Kol Korran
2012-08-12, 02:08 AM
(I don't think this needs to go on homebrew, since i'm looking mostly for ideas and inspiration, less for numbered stats, at the moment).
I'm trying to take an idea I started with on This thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=250290&highlight=piratewitch) and alter and refine it. I'd appreciate your help! (No need to actually read the other thread). One small note: Though this idea draws inspiration from the Binder class, our group never actually played with it yet, so there may be misunderstandings and problems here.
I've recently started DMing a fairly sandboxish pirate campaign. I wish the players to find a special treasure, a sort of mini artifact. The item in questions is a deck of cards, a bit similar to the Deck of Many Things. However, it works differently:
- When the appropriate person touches it (For this threads sake assume it's the PC's and other notable figures), the person is momentarily drawn to a vision: some sort of space, most of it black, with only two white gloved hands shuffling cards, and the voice of someone calling itself some benevolent name, and introducing this as a sort of a repository for heroes souls to be used in dire times, "such as it to come" (Or some other crap). In reality it is called "Dealer of souls" or something else, haven't yet decided. It offers the player to choose a card.
- The Dealer puts down 4 cards (like Tarot display?): One for Self, one for Friend/ Ally, one for Enemy, and one for World/ Fate. The player may choose one card. Each card holds some soul/ entity from the past and present of the campaign, a notable entity (though not necessarily well known though most are). The player gets to "bind" the soul, as a Binder making a poor pact. (manifesting some sort of sign, and some roleplay implication, which shouldn't be too harsh, but interesting).
- I am uncertain what would be more fun/ more interesting- Should the binding come immediately after the vision, or should it come after next the player rest (in this case it should be chosen before hand) when the player gets some dreams of the soul before going to sleep?
- also, for how long will he bind the soul? 24 hours as binders do? or perhaps for a shorter time? (1d6 hours, and then some sort of test to keep the spirit for 1d6 hours more? each time the test getting more difficult?)
- The player however pays a price for this boon- depending on the slot of the card (self, friend, enemy, world) some sort of effect will come on the specific slot (an enemy will get an advantage of some sort, in world the effect will affect something in the player's path, not in any of the other categories). These affect shouldn't be devestating, but they should definitely be felt, and themed to the specific card. this is more of a free form plot adjustment by the DM though.
- A card may be drawn by any one character every... 2d4 days? 1 week? (I'm aiming for about 1/2 in an adventure)
As time goes by, potnetially more powerful cards might be revealed, or extra options (like redrawing a card) and more and more of the identity of the dealer will be made clear. But that i leave for later, i wish to deal with the basics now.
So what am I looking for?
I'm looking to make the soul cards. One idea will be to take the Vestiges and refluff them. Another would be to make new ones to fit the party.
The soul's story and personality should be important. I want them to feature mainly in the world, be potential hooks. Any of yours ideas I might refluff to my world, some input below..
Sign: As they automatically make a poor pact, I want the Sign to be fairly obvious and strange to the environment, a sort of "branding for dealing with the devil". Again- mostly for roleplay purposes.
Influence: This should pose the player with interesting roleplay opportunities and complications (which are really interlinked)
Powers granted: As with the vestiges- on a certain theme fitting the vestige.. I'm not quite sure how to deal with different power levels (As the drawing of the cards is random). Perhaps... "with greater power comes greater payment?" how to measure that exactly?
Payment: Just suggestions for payment, themed of course.
Thanks everyone, every little bit of help is appreciated!
Some world background for those interested, not quite needed though: (nothing quite original)
- the general feel tries to capture something of the freedom loving rascals of "Pirates of the Caribbean" with some slightly more serious concepts.
-The ancient times had most common races (though not humans)enslaved and used by some ancient strange powerful demons/ aberrations. the races eventually fought, and won their freedom, but broke the continenet they lived on to thousands upon thousands of isles.
- In general the islanders work as island states, with each island governing itself. A few tiems there have been alliances between islands, but not to a great extent.
- Humans are not native to the setting, they came later. the main races of the islands are orcs (think WoW noble warriors), elves (scheming masters of the sea), Shoalings (sort of partially aquatic gypsy wandering halflings), dwarves (who are quite the diplomancers, go in betweens, merchants and schemers) and hobgoblins (martial japansese like society, venerating tradition and some fire religion). other races include the raptorans, whisper gnomes, goliaths, and killoren. The islanders frequently warred and raided each other (Including in the same race) till The Emprie came.
- The Empire is a sort of a colonial force (resembling the Brits at the height of their world expanding nautical empire) composed mostly of humans and another type of dwarves. They are different in culture, equipment, outlook and more. The islanders and them have clashed on several occasions, with The Empire usually coming on top. Currently the Empire rules indirectly, by representatives, though it's ship control the seas.
- Magic on the isles is of the instinctive, raw emotion type. all casters are sort of spontaneous casters, and all are considered witches of some sort. Their traditions stem from dealing with demons, shadows, spirits, the powers of dragons, the wind, the curse itself and so on. The general feel should be "voodoo magic!". The Empire magic is far more structured, and haven't been mastered by any islander.
