Maginomicon
2013-09-21, 11:13 AM
A long time ago I decided to build a campaign setting. However, I wanted it to be more than just a setting, but a unique kind of experience (almost like a new tabletop system but not quite). I started with a general concept, and then went through the shopping list of variants in the OGC/UA for variants which fit the feel of the setting I was going for. I then took those variants and combed through them to make their respective terminologies mesh together into a coherent whole. I've now solidified what kind of experience I'm going for. The campaign setting document is now roughly ~110 pages long.
The Gameplay Feel in a Nutshell
First and foremost, I wanted this to be a setting where time matters. The 15-minute work day is entirely impractical because people (and villains) will advance their goals regardless of whether the PCs bust down the door and stop them. "You have 8 hours before they kill the princess" is a very real thing, and if you fail to save the princess in that time period then the princess will be killed (and the players will move along splitting plotlines based on it). The "game clock" is very real and increments by seconds, rounds, minutes, hours, and days on a consistent basis. Because the 15-minute workday is impractical, casters/etc. should not (and often wouldn't want to) ask the party to stop and rest for the night. In response to the elimination of the 15-minute work day, Dailies/Casters/Manifesters/Artificers have short-term energy recharge methods that are unique to each of them (similar in concept to taking a power nap). Mundanes have their innate enduring power emphasized.
I use the following variants (but tweaked so that they mesh together and with the setting feel):
Defense Bonus
Armor As Damage Reduction
Reserve Points
Bell Curve Rolls
Variable Modifiers
Players Roll All The Dice
Death And Dying
Action Points
Gestalt Characters (Restricted Access)
Complex Skill Checks
Item Familiars
Spell Points + Vitalizing
Incantations / Communals (including "charged" incantations/communals)
Psionics is Different
Meldshaping is Different
I also added some imported and new things as variants:
Pathfinder CMB/CMD and Combat Maneuvers
Pathfinder feat progression
Pathfinder skill cost rules
Pathfinder favored class rules
Daily-Use Recharging
Infusion Points
Passive Ability/Skill Checks and Saves
Called Shots
Gradual-Defense Saves
Mana Restoration Potions
Guns (variant Wands/Dorjes)
Spaceships (not like Spelljammer)
Post-Scarcity Society (for the most part)
Cybernetics (most of the general populace has embedded cyberware)
Cyberspace (in the form of a universally-used MMORPG) and Cybercrimes (more lighthearted than Shadowrun)
I also use my personal house rules for this setting, which results in incorporating a few more variants, most notably:
Real Alignments
Level-Independent Encounter Generation (inspired by Pathfinder)
XP is Different
Level-Independent XP Awards
"Slow Burn" XP progression
Craft Points (minus the asinine Masterwork feats)
Dragon Compendium's Crit/Fumble tables
Menacing (clarification/fix for flanking rules)
Bleeding (clarification/fix for spell/power sneak attacks)
Magic Item Chakra Binds
The Giant's Persuasion diplomacy variant
All of the RAW encumbrance rules
The Setting Fluff in a Nutshell
This video demonstrates the kind of ambiance, technology level, and feel I'm going for in-general (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foZp9ToBewA).
The setting itself is basically “what might have happened if the generic D&D setting had advanced 3000 years (assuming it doesn’t quite go tippy-verse)”. Guns are a thing, space travel is a thing, etc. It’s common knowledge now that the “prime material plane” is unique in that it’s not a plane per se but a collection of planets and star systems. The Hyperion Federation is the biological origin of almost all known peoples, and is similar to the Star Trek Federation in that it’s largely a post-scarcity society headed largely by a homogeneous government spanning multiple worlds. New worlds “join” the federation in much the same way. There isn’t really any other space nation (that a typical Hyperion would know of). Magic is considered taboo, spellcasting is outright genetically impossible for the majority of the known galactic population. Psionics, meldshaping, and other non-spellcasting systems thrive (but mostly psionics).
Technologically, “hypertech” is the way by which everything “advanced” in the known worlds operates. Everything is online, wireless, and in most cases self-powered, more so than we have now. Imagine iPads usable by thought and you get a picture of the everyday technology level. A Hyperion can simply look at a toaster after putting bread in it and it’ll come out the way they want.
All biological Hyperions are genetically-incapable of casting spells in the “traditional” sense. It’s an inherent part of being a born or integrated Hyperion. Naturally, magic has come to be “taboo”. Warlocks and factotums and such can still use “spell-like abilities”, but those kinds of people are generally shunned by the populace, and will be among the first the public will likely turn on if bad things happen. There are many that don’t have these wonderful “gifts” handed to them at birth or through integration, so they can potentially cast spells. Spellcasters themselves are thus rare, actively feared by the general public, and may even be arrested on trumped-up charges.
