Thomar_of_Uointer
2013-07-08, 01:34 AM
This is a setting I've been working on for a while now. I wouldn't mind some feedback on it. The maps and many of the names were generated using Dwarf Fortress's Legends Mode export tools and layering effects in GIMP.
Map:
http://i.imgur.com/z1P287M.png
Political Map:
http://i.imgur.com/GJA27s4.png
The Kivish Empire developed airship technology a century ago, out of necessity to link its mountain cities over the impassible terrain. Two of their emperors used this disruptive technology to carve out an empire which extends far beyond the borders of the maps shown above. Today the Kivish Empire is a bastion of civilization, culture, and prosperity in this otherwise dark and savage world.
(Kivish citizens are generally aware that a lot of the information printed in the papers about the countries around Kivish is not one-hundred percent accurate.)
The Eleven Cities of the Third Kivish Empire
Kemgash: Kemgash is a booming Kivish town whose industry is centered around factories. Expansion has moved upwards due to the sheer terrain, with layers of the city being built on top of those below. The city is also noticeable for several quasi-supernatural phenomena that help its tourism.
Lidstun: Lidstun is home to the largest pit-mining operation on the continent. The city itself has been elevated over the mines on airship-grade machinery. The city generates tons and tons of metal, especially lead and tin which are smelted for domestic use.
Kolmeng: Kolmeng is a scenic, idylic Kivish town, renowned for its universities. It is home to the Kivish Military Academy, and many upper-class families are based out of the town.
Katheel: Katheel is home to the Kivish Empire's airship construction yards. Dozens of berths fill the walls of the valley, at the current rate of production there is an airship built every two days.
Kolgus: The Frozen Capital of the Empire. Kolgus is ice-locked two months out of the year, but hosts a great network of underground highways, bazaars, and the occasional black market.
Orshar and Dumattulon: The country's steel mines. Legendary swords were forged in these two towns in ancient times, and today they produce the finest firearms on the continent.
Alisdot: Alisdot is the source of the Empire's floatstone, a necessary bouyant component of airships. Retired miners are well-compensated but move to other cities so that they don't risk serious damage to their health from the ore. There are popular rumors of animals and humans who were near the mines so long that they could walk on ceilings (obviously exaggerations).
Zefon: Zefon is famous for its inventors, artisans, and poets. It's also the largest producer of Kivish silk.
Ingisham: This city is famous for its orchards, vineyards, and exported alcohol. Ingis cuisine is the most popular type of restaurant in the Empire, enough that use of the name is strictly regulated.
Domas: The jeweled city of Domas is famous for its fine glassware. Almost every building in the city has a fine stained glass window depicting some historical or mythical event.
The eleventh city of Kivish is Lemaale, which is now rubble. It was once famous for the fine wooden furniture it produced, and the price of pieces produced by master artisans has skyrocketed.
Kivish's Neighbors
The Golden Shore: A massive seaport metropolis. Anything and everything can be found for sale here. The delta to the west of the city is home to one of the largest gold-panning operations on the continent. Kivish tourists have no need to fear this pleasant seaside city, it's a capital offsense to sell a Kivish citizen into slavery.
The Fortress of Autumn: This is the westernmost fortress of the Thunder Coalition, now decomissioned. The people of the Thunder Coalition revere monstrous chameleon-like monsters as their gods. They were soundly defeated by Kivish after several battles, and this fortress, designed to hold off infantry, was useless against the Empire's mighty airship fleet. The surrounding farmlands pay a large portion of the Kivish grain dole as tribute.
Punchcalmed: This once-busy barbarian town was a major stop on the east-west trade routes before airships became common. It has a long history of monster-slaying, its name comes from the barbarian founder who supposedly bested a questing beast with his bare hands. The town is home to the headquarters of the Rangers, an international organization of monster slayers who are falling out of favor as their members increasingly turn to mercenary work. The Murk to the east and northeast is home to nasty and vicious monsters, which makes timber a rare commodity.
