Solifuge
2012-06-12, 03:02 PM
Blunderbuss Homebrew Rules Thread:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/15979669/Game%20Design/Blunderbuss/Images/BB%20Title%201.jpg
Blunderbuss is a campaign setting that aims to bring classic D&D Sword and Sorcery into the Early-Modern period, with a bit of Steampunk flare. Comments, critiques, and OMGWTFBBQs are welcome.
The system itself is a heavy homebrew of Pathfinder E6, with mechanics imported from other systems such as "A Game of Thrones d20". As of now, they include a new-but-old cast of PC races, a flexible approach to character creation suited for E6, a sensible alternative to alignment, a formulaic and Faustian approach to Magick, black powder weapons and sailing technology, a naval combat system, revised armor mechanics, and grittier wound-tracking and death mechanics.
I approach GMing as both a game and an interactive writing process, and am intending to use this homebrew with folks ranging from min-maxers to lore-junkies, and even a few newcomers to Tabletop Gaming. My goal is to make things simple to understand, while deep enough to tell a good story and allow for players to make characters they want to play. Of course, since there are a lot of new and altered mechanics, and I'm relatively new to Pathfinder, balance is a concern as well. I welcome advice and critiques that help keep characters at that happy medium between paper-thin, and phenomenal cosmic powers.
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Character Races:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/15979669/Game%20Design/Blunderbuss/Images/BB%20Races.png
The Flinds:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/15979669/Game%20Design/Blunderbuss/Images/BB%20Flind%20Sketch.jpg
+2 Strength, +2 Constitution, -2 Charisma: Flind are strong and resilient, but lack force of personality.
Medium: Flinds are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Fast: Flinds have a base speed of 40 feet.
Low-Light Vision: Flinds can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light.
Loyalty: Flinds get a +2 racial bonus on saves against mind-affecting charm and compulsion effects.
Toothy: Flinds have a bite attack that deals 1d4 Damage. This is a Primary Natural Attack, or a Secondary Natural Attack while wielding a manufactured weapon.
Scent: Flinds gain the Scent extraordinary ability.
Background Information:
Physical Description: Flinds, or Gnolls as they're sometimes called, are doglike humanoids with heavy builds and bushy tails. Their bodies are covered in coarse fur, spotted and patterned in various shades of tan, brown, grey, and black, with dark manes of longer fur growing from their neck and shoulders. Their hands and feet are broad, bearing small claws. Male and female Flinds look alike, and their culture seldom distinguishes gender but in courtship. Oftentimes, other races tend to assume most Flinds are male, and few Flinds are concerned with correcting them.
Tradition and Society: Traditional Flinds are highly codependent. They organize themselves and their cities into a series of Houses, with anywhere from tens to hundreds of members each. Each House is similar to a clan or family, in that its members share a surname, and owe their loyalty to the head of their House. Houses are also like a guild or businesses, in that each one specializes in certain trades and exports, and individuals may leave a House to join another one more in line with their interests. Houses have a variety of specialties as well; one may boast the best metalsmiths around, while another trains its members in history and the performing arts. Another still may exclusively hire out their members as bodyguards for other Houses. Every settlement has a Creche-House as well, whose members are responsible for raising all the young in the area, until they're ready to be apprenticed to a House of their own.
There is no central authority in these communities, but the local leaders of each House act as a council when regulating inter-house trade, settling disputes, and so on. The closest thing to Flind nobility are honored members of the Great Houses, which are exclusive to all but the best in their trades. With expertise comes authority, and members of the Great Houses enjoy greater respect and power, and some have a presence in foreign lands as well.
Names: At birth, Flinds are given a simple name by their Creche-House. At adulthood, they choose a second title for themselves, describing their personality, aspirations, or accomplishments, and take the surname of their new House. Flinds living in foreign lands may take the name of their home town or district as a surname to reflect their ties to the community, while traveling Flinds may change or invent a new surname to reflect the purpose for their travel.
