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ZeroGear
2011-05-29, 03:03 PM
Long ago, I had the idea to run a school-based campaign. At that time, I couldn't figure out how to set it up until I stumbled across generic classes. That led to my idea of making the world more focused on prestige classes instead of base classes.

I have picked up that idea again, but there are a few things lacking. While I have managed to create a generic Psionic class (I just used the Psion as a base since it is quite close already), a generic Meldshaper class, and a generic Shadowcaster class; there still is the problem of getting some class features certain prestige classes require.

Rage is not a problem, it can be selected if you are Chaotic with a BAB of +1 or higher (usable 1/day with another use every four levels). Fury Of Blows is the same as the Monk feature, and can be selected if you are Lawful with a BAB of +1 or higher and already have Unarmed Strike. The real problem was Wild Shape.

So I have come up with a solution: make it a domain power. By giving all Divine Spellcasters one domain I have created the cleric class, and by making a "Druid domain" I can bring the Wildshape ability into play (usable 1/day for every 3 divine caster levels; unaltered otherwise). Note that domain spells ares automatically added to the list of spells known at each level.

To counterbalance this, I am also giving Arcane Spellcasters their own domains, with granted ablilities that act the same way. By virtue of having a domain associated with a school of magic, the Arcane Spellcaster counts as being a specialist Mage for all intents and purposes.

One change I am making to the Warrior class is the option to completely give up the use of armor to gain the bonus similar to a monk. In other worlds, at first level of Warrior (and only first level) a player has the option to forgo the light and medium armor proficiency to gain the unarmored AC bonus the monk has (add widow to AC, +1 at 5th level and every five levels thereafter).

There are also a few reworkings in this World:
-Any class requiring a caster to prepare spells instead has [Arcane Preparation] as a requirement.
-The Bard and the Paladin are prestige classes.
-All races age as a human (tho some might have slightly longer lifespans)
-Prestige classes requiring the Still Mind class feature instead require Iron Will.
-Any prestige class requiring the Eldrich Blast ability is non-existent in this world (such as the Eldrich Disciple)
(will add more as I flesh out this world)

Edit: (changed to title to note the included extras of the world)

Is this a decent way to make generic classes and my world work or can I improve on what I have?

ZeroGear
2011-05-30, 06:03 AM
(please pardon the double post)

A few other changes to this system include how magic items are handled:
I intend this world to be a type of magical Victorian-era, including mostly magical versions of anything you find in a Steampunk setting. Naturally, this includes inventions. While many items exist as pre-era creations, most can easily be "assembled" by a character if he has access to the correct parts.

Rather than just buying a simple "magic sword", a character can buy a masterwork sword, some arcane wires, a mana-battery, and some spell plates and assemble the weapon himself with the proper use of the craft skill. This allows characters to be creative and gives insentive to invest in the craft skill in the first place.

At the same time, most rewards will only feature salvageable parts from equipment to counterblalance the high flexibility of available power as weapons can be broken down and 75% of their parts salvaged if still in good condition.
Also, the craft (alchemy) is accessible to non-spellcasters too.

Solaris
2011-05-30, 08:38 AM
(please pardon the double post)

A few other changes to this system include how magic items are handled:
I intend this world to be a type of magical Victorian-era, including mostly magical versions of anything you find in a Steampunk setting. Naturally, this includes inventions. While many items exist as pre-era creations, most can easily be "assembled" by a character if he has access to the correct parts.

Rather than just buying a simple "magic sword", a character can buy a masterwork sword, some arcane wires, a mana-battery, and some spell plates and assemble the weapon himself with the proper use of the craft skill. This allows characters to be creative and gives insentive to invest in the craft skill in the first place.

At the same time, most rewards will only feature salvageable parts from equipment to counterblalance the high flexibility of available power as weapons can be broken down and 75% of their parts salvaged if still in good condition.
Also, the craft (alchemy) is accessible to non-spellcasters too.

I like this one. I've been toying with the idea for a while.

TheLonelyScribe
2011-05-30, 09:02 AM
By virtue of having a domain associated with a school of magic, the Arcane Spellcaster counts as being a specialist Mage for all intense purposes.

It's intents and purposes. Just so you know.

Also, someone has had a similar idea to your steampunk thing before. If it's the same as what you're thinking of, you might use it, otherwise it could still serve as good inspiration: Magitech in D&D (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=182780&highlight=tapestries+runestones)

ZeroGear
2011-05-30, 03:43 PM
It's intents and purposes. Just so you know.