Riverhold: A city that was once notable for its efforts to maintain peace between nations. They broke treaty with the Kivish Empire a decade ago, and are using massive weather engines to keep the Kivish airship fleet at bay. Citizens of Kivish are advised to avoid this politically turbulent region.
Mirth: A massive sprawl of farms founded by Riverhold colonists during a land grab a century ago. Unlike Riverhold, Mirth has remained loyal to the Kivish Empire.
Lemathee: The jungle-cities of Amethaici, Timaada, and Rufithone were highly isolated, and there are legends of fantastic arcane devices and supposed magical charms made with ancient lost arts. The rulers of Lemathee are monsters, possessed humans, and worse. Lemathee used war engines to raze the Kivish city of Lemaale, and the Empire constantly patrols the border to keep invaders at bay.
Rules stuff:
This setting uses the Warrior, Rogue, & Mage system by Stargazer Games. (http://www.stargazergames.eu/games/warrior-rogue-mage/) I'm planning to incorporate lots of rules from Resolute, Adventurer, and Genius, especially the damage and defense mechanics. (http://www.stargazergames.eu/games/resolute-adventurer-genius/) Obviously, this replaces most of the material in the WRM sourcebook due to the massive changes to damage and defense.
"Magic" is considered a superstitious and backwards tradition. Real men use SCIENCE! to bend reality to their will.
Quana:
A very common device in the Kivish Empire are "quana" (KWAH-nah), more technically known as quasi-arcana, or quasi-arcane devices. These are machines that operate on scientific principles to create working and useful effects. One of the simplest quana used for preserving food rotates two slotted copper disks in opposite directions with high-pressure air between them to produce cold air.
Airships are the pinnacle of quana technology.
Hand-held quana are convenient tools, but much less reliable than mounted quana because the lightweight components will frequently overload. Using a quana requires an action and a successful Mage roll. On a failed roll the quana fails to activate. Quana can be activated any number of times until they break. On a roll of 1 the quana activates anyways, but is immediately destroyed or otherwise rendered non-functional. Most quana can be activated for a very minor effect with no roll required (for example, most cold-damage quana are just drink-chilling devices with variable output).
A high-quality quana costs three times as much, and is less likely to break. A roll of 1 will safely activate the quana if the total result is a success. If a roll of 1 is a failure then the user must roll another d6, the quana does not activate and break unless this second roll is also a 1.
Most quana are worn on the wrist, arm, or palm, but a character who wears more quana than his Mage attribute (minimum 1) treats any successful activation as though he had rolled a 1. Equipping a quana is an action.
First Circle (DL 5, 25 sp):
Condense: Pulls a gallon of drinkable water out of the air over the course of thirty minutes. Might not work in an arid environment.
Electric Grasp: Creates an electric spark at the user's fingertips. Deals 1d6 damage at Melee range, and ignores armor.
Frostburn: Creates a cloud of supercold air around the user's hands. Deals 1d6 damage at Melee range. Can also freeze a five-foot cube of water.
Flame Arrow: Creates a glob of sticky, flaming phlostigion in the user's hand. Deals 1d6 damage at Close range.
Leap: Momentarily reduces gravity's effect on the wearer. The wearer can perform one spectacular leap as part of the activation of this quana, jumping and landing anywhere within Close range. This quana can negate damage from falling.
Minor Healing: Heals 1d6 damage at Melee range. This reduces the target's maximum HP by 1 until he takes a long rest.
Night Vision: This quana allows the wearer to see very well in dark conditions for 3 hours, even in the complete absence of light.
Purify: Converts a quart of water into a tasty and nutritious drink over the course of three minutes. This sweet, milky liquid is equivalent to a day's rations.
Skim: You can run across any surface, including water and vertical walls. This effect ends after 3 minutes or when you stop running.
Stun: One creature within Close range must make a DL 7 Mage roll or lose its next action.
Telekinesis: Slowly moves one item weighing up to 1 kg within Close range for 3 minutes.
Second Circle (DL 7, 50 sp):
Bubble: Creates a field of force around you that blocks dust, sand, and water for 8 hours. It completely blocks attacks, but the effect ends if it takes 4 or more damage.