Names: Aki, Chigo, Hanen, Ji, Karr, Tanda
Titles: (the) Honest, Sword-For-Hire, Silversmith, White-Eye
Surnames: (of) The Mariners, Rocksplitter Company, Stenhalsh
* Examples: Mokiri Skin-Stealer of Bright Band, Samo the Trapper of Vikholt
The Kenku:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/15979669/Game%20Design/Blunderbuss/Images/BB%20Kenku%20Sketch.jpg
+2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom, -2 Constitution: Kenku are quick and keen, but have frail builds.
Medium: Kenku are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Normal Speed: Kenku have a base speed of 30 feet.
Observant: Kenku receive a +2 racial bonus on Perception and Stealth checks.
Mimicry: Kenku can use the Bluff skill to reproduce any sound they know with surprising accuracy. They can duplicate an individual's voice or an environmental sound, though loud, complex, or inorganic sounds are more difficult to mimic.
Glide: Kenku are capable of limited flight: as a move action, you may Fly 40' (average), with the following limitations: you must begin gliding from at least 5' above the ground, and descend at least 5' for every 20' you fly. You may not ascend or hover while gliding, but may descend in a tight downward spiral at up to 1/2 of your Fly speed. If you glide for less than half of your total Fly speed in a round, you begin to fall. If carrying a Medium load while gliding, you are checked, and must succeed at a DC 10 Fly check to stay airborn, or you begin to fall. You may not glide while carrying a heavy load, or while exhausted.
Background Information:
Physical Description: Kenku are birdlike humanoids, lighter and smaller than the average human. They have broad beaks ending in a short hook, four-toed feet and hands ending in talons, and a pair of feathered wings capable of limited flight. Except for their scaly hands and feet, colored feathers cover their bodies, and vary widely between glossy shades of black, brown, midnight blue, emerald, and rust-red, with lighter brown shades on their fronts. Females often have more subdued feathers with dark and light accents, while males sport more vibrant feathers with bolder accents. Both males and females have a fan of long, thin feathers on their heads which they can raise when proud, excited, or pleased, though male crests tend to be larger and more colorful. Their voices are capable of producing an impressive array of sounds, though they often croak and whistle while speaking.
Tradition and Society: Traditional Kenku live a semi-nomadic lifestyle, following the seasons across the hilly southern plains of Draskar. During the wet season, they take up residence in great sloping vertical cities called Eyries, built into cliffs and around valleys. There, they grow food, hunt, and celebrate the bounty the season has brought them. When the dry seasons come, a small population of hunters, tradesmen, the old, and the infirm remain behind in the Eyries, while most of them depart for the Draskari plains. They live out the rest of the year in mobile hunter-gatherer villages, herding flocks of flightless Great Moas, which provide them with mounts, large hard-shelled eggs, feathers, meat, and hide.
Kenku culture has only loose ideas of personal property, and they often treat ownership as something shared by a community, rather than an individual. Goods, tools, trinkets, and other possessions frequently change hands within their communities; a habit which has earned them a reputation as thieves and mischief-makers when living among other cultures.
Fewer Kenku Eyries exist than once did, as Orcish settlements spread to encompass their grazing lands. They are well-integrated in Orcish society and elsewhere in the settled world, with closely knit "Kenku Nests" found in most major cities. Outside of their homeland, Kenku are often called to lives as merchants, sailors, couriers, and other lives of travel.
The Hobs:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/15979669/Game%20Design/Blunderbuss/Images/BB%20Hob%20Sketch.png
+2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma, -2 Wisdom: Hobs tend to be agile and personable, but lack in good judgement and foresight.
Small: Hobs gain a +1 Size Bonus to Attack Rolls and Defense, a +4 Size Bonus on Stealth checks, and a -1 Penalty on Combat Maneuvers.
Slow: Due to their small size, Hobs have a base speed of 20 feet.
Hob Luck: +1 racial bonus on all saving throws.
Fae Heritage: Hobs are treated as Fae beings for effects related to origin, and may cast up to 1st-Circle spells without a Magickal Pact.