Thank you



Also, someone has had a similar idea to your steampunk thing before. If it's the same as what you're thinking of, you might use it, otherwise it could still serve as good inspiration: Magitech in D&D (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=182780&highlight=tapestries+runestones)

Ah, I had already found that, but thanks. It is not quite the same as my level is not that high. His idea is kinda like what we have today, with electrical grids and such, but with magic.
My era is closer to the Victorian times where most houses were still lit by lamps and fires, but guns had been developed. I'm still working on the finer point of the magitech gadgets.

ZeroGear
2011-05-31, 03:24 AM
(again, pardon the double-post)

Also, I have developed a pantheon for this wold:

The Three Trinities

Magic

Father Gray
-AL N*
-The Gray Father, the Great Owl, the uncaring sage
-Father Gray is the patron of all magic in all of it's forms. He is the keeper of knowledge *of all things arcane. He is the guardian of nature, since magic and nature are one. His domains are Magic, Plants, Animals, and Knowledge. His clerics wear gray robes, and his symbol is a gray owl on an open book. His favored weapon is the quarterstaff. He appears as an old man with an owl's head garbed in gray robes.

Mother White
-AL NG
-The white hare, the Good Healer, The White Mother
-Mother white is the goddess of good magic, and the patron of the healing arts. Her attendants preach mercy and forgiveness, and the use of magic to heal others. Her domains include Good, Magic, Healing, and Protection. Her clerics wear robes of pure white, and her holy symbol is the head of a white rabbit surrounded by a wreath of mistletoe. Her favored weapon is the shield. She appears as a stunning woman garbed in white robes with the ears of a white rabbit.

Dark Child
-AL NE
-The Plague spreader, the Vile Rat, The Child of Darkness
-Dark Child is the keeper of forbidden and vile magic. He is lord over magics that are evil and putrid, and corrupt the very soul. His domains include Magic, Evil, Death, and Destruction. His mortal servants garb themselves in robes of black, and his symbol is that of a rotting black rat. His favored weapon is the dagger. He appears as a hunched man with the head of a black rat, and is garbed in filthy, rotting, black robes.

Combat

General Topaz
-AL LG
-The Great General, The Grand Tiger, The Honorable Sun
-General Topaz is the god of honorable combat. He is the warrior of truth, justice, and honor, and it is said that the sun is his shield. He is the sworn enemy of Ruby Tyrant. His domains include War, Law, Sun, and Fire. His priests wear topaz robes with his holy symbol, a tiger head on top of a sun, emblazon on their shields. His favored weapon is the longsword. He appears as a knight armored in topaz armor with a tiger head.

Pilgrim Sapphire
-AL CN
-The Stalking Hermit, the wild cat, the Sapphire Mountain
-Pilgrim Sapphire is the patron of those who revel in combat. He is the god of emotional fighters and barbarians, as well as gladiators and heroes who stand with unwavering resolve. His domains include Chaos, War, Earth, and Strength. His holy symbol is a panther with a mountain in the background. His clerics wear sapphire blue robes, and his favored weapon is the great axe. He appears as a human-panther hybrid wearing a brown loincloth and chains.

Ruby Tyrant
-AL NE
-The Raging Boar, The Crashing Wave, The Red Torrent
-Ruby Tyrant is the patron of all destructive forces. Like the crashing waves of the sea, his power crushes his enemies under it's weight, and he encourages his clerics to slaughter their enemies and make them bleed rivers of blood. His domains are War, Evil, Water, and Destruction. His symbol is a boar's head riding above a red wave. His followers garb themselves in robes of ruby red, and favor the scythe as their weapon of choice. He appears as a heavily armored warrior in black ruby armor, with the head of a boar.

