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AgentPaper
2008-06-07, 06:34 PM
Been working on a campaign world setting for a few days, almost a week, now, on and off, and I like the way it's turned out so far. It's not done by any reasoning, but the major themes are there, at least for the area I'm working on so far, so I thought I may as well start posting what I've done so far, see if I can get some feedback. Basically, the world is currently in a state similar to the height of the Roman Empire, just as it is falling.

Maps:

Geography:

http://img73.imageshack.us/img73/2023/tarentiumgeographydn0.gif



Regions:

http://img71.imageshack.us/img71/2580/tarentiumregionsec7.gif

1) Tare, capital of Tarentium.
2) Various nobles.
3) Merchant's Guild.
4) Sun Army.
5) Mountain Folk.
6) Woad Barbarians
7) Pik Barbarians
8) Ferals
9) Shortmen


Story:

The empire of Tarentium was founded 1000 years before the present day, by the legendary Taren, called "the Founder" by most. He was rumored to be chosen by the Sun itself to rule over a great empire. The prophecy has come true, and Tarentium, founded by him, has grown to cover most of the known world. Only the most crazed barbarians and beasts, and the wicked shortmen, do not bow before her rule.

On the one thousandth year anniversary of the founding of the Empire, a great festival is taking place in the great capital, Tare. For a thousand days before the festival, the holy men of the Sun have been performing rites to honor each year of the great Empire's reign. Now, on the thousandth day after the ceremonies have begun, one thousand years to the day after Taren placed the first block of the grand tower itself, people from all the known world have come to celebrate this great day. The festivities have been going on for weeks before, but have reached new heights on this most momentous day.

To the woe of all, however, this day, a tribute to the might of the Empire, would also be the start of the end for the Empire itself. At high noon, a thin beam of light seemed to come down from the sun itself, right onto the Tower of the Sun itself. The crowds cheered at this, which was surely a sign of the Sun's favor on the great Empire and its rulers. Then, the light grew, becoming brighter and brighter, until none could stand to look at it. Still the light grew, and it seemed to make the sun itself pale in comparison. Even then, it grew, until a great crack was heard, and the beam seemed to explode, destroying the Tower of the Sun, and with it, the rulers of the city, and the Empire itself.

Magic had come to the world.

Background:

The known world has been reigned over by the Empire, Tarentium, for a thousand years. Now, on what should have been the greatest day of the might of the Empire, magic has come to the world. With the destruction of the Tower of the Sun, the ruling seat of Tarentium, the various factions were wary that the Empire had fallen. In the days after the event had taken place, the factions used their power to prepare for a world not united by the Empire's rulers.

Despite this, it seemed that the Empire may still hold together, but for one small detail. For when the beam of light descended from the heavens and destroyed the Tower of the Sun, magic came to the world of men, and many of those at the capital during the event came to know a new kind of magic. Unlike the Magic of the Sun, which had been in the lands for as long as people remembered, this magic was won by confining a spirit of the Sun in that person's body, and then using its power however they liked.

Those who worshiped the sun see this as blasphemy, as they have taught and believed since the start of the world that all magical power must come by asking the Sun in humbleness and awe for what powers he may grant. Thus the Sun Clerics have used their powers to uphold the tenets of the sun since the beginning of the world, in the Sun's grace.

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately in the eyes of sun, the worshipers of the Sun hold great sway throughout the empire, and so was able to convince the various factions to ignore all edicts that might be sent from the capital. However, the various factions could not agree on a new form of government, and so the empire was split between these factions.

In the west, on the border between the empire and the lands of the shortmen, the Sun Army has staged a coup, taking control of the borderlands. Unfortunately, during this upheaval, much of the lands of the empire were lost to barbarians with the support of the shortmen, but a courageous leader has risen and now holds the great Wall, build years ago to defend against the attacks of the shortmen, early in the years of the empire. Garek the Brave, taking control of all the armed forces in the surrounding lands, has successfully stopped the attackers at this wall, and is now attempting to re-take the lands that rightfully belong to the Empire. He eventually hopes to re-found the empire, using his military might to conquer each of the other factions in turn, making them follow his rule, just as Taren the Great did a thousand years before.

The great merchant's guild, the only part of the government that had not been based in the Tower of the Sun, but instead in Denarum, a great trade city, have used their wealth and power to keep control over a narrow strip of land on the northern coast. They see themselves as the rightful rulers of the empire in the absence of the rest of the ruling body, and seek to absorb all the other factions into their rightful rule through any means necessary.