Prehensile Tail: Hob tails are flexible and strong, and can be used almost like a third limb. Their tails grant a +2 racial bonus to Acrobatics checks. They may also be used to attempt minor feats of dexterity, including picking pockets, opening containers, or grabbing and carrying light, easily-grasped objects. Their tail can be used like a hand when climbing or hanging from ropes, beams, ladders, and so on, keeping their hands free for other tasks.
Empathy: Hobs have an incredible empathic sense. Once per day, a Hob can read the surface thoughts and emotions of a single intelligent being. You must be able to make eye contact with the target of this ability (if your target is blind, it does not prevent this effect, though smoked lenses or a blindfold will). It is treated as the "Read Thoughts" spell effect, cast by a magick user of your Character Level.
Background Information:
Physical Description: Brownies, Halflings, House Fairies... Hobs have been known by many names through the years. They look somewhat like human children, though with more robust bodies, larger feet and hands, wider faces, and slightly pointed ears. Their hands and feet tend to be hairy, and they have nimble, arm-length tails sporting a tuft of fur on the end. Their hair, eye, and skin colors have a similar range to those of Humans.
Society: Hobs are traditionally known for their empathy, curiosity, mischievous streaks, secrecy, and shifting moods. They have lived in and among other civilizations for ages, but when and where they first appeared is the subject of much debate, even among Hobs. One legend says that Hobs originally came from the Otherworld, and are all the distant children of humans and escaped servants of the Faerie Courts. Of course, that same legend says that if you can catch a Hob by the ear they'll grant you a wish, and many a fool has tried this only to irk the local Hob population. As these sorts were likely soon to learn, they'd have been wiser to heed more recent tales; those with the Hobs' favor live charmed lives, but those who displease them soon have much to worry about.
In settled lands, Hobs can be found in most large rural villages, port towns, and cities. Seldom building homes of their own, they are known for taking up residence in stables, warehouses, manors, businesses, and public buildings, making their living quarters among the attics, rafters, cellars, roofs, and crawlspaces of the settlement. These Hobs often prefer to remain unseen, but will spend their evenings or early mornings working, cleaning, and mending things around the building in exchange for a bit of food and a place to stay. These "House Hobs" tend to come and go, and if their current dwelling or its owners don't suit them, they have no qualms about leaving to find a new home. Some House Hobs may roam from town to town throughout their lives, practicing many trades, and learning many secrets. Others may stay in a given home for their whole lives, and though slow to adapt to the ways of others, may even take up paid positions in a workshop, inn, or courthouse where their kin have lived for generations.
Not all Hobs live this way, of course. Close-knit Hob Clans can be found far and wide, living as nomads, herders, traders, and even dedicated entertaining troupes. Though nomadic, these Clans trade, perform, carouse, and otherwise live among the settled peoples of many lands, and are generally welcomed by the common folk. Hob clans have been found all across Aberond and Draskar, and recent rumors have it that Hobs were already living in the lands of the eastern colonies, long before the first colonists had set foot there... though how they got there is anyone's guess.
The Kobolds:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/15979669/Game%20Design/Blunderbuss/Images/BB%20Kobold%20Sketch.png
+2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, –2 Stength: Kobolds tend to be quick and crafty, but lack physical strength.
Small: Kobolds gain a +1 Size Bonus to Attack Rolls and Defense, a +4 Size Bonus on Stealth checks, and a -1 Penalty on Combat Maneuvers.
Fast: Kobolds are fast for their size, and have a base speed of 30 feet.
Darkvision: Kobolds have Darkvision up to 60 feet.
Tough Scales: Kobolds have a +1 natural armor bonus.
Crafty: Kobolds gain a +2 racial bonus to any two Craft or Profession skills.
Slight of Frame: Kobolds tend to have thin builds well-suited to squeezing into narrow places. This grants them a +2 bonus on all Escape Artist checks. Kobolds can also slip through squares occupied by creatures 1 or more size category larger than them (instead of the normal 3). This movement provokes Attacks of Opportunity as normal, and they cannot end their movement in an occupied square. Creatures that fill their entire square cannot be moved past in this way.