Skill

Seeker Gold
-AL LG
-The Golden Seeker, the Truthful Mouse, The Clue-finder
-Seeker Gold is the god of hidden truths and deductive reasoning. He is the patron of those who use guile and intellect to help those in need and expose dark secrets. His domains include Good, Knowledge, Law, and Luck. His priests wear robes of gold color with his holy symbol, a mouse holding a key, embroidered upon them. His favored weapon is a key-shaped club. He appears as a man with the head of a mouse garbed in a golden overcoat. * * *

Filcher Blue
-AL CN
-The Blue Filcher, the Thieving Magpie, the Laughing Traveller
-Filcher blue is the patron of travelers, thieves, thrill-seekers. She is the goddess who watches over those on long journeys and expeditions, in addition to those who pick pockets. Her domains include Air, Luck, Protection, and Travel. Her priests wear robes of sky-blue, and her holy symbol is a magpie over a nest full of jewels. Her favored weapon is the rapier, and she appears as a very attractive woman with blue feathers as hair and the wings of a magpie wearing a blue doublet and brown trousers.

Scarlet Vandal
-AL LE
-The Sly Fox, the Vile Vixen, The Seductress
-Scarlet Vandal is the goddess of subtlety, deception, and seduction. Patron of liars and blackmailers, she lords over the realms of deceit and theft by exploiting loopholes in agreements and promises. Her domains include Evil, Fire, Luck, and Trickery. Her priests wear robes of deep scarlet, and often have amulets or brooches depicting her holy symbol, a curled up red fox. Her favored weapon is the dagger, and she appears as a slender woman with the ears and tail of a red fox garbed in a slit scarlet dress.

Yes, the demon princes still exist, and yes, their cults also exist, but these are the prominent gods of the surface world.
Please note that I say surface world as I have yet to touch races such as the Drow.

ZeroGear
2011-06-03, 03:01 PM
(since no one has added anything else here, I'll just continue)

Since this world is set in the equivalent of a Victorian era, that means there age going to be guns. But these ones are a bit different. These 'spellguns' (which I think I mentiones somewhere else on the board) are kinda like large wands. Instead of iron balls, they fire spells that are solidified and stored in special 'bullets'. Each gun has a damage rating, while each bullet has a caster level. For the most basic bullets (energy), the damage dealt by a shot is equal to the damage rating of the gun x the bullet's spell level. (I'll add more information on types of bullets later).
For any gun, the maximum level a bullet can be is 5, and only cannon ammo can go higher.

Here is a story as to how the first gun was invented in the world:
The invention of the Spellgun

Long ago, there was a band of adventurers that had just recently started to travel together:

The gnome Uvalin was their Mage, and journeyed to gain a broader view on the world and acquire more potent spells. She had originally started this journey to show her village that her use of evocation spells and intricate magical devices could be just as potent as the illusions most used. She was partly an inventor, constantly working on a new idea when the time allowed it. She enjoyed Magon's company because it would often spark a new idea for an invention.
The halfling Nevel was their scout, always ready to help his friends out of a pinch with his trusty crossbow. He was a loyal friend to those he trusted, despite his sticky fingers getting in into trouble more than once. Truth be told, he adventured with Uvalin because Nevel enjoyed testing the gnomes new inventions and with Magon because the human had helped the halfling out of a very serious predicament.
The stout Galmit was their dwarven healer in addition to being a good smith. Originally a sturdy attendant of the Forge God, his beliefs started to waiver when he witnessed rampaging fire elemental turn every weapon turned against it into a pile of molten metal. If Magon hadn't been there to dump a load of rocks onto the creature, Galmit would have surely perished.
Their muscle, Bollit, was your typical muscle-packed half-Orc. Abandoned by his mother to the same orphanage where Magon grew up, the two became friends after the human child began defending the half-breed from bullies. The two have since become as close as brothers. While not the sharpest axe in the armory, Bollit more than makes up for it with muscle.
The last of the companions was Magon, a human of average build. Truthfully, everything except his looks and his whit were average about him. Orphaned at a young age, he began defending the half-Orc Bollit from bullies after the mixed blood pulled him out of a nearby river. While his adopted was gifted with strength of arms, he was gifted with strength of whit and charm. Most of the time he would be able to talk his way out of problems, relying on force of arms only if needed.

So, the group adventured on for a few months, managing to gain a little treasure from their exploits. During this time, Uvalin had noticed that Magon, while gifted in diplomacy, was constantly the target of assault since he had a harder time defending himself than the others. Uvalin had her spells, so few charged her directly; Galmit had his axe and faith to protect him; Galmit was too good at hiding to be attacked most of the time; and Bollit was strong enough to take down most of anything. So it seemed that Magon was often the target of choice in almost every battle.