As well, all of the noble houses have split from each other, ruling their personal lands, making alliances and vying for power in what they see as a chance to increase the power of their house and to eliminate their rivals in these turbulent times.

Religion:

Religion in the world of Tarentium falls under a few major categories. First, and most widespread, is the worship of the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars. These three religions are the main source of divine power. Basically, these are the powers that Clerics worship. The Sun is worshiped almost to exclusivity in the Empire itself, and worship of the Moon is seen as blasphemy, though small cults of moon worshipers exist. Worship of the Stars is practically unknown in these lands and all who do use the magic of the Stars, most notably the "shortmen" to the east, are assumed to be worshipers of the Moon, and are usually killed for their blasphemy all the same.

In addition to these three main religions, there are also the worship of Nature, and the worship of the Ancestors. Nature magic is used primarily by Druids, though rangers also tap into this power to some degree, though they might not know it. Ancestor magic is used by bards, who gain power by regaling stories of the great heroes of the past.

While the church of the Sun in Tarentium, and the church of the Stars in Syene have written codes for the worshipers of those sects, these are not actual rules set down by the Sun or the Stars, and worship of any of these can take many forms. In general, however, Sun worshipers are lawful, moon worshipers chaotic, and Star worshipers are neutral. None of these religions are good or evil, though their worshipers may be.

Races:

The races of Tarentium are mostly normal races, with the addition of ferals, though they are very similar to half-orcs, though larger. There are no elves. There are also 3 template races, Sunborn, Moonborn, and Starborn, which can be set onto any other race. These are basically the favored of each of those religions, and so they are almost always clerics of that power, or at least worship them.
Humans: The main race of Tarentium, and the only race of the Empire, is the Humans. They are varied and adaptable, able to survive in almost any climate or situation.

Stats:
* Medium: As Medium creatures, humans have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
* Human base land speed is 30 feet.
* 1 extra feat at 1st level.
* 4 extra skill points at 1st level and 1 extra skill point at each additional level.
* Automatic Language: Common. Bonus Languages: Any (other than secret languages, such as Druidic). See the Speak Language skill.
* Favored Class: Any. When determining whether a multiclass human takes an experience point penalty, his or her highest-level class does not count.


Ferals: (Half Orcs) The ferals are huge, hulking beasts, and are said to represent the fury of nature. They exist only in the southern reaches of the Empire, on the island Tayr, and were held back by the armies of the Empire for years. However, with the fall of the empire, the armies have been drawn north by Garek the Brave, and so the lands of the South are now poorly defended. The ferals have begun raiding small towns all over the coast of the southern lands, and it has come down the the individual nobles of those regions to defend their subjects.

Stats:
* +2 Strength, +2 Constitution, -4 Intelligence, -4 Charisma.
* A feral’s starting Intelligence score is always at least 3. If this adjustment would lower the character’s score to 1 or 2, his score is nevertheless 3.
* Size: Large
* Feral base land speed is 40 feet.
* Darkvision: Ferals can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and ferals can function just fine with no light at all.
* Automatic Languages: Sylvan.
* Favored Class: Barbarian. A multiclass feral’s barbarian class does not count when determining whether he takes an experience point penalty.


Dwarves: Instead of living under the mountains, the dwarves instead live in the great desert, Akhmin. They are mostly unknown to the denizens of the Empire, known only as the "shortmen", and universally reviled and hated. The dwarves have no use for any other races, other than the Gnomes.

Stats:
* +2 Constitution, -2 Charisma.
* Medium: As Medium creatures, dwarves have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
* Dwarf base land speed is 20 feet. However, dwarves can move at this speed even when wearing medium or heavy armor or when carrying a medium or heavy load (unlike other creatures, whose speed is reduced in such situations).
* Darkvision: Dwarves can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and dwarves can function just fine with no light at all.
* Stonecunning: This ability grants a dwarf a +2 racial bonus on Search checks to notice unusual stonework, such as sliding walls, stonework traps, new construction (even when built to match the old), unsafe stone surfaces, shaky stone ceilings, and the like. Something that isn’t stone but that is disguised as stone also counts as unusual stonework. A dwarf who merely comes within 10 feet of unusual stonework can make a Search check as if he were actively searching, and a dwarf can use the Search skill to find stonework traps as a rogue can.
* Weapon Familiarity: Dwarves may treat dwarven waraxes and dwarven urgroshes as martial weapons, rather than exotic weapons.
* Stability: A dwarf gains a +4 bonus on ability checks made to resist being bull rushed or tripped when standing on the ground (but not when climbing, flying, riding, or otherwise not standing firmly on the ground).
* +2 racial bonus on saving throws against poison.
* +2 racial bonus on saving throws against spells and spell-like effects.
* +1 racial bonus on attack rolls against orcs and goblinoids.
* +4 dodge bonus to Armor Class against monsters of the giant type. Any time a creature loses its Dexterity bonus (if any) to Armor Class, such as when it’s caught flat-footed, it loses its dodge bonus, too.
* +2 racial bonus on Appraise checks that are related to stone or metal items.
* +2 racial bonus on Craft checks that are related to stone or metal.
* Automatic Languages: Common and Dwarven. Bonus Languages: Giant, Gnome, Goblin, Orc, Terran, and Undercommon.
* Favored Class: Fighter. A multiclass dwarf’s fighter class does not count when determining whether he takes an experience point penalty for multiclassing


