Help with my "Blood and Iron" campaign setting

[NorseItalian]

I'm working on making my first full fleged campaign setting called Blood and Iron. For this setting I wanted to take two extremely different concepts and blend them together. So, I'm taking traditional fantasy (folklore akin to that of old fairytales and such) and blending it with a crusades/inquisition type situation. The second part is pretty easy for me, I'm fleshing it out pretty well. Here's where I need all of your help.

What I need is some folktale style classes/monsters/spells. I don't want them made in D&D format, I'll do that myself. I'd just like some ideas thrown out there to help get me thinking. All help is appreciated!

[TheLogman]

Although they're not homebrew, most monsters of the Fey type are of Folklore.

As for spells, most spells in fairy tales are illusions/compulsions. This works well with the Inquisition aspect, as it becomes the Inquisition, using the more violent compulsion magics, against the Fey and fairy creatures, who would be using weaker but more varied compulsions and illusions.

As for classes, a few easy ones right of the bat would be a Ranger/Paladin blend of hunter for the Inquisition, and maybe a compulsion/Intimidation Prestige Class for the higher-ups. Another one would be the Crusader, probably a Fighter with weak Paladin abilities, or Fighter/Ranger Blends. For the Fey/Folklore you have the Enchantress (Who is anyone from the witches of the fairy-tales to a beautiful young woman), and the Illusionist, who could be anyone from a trickster to a criminal to a rebel sympathizer.

As for monsters of the Inquisition, although it's cheesy, but the greatest monster of all....is man.

I'm not sure if this is exactly what you wanted, but I hope at least some of it helps.

[NorseItalian]

All good ideas, thanks! Monsters shouldn't be too hard, it's mostly folklore-ish classes that I'm looking for. Your points about the enchantress and illusionist makes me think that maybe I should do away with the wizard class (I already removed sorcerer) and just make several other magic using classes. What I really need is to find some more original martial classes for the Folklore aspect. I've been mulling over how a campaign in this world would play out, and it's become clear to me that this needs to be set in a time several years AFTER the inquisition is abolished, so that magic is no longer illegal but is nonetheless looked down upon.

Any other help would be appreciated!

[TheLogman]

Possibly, you could just re-tool the Wizard/Sorcerer classes so that they MUST be specialists, and then from there, you can decrease spells known, increase spells per day, and maybe give Invocations similar to Warlock, with some spells becoming automatic over time (But not too many or too high a level).

Also, maybe the Inquisition was Psionic, the power of the human mind, crushing the power of the woodlands/Nature power (Magic). Then, the Inquisiton has marked all of the Psions with a Stigma they must carry, and the Inquisition was all Psychic warriors.

[NorseItalian]

The basic idea is that the elves (who have spell abilities simillar to the gnomes [who have also been cut out]) brought magic into the world, first trying (and failing) to teach it to the dwarves, then moving on and teaching it to the humans. The humans excelled at learning it, but they abused their power. The most powerful magi gathered together and attempted to open a portal to the upper plains, but accidentally opened doors to all the planes, filling the world with monsters. A Human king led the humans to victory, driving most of the monsters underground and out of human lands. Many years passed and the Humans and Elves continued to live in peace, until one day the king died. His son believed that the elves and their magic were the cause of all the worlds problems, so he started massacreing elves and all magic users. I want to set this several years later when he has been overthrown and exiled. Magic is no longer illegal, and it is accepted in lagre cities, but people in smaller towns are still very supersitious, and sometimes even violent against magic.

[Xyk]

I seem to remember a campaign similar to this that I played in. That was back in 2nd ed though. I suggest having lots of superstitious people in big cities too, prejudice is a great part of dnd. I Highly suggest the spirit shaman from CD. That class is the epitome of folktales and fairies and the like. Bard also seems to fit the role well. If you want antimagic, ther are many mage-killer prestige classes that fit the purpose.

[SurlySeraph]

Vorpal Tribble (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?p=15073098) has made a lot of nature-based monsters that would be suitable for this, but the one that absolutely leaps to mind is the Inquisition Golem (http://www.enworld.org/archive/index.php/t-207966.html).

[Magnor Criol]

First, look at Vorpal Tribble's homebrewed stuff. He's got a ton of Fey creatures 'brewed up, most of them based on old fairytales and folklore - exactly what you're looking for. And he's also got a construct called an Inquisition Golem which could be a particularly sinister addition to your game.

I wouldn't get rid of the Wizard; they're actually very close to the old fairytale/folklore concepts of spellcasters - old men who spend ages researching spells and forgotten lore in dusty towers.

Keep the wizard, but reducing their spell list isn't out of the question, or at least making it more difficult for them to acquire more spells. If you make them have to find tomes and magical writings or research spells themselves to gain new ones, that adds flavor, makes them pick spells more carefully, and encourages wizard players to act much more like the folklore wizards of old did.

Make sure you make public displays of magic be very attention-getting events - negative, for the most part, as the government would then want to hunt you and the normal citizen would know you're a criminal, but there'd be the occasional positive reaction from people who don't agree with the government's policies, et cetera.
In turn, expanding the powers and abilities of the familiars is also in great keeping with the old folktales. Giving them higher intelligence and the ability to speak Common is the best place to start; consider also allowing more exotic familiars (like imps, for instance.)

This also works well with your setting; if the nation's king hunts spellcasters, then the wizards would naturally take to remote lairs to research their spells, or die by the sword.

[MorkaisChosen]

Shameless plug, but anything animalistic is quite Folkloresque, so you could use stuff like the Shifters from Eberron and a PrC called "Beastmind Warrior" (a psychic warrior with some beasty shapechanging type abilities) homebrewed and posted on this board by a certain "MorkaisChosen".

That's if it's any good, of course.

[NorseItalian]

Thanks to all for the great advice. I'll definitely check out Vorpal Tribble's stuff, however I think the Inquisition Golem would be much to high of a technology level. I'm not a big fan of steampunk style monsters.

Xyk, thanks for the heads up on the Spirit Shaman. The druids are a vital part of the campaign, but they're so underpowered that nobody wants to play them. The Spirit Shaman will be a good substitute.

...come to think of it, the Bards could use some beefing up as well.

[TheLogman]

...Did you yourself make Druids weak, or does your group think that?

The thing is, most people regard Druids as very powerful, considering their Spellcasting ability is pretty good, they do nice buffs and healing, they can Shapechange later on, and they also get an Animal Companion.

[NorseItalian]

...Did you yourself make Druids weak, or does your group think that?

The thing is, most people regard Druids as very powerful, considering their Spellcasting ability is pretty good, they do nice buffs and healing, they can Shapechange later on, and they also get an Animal Companion.

Maybe "weak" isn't the word, but more just unbalanced/un-fun to play.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Give me an idea of the level you want and I'll be glad to point out some things that might be of particularly interest.

Knight of the Golden Orchard (http://forums.gleemax.com/showpost.php?p=14262658&postcount=2) PrC is something of mine that also springs to mind. Classic armor and horse riding fellow... of the woods, and ambassador between the wild and civilized peoples.

[NorseItalian]

What do you mean by "level?" If you mean character level, I want it to be able to be run at any level.

Or do you mean technonlogy level? Or magic level?

[NorseItalian]

Just bumping this up, and informing you all that since this is now set AFTER the inquisition, I'm changing the setting name to "Otherworld" after the irish folklore spirit world.