"This needs fixing" thought the gnome Mage, running different ideas though her mind. She came upon a simple conclusion: she'd give the human one of her wands! But despite the idea being good, poor Magon was not gifted in the art of magic. But the Mage was not to be deterred, and began thinking of possible ways to rectify this issue.
"Maybe if I make the wand bigger" thought the gnome "he may be able to use the spell when he hits something." So, as the magic user started making a new wand, she used a club sized piece of ash as the base.
The idea would have worked, but the club proved too unwieldy for Magon, so he gave it to Bollit, who came to enjoy using his new 'thunder-club'.

Resolving to figure out how to help her dear friend defend himself, Uvalin turned to her companions Galmit and Nevel for ideas.
"Tha' ans'r's simple lassie," said the dwarf, "ya' jus' needs a lighter material. How 'bout makin' tha' rod hollow?"
"But if I did that," replied the gnome, "the rod would be too fragile to hit anything with."
"then how's about not using it to hit anything?" suggested Nevel, "I've heard of these strange weapons in the far east called blowguns. They use these small darts that you blow though them to fire at enemies. If you make the magic like one of those darts, you could have our friend blow it at his enemy."
"Don' be silly ya half-whit," grunted Galmit, "Ya can' just go blown' magic at stuff!"
"He's got a point," admitted Uvalin, "magic is volatile. Even if I did bind a spell to something, Magon would suffer a backlash."
"Then how's about making the spell into something like a crystal? If he threw it at an enemy, it could work like one of those flasks of alchemists fire." suggested Nevel.
Uvalin pondered this, then shook her head. "The spell has to still be directed at something. And there's not guarantee that the crystal will break."
"Hows 'bout stickn' tha' cryst'l into tha' rod then breakin' it?" said Galmit.
"Unless the end is capped there will still be backlash," Nevel countered, "and how would he aim?"
Uvalin considered this, her eyes by chance wandering across the halfling's crossbow.*
"Also," said Nevel, "if we cap the end the rod would break."
"Not of tha' rod be made of metal," Galmit argued. That is when an idea hit Uvalin.
"Nevel," said she, "can you make me a handle like your crossbow?"
"Not a problem," said the halfling.
"And Galmit, I need a metal rod that is hollow, a matching cap, and some metal bands." the gnome continued.
"Not a problem," answered the dwarf.

The three of them worked on their new idea for a few weeks, testing and improving on their ideas. Finally, their gift was ready.

"Magon," Uvalin said giddily, "we have a gift for you." She held out a bundle of cloth. Magon took the bundle and began carefully unwrapping it, slightly weary of what might be inside.
In the cloth, he found a device that seemed to be a long metal tube mounted on the stock of a crossbow. Taking the strange item in his hand, Magon looked it over and noticed that there was a hinge slightly above the trigger. He also noted a ring attached to the cap near the grip. It was about as long as his arm, and a little heavy.
"What is this?" he asked the gnomish inventor.
"A new weapon for you," Uvalin answered, pulling a small brass cylinder from her pocket. "Pull the switch on the side to open the barrel, put this in, then snap it shut." she instructed, handing the brass item to her companion.
Magon pulled the switch, causing the 'weapon' to seemingly break in half along the barrel. He inserted the piece of brass, then snapped it shut.
"Now pull the ring," said Nevel. Magon did as instructed, and heard a small 'click' when the tiny metal part locked in place.
"Now aim at tha' rock o'er there an' pull tha' trigger," said Galmit.
Magon aimed as told, using both hands to stabilize the tube, and pulled the switch. He was nearly knocked back as a blast of fire, assuringly not as strong as one of Uvalin's fireball spells, blasted from the end of the rod and took a good chunk of the rock with it.

Magon stared at the weapon in his hand, noting how the ring was back to where it had been before it w pulled. "What is this?" he asked dumbfounded.

"Something we thought you would like," said Uvalin. "We figured you could use a little help in battle. While not as strong as a Mage like me, this should help out a bit. Just remember that you need a new 'spell' after each shot."
"What exactly did you call this new weapon of yours?" the Magon asked. Uvalin looked at her friends, who returned her clueless stare. "We, haven't named it yet." she admitted.
With a smile, Magon looked at his three friends. "Then, Galmit, Uvalin, Nevel; since you three made this, I'll name it after you. How about we call it a G-U-N? A gun?"
One can imagine that the term "bullet" was named after the half-Orc Bollit because of how powerful it was.
Thoughts?