Gnomes: The gnomes live among the dwarves, and are seen by dwarves as the chosen of the Stars, sometimes even called the "starmen". Legend says they descended from the stars themselves, and are the only ones worthy of the star's grace. The gnomes form the religious sect of the Syene Empire, and are the only people in that empire who are allowed to use magic from the Stars.

Stats:
* +2 Wisdom, -2 Strength.
* Small: As a Small creature, a gnome gains a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but he uses smaller weapons than humans use, and his lifting and carrying limits are three-quarters of those of a Medium character.
* Gnome base land speed is 20 feet.
* Low-Light Vision: A gnome can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. He retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
* +2 racial bonus on attack rolls against kobolds and goblinoids.
* +4 dodge bonus to Armor Class against monsters of the giant type. Any time a creature loses its Dexterity bonus (if any) to Armor Class, such as when it’s caught flat-footed, it loses its dodge bonus, too.
* +2 racial bonus on Listen checks.
* +2 racial bonus on Craft (alchemy) checks.
* Automatic Languages: Common and Gnome. Bonus Languages: Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Giant, Goblin, and Orc.
* Favored Class: Cleric. A multiclass gnome’s cleric class does not count when determining whether he takes an experience point penalty.


Classes:

Non-magic classes are the same as normal, but magic-users are a bit different:

Clerics: Clerics worship either the Sun, the Moon, or the Stars. There is no alignment restriction for any of these, and all domains are open to any of them, though the DM can veto any decisions in this if he feels it is necessary. Good clerics channel positive energy, evil clerics channel negative, and neutral clerics can choose one or the other. The only restriction on clerics for alignment is that Sun clerics must be lawful, moon clerics must be chaotic, and star clerics must be neutral in at least one set.

Wizards: Wizards work the same as in a normal game, except that to use their magic, they have to bind a spirit of one of the three powers to their body, though it may be possible to bind the spirit of an ancestor or nature as well. With the spirit bound inside them, they can then channel its power into spells, through the use of gestures, spoken commands, and the like. The different schools each belong to one of the three powers, except for Divination and Necromancy. A wizard of the correct power can specialize in one of the two schools under his power's list or those under the "none" list, but then must lose the ability to use the powers in one of the other sets, including set belonging to no power, other than his own, or the "none" list if he chose a school from there. If you bind an ancestor or nature spirit, you can choose to specialize in any school, and lose the ability to use any other 2 schools, regardless of lists. A wizard of any type can always choose not to specialize.

Sun:
Abjuration
Evocation

Stars:
Illusion
Conjuration

Moon:
Enchantment
Transmutation

None:
Divination
Necromancy

Sorcerer: A sorcerer is a user of magic similar to a wizard in that he contains a spirit of some kind within him which gives him the power to use magic. However, a sorcerer did not willingly bind this spirit to himself, and uses its power in a more natural and free fashion. No real changes from the normal sorcerer.

Familiars: The familiar of a wizard or sorcerer is a physical representation of the spirit in his body. If the familiar dies, the owner looses exp in a normal fashion, but instead of having to obtain a new familiar, a new one is created one year and a day later. The master can choose what type of familiar the replacement is.

Bard: Bards gain power through worship of the Ancestors. Most bards practice ancestor worship, though it is not technically required to. They must, however, know much of the ancestors they speak of, which is most of their training. The better they tell the story of their ancestor, the more power that ancestor's spirit gives them. In addition, to cast spells, a bard must have the spirit of a specific ancestor residing within them. This spirit gives them powers similar to that of a sorcerer. The binding can be forced, though ancestors are usually easy to convince to bind themselves to the bard normally.

Druid: Druids are blessed with a spirit of nature, similar to a cleric. A druid has no restrictions on alignment. Their animal companion is a physical representation of their spirit, similar to a familiar.