(To Be Continued)
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/15979669/Game%20Design/Blunderbuss/Images/BB%20Title%201.jpg
Blunderbuss is a campaign setting that aims to bring classic D&D Sword and Sorcery into the Early-Modern period, with a bit of Steampunk flare. Comments, critiques, and OMGWTFBBQs are welcome.
The system itself is a heavy homebrew of Pathfinder E6, with mechanics imported from other systems such as "A Game of Thrones d20". As of now, they include a new-but-old cast of PC races, a flexible approach to character creation suited for E6, a sensible alternative to alignment, a formulaic and Faustian approach to Magick, black powder weapons and sailing technology, a naval combat system, revised armor mechanics, and grittier wound-tracking and death mechanics.
I approach GMing as both a game and an interactive writing process, and am intending to use this homebrew with folks ranging from min-maxers to lore-junkies, and even a few newcomers to Tabletop Gaming. My goal is to make things simple to understand, while deep enough to tell a good story and allow for players to make characters they want to play. Of course, since there are a lot of new and altered mechanics, and I'm relatively new to Pathfinder, balance is a concern as well. I welcome advice and critiques that help keep characters at that happy medium between paper-thin, and phenomenal cosmic powers.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Character Races:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/15979669/Game%20Design/Blunderbuss/Images/BB%20Races.png
The Flinds:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/15979669/Game%20Design/Blunderbuss/Images/BB%20Flind%20Sketch.jpg
+2 Strength, +2 Constitution, -2 Charisma: Flind are strong and resilient, but lack force of personality.
Medium: Flinds are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Fast: Flinds have a base speed of 40 feet.
Low-Light Vision: Flinds can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light.
Loyalty: Flinds get a +2 racial bonus on saves against mind-affecting charm and compulsion effects.
Toothy: Flinds have a bite attack that deals 1d4 Damage. This is a Primary Natural Attack, or a Secondary Natural Attack while wielding a manufactured weapon.
Scent: Flinds gain the Scent extraordinary ability.
Background Information:
Physical Description: Flinds, or Gnolls as they're sometimes called, are doglike humanoids with heavy builds and bushy tails. Their bodies are covered in coarse fur, spotted and patterned in various shades of tan, brown, grey, and black, with dark manes of longer fur growing from their neck and shoulders. Their hands and feet are broad, bearing small claws. Male and female Flinds look alike, and their culture seldom distinguishes gender but in courtship. Oftentimes, other races tend to assume most Flinds are male, and few Flinds are concerned with correcting them.
Tradition and Society: Traditional Flinds are highly codependent. They organize themselves and their cities into a series of Houses, with anywhere from tens to hundreds of members each. Each House is similar to a clan or family, in that its members share a surname, and owe their loyalty to the head of their House. Houses are also like a guild or businesses, in that each one specializes in certain trades and exports, and individuals may leave a House to join another one more in line with their interests. Houses have a variety of specialties as well; one may boast the best metalsmiths around, while another trains its members in history and the performing arts. Another still may exclusively hire out their members as bodyguards for other Houses. Every settlement has a Creche-House as well, whose members are responsible for raising all the young in the area, until they're ready to be apprenticed to a House of their own.
There is no central authority in these communities, but the local leaders of each House act as a council when regulating inter-house trade, settling disputes, and so on. The closest thing to Flind nobility are honored members of the Great Houses, which are exclusive to all but the best in their trades. With expertise comes authority, and members of the Great Houses enjoy greater respect and power, and some have a presence in foreign lands as well.
Names: At birth, Flinds are given a simple name by their Creche-House. At adulthood, they choose a second title for themselves, describing their personality, aspirations, or accomplishments, and take the surname of their new House. Flinds living in foreign lands may take the name of their home town or district as a surname to reflect their ties to the community, while traveling Flinds may change or invent a new surname to reflect the purpose for their travel.