Calm: Produces a soothing sound that makes it hard to be violent. For the next 3 minutes all creatures within Close range must make attack rolls twice and use the worse result. Any creature who rolls a 1 must make a DL 7 Mage roll to attack again unless provoked.
Dampener: Emits a field that interferes with other quana. For 3 minutes all Mage rolls to activate quana are made twice and use the worse result.
Deflection: Creates a field of force around you that blocks sound and wind for 3 minutes. You take half damage from ranged attacks and explosions for the duration.
Ice Spike: Deals 2d6 damage at Medium range.
Fireburst: Deals 2d6 damage at Close range, and also damages everyone within Melee range of the target.
Jammer: This creates an invisible field that blocks communication and detection quana within Far range for 3 hours. Quana that are 3rd-circle or higher function if their user makes a separate DL 9 Mage roll.
Levitation: You or a one-ton object within Melee range levitates for 3 minutes. This can only raise or lower the target.
Lightning Bolt: Deals 2d6 damage at Close range, ignores armor.
Moderate Healing: Heals 2d6 damage at Close range. This reduces the target's maximum HP by 2 until he takes a long rest. This also can cure one poison in the target's system.
Push: One creature must make a Warrior roll against your quana activation roll, if it fails it is pushed back to the edge of Close range. If the target strikes a solid object it stops and takes 1d6 damage.
Remote Viewing: The quana allows you to see and hear a specific location within Medium range for 3 minutes.
Third Circle (DL 9, 75 sp):
Air Walk: You can walk on air as if it were solid ground for up to 3 minutes.
Chain Lightning: Deals 3d6 damage to up to five creature within Medium range, but each must be within Close range of another. This attack ignores armor.
Fireball: Deals 3d6 damage at Medium range, and also damages everyone within Close range of the target.
Invisibility: You become completely invisible. Anyone attempting to target you suffers a -6 penalty unless they know exactly where you are. This lasts for 30 minutes, but ends if you activate a quana or perform any movement more vigorous than a slow walk.
Major Healing: Heals 3d6 damage to you and all creatures within Close range. Anyone healed by this device has his maximum HP reduced by 3 until he takes a long rest. A character may spend a fate point to heal crippling injuries, including broken bones and reattaching severed limbs.
Maze: A creature in Melee range is shunted into an extradimensional space, making it untargetable and unable to interact with anything. Each round it may make a DL 13 Mage roll to end the effect and act immediately.
Resistance: When you activate this device choose one of the following: fire, acid, cold, electricity. You become immune to damage from it for 3 minutes.
Scrying: The quana allows you to see and hear a specific location within Far range for 3 minutes.
Fourth Circle (DL 13, 100 sp):
Greater Healing: Heals 4d6 damage at Melee range. This reduces the target's maximum HP by 4 until he takes a long rest. You may spend a fate point when using this item to bring back a creature who died no less than one minute prior, healing him completely but reducing his maximum HP to 1 until he takes a long rest.
Intangibility: You become able to walk through walls for 3 minutes. Each round you do so you take 1d6 damage. You also take half damage from attacks.
Recall: You create an invisible spatial beacon. Once in the next 24 hours you may spend an action to teleport to that beacon. You can bring any objects you were carrying, and you may bring one character you are touching.
Sanctuary: You lock yourself inside a small bubble of warped time. While one hour passes for you, only one round passes outside the bubble. You cannot move outside of the bubble, attack, or be attacked. You may interact with objects you were carrying when you activated the quana, and you may bring one character you were touching inside the bubble.
Warp: You teleport up to Close range in any direction. Line of sight is not needed, and you will always end up in a safe location.
PCs who like quana may take the following talents:
Battlemage: If you choose to take a double action to attack and use magic or a magical device, your penalty for each is reduced from -4 to -2.
Spellslinger: If you choose to take a double action to activate two different magical devices, your penalty for each is reduced from -4 to -2.
