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View Full Version : Pathfinder Help Me Make Dwarf Fortress!



Andrian
2015-05-18, 03:57 PM
So, I'm a huge fan of Dwarf Fortress, and I'd like to brainstorm ideas for Pathfinder homebrew rules based on the game. Here's what I've got so far:


The only races available for players would be Dwarves, Elves, Humans, and Goblins
In Dwarf Fortress, Dwarves, Elves, and Goblins are all the same size, and humans are one size category larger, but this has little mechanical effect apart from what clothing you can wear. This could be solved in a number of ways, but I think the simplest would be to resize Goblins to medium (adjusting their stats accordingly) and then just stipulate that Humans can't share clothing and armor with the other races.
All magic but Necromancy should be banned (yes, that means that pretty much everyone is a Fighter, Barbarian, Rogue, or Monk, or a class based on them) to reflect the absence of magic in the current version of the game. Should the party be fortunate enough to get their hands on a Necromancer's tome, everyone should gain access to certain spells, such as Create Undead.
Despite the lack of magic, weapon and armor enhancements still exist (and maybe should be allowed to go beyond +5), and can be made by anyone with Master Craftsman (which might even be a free feat for anyone who puts in the skill ranks).
Mithral is now refluffed as Dwarven Steel. Made from regular iron through a secret process known only to dwarves.
Elephants are carnivorous, and elephant Animal Companions die of starvation whenever the PC's level up (because it's impossible to keep an elephant properly fed). However, concessions might be made for undead elephants...
Giant Sponges are immortal godlike beings that smite any foolish enough to provoke them. They feel only rage toward all creatures, and the only reason they have not destroyed the world is that they are incapable of moving unless they are attacking.
Any time you throw an improvised weapon and roll a natural 20, roll again. A second natural 20 is an instant kill on any creature, no matter how powerful, except for Giant Sponges. The threat range for insta-killing is doubled if the projectile is a Fluffy Wambler. This range cannot be increased in any other way.


I've considered refluffing Alchemists as Brewers, using alcohol to produce the same effects as alchemy, though a straight-out ban might also be appropriate.

I have some mechanics that I think would be easy to implement in the game, but don't know exactly what would be the best way to make them work. These would be:
Alcohol Dependence (Fortitude rolls to avoid it after a certain period of time, I imagine, but how would the DC's work and what would be the effects?)
Cave Adaptation (Once again, Fortitude rolls make the most sense, with dazzled, nauseated, and sickened being the appropriate conditions... also, should this grant Minesight?)
Random Beast Generation (This would involve a table of base creatures, attributes, and special abilities that I haven't even taken a stab at constructing yet)

How would you brew these things, and is there anything I've missed that would be important or fun to add? I'd love to see statblocks for Carp and other especially deadly DF creatures if anyone's inclined.