Ranger: A ranger doesn't need to have a spirit of nature bound to him from first level, but must by level 4 to be able to use spells. Other than that, they are the same as druids for the intents of spirits.

Paladin: A paladin is similar to a ranger, in that he doesn't need to have a spirit residing in his body from first level, but must by level 4 to use spells. Other than that, his abilities are defined by his alignment. A paladin doesn't have to be lawful good, but can be of any alignment. However, they must use this alignment as their creed, and be dedicated to that alignment. For example, if a paladin is chaotic neutral at first level, he must try to uphold his chaotic nature or lose his paladin powers. He cannot change his chosen alignment without a major belief change, similar to a cleric changing gods. Good paladins channel positive energy, evil paladins channel negative energy, and a neutral paladin can choose one or the other. A paladin gives off an aura of whatever alignment he is, and can smite those who have an alignment opposite to one of theirs. For example, a lawful neutral paladin can smite good or chaotic creatures, while a neutral good paladin can smite only evil creatures. As an exception, a true neutral paladin can smite "extremists", which include Lawful Good, Chaotic Good, Lawful Evil, and Chaotic Evil. A paladin must uphold the beliefs of his alignment as best he can. A true neutral alignment for a paladin does not include someone who is "undecided", but must be striving for some ideal balance in the world.

Multiple magic classes: A character who multiclasses in two different classes that both use a spirit for magic, must use the same spirit for both classes. A single character cannot have more than one spirit residing it it's body. Thus, a sorcerer with a moon spirit that becomes a wizard must then bind that same spirit, becoming a moon wizard. However, it is possible for a character to remove the spirit from their own body, and then replace it with another spirit of a different type. If they do so, they lose any spells that they had from the other spirit. They can regain these spells by attuning with the new spirit, which takes a month for each level of spell they wish to regain, plus one day. (0-level spells are regained a day after, 1st level a month and a day after, 2nd level 2 months and a day after, etc) This also counts as dismissing their familiar or animal companion, which is replaced a year and a day after the switch, as normal.

Note that the abilities and spells of a class are lost if you do not have the appropriate spirit for that class. So, if you start as a wizard of the moon, gain levels in sorcerer and then remove that spirit to become a druid, you can regain all of your spells by using the nature spirit for your wizard and sorcerer levels. However, if you then remove that spirit and become a bard by binding an ancestor spirit, you cannot regain your druid spells or abilities, though you can attune your wizard and sorcerer spells to the new spirit.

If you want to make a class not listed here also work with this system, feel free to write up the new rules for it, and I will post it here. Note that all magic comes from spirits of the various types, however. Feel free to make up a new type of spirit for a different magic class, but there are no other sources of magic. Truenaming might be an exception to this, at the discretion of the DM.

Will post a map of the world in a bit. Any thoughts, ideas, recommendations, discontinuities, suggestions, and constructive criticism is highly appreciated.

Sliver_Slave
2008-06-07, 10:01 PM
I was only ale to skim due to time constraints, and i'll give it a more thorough read through, but i like the way magic "changed". It seems very different from nearly every setting out their.

EDIT: Turns out I have more time than i thought. I like what you did with the dwarves and gnomes, and no holier than thou elves for once is a bonus.

AgentPaper
2008-06-07, 11:13 PM
Yeah, decided elves had been done to death. Halflings had no real role in it, though I may add them later in some other area if I get some good idea for them. The dwarves and gnomes are basically seen as one race by the humans of Tarentium, (the residents of the Empire call both their empire and the world the same thing, as the empire basically is the world as far as they're concerned) but they are two distinct races. The dwarves are very militant, but great at stonemasonry and metal working. More importantly, they aren't underground, but instead live in a huge desert. I see them as kinda similar to the egyptians, building big monuments all over the place with sandstone and such. As well, wood is extremely rare and treasured, so they use metal for all the things most people would use wood for, or stone in the case of buildings. The are also a little bit ahead of the humans as far as technology, but that just means they can make simple mechanical devices, such as crossbows. (Which they use extensively)

The gnomes, on the other hand, are kind of like a priest-class for the culture, being the only ones who use magic. Dwarves can also use magic, but those who do are seen as blasphemers by the rest of the dwarves and the gnomes, as only the gnomes are supposedly fit to use magic. There will probably be some trouble from the dwarves and gnomes (collectively the "shortmen" to the humans) once they find out that humans have started using magic.

