BobGhengisKhan
2007-01-09, 08:35 PM
While more details will be posted later, here are the basic notes that I've used to construct it.
-Professional, trained armies are the norm rather than the exception in the civilized nations. The existance of magic makes the acquisition of practically any natural resource easier than it would be in the real world, so the existance of conscript peasant levies is hardly consistent.
-Lawful Churches tend to have one or more heresies associated with them. The reason Chaotic churches tend not to have this feature is because they are too open-ended to care to define them.
-Extraplanar travel is difficult in both directions. It usually requires someone on the other end to assist with the transport.
-Rulers and other like officials tend to have fairly high levels, but tend to be tied to their jobs: The king can't go out and kill the monster directly because he has to rule his country, keep an eye on his nobles, deal with ministers, etc., etc. Adventurers are viable because they are the ultimate in free enterprise; they aren't necessarily tied to any specific job or organization.
-The various PC classes evolved in order of the organization of societies and cultures. Sorcerors, barbarians, druids, rangers, and bards came first, then came clerics, paladins, knights, and rogues. Wizards didn't become truly widespread until the organization of human society that would allow for a determined study of magical theory to take place, and fighters came into widespread use (outside the dwarves) with the development of the professional army.
-Sea travel is still dangerous. Sorry.
-There is orientalism, but neither nation is based on feudal Japan, more like early Imperial China and the Greco-Pharsi.
-Diamonds are valuable, but not for purely monetary reasons, as you may imagine. Nations will go to great lengths to acquire diamond mines.
That's all I've got for now.
-Professional, trained armies are the norm rather than the exception in the civilized nations. The existance of magic makes the acquisition of practically any natural resource easier than it would be in the real world, so the existance of conscript peasant levies is hardly consistent.
-Lawful Churches tend to have one or more heresies associated with them. The reason Chaotic churches tend not to have this feature is because they are too open-ended to care to define them.
-Extraplanar travel is difficult in both directions. It usually requires someone on the other end to assist with the transport.
-Rulers and other like officials tend to have fairly high levels, but tend to be tied to their jobs: The king can't go out and kill the monster directly because he has to rule his country, keep an eye on his nobles, deal with ministers, etc., etc. Adventurers are viable because they are the ultimate in free enterprise; they aren't necessarily tied to any specific job or organization.
-The various PC classes evolved in order of the organization of societies and cultures. Sorcerors, barbarians, druids, rangers, and bards came first, then came clerics, paladins, knights, and rogues. Wizards didn't become truly widespread until the organization of human society that would allow for a determined study of magical theory to take place, and fighters came into widespread use (outside the dwarves) with the development of the professional army.
-Sea travel is still dangerous. Sorry.
-There is orientalism, but neither nation is based on feudal Japan, more like early Imperial China and the Greco-Pharsi.
-Diamonds are valuable, but not for purely monetary reasons, as you may imagine. Nations will go to great lengths to acquire diamond mines.
That's all I've got for now.