All born or integrated Hyperions grow up using Hypertech every day as much as we use laptops and cell phones. They also have, among other things, an item familiar embedded at the top of their spine (smaller than the size of a pea). Both biological (fleshy) and technological (warforged) Hyperions have an item familiar; fleshies get a “neural implant” and warforged have a “cyberghost”. All Hyperions (fleshy and not) can thus interact wirelessly with various devices, most notably, anything with a “Hypertooth Interface” (anything we’d consider mundane like a lightswitch, radio, elevator, etc.).
Everyone with the money to afford it has “life insurance”. That is, they pay a periodic fee to have a stasis clone created for them. If they die, they immediately wake up in the stasis clone body.
The usefulness of magic-psionics opacity can be seen in the case of how the Hyperion government controls a riot. Since magic users are oppressed by the general public, if a riot breaks out (which likely includes psionics but not magic) the Hyperion police usually can throw down a null psionics field and send in their own magic-using forces (using wands or non-spellcasting-class squads).
Another aspect can be demonstrated in the wording of Detect Magic vs Detect Psionics. Detect psionics reveals the presence of psionic characters, but detect magic doesn’t detect the presence of magical characters. This scares Hyperions, because magic users could potentially be hiding anywhere undetected, ready to terrorize the populace at a moment’s notice.
Additionally, all state-granted spell use is strictly controlled like guns are in our world. There are rumors of innately-magic shock troops being created by the state (using innately-magical creatures), but all but a few discount the rumors outright as they “know” the Hyperion government would never condone that kind of thing and “know” it’s impossible anyway because all Hyperions are born incapable of spell use.
What I Want
This is a general all-call. I'm looking for people that might be interested in helping me expand on what I already have. The setting is open-ended enough to be receptive to most forms of brainstorming within the very broad confines of the fluff I already have. The main rule variants are set in stone so far as what every player would need to know, but the specifics and tweaking of those rule variants (and the addition of new variants) are open for debate.
If you want to see the campaign setting document itself as it is now, PM me and I'll give you a link to it as it's entirely accessible (and editable) online using Google Drive. The immediate goal here is to gather together people that can put in the effort to with my guidance build a separate document in which a number of collaborators discuss additions and tweaks to the ruleset and fluff (changes that are committed to the final product are added to the original campaign setting document).
What I Do NOT Want
I do not want to be told to remove any of the mechanical ruleset pieces I've listed above. They're an integrated part of the setting and are non-negotiable apart from making clarification and fairness tweaks.
I do not want to be told "just run a game using the _____ system" or "this should really be based on the _____ system instead of D&D 3.5". As I've said, I've put a massive amount of effort into writing up and tweaking the current ruleset to the tune of a ~110-page document. Telling me to run some other system would be essentially like spitting in my face. Don't do it.
The Gameplay Feel in a Nutshell
First and foremost, I wanted this to be a setting where time matters. The 15-minute work day is entirely impractical because people (and villains) will advance their goals regardless of whether the PCs bust down the door and stop them. "You have 8 hours before they kill the princess" is a very real thing, and if you fail to save the princess in that time period then the princess will be killed (and the players will move along splitting plotlines based on it). The "game clock" is very real and increments by seconds, rounds, minutes, hours, and days on a consistent basis. Because the 15-minute workday is impractical, casters/etc. should not (and often wouldn't want to) ask the party to stop and rest for the night. In response to the elimination of the 15-minute work day, Dailies/Casters/Manifesters/Artificers have short-term energy recharge methods that are unique to each of them (similar in concept to taking a power nap). Mundanes have their innate enduring power emphasized.
I use the following variants (but tweaked so that they mesh together and with the setting feel):
Defense Bonus
Armor As Damage Reduction
Reserve Points
Bell Curve Rolls
Variable Modifiers
Players Roll All The Dice
Death And Dying
Action Points
Gestalt Characters (Restricted Access)
Complex Skill Checks
Item Familiars
Spell Points + Vitalizing
Incantations / Communals (including "charged" incantations/communals)
Psionics is Different
Meldshaping is Different
I also added some imported and new things as variants:
Pathfinder CMB/CMD and Combat Maneuvers
Pathfinder feat progression
Pathfinder skill cost rules
Pathfinder favored class rules
Daily-Use Recharging
Infusion Points
Passive Ability/Skill Checks and Saves
Called Shots
Gradual-Defense Saves
Mana Restoration Potions
Guns (variant Wands/Dorjes)
Spaceships (not like Spelljammer)
Post-Scarcity Society (for the most part)
Cybernetics (most of the general populace has embedded cyberware)
Cyberspace (in the form of a universally-used MMORPG) and Cybercrimes (more lighthearted than Shadowrun)
I also use my personal house rules for this setting, which results in incorporating a few more variants, most notably:
Real Alignments
Level-Independent Encounter Generation (inspired by Pathfinder)
XP is Different
Level-Independent XP Awards
"Slow Burn" XP progression
Craft Points (minus the asinine Masterwork feats)
Dragon Compendium's Crit/Fumble tables
Menacing (clarification/fix for flanking rules)
Bleeding (clarification/fix for spell/power sneak attacks)
Magic Item Chakra Binds
The Giant's Persuasion diplomacy variant
All of the RAW encumbrance rules
The Setting Fluff in a Nutshell
This video demonstrates the kind of ambiance, technology level, and feel I'm going for in-general (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foZp9ToBewA).