Tinker: You have a first-circle quana device that you built yourself. You gain a +2 bonus to Mage rolls to activate it. Each long rest you can make a DL 5 Mage roll to repair it (if it was destroyed or damaged) or modify it to produce a different first-circle effect.
Map:
http://i.imgur.com/z1P287M.png
Political Map:
http://i.imgur.com/GJA27s4.png
The Kivish Empire developed airship technology a century ago, out of necessity to link its mountain cities over the impassible terrain. Two of their emperors used this disruptive technology to carve out an empire which extends far beyond the borders of the maps shown above. Today the Kivish Empire is a bastion of civilization, culture, and prosperity in this otherwise dark and savage world.
(Kivish citizens are generally aware that a lot of the information printed in the papers about the countries around Kivish is not one-hundred percent accurate.)
The Eleven Cities of the Third Kivish Empire
Kemgash: Kemgash is a booming Kivish town whose industry is centered around factories. Expansion has moved upwards due to the sheer terrain, with layers of the city being built on top of those below. The city is also noticeable for several quasi-supernatural phenomena that help its tourism.
Lidstun: Lidstun is home to the largest pit-mining operation on the continent. The city itself has been elevated over the mines on airship-grade machinery. The city generates tons and tons of metal, especially lead and tin which are smelted for domestic use.
Kolmeng: Kolmeng is a scenic, idylic Kivish town, renowned for its universities. It is home to the Kivish Military Academy, and many upper-class families are based out of the town.
Katheel: Katheel is home to the Kivish Empire's airship construction yards. Dozens of berths fill the walls of the valley, at the current rate of production there is an airship built every two days.
Kolgus: The Frozen Capital of the Empire. Kolgus is ice-locked two months out of the year, but hosts a great network of underground highways, bazaars, and the occasional black market.
Orshar and Dumattulon: The country's steel mines. Legendary swords were forged in these two towns in ancient times, and today they produce the finest firearms on the continent.
Alisdot: Alisdot is the source of the Empire's floatstone, a necessary bouyant component of airships. Retired miners are well-compensated but move to other cities so that they don't risk serious damage to their health from the ore. There are popular rumors of animals and humans who were near the mines so long that they could walk on ceilings (obviously exaggerations).
Zefon: Zefon is famous for its inventors, artisans, and poets. It's also the largest producer of Kivish silk.
Ingisham: This city is famous for its orchards, vineyards, and exported alcohol. Ingis cuisine is the most popular type of restaurant in the Empire, enough that use of the name is strictly regulated.
Domas: The jeweled city of Domas is famous for its fine glassware. Almost every building in the city has a fine stained glass window depicting some historical or mythical event.
The eleventh city of Kivish is Lemaale, which is now rubble. It was once famous for the fine wooden furniture it produced, and the price of pieces produced by master artisans has skyrocketed.
Kivish's Neighbors
The Golden Shore: A massive seaport metropolis. Anything and everything can be found for sale here. The delta to the west of the city is home to one of the largest gold-panning operations on the continent. Kivish tourists have no need to fear this pleasant seaside city, it's a capital offsense to sell a Kivish citizen into slavery.
The Fortress of Autumn: This is the westernmost fortress of the Thunder Coalition, now decomissioned. The people of the Thunder Coalition revere monstrous chameleon-like monsters as their gods. They were soundly defeated by Kivish after several battles, and this fortress, designed to hold off infantry, was useless against the Empire's mighty airship fleet. The surrounding farmlands pay a large portion of the Kivish grain dole as tribute.
Punchcalmed: This once-busy barbarian town was a major stop on the east-west trade routes before airships became common. It has a long history of monster-slaying, its name comes from the barbarian founder who supposedly bested a questing beast with his bare hands. The town is home to the headquarters of the Rangers, an international organization of monster slayers who are falling out of favor as their members increasingly turn to mercenary work. The Murk to the east and northeast is home to nasty and vicious monsters, which makes timber a rare commodity.
Riverhold: A city that was once notable for its efforts to maintain peace between nations. They broke treaty with the Kivish Empire a decade ago, and are using massive weather engines to keep the Kivish airship fleet at bay. Citizens of Kivish are advised to avoid this politically turbulent region.
