The Wild Weird West (setting)

[feghoot]

I'm working on a d20m campaign thats basically "urban" arcana set in the old west. Although I have the basic plot and setting down, I'm having trouble thinking of ideas for cool advanced classes to take the place of the ones that the players won't be able to use. Don't worry about stats, just the ideas will be fine.Oh and if your interested....





The plot's about a group of adventurers on a quest to find a lost shipment of gold before another team of outlaws gets to it. Or, at least, thats how it starts out. If you've got any plot ideas, feel free to share them. Thanks!

[The Neoclassic]

Ideas for prestige classes:

Quick-drawing, gun-toting dueler
Some sort of crazy cook; special moonshining abilities, awesome with those cowboy cooking wagons, that sort of stuff
Paladin-ish class that represents organized government's good side and is attempting to tame this frontier
Horse/cattle focused druid


OK, so those may suck, but I tried.

More information on your setting would probably yield more responses, espc. for plot ideas...

[feghoot]

Thanks for the non-sucking ideas Queenfange :smallsmile:


Quick-drawing, gun-toting dueler
With some minor tweaks, the Gunslinger adv. class from the srd should fill this role nicely.


Some sort of crazy cook; special moonshining abilities, awesome with those cowboy cooking wagons, that sort of stuff
I can't see how to make this into a functional PC class. It sounds like a bunch of differant skills that other classes could take ranks in.


Paladin-ish class that represents organized government's good side and is attempting to tame this frontier
A marshal or (insert state/region here) ranger class sounds about right, although I’d hesitate to compare them to paladins. I'll get right on it.


Horse/cattle focused druid
Now thats tricky. As far as I know, D20m doesn't really have a way for a druid like class to work. Aside from animal empathy and the ablity to transform into a horse/cow I have no idea what to do with it.

Also, your making me think of horses inspired me to start making a class based on being able to do all sorts of tricks and cool stuff while riding. Since the players will probably be spending lots of time in the saddle I think they'll use it.

Thanks agin, let me know if you have any more ideas.

[Neon Knight]

A sharpshooter class focusing on lethally accurate single shots. Think Matthew Quigely from "Quigely Down Under" or Lee Van Cleef's character from "For a Few Dollars More."

It'd be nice to see if someone could make this feasible for use in the D20 system; currently Greater Multishot rules ranged combat.

[Hawriel]

Look into Dead Lands. That is pritty much the setting you want. I think it was remade into D20 as well.

[feghoot]

A sharpshooter class focusing on lethally accurate single shots. Think Matthew Quigely from "Quigely Down Under" or Lee Van Cleef's character from "For a Few Dollars More."


Yeah, a sharpshooter chass would be cool. I'll have to careful, it could easily become too powerful in the hands of a mutchkin.

I haven't seen "Quigely" yet, I'll have to rent it this weekend.


Look into Dead Lands. That is pritty much the setting you want. I think it was remade into D20 as well.
Thanks, but while thats very cool, I kind of wanted to build this from the ground up.

sides, I loves me d20m :smallbiggrin:

[Ceiling009]

Look into D20 Past, it's one of the books in the line, and since I actually own most of the books.. minus critical locations... it has some of the stuff you're looking for... It has the Sheriff prestige, not adv... it also has a shapeshifter adv, a Shaman, which would work great for your western setting; the indians, man, the indians... It's a good place to start...

[DracoDei]

Can't beleive nobody has mentioned this (maybe I am missing something major): Have you looked at "The Dustlands" (the setting with the spellshot pistol) on this board for inspiration? Or would that count as too much "Not building from the ground up"? Personally I think that you should look at as many sources as possible once you have your own thing MOSTLY working... no point in duplicating effort, but at the same time you don't want to constrain your thinking by biasing yourself with what has gone before TOO early in the process.

[SilverClawShift]

I was going to mention the dustlands. Imagine my pleasant surprise to see that someone allready did! :smalleek: :smallbiggrin:

Not that it's anywhere close to being a fully useable world yet, but you could always mine the notes for ideas.

[feghoot]

Look into D20 Past, it's one of the books in the line, and since I actually own most of the books.. minus critical locations... it has some of the stuff you're looking for... It has the Sheriff prestige, not adv... it also has a shapeshifter adv, a Shaman, which would work great for your western setting; the indians, man, the indians... It's a good place to start...
Thanks, I'll see if I can borrow/buy a copy. The shapeshifter sounds promising.


Personally I think that you should look at as many sources as possible once you have your own thing MOSTLY working... no point in duplicating effort, but at the same time you don't want to constrain your thinking by biasing yourself with what has gone before TOO early in the process.
That's very good advice DracoDei. Right now I'm working on the setting and a long term plot, then when I'm satisfied with it I'm going to use some of the suggestions from here for adv. classes. Btw, thanks for bring'n up the dustlands, that was the first I'd heard of it.


...you could always mine the notes for ideas.
SilverClawShift, I tip my (ten gallon) hat to you and your awsome setting.:smallbiggrin: its so cool that if I were to describe its greatness, my keyboard would blow up.

