gray spell (prestidigitation (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/prestidigitation.htm)).
What People Do All Day
There is no peasantry. Instead, there are 2 main types of people in civilization:
-Producers are the artisans and administrators who run the government, maintain the city, train people, and, oh , make items, especially magic items. They're effectively the shopkeepers and trainers in World of Warcraft. No, there are no floating punctuation marks above, below, or around their bodies.
-Consumers are adventurers. People not content with lying around while others amass greater fortune, fame, and power go out and risk their lives worldwide. What are they gonna do at home, eat themselves to death? These are the player characters of World of Warcraft.