Katasi
2008-08-25, 09:33 PM
Ok, I want to make a good campaign setting that's unique from others, but I need some help. I've come up with a few basics both fluff-wise and mechanically, but I need opinions and more help with ideas.
In no particular order:
World Basics
Damage System
This campaign will use a variation on the Vitality/Wound Point System
I'm using a slight variant on it. Vitality Points will work exactly the same as normal. Wound Points work as normal except that you gain your CON+1 WP to begin with, plus bonus wound points based on your BAB. Each time your BAB goes up by one point you gain one Wound Point. Weapons in this system do not gain expanded threat ranges, instead the multiplier is reduced by one, thus most weapons now do only normal damage on a critical hit as normal for this system, but a spear for example would do double damage on a crit. I suppose the normal system could be used though if everyone thinks this is overpowered.
Magic/Psionics System
This will be what I call a medium-magic campaign setting. Basically, it doesn't fit as a low-magic setting because casters will still be fairly common and there will still be plenty of magic items, but magic won't be used in place of technology or be quite as prevalent or easy as in a high-magic setting. And I've come up with a mechanic to support this:
Spells take energy and leave the user slightly more weary than he was. Mechanically, this means they burn Vitality points equal to 1/2 the spell level rounded down. So 0 and 1st level spells cost nothing. 2nd and 3rd level spells cost 1 VP each, and so on. Yes I realize that will slightly power down casters and restrict them more, but that's the point.
Psionics take energy as well, but in a slightly different way, a psionic character's vitality damage from manifesting is (points consumed-1)/4, rounded down.
Magic in this campaign isn't something taken lightly. Spell-like abilities are in born and take no Vitality to use however. Undead that cast spells will do so directing the negative energy that powers them, gaining a spell-pool equal to their Wound Points
Fluffier Stuff
Cosmology Stuff
I've decided that time in this world will be the same as in our world, with hours, days, weeks, years, moths, ect. the same for simplicity sake. This world will also have a 12-month zodiac, with each sign attached to an element, and each element coffering a bonus to those born under it.
Zodiac
Ok, I don't have the signs worked out yet, but here are the bonuses I've decided on for each month:
January: (Air) +1 Jump
February: (Water) +1 Heal
March: (Earth) Craft always considered in-class
April: (Fire) Intimidate always considered in-class
May: (Air) +1 Tumble
June: (Water) +1 Swim
July: (Earth) +1 to any one Craft
August: (Fire) +1 Intimidate
September: (Air) Jump always considered in-class
October: (Water) Swim always considered in-class
November: (Earth) +1 Balance
December: (Fire) +1 Gather Information
Races
Humans
Elves: Wood and Gray only
Dwarves: Mountain only
Gnome... I love gnomes and they work in really well into the setting. Since spell casting counts on Vitality in this game, races with CON bonuses will actually have an edge in that department, if only a small one, and gnomes are well set up to take advantage of that, with only a few small changes. But I'm actually thinking of creating at least one, if not a few new sub races:
Mystic Gnome
+2 CON, -2 STR, +2 INT, -2 CHA
Small: As a Small creature, a Mystic 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.
Base Speed 20 feet
+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.
Earth Spell: A mystic gnome gains a spell pool of vitality points equal to his level while he is in contact with the ground. This spell pool refreshes after 24 hours, calculated from the last time it refreshed, or 8 hours of rest, whichever comes last. While not in contact with the ground (either due to flying, or being submersed in a liquid to deep to touch down) the mystic gnome can not access these extra points.
+2 racial bonus on saving throws against spells and spell-like effects.
+2 racial bonus on Listen checks.
+2 racial bonus on Craft (alchemy) checks.
+2 racial bonus on Concentration checks.
Always Literate: A mystic gnome is always literate, even if their class says they should not be. They cannot take the Illiterate flaw.
Free Bonus Language: A mystic gnome gains an extra bonus language free above what they would receive from a high INT score.
Automatic Languages: Common and Gnome. Bonus Languages: Any In addition, a mystic gnome can speak with any magical beasts with an INT of 2 or lower. This ability is innate to mystic gnomes. See the speak with animals spell description.