While it's not quite what I'm trying to do, ther's a lot of stuff that could be modified to fit in d20m, like the card casters. Now thats just a cool idea.

[SilverClawShift]

SilverClawShift, I tip my (ten gallon) hat to you and your awsome setting.

Much appreciated :)

I figured it wasn't exactly what you had in mind, but since our goal involves distillation of what makes a western feel, I thought you might at least be able to cobble something useful out of it :)

[feghoot]

I figured it wasn't exactly what you had in mind, but since our goal involves distillation of what makes a western feel, I thought you might at least be able to cobble something useful out of it
Heck yeah, a modified spellshot pistol will be very popular with my players.

You know what I know next to nothing about? Native Americans (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_Americans_in_the_United_States) in particular the Apache (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apache). So I've been surfing the web and looking for books, if anyone has any suggestions for a book or website, they'll be greatly appreciated.


Also if you enjoy westerns and haven't seen Ride the high country (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056412/), go rent it now. It's quite awsome.

[ForzaFiori]

Heck yeah, a modified spellshot pistol will be very popular with my players.

You know what I know next to nothing about? Native Americans (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_Americans_in_the_United_States) in particular the Apache (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apache). So I've been surfing the web and looking for books, if anyone has any suggestions for a book or website, they'll be greatly appreciated.


Also if you enjoy westerns and haven't seen Ride the high country (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056412/), go rent it now. It's quite awsome.

I know a bit about Native Americans, but unfortunately, it is mainly about the Natives where I live.

and I doubt the Cherokee, Cree, and Iroquois were found in the wild west that much.

[feghoot]

I know a bit about Native Americans, but unfortunately, it is mainly about the Natives where I live.

and I doubt the Cherokee, Cree, and Iroquois were found in the wild west that much.

Well, if you could recommend a book or a website, that'd be great.

Or if you have any ideas for adv. classes, I'm still looking for those

[Hawriel]

umm yeah charokee would be found in the old west. they where pushed into oklahoma. trail of tears ring a bell, that was them.

[feghoot]

I went to the library and got some books about the west and native americans. Apparently the people who choose the books there like the Pueblos more so than other tribes. :smallannoyed:

[puppyavenger]

I'm pretty sure Urbane Arcana has a a druid like prc called the wildlord

okay so it's a advanced calass



From the D20 modern SRD
WILDLORD
The fastest path into this advanced class is from a combination of Strong and Tough hero basic classes, though other paths are possible.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Wildlord, a character must fulfill the following criteria.
Base Attack Bonus: +2.
Skills: Handle Animal 6 ranks, Survival 6 ranks.
Class Information
The following information pertains to the Wildlord advanced class.
Hit Die
Wildlords gain 1d8 hit points per level. The character’s Constitution modifier applies.
Action Points
Wildlords gain a number of action points equal to 6 plus one-half their character level, rounded down, every time they advance a level in this class.
Class Skills
The Wildlord’s class skills are as follows: Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Drive (Dex), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Hide (Dex), Knowledge (Behavioral sciences, earth and life sciences, physical sciences), Move Silently (Dex), Navigate (Int), Pilot (Dex), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), Treat Injury (Wis).
Skill Points at Each Level: 5 + Intelligence modifier.

Table: The Wildlord
Level Base Attack Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Special Defense Bonus Reputation Bonus
1st +0 +2 +0 +2 Animal empathy +1 +1
2nd +1 +3 +0 +3 Track, animal companion +1 +1
3rd +2 +3 +1 +3 Bonus feat, fast climb +2 +1
4th +3 +4 +1 +4 Resist venom, call companion +2 +2
5th +3 +4 +1 +4 Skill mastery +3 +2
6th +4 +5 +2 +5 Bonus feat +3 +2
7th +5 +5 +2 +5 Expert in your field +4 +3
8th +6 +6 +2 +6 Command/rebuke animals +4 +3
9th +6 +6 +3 +6 Bonus feat, transform companion +5 +3
10th +7 +7 +3 +7 Command/rebuke magical beasts +5 +4

