PDA

View Full Version : Non-Magical World



Wordsmythe
2016-02-23, 09:24 AM
Due to the lack of magic, I'm looking for any class suggestions.

The world is going to have a steam-punky level of technology, so some 'magical' effects might be replicated with alchemy and technology.

So far I've got the following:

Barbarian
Fighter
Rogue
Ranger (Alt)
Scholar
Engineer

Any other suggestions?

nikkoli
2016-02-23, 09:51 AM
Is this 3.5 or pathfinder or 5e or some other system? If it is 3.5/ pathfinder there is a tinker class in the warcraft books for 3.5 which has rules on how to make litteraly anything technology based.

Prince Zahn
2016-02-23, 10:07 AM
What edition are you working with? (Assuming D&D unless told otherwise)
If it's a system like Pathfinder, the alchemist can seamlessly fit to feel a non magic setting with mostly cosmetic changes, it's not magical potions, it's alchemical concoctions:smalltongue:

A cleric without magic might be a tougher challenge. I picture four potential options of interpreting that, by order of which they come to mind:
zealot: would fight for her religion, typically spells should be replaced with unique martial features that involve courage or determination.
Doctor: the focus is on being a healer, cure what ails you with Victorian fantasy medical science.
advisor: with the power of faith by his side, the cleric would be retooled to be extra persuasive, authoritative, wise.
preacher: this cleric uses the faith to direct the masses, to motivate others through prayer, and make others believe in themselves and in miracles or divine b punishment, and thus helping it happen.

Wordsmythe
2016-02-25, 09:11 AM
Is this 3.5 or pathfinder or 5e or some other system? If it is 3.5/ pathfinder there is a tinker class in the warcraft books for 3.5 which has rules on how to make litteraly anything technology based.

Good question! I was planning to use 5e rules, tweaking the Human, Elf, Dwarf and Dragonborn races slightly.

Wordsmythe
2016-02-25, 09:18 AM
A cleric without magic might be a tougher challenge. I picture four potential options of interpreting that, by order of which they come to mind:
zealot: would fight for her religion, typically spells should be replaced with unique martial features that involve courage or determination.
Doctor: the focus is on being a healer, cure what ails you with Victorian fantasy medical science.
advisor: with the power of faith by his side, the cleric would be retooled to be extra persuasive, authoritative, wise.
preacher: this cleric uses the faith to direct the masses, to motivate others through prayer, and make others believe in themselves and in miracles or divine b punishment, and thus helping it happen.

D&D 5e is my planned system.

These sound like some great options to modify the Cleric so they can still be included.

I'm am considering including some kind of 'spiritualism' to allow SOME minor supernatural effects, but I'm not sure yet.

This world won't have any dragons or fairies, and the monster list will be reduced as well. No ogres or goblins or orcs or harpies. Only the four intelligent races and animalistic monsters.

Thanks again for the help!

Prince Zahn
2016-02-25, 02:32 PM
Thinking about what directions you could take Warlock, or a Sorcerer for that matter, when you won't be using magic, defining it might require intense focus and some general reworking.
my thoughts:

Warlock:
Cultist. pact of the (mechanical) blade. focus on abilities that feel taboo and dark and secret, subtle stuff like hexing, blood sacrifices, blood circle buffs, no need for actual magic to make a cultist fanatic.
MadRogue Scientist. spells and cantrips are replaced with cooky inventions or concoctions, adjust power and spell list to taste. requires a little more prep-work on their part.
Steampunk Patron. somewhat inspired by Ghost In the Machine patron in Unearthed Arcana, the idea is that you have a campaign-appropriate patron to offer awesome power via the tech available, Either Pact of the (Mechanical) blade, or a steam-powered familiar with pact of the chain.


Sorcerer:
"Drakes." Dragonborn organization that breathe all sorts of unorthodox breath atacks (instead of spellcasting).
Test Subjects. Normal people who were kidnapped or otherwise experimented on, they have a small range of permanent or unpredictable effects or mutations on them.
"Lucky Guy." If you wanna go wild magic, you can mess with it a Sorcerer's features in the shape of luck-based features instead of spells.

some more stuff that occured to me:
"Oath of Inventions" (Paladin, if you can make it happen), a mechanical flight machine would be cool at high level, like the oath of vengeance.
Circle of the Brass (Druid) or something like that. some reskinning necessary.
Troubadour change spells for more things you can do with a song and dance, or kick musicians up a notch closer to moderness, perhaps with a popularity mechanic of some sort.

8BitNinja
2016-02-25, 02:41 PM
Here is some from my game, Sidequest, which has a nonmagical fantasy universe, although there technically is magic, but all magic-users have been killed and their records destroyed

Knight: Tank/Support
Monk: Beast Taming/Support
Guard: Tank
Cavalier: Lightning Bruiser
Inventor: Debuffs

Wordsmythe
2016-02-25, 02:44 PM
Prince Zhan,

Thanks for your suggestions and ideas! I was initially just looking for existing homebrew classes like the Scholar, Intellectual and Engineer, but the idea of tweaking the Warlock, Cleric and Sorcerer are definitely interesting.

I really need to find my hand-written notes and get them online to show the races I've already created. While I used Humans, Dwarves, Elves and Dragonborn as initial templates, the final versions are very different. No darkvision, no fire-breathing, no stone-cunning, etc.

Thanks for your enthusiasm and encouragement! Keep in touch!

-WordSmythe

Wordsmythe
2016-02-25, 02:45 PM
Knight: Tank/Support
Monk: Beast Taming/Support
Guard: Tank
Cavalier: Lightning Bruiser
Inventor: Debuffs

Awesome! Thanks!

Do you have links to these classes?

Prince Zahn
2016-02-25, 03:20 PM
Prince Zhan,

Thanks for your suggestions and ideas! I was initially just looking for existing homebrew classes like the Scholar, Intellectual and Engineer, but the idea of tweaking the Warlock, Cleric and Sorcerer are definitely interesting.

I really need to find my hand-written notes and get them online to show the races I've already created. While I used Humans, Dwarves, Elves and Dragonborn as initial templates, the final versions are very different. No darkvision, no fire-breathing, no stone-cunning, etc.

Thanks for your enthusiasm and encouragement! Keep in touch!

-WordSmythe
If I could, I would help you find stuff, or even homebrew some of it with. but alas, I can't, and I just don't know how you want to go about it, and Steampunk isn't my forte.:smallredface: so the best I can do is pump out ideas for you to work with!:smallbiggrin:

Wordsmythe
2016-02-25, 03:23 PM
Understood! Thanks!

MoleMage
2016-02-25, 03:38 PM
For the Scholar take a look at Pathfinder's Investigator, with obviously the need for some translation to make it fit in 5e. It's a guy who knows a lot of stuff and uses it to fight with; it is also one of the most skill-monkey of the skill-monkey classes in Pathfinder.

It's available on the SRD for Pathfinder.

Engineer could make a good Rogue or Ranger archetype, or you could look into Pathfinder (again)'s Gunslinger class for inspiration.

8BitNinja
2016-02-26, 01:43 PM
Awesome! Thanks!

Do you have links to these classes?

They are in another game, not a complete one, but if you still want to see them, I will post a link

EDIT: Like I said, it's from my own game, so you have to adapt it, it is also under extreme change right now, some things about these classes will be completely different new edition of my game rolls around

Click the one that says sidequest (http://fogstudios.weebly.com/games.html)