The setting itself is basically “what might have happened if the generic D&D setting had advanced 3000 years (assuming it doesn’t quite go tippy-verse)”. Guns are a thing, space travel is a thing, etc. It’s common knowledge now that the “prime material plane” is unique in that it’s not a plane per se but a collection of planets and star systems. The Hyperion Federation is the biological origin of almost all known peoples, and is similar to the Star Trek Federation in that it’s largely a post-scarcity society headed largely by a homogeneous government spanning multiple worlds. New worlds “join” the federation in much the same way. There isn’t really any other space nation (that a typical Hyperion would know of). Magic is considered taboo, spellcasting is outright genetically impossible for the majority of the known galactic population. Psionics, meldshaping, and other non-spellcasting systems thrive (but mostly psionics).
Technologically, “hypertech” is the way by which everything “advanced” in the known worlds operates. Everything is online, wireless, and in most cases self-powered, more so than we have now. Imagine iPads usable by thought and you get a picture of the everyday technology level. A Hyperion can simply look at a toaster after putting bread in it and it’ll come out the way they want.
All biological Hyperions are genetically-incapable of casting spells in the “traditional” sense. It’s an inherent part of being a born or integrated Hyperion. Naturally, magic has come to be “taboo”. Warlocks and factotums and such can still use “spell-like abilities”, but those kinds of people are generally shunned by the populace, and will be among the first the public will likely turn on if bad things happen. There are many that don’t have these wonderful “gifts” handed to them at birth or through integration, so they can potentially cast spells. Spellcasters themselves are thus rare, actively feared by the general public, and may even be arrested on trumped-up charges.
All born or integrated Hyperions grow up using Hypertech every day as much as we use laptops and cell phones. They also have, among other things, an item familiar embedded at the top of their spine (smaller than the size of a pea). Both biological (fleshy) and technological (warforged) Hyperions have an item familiar; fleshies get a “neural implant” and warforged have a “cyberghost”. All Hyperions (fleshy and not) can thus interact wirelessly with various devices, most notably, anything with a “Hypertooth Interface” (anything we’d consider mundane like a lightswitch, radio, elevator, etc.).
Everyone with the money to afford it has “life insurance”. That is, they pay a periodic fee to have a stasis clone created for them. If they die, they immediately wake up in the stasis clone body.
The usefulness of magic-psionics opacity can be seen in the case of how the Hyperion government controls a riot. Since magic users are oppressed by the general public, if a riot breaks out (which likely includes psionics but not magic) the Hyperion police usually can throw down a null psionics field and send in their own magic-using forces (using wands or non-spellcasting-class squads).
Another aspect can be demonstrated in the wording of Detect Magic vs Detect Psionics. Detect psionics reveals the presence of psionic characters, but detect magic doesn’t detect the presence of magical characters. This scares Hyperions, because magic users could potentially be hiding anywhere undetected, ready to terrorize the populace at a moment’s notice.
Additionally, all state-granted spell use is strictly controlled like guns are in our world. There are rumors of innately-magic shock troops being created by the state (using innately-magical creatures), but all but a few discount the rumors outright as they “know” the Hyperion government would never condone that kind of thing and “know” it’s impossible anyway because all Hyperions are born incapable of spell use.
What I Want
This is a general all-call. I'm looking for people that might be interested in helping me expand on what I already have. The setting is open-ended enough to be receptive to most forms of brainstorming within the very broad confines of the fluff I already have. The main rule variants are set in stone so far as what every player would need to know, but the specifics and tweaking of those rule variants (and the addition of new variants) are open for debate.
If you want to see the campaign setting document itself as it is now, PM me and I'll give you a link to it as it's entirely accessible (and editable) online using Google Drive. The immediate goal here is to gather together people that can put in the effort to with my guidance build a separate document in which a number of collaborators discuss additions and tweaks to the ruleset and fluff (changes that are committed to the final product are added to the original campaign setting document).
What I Do NOT Want
I do not want to be told to remove any of the mechanical ruleset pieces I've listed above. They're an integrated part of the setting and are non-negotiable apart from making clarification and fairness tweaks.
I do not want to be told "just run a game using the _____ system" or "this should really be based on the _____ system instead of D&D 3.5". As I've said, I've put a massive amount of effort into writing up and tweaking the current ruleset to the tune of a ~110-page document. Telling me to run some other system would be essentially like spitting in my face. Don't do it.