Mirth: A massive sprawl of farms founded by Riverhold colonists during a land grab a century ago. Unlike Riverhold, Mirth has remained loyal to the Kivish Empire.
Lemathee: The jungle-cities of Amethaici, Timaada, and Rufithone were highly isolated, and there are legends of fantastic arcane devices and supposed magical charms made with ancient lost arts. The rulers of Lemathee are monsters, possessed humans, and worse. Lemathee used war engines to raze the Kivish city of Lemaale, and the Empire constantly patrols the border to keep invaders at bay.
Rules stuff:
This setting uses the Warrior, Rogue, & Mage system by Stargazer Games. (http://www.stargazergames.eu/games/warrior-rogue-mage/) I'm planning to incorporate lots of rules from Resolute, Adventurer, and Genius, especially the damage and defense mechanics. (http://www.stargazergames.eu/games/resolute-adventurer-genius/) Obviously, this replaces most of the material in the WRM sourcebook due to the massive changes to damage and defense.
"Magic" is considered a superstitious and backwards tradition. Real men use SCIENCE! to bend reality to their will.
Quana:
A very common device in the Kivish Empire are "quana" (KWAH-nah), more technically known as quasi-arcana, or quasi-arcane devices. These are machines that operate on scientific principles to create working and useful effects. One of the simplest quana used for preserving food rotates two slotted copper disks in opposite directions with high-pressure air between them to produce cold air.
Airships are the pinnacle of quana technology.
Hand-held quana are convenient tools, but much less reliable than mounted quana because the lightweight components will frequently overload. Using a quana requires an action and a successful Mage roll. On a failed roll the quana fails to activate. Quana can be activated any number of times until they break. On a roll of 1 the quana activates anyways, but is immediately destroyed or otherwise rendered non-functional. Most quana can be activated for a very minor effect with no roll required (for example, most cold-damage quana are just drink-chilling devices with variable output).
A high-quality quana costs three times as much, and is less likely to break. A roll of 1 will safely activate the quana if the total result is a success. If a roll of 1 is a failure then the user must roll another d6, the quana does not activate and break unless this second roll is also a 1.
Most quana are worn on the wrist, arm, or palm, but a character who wears more quana than his Mage attribute (minimum 1) treats any successful activation as though he had rolled a 1. Equipping a quana is an action.
First Circle (DL 5, 25 sp):
Condense: Pulls a gallon of drinkable water out of the air over the course of thirty minutes. Might not work in an arid environment.
Electric Grasp: Creates an electric spark at the user's fingertips. Deals 1d6 damage at Melee range, and ignores armor.
Frostburn: Creates a cloud of supercold air around the user's hands. Deals 1d6 damage at Melee range. Can also freeze a five-foot cube of water.
Flame Arrow: Creates a glob of sticky, flaming phlostigion in the user's hand. Deals 1d6 damage at Close range.
Leap: Momentarily reduces gravity's effect on the wearer. The wearer can perform one spectacular leap as part of the activation of this quana, jumping and landing anywhere within Close range. This quana can negate damage from falling.
Minor Healing: Heals 1d6 damage at Melee range. This reduces the target's maximum HP by 1 until he takes a long rest.
Night Vision: This quana allows the wearer to see very well in dark conditions for 3 hours, even in the complete absence of light.
Purify: Converts a quart of water into a tasty and nutritious drink over the course of three minutes. This sweet, milky liquid is equivalent to a day's rations.
Skim: You can run across any surface, including water and vertical walls. This effect ends after 3 minutes or when you stop running.
Stun: One creature within Close range must make a DL 7 Mage roll or lose its next action.
Telekinesis: Slowly moves one item weighing up to 1 kg within Close range for 3 minutes.
Second Circle (DL 7, 50 sp):
Bubble: Creates a field of force around you that blocks dust, sand, and water for 8 hours. It completely blocks attacks, but the effect ends if it takes 4 or more damage.