Thanks!
(search word: piratewitch)
I'm trying to take an idea I started with on This thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=250290&highlight=piratewitch) and alter and refine it. I'd appreciate your help! (No need to actually read the other thread). One small note: Though this idea draws inspiration from the Binder class, our group never actually played with it yet, so there may be misunderstandings and problems here.
I've recently started DMing a fairly sandboxish pirate campaign. I wish the players to find a special treasure, a sort of mini artifact. The item in questions is a deck of cards, a bit similar to the Deck of Many Things. However, it works differently:
- When the appropriate person touches it (For this threads sake assume it's the PC's and other notable figures), the person is momentarily drawn to a vision: some sort of space, most of it black, with only two white gloved hands shuffling cards, and the voice of someone calling itself some benevolent name, and introducing this as a sort of a repository for heroes souls to be used in dire times, "such as it to come" (Or some other crap). In reality it is called "Dealer of souls" or something else, haven't yet decided. It offers the player to choose a card.
- The Dealer puts down 4 cards (like Tarot display?): One for Self, one for Friend/ Ally, one for Enemy, and one for World/ Fate. The player may choose one card. Each card holds some soul/ entity from the past and present of the campaign, a notable entity (though not necessarily well known though most are). The player gets to "bind" the soul, as a Binder making a poor pact. (manifesting some sort of sign, and some roleplay implication, which shouldn't be too harsh, but interesting).
- I am uncertain what would be more fun/ more interesting- Should the binding come immediately after the vision, or should it come after next the player rest (in this case it should be chosen before hand) when the player gets some dreams of the soul before going to sleep?
- also, for how long will he bind the soul? 24 hours as binders do? or perhaps for a shorter time? (1d6 hours, and then some sort of test to keep the spirit for 1d6 hours more? each time the test getting more difficult?)
- The player however pays a price for this boon- depending on the slot of the card (self, friend, enemy, world) some sort of effect will come on the specific slot (an enemy will get an advantage of some sort, in world the effect will affect something in the player's path, not in any of the other categories). These affect shouldn't be devestating, but they should definitely be felt, and themed to the specific card. this is more of a free form plot adjustment by the DM though.
- A card may be drawn by any one character every... 2d4 days? 1 week? (I'm aiming for about 1/2 in an adventure)
As time goes by, potnetially more powerful cards might be revealed, or extra options (like redrawing a card) and more and more of the identity of the dealer will be made clear. But that i leave for later, i wish to deal with the basics now.
So what am I looking for?
I'm looking to make the soul cards. One idea will be to take the Vestiges and refluff them. Another would be to make new ones to fit the party.
The soul's story and personality should be important. I want them to feature mainly in the world, be potential hooks. Any of yours ideas I might refluff to my world, some input below..
Sign: As they automatically make a poor pact, I want the Sign to be fairly obvious and strange to the environment, a sort of "branding for dealing with the devil". Again- mostly for roleplay purposes.
Influence: This should pose the player with interesting roleplay opportunities and complications (which are really interlinked)
Powers granted: As with the vestiges- on a certain theme fitting the vestige.. I'm not quite sure how to deal with different power levels (As the drawing of the cards is random). Perhaps... "with greater power comes greater payment?" how to measure that exactly?
Payment: Just suggestions for payment, themed of course.
Thanks everyone, every little bit of help is appreciated!
Some world background for those interested, not quite needed though: (nothing quite original)
- the general feel tries to capture something of the freedom loving rascals of "Pirates of the Caribbean" with some slightly more serious concepts.
-The ancient times had most common races (though not humans)enslaved and used by some ancient strange powerful demons/ aberrations. the races eventually fought, and won their freedom, but broke the continenet they lived on to thousands upon thousands of isles.
- In general the islanders work as island states, with each island governing itself. A few tiems there have been alliances between islands, but not to a great extent.
- Humans are not native to the setting, they came later. the main races of the islands are orcs (think WoW noble warriors), elves (scheming masters of the sea), Shoalings (sort of partially aquatic gypsy wandering halflings), dwarves (who are quite the diplomancers, go in betweens, merchants and schemers) and hobgoblins (martial japansese like society, venerating tradition and some fire religion). other races include the raptorans, whisper gnomes, goliaths, and killoren. The islanders frequently warred and raided each other (Including in the same race) till The Emprie came.
- The Empire is a sort of a colonial force (resembling the Brits at the height of their world expanding nautical empire) composed mostly of humans and another type of dwarves. They are different in culture, equipment, outlook and more. The islanders and them have clashed on several occasions, with The Empire usually coming on top. Currently the Empire rules indirectly, by representatives, though it's ship control the seas.
- Magic on the isles is of the instinctive, raw emotion type. all casters are sort of spontaneous casters, and all are considered witches of some sort. Their traditions stem from dealing with demons, shadows, spirits, the powers of dragons, the wind, the curse itself and so on. The general feel should be "voodoo magic!". The Empire magic is far more structured, and haven't been mastered by any islander.
Thanks!
(search word: piratewitch)