And yeah, I like how magic turned out as well, giving a better reason for why the classes access magic differently, and especially the difference between divine and arcane magic. Both come from spirits, but divine is given willingly by the spirits, and the spirits themselves are the ones who form the magic into different spells. Arcane magic, on the other hand, works by pulling the magic out yourself, and forming it yourself. A sorcerer is a bit of a mix, since his spirit joined him willingly, and gives the power willingly, but the sorcerer himself forms the magic to be whatever he needs.

Please say if anything seems unclear or needs expanding. This is just a rough draft so far, so I know I must have left some stuff out.

AgentPaper
2008-06-08, 08:58 PM
Bumpy FOR GREAT JUSTICE!

Map soon, and more info. No time, must go...

Suddenly, NINJAS!

Riva
2008-06-09, 02:44 PM
Awesome setting mate, I really like it.

How do arcane casters go about binding their spirits? Can it be willing?

In the case of sorcerers, who inherit them, do the spirits make any kind of demand or what?

Vella_Malachite
2008-06-10, 01:31 AM
That's really cool! I'd also like to know about the spirits in the sorcerors, I'm curious...:smallwink:

AgentPaper
2008-06-11, 04:41 PM
As for how the wizards bind spirits to their body, it's basically through truenaming. Truenaming is the only type of "magic" that doesn't require a spirit inhabiting your body. So, you can use the truename of "sun spirits" to get the closest sun spirit to come to you, and bind them into your body. As for how the magic works, there's basically a few ways to get a spirit into your body, and a few ways to use that spirit's magic, which make up the different magic classes.

The main difference is between arcane and divine magic. Divine magic is magic that the spirit directly casts itself, the user just has to point and say how to use it. This is how clerics, paladins, druids, and rangers use magic. As well, these users gain their spirits by revering one of the powers, and then one of the spirits acknowledge their dedication by inhabiting their body and helping them out.

When one of these classes prepares spells, they are basically telling the spirit what spells to get ready for the day. It takes a while to communicate what spell you want, so you can't do this on the fly for the most part. Later, you just give the spirit some signal, which could be hand gestures or a word you say, and indicate a target in a similar fashion, and the spirit goes to work on it's own. Divine magic can also be called "Natural Magic."

Because the spirit does everything willingly, the user can't direct them to do something that is too far away from the nature of the spirit. So, a sun cleric cannot be chaotic, because the lawful sun spirit inside him will just refuse to do something that is against his nature. Just the same, a druid can't choose to do something that would harm nature, because the nature spirit inside him will reject the user for it.

Arcane magic works a bit differently. The three arcane classes, Wizard, Sorcerer, and Bard, each gain their spirits a different way. As well, they also cast spells a bit differently from each other. A Wizard uses a simple truenaming ritual to get the spirit to first inhabit him, and also to bind it there. Because of this, he doesn't have to worry about upsetting the spirit with his actions. The spirit has no choice in the matter. So, a Moon wizard could go against the nature of the moon spirit inside him by forcing it to do something lawful.

To cast spells, the wizard takes some of the magic from the spirit, and then shapes it into a spell. This takes a while, which is why he has to prepare his spells in the morning. He can shape the spell in any way he wants, which is why he has few limits on the types of spells he can cast. To use the spell, he just has to activate that certain spell that is already prepared, and directs the spell towards some target.

A sorcerer is similar to a wizard in some ways, but different in a few key ways. First, instead of forcing the spirit to bind itself to him, the spirit is somehow bound to the person from birth. There are many theories as to how or why this happens, but nobody is sure exactly why. Like the wizard, the sorcerer is not bound to use or not use his spells in any particular way. The main difference, however, is how he casts his spells. He is unique in that the spirit and the user both participate in the process, unlike divine casters who let the spirit do all the work, or the wizard to takes all of the casting into his own hands. Basically, the spirit provides power to the sorcerer whenever he needs it, and the sorcerer merely has to shape the raw magical power into whatever spell he wants. Because of this, the sorcerer doesn't need to prepare spells. He just has to know the various ways of shaping magic, and then ask the spirit for some power.

Bards work almost exactly the same way as sorcerers when it comes to casting. Specifically, they cast spells in exactly the same way. The main difference, however, is that instead of being born with the spirit, they attract a potential ancestor spirit by regaling great tales of that ancestor's history. If he performs well enough, the spirit of that ancestor will come to him and bind himself to that player. It is theorized that the spirits are just bored, and bind themselves because they want to hear more stories about their great feats. The bard then uses that spirit's power by telling about a certain great feat that that ancestor had one. For example, to cast feather fall, the bard has merely to recite how his ancestor, Garband the Drunk, once fell off a cliff while particularly drunk, and somehow survived without a scratch. An ancestor spirit can leave the body of a bard who does something he disproves of, but this only happens very rarely. Most ancestor spirits are pretty easy-going, being dead, and few pay close enough attention in the first place. Still, if a bard chooses to attract the spirit of a great holy paladin of ages gone, and then proceeds to murder hundreds of innocents for no real reason, then the spirit of the paladin is likely going to take notice and leave the bard without his powers.