Names: Aki, Chigo, Hanen, Ji, Karr, Tanda
Titles: (the) Honest, Sword-For-Hire, Silversmith, White-Eye
Surnames: (of) The Mariners, Rocksplitter Company, Stenhalsh
* Examples: Mokiri Skin-Stealer of Bright Band, Samo the Trapper of Vikholt
The Kenku:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/15979669/Game%20Design/Blunderbuss/Images/BB%20Kenku%20Sketch.jpg
+2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom, -2 Constitution: Kenku are quick and keen, but have frail builds.
Medium: Kenku are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Normal Speed: Kenku have a base speed of 30 feet.
Observant: Kenku receive a +2 racial bonus on Perception and Stealth checks.
Mimicry: Kenku can use the Bluff skill to reproduce any sound they know with surprising accuracy. They can duplicate an individual's voice or an environmental sound, though loud, complex, or inorganic sounds are more difficult to mimic.
Glide: Kenku are capable of limited flight: as a move action, you may Fly 40' (average), with the following limitations: you must begin gliding from at least 5' above the ground, and descend at least 5' for every 20' you fly. You may not ascend or hover while gliding, but may descend in a tight downward spiral at up to 1/2 of your Fly speed. If you glide for less than half of your total Fly speed in a round, you begin to fall. If carrying a Medium load while gliding, you are checked, and must succeed at a DC 10 Fly check to stay airborn, or you begin to fall. You may not glide while carrying a heavy load, or while exhausted.
Background Information:
Physical Description: Kenku are birdlike humanoids, lighter and smaller than the average human. They have broad beaks ending in a short hook, four-toed feet and hands ending in talons, and a pair of feathered wings capable of limited flight. Except for their scaly hands and feet, colored feathers cover their bodies, and vary widely between glossy shades of black, brown, midnight blue, emerald, and rust-red, with lighter brown shades on their fronts. Females often have more subdued feathers with dark and light accents, while males sport more vibrant feathers with bolder accents. Both males and females have a fan of long, thin feathers on their heads which they can raise when proud, excited, or pleased, though male crests tend to be larger and more colorful. Their voices are capable of producing an impressive array of sounds, though they often croak and whistle while speaking.
Tradition and Society: Traditional Kenku live a semi-nomadic lifestyle, following the seasons across the hilly southern plains of Draskar. During the wet season, they take up residence in great sloping vertical cities called Eyries, built into cliffs and around valleys. There, they grow food, hunt, and celebrate the bounty the season has brought them. When the dry seasons come, a small population of hunters, tradesmen, the old, and the infirm remain behind in the Eyries, while most of them depart for the Draskari plains. They live out the rest of the year in mobile hunter-gatherer villages, herding flocks of flightless Great Moas, which provide them with mounts, large hard-shelled eggs, feathers, meat, and hide.
Kenku culture has only loose ideas of personal property, and they often treat ownership as something shared by a community, rather than an individual. Goods, tools, trinkets, and other possessions frequently change hands within their communities; a habit which has earned them a reputation as thieves and mischief-makers when living among other cultures.
Fewer Kenku Eyries exist than once did, as Orcish settlements spread to encompass their grazing lands. They are well-integrated in Orcish society and elsewhere in the settled world, with closely knit "Kenku Nests" found in most major cities. Outside of their homeland, Kenku are often called to lives as merchants, sailors, couriers, and other lives of travel.
The Hobs:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/15979669/Game%20Design/Blunderbuss/Images/BB%20Hob%20Sketch.png
+2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma, -2 Wisdom: Hobs tend to be agile and personable, but lack in good judgement and foresight.
Small: Hobs gain a +1 Size Bonus to Attack Rolls and Defense, a +4 Size Bonus on Stealth checks, and a -1 Penalty on Combat Maneuvers.
Slow: Due to their small size, Hobs have a base speed of 20 feet.
Hob Luck: +1 racial bonus on all saving throws.
Fae Heritage: Hobs are treated as Fae beings for effects related to origin, and may cast up to 1st-Circle spells without a Magickal Pact.
