Dawnforge

[Deth Muncher]

Hey, so this summer I'm going to end up playing in a Dawnforge campaign that one of my players wants to run. Does anyone here have any previous experience with the campaign setting?

For those of you who don't know, Dawnforge is basically set in the ancient past of the D&D-verse: The humans are a brand new race, and all the other races have just gotten kicked out of the Ethereal Plane onto the Material and are now mortal. Basically, the PCs really DO become the heroes of legend that are talked about - this is all pre-Gygax's group stuff. I think it's pretty neat, though I haven't read much on it.

[Yora]

I think it's a great idea and work on a quite similar setting, but I think just by itself Danwforge isn't that great. Maybe I just forget those parts after I read it, but it seems more like a concept for a setting than an actual setting.
Wasn't that impressed, but the idea is great.

[Riftwalker]

I've run a couple Dawnforge campaigns (one still going, one before that lasted over a year) and played in a long-term one as a player and absolutely love(d) it.

Since it's still "early" in the campaign world, players/DMs have a chance to influence or become some of the first examples of many fantasy staples. In some cases the outcomes may be different. Examples:

One of my players is working out the details of becoming the very first lich -- something his family has worked on for generations. His ancestors made only so much progress...


Since other aspects of magic aren't figured out yet, so inter-planar travel, long-distance teleportation, extra-dimensional spaces, resurrection, doesn't exist until either the players directly figure it out, assist others in doing so, or witness the effects of its introduction on the game world.


If you read through the spells in the PHB/SRD/whatever and read between the lines there are also some stories there that can be told. For instance, imagine an ongoing war between the Kingsmarch (think paladins, aasimars, angels, etc.) and the Valhedrin Dominion (demonologists, summoners, tieflings, legions of devils, etc.). The Dominion has the edge in terms of overall magic. Until the knights of the Kingsmarch charge the battlefield while under the effects of antimagic fields. So they win a battle. Then the Dominion invents wall of force which works in an AMF. And so they win a few battles. And then mechanics of the battle changes again as the wizards of the Kingsmarch invent disintegrate which destroys walls of force... The introduction of magic in this way affects the events of the game world and allows the players to participate directly in these kinds of events (as the Kingsmarch knight with the secret weapon of AMF or the Dominion mage that cast wall of force.)


Things can happen differently. Everyone knows that the Drow live in the Underdark and are a menace. In Dawnforge, the elves have only recently had their schism that led to the civil war that led to the night elves (proto-Drow) moving underground. But what if the characters intervene here? Then the world is taken in a new direction.


Because the world is still new, depending on the actions and events of the players in the game world, the end result of the world at the culmination of the campaign could end up looking very much like other campaign settings (FR, Eberron, Dark Sun, etc.) depending on what transpires in the campaign. I realize that DMs mess with campaign settings all the time but in Dawnforge there's more up in the air.

For instance, there's still hope for the Orcish race to end up as a more civilized race that rivals humans (think something like in the Warcraft universe) rather than always being the raging horde of raiders that they end up as in other settings. Or, while minotaurs are on the decline, it isn't too late for them to regroup as a race rather than being relegated to the rare monster.


Anyway this is sort of rambly but if you can't tell I'm kind of a fan of the setting.

[Deth Muncher]

I'm actually really excited for this. I know one of the characters in the campaign is going to be a minotaur, and another a lizardfolk. I'm not sure what I want to be - I just can't be a human, as per the DM's request. I do know I want to be an arcane caster - but I'd heard some of the casting classes had gotten borked around. Any input? I could always relive my first character, a halfling sorceror who was a bit of a pyro. Though maybe picking a new elemental schtick.

[Greenish]

For instance, there's still hope for the Orcish race to end up as a more civilized race that rivals humans (think something like in the Warcraft universe) rather than always being the raging horde of raiders that they end up as in other settings.Not in all other settings. :smallamused: /Eberron fanboy

[Deth Muncher]

I just found out that being a sorceror halfling is hella awesome - since in Dawnforge, every race gets Stat-Ups every few levels, and halflings in addition to their natural +2 get two additional +2, meaning that by level 6 or so I have a base charisma of 24. LOLPWNT. I love it.

Also, in their text, it specifically says that sorcerors can cast ALL spells. Should I bring this up to the DM so I can get all spells? Or is that just too jerky?

[Yora]

It probably means "all spells known".

A sorcerer who has all arcane spells in existance as spells known would probably be the most broken thing ever. Lightning Warrior is weak compared to that. :smallbiggrin:

[Deth Muncher]

It probably means "all spells known".

A sorcerer who has all arcane spells in existance as spells known would probably be the most broken thing ever. Lightning Warrior is weak compared to that. :smallbiggrin:

Oh, no no, not what I meant. I mean, yeah, a sorceror with access to EVERY arcane spell in his spells known is silly - that's actually a subplot of my current campaign. But I digress. I meant, does this mean I can go beg to get some divine-only spells of hilarity?

[Riftwalker]

I do know I want to be an arcane caster - but I'd heard some of the casting classes had gotten borked around. Any input?

The Dawnforge books adds/replaces some of the base classes:
Cleric => Disciple
Druid => Shaman
Monk => Spirit Adept

and then there's this concept of a "bonded aspect" for wizards. Since wizards are still piecing together how arcane magic works, none of them really grasp it at the fundamental level that would allow them to learn any sort of arcane magic. So instead, through the limited, compartmentalized knowledge they do have, there are different "aspects" have different sorts of magic figured out. Essentially, bonded wizards choose four arcane spell schools to be practiced in, and the rest are foreign/alien to them. They can still learn them, it's just more difficult. The different aspects are also somewhat tied to different regions, since different magical traditions spring up in different places. (And later on there are ways to add schools to a character's aspect.)

I don't remember anything about sorcerers in the Dawnforge campaign setting, but I haven't reread it in a while.

Also, assuming your characters actually go on to perform legendary deeds (thereby accumulating legendary points), there are additional ability bonuses that you'll get to your ability scores as well as some other goodies like being able to gain a +20 bonus to certain skills up to a few times per day and being able to adjust which attributes power which skills.

[Tetsubo 57]

I so wish that Dawnforge had been the officially published setting rather than Ebberon. It is just so much better. I would love to see a PF version. *sigh*

[Riftwalker]

I so wish that Dawnforge had been the officially published setting rather than Ebberon. It is just so much better. I would love to see a PF version. *sigh*

It's not too hard to convert Dawnforge material into Pathfinder material. I've done that the campaign I'm running currently.

[Deth Muncher]

I so wish that Dawnforge had been the officially published setting rather than Ebberon. It is just so much better. I would love to see a PF version. *sigh*

It...was officially published, though not instead of Eberron. S'got the d20 stamp and everything.