Class Features
The following features pertain to the Wildlord advanced class.
Animal Empathy
At 1st level, the Wildlord gains the ability to use her Handle Animal skill to improve the attitude of an animal or magical beast. The interaction is treated as a Diplomacy skill check, with Handle Animal used instead of Diplomacy. The Wildlord needs to be within 30 feet of the creature to use this ability.
Most domestic animals have a starting attitude of indifferent, while most wild animals are unfriendly. (Exceptions exist: trained guard dogs may have an initial reaction of hostile to strangers.)
The Wildlord may also seek to influence magical beasts (including those she has never encountered before) at a –4 penalty. Animal empathy does not function on vermin.
Track
At 2nd level, the Wildlord gains Track as a bonus feat, if she does not already have it.
Animal Companion
At 2nd level, the Wildlord may spend an action point to transform an encountered animal into an animal companion. This requires a full-round action. The animal must already be friendly in attitude toward the Wildlord. This animal accompanies the Wildlord on her adventures as is appropriate to its species. The Wildlord may have a single animal companion at a time.
Choose an animal from the following list: Ape, bear, big cat, boar, crocodile, deinonychus, dog (medium), donkey, eagle, elephant, herd animal (such as cow, camel, or bison), horse, lizard, monkey, octopus, porpoise, snake (constrictor, viper), squid, tiger, or wolf. The creature may be an animal of Shadow. The animal cannot have more Hit Dice than the Wildlord has character levels.
The animal chosen remains an animal, but may gain additional abilities according to the level of the Wildlord (see Animal Companions, below). The player running a Wildlord should consider the fact that certain animals may create problems in urban areas.
The Wildlord may release the animal back to the wild, regaining the action point initially spent in the process. The Wildlord does not regain the action point if the creatures dies. In either case, the Wildlord must wait at least 24 hours before attempting to gain another animal companion.
Bonus Feats
At 3rd, 6th, and 9th level, the Wildlord gets a bonus feat. The bonus feat must be selected from the following list, and the Wildlord must meet all of the prerequisites for the feat to select it.
Animal Affinity, Athletic, Dodge, Endurance, Focused, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Renown, Stealthy.
Fast Climb
At 3rd level, the Wildlord becomes an expert at climbing. A successful Climb check allows her to move her full speed rather than at half speed when climbing.
Resist Venom
At 4th level, the Wildlord gains +4 resistance bonus on saving throws against natural poisons.
Call Companion
At 4th level, the Wildlord gains the supernatural ability to call her animal companion to her. The animal companion must be in the area (within a mile of the Wildlord’s location), and will arrive within 10d6 minutes. Situations which the Wildlord and animal companion are clearly separated the animal will express consternation and distress but will not be able to respond.
Skill Mastery
At 5th level, the Wildlord designates one skill from her Wildlord class skill list. When making a check with this skill, the Wildlord may take 10 even if stress and distractions would normally prevent her from doing so. She becomes so certain in the use of this skill that she can use it reliably even under adverse conditions.
Expert in Your Field
At 7th level, the Wildlord is considered to be a master of nature lore, animals, and plants. The Wildlord gains a circumstance bonus equal to her Reputation bonus when making skill checks that are directly involved with her knowledge of the natural world. Such skills would include applicable Knowledge skills, as well as such social skills as Intimidate and Bluff when animals are involved.
Command/Rebuke Animals
At 8th level, the Wildlord may spend an action point to turn, command, or rebuke animals. This functions in the same manner as the ability to turn undead for the Acolyte.
Transform Companion
At 9th level, the Wildlord gains the supernatural ability to transform her animal companion into a small, inert object, such as a charm, a totem, or a stuffed animal, that may be carried around. While in object form, the transformed companion has the properties of the item.
The Wildlord may, as a move action or part of a move action, cast the object to the ground and cause it to immediately take its original form. The transformed creature is considered a magical beast as long as it remains the Wildlord’s companion.
Command/Rebuke Magical Beasts
At 10th level, the Wildlord may spend an action point to turn, command, or rebuke magical beasts. This functions in the same manner as the ability to turn, command, or rebuke undead for the Acolyte.

Animal Companions
As the Wildlord grows in power and ability, so too does the power of her animal companion.
Class Level Bonus HD Natural Armor Str/DexAdj. Special
2-3 +0 0 +0 Link, share spells
4–5 +2 2 +1 Evasion
6 +4 4 +2 Devotion
7 +6 6 +3 Multiattack
8 +8 8 +4
9 +10 10 +5 Improved evasion
10 +12 12 +6
Class Level: The level of the Wildlord.
Bonus HD: These are extra eight-sided (d8) Hit Dice, each of which gains a Constitution modifier, as normal. Remember that extra Hit Dice improve the animal companion’s base attack and base save bonuses. An animal companion’s base attack bonus is equal to a Wildlord whose level equals the animal’s HD. An animal companion has good Fortitude and Reflex saves (treat it as a character whose level equals the animal’s HD). The animal companion doesn’t gain any extra skill points or feats for bonus HD.
Natural Armor: The number listed here is an improvement to the animal companion’s natural armor rating.
Str/Dex Adj.: Add this figure to the animal companion’s Strength and Dexterity scores.
Link (Ex): The Wildlord gains a +4 circumstance bonus on Animal Empathy and Handle Animal checks made regarding the animal companion.
Evasion (Ex): If the animal companion is subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, it takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw.
Devotion (Ex): The animal companion’s devotion to its master is so complete, it gains a +4 morale bonus on all Will saves against Enchantment spells and effects.
Multiattack (Ex): The animal companion gains the Multiattack feat, if it has 3 or more natural attacks. If it does not have the requisite 3 or more natural attacks, the animal companion instead gains a second attack with its primary natural attack, albeit at a –5 to the base attack bonus.
Improved Evasion (Ex): If the animal companion is subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, it takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw and only half damage if the saving throw fails.



seems pretty good for a shamen

[feghoot]

Thanks puppyavenger, that gives me an idea for a sweet npc.

btw, I'm thinking of using the sniper prestige class from the urban arcana web enhancement (http://wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20modern/we/20030529a), but I worry that in a world without say, AK-47s, it will be too powerful.

Any thoughts?