Also, while this is the typical way that the classes do what they do, exceptions are certainly possible. For example, someone born with a moon spirit inside them for example could then devote himself to the moon, and become a cleric of the moon instead of a sorcerer. Or, he could train as a wizard, and cast his spells in the same way a wizard does. He can even multiclass and do all three.

AgentPaper
2008-06-11, 11:02 PM
Posted up the maps. Also, do you think the magic needs to be explained more clearly? I thought I had shown how they work pretty well in the OP, but if you think the other explanation I just gave was better, or are still confused, please say so. Want to make it clear, because I think it's a pretty nifty system, making magic a bit more interesting, tying the different types all together, while still keeping the mechanics and the theme the same. What I did should make bards a bit more than, "I play this lute, and I can do a little magic."

AgentPaper
2008-06-13, 12:33 AM
Need more comments/ideas! Bumpy!

Also, I've drawn up a map of the rest of the world, and one idea I've been mulling over, is basically to have 2 types of dwarves, the Sand Dwarves or Desert Dwarves, which are what I have listed above, and the Mountain Dwarves, which would be a bit more like classic dwarves. Still not sure if I want to do this, as it seems like a bit of a cliche, but might also be cool. Or would it just take away the interesting parts of what I made the dwarves in this setting? I'll think it over a bit.

I'm also thinking about updating it to fit more with 4e, especially by adding dragonborn, who I think are cool, and new enough that I would want to use them. However, I think I'll wait a while for 4e to flesh out a bit more, since with just the 8 current classes my magic system wouldn't work as well. Would be cool to make the current wizard into a sorcerer, and then make another class that is more like the 3.5 wizard, as in, more focused on versatility than raw power. I would also have to re-invent gnomes for it, though that's not so bad, as the gnomes in this setting are quite a bit different than those in 3.5 anyways.

I'm especially hoping that the Giant will start up his The New World article again, as I'm a bit lost on what to do next at this point. Should I just move on to another region to develop? I've got a few ideas for the shortmen, as the Tarentians call them, as well as for some type of seaborn trader race, which might be halflings, though once again probably modified. More likely I'll make a new race, or make them humans. They would still be trading heavily with the merchant's guild, like they did before with the Empire, probably not even knowing about the turmoil. (especially if they are a different race) One thing I know, however, is that they would be having a lot of trouble with Pik pirates, after the Sun Navy (The empire's navy, large but not exactly great ships) has been destroyed during the turmoil by some out of control magic user(s). (wizard(s) and/or sorcerer(s), most likely)

Come on guys, I'm looking for ideas here, since this is a work in progress. Telling me how much you like it is nice and all, but I'd rather have feedback on what's bad, what could be added, or anything else.

ThePhantom
2008-06-13, 12:48 AM
More info on enemies of the empire, like who destroyed the Sun Tower/

AgentPaper
2008-06-13, 01:35 PM
Right, enemies of the empire. Good thing to cover.

First, there are the ferals. They inhabit the lower islands south of the empire lands. They have little organization, and ostensibly attack to protect nature, which is the power they worship. Most ferals are barbarians, though some specialized hunters are rangers, and those who become druids usually become leaders or advisers to the chieftain. In the past, the ferals as a whole were mostly kept from attacking the empire by a great wall separating the larger of the two islands in half. The Sun Army kept a large garrison here to fight of the constant raids by the ferals. However, with the destruction of the Sun Tower and the ensuing chaos, the majority of the troops garrisoning the wall left to head north, joining the rest of the Sun Army under Garek the Brave. As a result, the ferals have overrun the wall, and now use their makeshift rafts and boats, especially stolen human boats, to launch raids all up and down the coast of the southern empire. Without the Sun Army to defend them, the various nobles of the southern lands have had to find any mercenaries or adventurers they can to fight off feral raiding parties.

This provides a lot of quest opportunities, whether it be defending some lord's lands, saving a small village, or finding a boat and striking back at the ferals in their own land. A nature worshiper in the party could even try to sue for peace between the various humans and the ferals, probably by helping the humans live more in tune with nature, instead of cutting down trees and killing wildlife without need.