Calm: Produces a soothing sound that makes it hard to be violent. For the next 3 minutes all creatures within Close range must make attack rolls twice and use the worse result. Any creature who rolls a 1 must make a DL 7 Mage roll to attack again unless provoked.
Dampener: Emits a field that interferes with other quana. For 3 minutes all Mage rolls to activate quana are made twice and use the worse result.
Deflection: Creates a field of force around you that blocks sound and wind for 3 minutes. You take half damage from ranged attacks and explosions for the duration.
Ice Spike: Deals 2d6 damage at Medium range.
Fireburst: Deals 2d6 damage at Close range, and also damages everyone within Melee range of the target.
Jammer: This creates an invisible field that blocks communication and detection quana within Far range for 3 hours. Quana that are 3rd-circle or higher function if their user makes a separate DL 9 Mage roll.
Levitation: You or a one-ton object within Melee range levitates for 3 minutes. This can only raise or lower the target.
Lightning Bolt: Deals 2d6 damage at Close range, ignores armor.
Moderate Healing: Heals 2d6 damage at Close range. This reduces the target's maximum HP by 2 until he takes a long rest. This also can cure one poison in the target's system.
Push: One creature must make a Warrior roll against your quana activation roll, if it fails it is pushed back to the edge of Close range. If the target strikes a solid object it stops and takes 1d6 damage.
Remote Viewing: The quana allows you to see and hear a specific location within Medium range for 3 minutes.
Third Circle (DL 9, 75 sp):
Air Walk: You can walk on air as if it were solid ground for up to 3 minutes.
Chain Lightning: Deals 3d6 damage to up to five creature within Medium range, but each must be within Close range of another. This attack ignores armor.
Fireball: Deals 3d6 damage at Medium range, and also damages everyone within Close range of the target.
Invisibility: You become completely invisible. Anyone attempting to target you suffers a -6 penalty unless they know exactly where you are. This lasts for 30 minutes, but ends if you activate a quana or perform any movement more vigorous than a slow walk.
Major Healing: Heals 3d6 damage to you and all creatures within Close range. Anyone healed by this device has his maximum HP reduced by 3 until he takes a long rest. A character may spend a fate point to heal crippling injuries, including broken bones and reattaching severed limbs.
Maze: A creature in Melee range is shunted into an extradimensional space, making it untargetable and unable to interact with anything. Each round it may make a DL 13 Mage roll to end the effect and act immediately.
Resistance: When you activate this device choose one of the following: fire, acid, cold, electricity. You become immune to damage from it for 3 minutes.
Scrying: The quana allows you to see and hear a specific location within Far range for 3 minutes.
Fourth Circle (DL 13, 100 sp):
Greater Healing: Heals 4d6 damage at Melee range. This reduces the target's maximum HP by 4 until he takes a long rest. You may spend a fate point when using this item to bring back a creature who died no less than one minute prior, healing him completely but reducing his maximum HP to 1 until he takes a long rest.
Intangibility: You become able to walk through walls for 3 minutes. Each round you do so you take 1d6 damage. You also take half damage from attacks.
Recall: You create an invisible spatial beacon. Once in the next 24 hours you may spend an action to teleport to that beacon. You can bring any objects you were carrying, and you may bring one character you are touching.
Sanctuary: You lock yourself inside a small bubble of warped time. While one hour passes for you, only one round passes outside the bubble. You cannot move outside of the bubble, attack, or be attacked. You may interact with objects you were carrying when you activated the quana, and you may bring one character you were touching inside the bubble.
Warp: You teleport up to Close range in any direction. Line of sight is not needed, and you will always end up in a safe location.
PCs who like quana may take the following talents:
Battlemage: If you choose to take a double action to attack and use magic or a magical device, your penalty for each is reduced from -4 to -2.
Spellslinger: If you choose to take a double action to activate two different magical devices, your penalty for each is reduced from -4 to -2.
Tinker: You have a first-circle quana device that you built yourself. You gain a +2 bonus to Mage rolls to activate it. Each long rest you can make a DL 5 Mage roll to repair it (if it was destroyed or damaged) or modify it to produce a different first-circle effect.