Spell-Like Abilities: 1/day—speak with magical beasts (2 INT or under only, duration 1 minute). A Mystic Gnome with an INT score of at least 10 also has the following spell-like abilities: 1/day—Light, Ghost sound, Mage Hand. Caster level 1st; save DC 10 + gnome’s INT modifier + spell level.
Favored Class: Wizard
Mystic Gnomes are an ancient sub race, dating back to the time when gods still lived their day to day lives among the mortals. Long ago gnomes where introduced to magic, and some of them took to it with a passion and natural skill unseen anywhere else. No one, even the deities can tell when the first Mystic Gnomes appeared, but over the millenniums of the world they have made themselves very distinct. While the Rock Gnomes are more technologically skilled, and have a good taste for the arts, Mystic gnomes are nearly the opposite. Mystic Gnomes have very little technology of their own, borrowing most of their devices from their Rock Gnome brethren and Human and Dwarven allies. They have little patience for or interest in any art besides the magical ones, although many individuals can still appreciate the skills of a good leather worker, bookbinder, or even blacksmith. Mystic Gnomes are highly intelligent and are tough like the other races of stone, but they suffer from low physical strength of the Rock Gnomes, as well as tending to be gruff, impatient, and often irritable.
Elans
Maneads
Xephs (maybe)
LA+ Common Races
Lizardfolk
Goliaths
Dromites
Nonexistant:
Kobolds will not exist at all in this setting.
I have a few ideas for countries within the setting, but no real details yet, and alot of them are pretty cleche'd.
Nations
I know I want a nation in a valley surrounded on all sides by mountains and such, accessible only if you know the way in or out. This nation would have be special, something about the area would make spellcasting easier, reducing the cost by half. This one small nation would be totally based around magic, and would resemble a high-magic campaign world.
I kinda like the idea of two evil nations, one where women are worshiped and males are second-class citizens are worse, and one that's the opposite. Instant plot hooks, especially if a small but easily defendable good nation was sandwiched between them and had to endure their attempts to conquer it and the collateral damage as they turn it in a battleground in their fight against eachother.
I want to have a nation or two cut off from the rest that is still in the bronze age, heavily influenced by the ancient greeks or romans, and another cut off from the others elsewhere with an ancient egyptian feel.
I want a third area, one or two nations, three at max, with a middle-eastern feel to them.
I am debating a nation based off the far east, but I'm not sure really, I want to have at least on nation for any campaign a DM could want to run, but idk.... maybe have that as another far excluded from the others.
I want a nation in the midst of an inquisition. I want a nation with a more celtic feel, and six-nine other nations with various european medieval themes, since that's the era and area that I intend for most of the campaigns in this setting to be in.
I also want a nation or a few nations run totally by the most vile evil imaginable, places where demons, devils, and especially undead are commonplace and pretty much run the place.
Gods
I have a list of gods for this place as well. I'm debating though. I kinda want religion to be nearly as, if not more so, as important as alignment in at least several parts of this world, so I want to find some way to entice players to actually choose a god and include that god in their character concept and stuff, but I'm not sure how to do it. I think very small bonuses for having a patron god might work, but I'm worried about giving to many bonuses.... not sure really.
Assumptions about Gods
The follow things I think are going to be true about gods in this world:
-Gods are a race in themselves, they where created by the creator of the multiverse and left in charge by its decree
-There is no true limit to how much divine power can exist, there can technically be unlimited deities.
-Divinity is innate, but can be imparted but can be imparted upon a mortal by certain gods.
-Divine power may be able to be stolen, if one is powerful enough, I'm not sure yet.
-Deities do not mortal worship for power or existence.
-Deities are benevolent, indifferent, or hostile according to their alignment
-Deities used to live their day to day lives among mortals, actively letting it be know who and what they are. They now make their homes away from mortals, and tend to keep themselves generally secret when they do appear among people.
-Deities are still active in the world.
-Deities intercede only when they must, but still tend to take an active interest in their worshipers or mortals they favor.
-Deities are immortal, but they can be killed.
-Deities may share domains or portfolios
-The setup of Deities today is much different than it was millennium ago.