Second, we have the Mountain Folk. They do not have a name for themselves, instead referring to themselves as the true humans, and the rest of humanity as barbarians. They are an old enemy of the empire, long thought defeated when the empire first settled the southern lands. Back then, the mountain folk were a peaceful folk, quietly practicing their ancestor worship in the mountains in the center of what is now the empire. However, when the empire started to expand south, the mountain folk refused to join the empire, since the empire demanded that they adopt sun worship instead of ancestor worship. The Sun army had an extended war with the warriors of the mountain folk, but the mountain folk were eventually defeated. The empire thought that their culture had died with their armies, but they had instead secretly moved underground, literally. Taking residence in the caves and mining tunnels below the mountains, the mountain folk have been waiting for hundreds of years for the day they can exact revenge from the empire and re-take their ancestral lands. Now, with the fall of the empire, they have sent their armies to the surface, completely blocking land trade and communication between the northern and southern regions of the empire. The majority of the mountain folk still live under the mountain, in their great halls carved out over the centuries, not wanting to return to the surface after being so long underground.

Once again a good place to find adventure. Whether it be carrying an urgent message through these dangerous lands, protecting a brave, or foolish, merchant caravan trying to break through the mountains, or trying to sue for peace with these barbarians as well.

Third, the Woad. These barbarians live between the Empire, specifically the lands held by the Sun Army, and the lands of the shortmen. Nobody knows too much about these barbarians, or why they refused to ally themselves with the empire. Instead, they have taken to an alliance of sorts with the shortmen, trading their plentiful wood for metals, weapons, and technology. (crossbows primarily) They have then used these weapons against the Sun Army, raiding all the lands beyond the great wall with impunity. There are rumors of some of the Woad becoming more organized, led by either a great chieftain, or even by a shortman emissary. The Sun Army has had a few skirmishes with this new enemy, all of which have led to the slaughter of the Sun Army under a hail of bolts seeming to come from nowhere, followed by a great charge of infantry in heavy armor wielding great axes, tearing apart their already weakened troops.

And of course, plenty of opportunity for adventure, whether it be protecting villagers from attack, or rallying them to fight off the barbarians, or pressing in to stop or slow down the lumber harvest to stop the woad trading their wood for more weapons. The mystery of the new leadership is also a pressing concern for the Sun Army, and any adventurer who could identify, or better yet remove, this leader would be very well rewarded indeed.

Fourth, the Pik. These barbarians escaped becoming a subject of the empire through their superior naval power. The Sun Navy, while large, was far less effective on a ship-per-ship basis, and was hard pressed just keeping the Pik pirates from attacking their trade ships. It was not uncommon for a trading ship caravan of 20 merchant ships to be guarded by 50 Sun Navy warships. However, after the fall of the Sun Tower, all of the ships had been recalled to the main port of the empire, and by some terrible luck the entire armada burned and sank in a single night. The origin of the fire is not known for certain, but it is suspected that it was magical in origin, since the fire seemed to leap from ship to ship at an unbelievable speed. Now, the only ships left are those who had not yet returned to the port, and the Sun Navy numbers only a few over one hundred ships by most counts, barely enough to patrol the shores, and far to few to protect even a fraction of the trade ships that frequent the northern shore. As well, the burned wreckage of the ships that sank in the major port city have made that port unusable, further hampering trade. Because of this, the Pik pirates roam the northern waters freely, and no ship is safe from their raids. Trade has nearly stopped, only worsening the troubles of those who live on the mainland.

Once again, great adventure fodder. Of course you could try and protect a merchant ship, or attack the Pik in their home, but even more interesting would be a journey to the lands of those who the empire trades with, to see if they can send warships to help keep the Pik under control. Since I haven't fleshed out those traders yet, however, I don't know how or if that would work.

Last, and most definitely not least, are the Shortmen. Of course, shortmen is merely what the humans call them, but they refuse to speak to humans, even when taken prisoner, so nobody knows their true name, or even what their homeland is like, over the mountains. They maintain a huge wall covering the mountain passes of the entire mountain region to the west, and no human has managed to cross it and return alive. This wall is constantly manned, and no attack from the Sun Army has managed to breach it's gates. The entire structure is honeycombed with places for the shortmen archers to fire their crossbows at any approaching force, and though the majority of the structure is stone, the side is covered in metal, which is thought to be at least a foot thick, as none of the catapults of the Sun Army have managed to do any real damage to the structure. As well as the wall itself, there are hidden bunkers peppering the land a mile in front of the wall, allowing shock troops with cover from archers in the bunkers themselves to strike at any troops out of range from the wall itself. These bunkers are so well hidden, that armies have marched right over them without even noticing them, and nobody knows how many there truly are. The most mysterious trait of the shortmen, however, is that not once in known history have the shortmen left their walls to lead an attack, or even to scout out the lands beyond their walls.