Prehensile Tail: Hob tails are flexible and strong, and can be used almost like a third limb. Their tails grant a +2 racial bonus to Acrobatics checks. They may also be used to attempt minor feats of dexterity, including picking pockets, opening containers, or grabbing and carrying light, easily-grasped objects. Their tail can be used like a hand when climbing or hanging from ropes, beams, ladders, and so on, keeping their hands free for other tasks.
Empathy: Hobs have an incredible empathic sense. Once per day, a Hob can read the surface thoughts and emotions of a single intelligent being. You must be able to make eye contact with the target of this ability (if your target is blind, it does not prevent this effect, though smoked lenses or a blindfold will). It is treated as the "Read Thoughts" spell effect, cast by a magick user of your Character Level.
Background Information:
Physical Description: Brownies, Halflings, House Fairies... Hobs have been known by many names through the years. They look somewhat like human children, though with more robust bodies, larger feet and hands, wider faces, and slightly pointed ears. Their hands and feet tend to be hairy, and they have nimble, arm-length tails sporting a tuft of fur on the end. Their hair, eye, and skin colors have a similar range to those of Humans.
Society: Hobs are traditionally known for their empathy, curiosity, mischievous streaks, secrecy, and shifting moods. They have lived in and among other civilizations for ages, but when and where they first appeared is the subject of much debate, even among Hobs. One legend says that Hobs originally came from the Otherworld, and are all the distant children of humans and escaped servants of the Faerie Courts. Of course, that same legend says that if you can catch a Hob by the ear they'll grant you a wish, and many a fool has tried this only to irk the local Hob population. As these sorts were likely soon to learn, they'd have been wiser to heed more recent tales; those with the Hobs' favor live charmed lives, but those who displease them soon have much to worry about.
In settled lands, Hobs can be found in most large rural villages, port towns, and cities. Seldom building homes of their own, they are known for taking up residence in stables, warehouses, manors, businesses, and public buildings, making their living quarters among the attics, rafters, cellars, roofs, and crawlspaces of the settlement. These Hobs often prefer to remain unseen, but will spend their evenings or early mornings working, cleaning, and mending things around the building in exchange for a bit of food and a place to stay. These "House Hobs" tend to come and go, and if their current dwelling or its owners don't suit them, they have no qualms about leaving to find a new home. Some House Hobs may roam from town to town throughout their lives, practicing many trades, and learning many secrets. Others may stay in a given home for their whole lives, and though slow to adapt to the ways of others, may even take up paid positions in a workshop, inn, or courthouse where their kin have lived for generations.
Not all Hobs live this way, of course. Close-knit Hob Clans can be found far and wide, living as nomads, herders, traders, and even dedicated entertaining troupes. Though nomadic, these Clans trade, perform, carouse, and otherwise live among the settled peoples of many lands, and are generally welcomed by the common folk. Hob clans have been found all across Aberond and Draskar, and recent rumors have it that Hobs were already living in the lands of the eastern colonies, long before the first colonists had set foot there... though how they got there is anyone's guess.
The Kobolds:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/15979669/Game%20Design/Blunderbuss/Images/BB%20Kobold%20Sketch.png
+2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, –2 Stength: Kobolds tend to be quick and crafty, but lack physical strength.
Small: Kobolds gain a +1 Size Bonus to Attack Rolls and Defense, a +4 Size Bonus on Stealth checks, and a -1 Penalty on Combat Maneuvers.
Fast: Kobolds are fast for their size, and have a base speed of 30 feet.
Darkvision: Kobolds have Darkvision up to 60 feet.
Tough Scales: Kobolds have a +1 natural armor bonus.
Crafty: Kobolds gain a +2 racial bonus to any two Craft or Profession skills.
Slight of Frame: Kobolds tend to have thin builds well-suited to squeezing into narrow places. This grants them a +2 bonus on all Escape Artist checks. Kobolds can also slip through squares occupied by creatures 1 or more size category larger than them (instead of the normal 3). This movement provokes Attacks of Opportunity as normal, and they cannot end their movement in an occupied square. Creatures that fill their entire square cannot be moved past in this way.
(To Be Continued)