I'll have more to add as I think stuff up. Please give me your comments though, I need help.
In no particular order:
World Basics
Damage System
This campaign will use a variation on the Vitality/Wound Point System
I'm using a slight variant on it. Vitality Points will work exactly the same as normal. Wound Points work as normal except that you gain your CON+1 WP to begin with, plus bonus wound points based on your BAB. Each time your BAB goes up by one point you gain one Wound Point. Weapons in this system do not gain expanded threat ranges, instead the multiplier is reduced by one, thus most weapons now do only normal damage on a critical hit as normal for this system, but a spear for example would do double damage on a crit. I suppose the normal system could be used though if everyone thinks this is overpowered.
Magic/Psionics System
This will be what I call a medium-magic campaign setting. Basically, it doesn't fit as a low-magic setting because casters will still be fairly common and there will still be plenty of magic items, but magic won't be used in place of technology or be quite as prevalent or easy as in a high-magic setting. And I've come up with a mechanic to support this:
Spells take energy and leave the user slightly more weary than he was. Mechanically, this means they burn Vitality points equal to 1/2 the spell level rounded down. So 0 and 1st level spells cost nothing. 2nd and 3rd level spells cost 1 VP each, and so on. Yes I realize that will slightly power down casters and restrict them more, but that's the point.
Psionics take energy as well, but in a slightly different way, a psionic character's vitality damage from manifesting is (points consumed-1)/4, rounded down.
Magic in this campaign isn't something taken lightly. Spell-like abilities are in born and take no Vitality to use however. Undead that cast spells will do so directing the negative energy that powers them, gaining a spell-pool equal to their Wound Points
Fluffier Stuff
Cosmology Stuff
I've decided that time in this world will be the same as in our world, with hours, days, weeks, years, moths, ect. the same for simplicity sake. This world will also have a 12-month zodiac, with each sign attached to an element, and each element coffering a bonus to those born under it.
Zodiac
Ok, I don't have the signs worked out yet, but here are the bonuses I've decided on for each month:
January: (Air) +1 Jump
February: (Water) +1 Heal
March: (Earth) Craft always considered in-class
April: (Fire) Intimidate always considered in-class
May: (Air) +1 Tumble
June: (Water) +1 Swim
July: (Earth) +1 to any one Craft
August: (Fire) +1 Intimidate
September: (Air) Jump always considered in-class
October: (Water) Swim always considered in-class
November: (Earth) +1 Balance
December: (Fire) +1 Gather Information
Races
Humans
Elves: Wood and Gray only
Dwarves: Mountain only
Gnome... I love gnomes and they work in really well into the setting. Since spell casting counts on Vitality in this game, races with CON bonuses will actually have an edge in that department, if only a small one, and gnomes are well set up to take advantage of that, with only a few small changes. But I'm actually thinking of creating at least one, if not a few new sub races:
Mystic Gnome
+2 CON, -2 STR, +2 INT, -2 CHA
Small: As a Small creature, a Mystic 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.
Base Speed 20 feet
+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.
Earth Spell: A mystic gnome gains a spell pool of vitality points equal to his level while he is in contact with the ground. This spell pool refreshes after 24 hours, calculated from the last time it refreshed, or 8 hours of rest, whichever comes last. While not in contact with the ground (either due to flying, or being submersed in a liquid to deep to touch down) the mystic gnome can not access these extra points.
+2 racial bonus on saving throws against spells and spell-like effects.
+2 racial bonus on Listen checks.
+2 racial bonus on Craft (alchemy) checks.
+2 racial bonus on Concentration checks.
Always Literate: A mystic gnome is always literate, even if their class says they should not be. They cannot take the Illiterate flaw.
Free Bonus Language: A mystic gnome gains an extra bonus language free above what they would receive from a high INT score.
Automatic Languages: Common and Gnome. Bonus Languages: Any In addition, a mystic gnome can speak with any magical beasts with an INT of 2 or lower. This ability is innate to mystic gnomes. See the speak with animals spell description.