While no adventuring party, at least early on, stands a chance at leading a strike against the wall, let alone bringing it down, it would be quite an adventure to sneak past these formidable defenses to explore the lands beyond the mountains. As well, if your players like to lead huge armies in massive battles, then attacking the wall would surely be one of the greatest challenges they could possibly find, if not the greatest.

As for what destroyed the Sun Tower, well, that wasn't any real enemy of the empire. That was more just a "natural disaster" of the magic type. Nobody knows exactly what it was or why it happened (including me) but after it happened, there was a much larger amount of spirits in the lands, and many became bound to humans, whether willingly or not. So, basically, after this event the humans of Tarentium discovered magic for the first time, and this is one of the main things that caused the empire to truly fall. If the Sun Tower had just been destroyed, then the empire would have been shaken, but likely would have survived. However, with the wizards wandering around practicing their "blasphemy", especially in the capital itself, the various factions in the empire couldn't hold together, and broke apart.

AgentPaper
2008-06-14, 11:50 AM
I just had one really, really interesting idea on something to do with the clerics and their channeling positive or negative energy. Basically, everyone decides whether they channel positive or negative energy when they first become a cleric. Even a paladin can choose whether to turn or rebuke undead. Neither act is inherently good or evil. If you think about it, it makes sense. Neither positive or negative energy are inherently good or evil, but jut tools for one or the other. Sure, positive energy lends itself to a good cause pretty well, just as negative energy lends itself to evil acts, but it's just as possible to heal a villager to save his life as it is to heal an orc purely so he can go kill more people (instead of healing him for the sake of healing him) or even worse using healing magic to repeatedly torture someone with no limits on how much you can hurt them. On the flipside, it's just as possible to inflict wounds on a dragon to stop it razing a city, as it is to use it to kill an innocent baby (for example). Undead also aren't really good or evil per say, but just lawful tools of someone who is. Is it not possible to lead a good undead army to defeat an evil empire?

Alignment argument aside, it adds a fair bit more variety to clerics, who can take a more offensive, and very unique, role in the good party instead of being forced to heal everyone all the time. That said, I think I will have Sun clerics channel positive energy, and Moon clerics channel negative. Seems logical, at any rate, though I'm not as sure about this one.

AgentPaper
2008-06-15, 09:42 PM
Bump. PEACH people, PEACH!

AgentPaper
2008-06-26, 11:18 PM
One last bump in an effort to get some interest.

insecure
2008-06-27, 01:18 AM
This looks interesting. Are there any organizations devoted to something?

AgentPaper
2008-06-27, 01:22 PM
This looks interesting. Are there any organizations devoted to something?

I haven't really made any organizations yet, though there is the Sun Army trying to re-make the empire, bigger and better, the former merchant's guild trying to restore the old empire, re-establishing trade routes mostly, and the capital city, which has been taken over by wizards, who don't really have much of a purpose as of yet besides exploring this new-found magic. Other than that, there are the various barbarian factions, the shortmen (dwarves and gnomes) in the desert, who nobody knows what they're doing (not even me, yet) and of course the hundreds of different local lords and barons and such, who are now free from the rule of the empire, and doing all sorts of things. I'll probably write out a few of the more important of those, but I want to leave it free for a DM to make his own noble to fit the purposes of his campaign.

One of the main things is, all that I have written is really just the beginning. I want most of the development of the world to happen in actual games of DnD. If anyone actually uses this world for their campaign, I would really appreciate reports on what the characters generally, do, and I would be happy to help them write up a campaign to fit into this world.

One thing I really want to avoid is having easy villains to point out. There isn't some evil mastermind trying to take over the world. Everyone is trying to do their thing, and most people disagree to some extent with what someone else is doing. I'm thinking of abandoning the alignment system altogether in this world, since it doesn't really fit. For example, the mountain men are seen as evil by the empire-folk in the lands around them, since they kill travelers and take their stuff, preventing trade and communication. The mountain men themselves, however, just see this as them re-taking their rightful lands, which the empire stole from them in the distant past.

Another thing that seems like it would fit this world, would be for it to be a low-power campaign, where the PCs don't get so powerful they can obliterate entire armies at a whim. I haven't used it myself, but that system that caps your level at 6 or so seems like a good choice. Players should strive to accomplish some goal in their campaign other than just getting more xp. I'll leave that up to the DM, though, since it's personal preference.