Spell-Like Abilities: 1/day—speak with magical beasts (2 INT or under only, duration 1 minute). A Mystic Gnome with an INT score of at least 10 also has the following spell-like abilities: 1/day—Light, Ghost sound, Mage Hand. Caster level 1st; save DC 10 + gnome’s INT modifier + spell level.
Favored Class: Wizard
Mystic Gnomes are an ancient sub race, dating back to the time when gods still lived their day to day lives among the mortals. Long ago gnomes where introduced to magic, and some of them took to it with a passion and natural skill unseen anywhere else. No one, even the deities can tell when the first Mystic Gnomes appeared, but over the millenniums of the world they have made themselves very distinct. While the Rock Gnomes are more technologically skilled, and have a good taste for the arts, Mystic gnomes are nearly the opposite. Mystic Gnomes have very little technology of their own, borrowing most of their devices from their Rock Gnome brethren and Human and Dwarven allies. They have little patience for or interest in any art besides the magical ones, although many individuals can still appreciate the skills of a good leather worker, bookbinder, or even blacksmith. Mystic Gnomes are highly intelligent and are tough like the other races of stone, but they suffer from low physical strength of the Rock Gnomes, as well as tending to be gruff, impatient, and often irritable.
Elans
Maneads
Xephs (maybe)
LA+ Common Races
Lizardfolk
Goliaths
Dromites
Nonexistant:
Kobolds will not exist at all in this setting.
I have a few ideas for countries within the setting, but no real details yet, and alot of them are pretty cleche'd.
Nations
I know I want a nation in a valley surrounded on all sides by mountains and such, accessible only if you know the way in or out. This nation would have be special, something about the area would make spellcasting easier, reducing the cost by half. This one small nation would be totally based around magic, and would resemble a high-magic campaign world.
I kinda like the idea of two evil nations, one where women are worshiped and males are second-class citizens are worse, and one that's the opposite. Instant plot hooks, especially if a small but easily defendable good nation was sandwiched between them and had to endure their attempts to conquer it and the collateral damage as they turn it in a battleground in their fight against eachother.
I want to have a nation or two cut off from the rest that is still in the bronze age, heavily influenced by the ancient greeks or romans, and another cut off from the others elsewhere with an ancient egyptian feel.
I want a third area, one or two nations, three at max, with a middle-eastern feel to them.
I am debating a nation based off the far east, but I'm not sure really, I want to have at least on nation for any campaign a DM could want to run, but idk.... maybe have that as another far excluded from the others.
I want a nation in the midst of an inquisition. I want a nation with a more celtic feel, and six-nine other nations with various european medieval themes, since that's the era and area that I intend for most of the campaigns in this setting to be in.
I also want a nation or a few nations run totally by the most vile evil imaginable, places where demons, devils, and especially undead are commonplace and pretty much run the place.
Gods
I have a list of gods for this place as well. I'm debating though. I kinda want religion to be nearly as, if not more so, as important as alignment in at least several parts of this world, so I want to find some way to entice players to actually choose a god and include that god in their character concept and stuff, but I'm not sure how to do it. I think very small bonuses for having a patron god might work, but I'm worried about giving to many bonuses.... not sure really.
Assumptions about Gods
The follow things I think are going to be true about gods in this world:
-Gods are a race in themselves, they where created by the creator of the multiverse and left in charge by its decree
-There is no true limit to how much divine power can exist, there can technically be unlimited deities.
-Divinity is innate, but can be imparted but can be imparted upon a mortal by certain gods.
-Divine power may be able to be stolen, if one is powerful enough, I'm not sure yet.
-Deities do not mortal worship for power or existence.
-Deities are benevolent, indifferent, or hostile according to their alignment
-Deities used to live their day to day lives among mortals, actively letting it be know who and what they are. They now make their homes away from mortals, and tend to keep themselves generally secret when they do appear among people.
-Deities are still active in the world.
-Deities intercede only when they must, but still tend to take an active interest in their worshipers or mortals they favor.
-Deities are immortal, but they can be killed.
-Deities may share domains or portfolios
-The setup of Deities today is much different than it was millennium ago.
I'll have more to add as I think stuff up. Please give me your comments though, I need help.