Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Dog_O_War 02-19-08, 04:03 PM	Okay, here's the deal - this setting will be "more powerful" than a typical one. Players will have 4 hit dice to start, with templates allowing a modified LA of 4-6 (this includes the 4 HD). The basics are as follows; players choose a standard race, a starting class, and then they will get 3 levels in a racial paragon (UA, as per their race). Additionally they will start half way to level 5, with some exceptions. Tieflings (and aasimars and hobgoblins as soon as I make up paragon levels for them) will have no level adjustment, but start with just enough exp. to be level 4. Drow (or Dark Elves as I prefer) and a Home-brewed mirror opposite (Sun Elves), as well as Karsites will have an LA of +1 and start at enough experience to be 1000 points over level 5. And ofcourse 3 levels of paragon plus base class to start (thus the level 5). Finally, Half-dragons will be made available at LA +2, and start with 3 levels in the half-dragon paragon class. I am thinking that to better justify the LA +2, of offering the class with no particular "base race", as the setting perports a very high half-dragon (humanoid) population. Also, ogres will be made available for play (they have 4 hit dice and a LA of +2); I'm modifying them with the following. Ogre-characters must "lock in" their first level advancement (which must be a base class). Their racial skill list now mirrors their class choice. These two (the half-dragon and the ogre) will have enough exp. to put them 1000 points above 6th level. While this seems like quite the gap for power, those without LA's will gain actual levels much quicker; Those with LA's will be forced to buy them off at levels 9(buy-off for the +1's, and first buy-off for the +2's) and 12 (second buy-off for the +2's). This will show a reverse in raw class power for the non-LA's without leaving the level adjusted players too far behind. Now that all the technical information is out of the way, here goes what I have for the setting so far..... There is an empire that exists between a great bay and a mountain range, with plains leading into tundra to the north, and a vast desert to the south. The desert is held back by ancient waterstones, stones that came from the boarders of the elemental planes of earth and water. They are perpetually wet, allowing the desert to expand no further. This empire consists of 10 kingdoms; one run by Gold Dwarves (a race yet to be stated; I may just steal what they've got in the Faerun campaign setting), one by Sun Elves (as noted earlier). A kingdom of High Elves, another of Hill Dwarves, one of barbaric human plains striders, three of knight-themed ones (which range in styles, but the commonality is their governing alignments - LG, LN, LE), a kingdom of powerful fey (which will include tribes of wild elves, and gnome/halfling homesteads), and finally the Empirical kingdom ruled by a nobility which consists of Karsites (those anti-magic humans from the ToM). This empirical kingdom will have firearms. Outside of this are a plains/badlands/desert area (the desert blocked by the waterstone wall leads to the badlands/plains area) which is consistent of hording tribals. This area also hosts various swamp and mountainous areas. It is home to animalistic tribes; Gnolls, Loxos, Wemics, Those lion-bodied centaur-esque people, actual Centaurs, Orcs, Lizardfolk, Humans, and crazed elves who go by Blood-Elf (not WoW related; they have an unitelligent tribal outlook, and a racial alliance with red dragons similar to the Githyanki), as well as a couple others that I currently do not remember. There are the ogre kingdom (which is caught in a valley between various other giant tribes), which is civilized (sorta; 9th century europe as compared to 13th and 14th century Europe for the "empire"), and a Nightmare-like forest which houses a rift to the abyss in the center. The continent is like a five-spoked wheel, with the empire, the nightmare forest, the barbarian plains, the ogre kingdom, and the great bay making up the spokes. The desert is the center-piece; then there are the dragon cities. Three great cities, one located in the desert, one on/in a lonely black mountain situated on the edge of the abyssal rift, and the last a floating haven mid-way through the great bay. There are many minor cultural pockets everywhere, but for landlording purposes, this is how the continent is broken up. Now, there are other kingdoms, and these kingdoms are dragon-controlled; They include a kingdom for every true dragon with terrain befitting their habitat preferences. Two draws to the game will be Xorviintal (or how ever it's spelled) outta the MMV, and free stuff. This "free stuff" will be akin to cohorts, template aquisition, legacy items (while not exactly free, they will be included in the game), as well as the promise of epic adventure. The legacies will roll in almost straight away (you just gotta look for 'em!), the free cohorts at about 12th, the templates at 20th, and obviously the epic adventure at 21+. Now that I've proposed the basic idea, What would you change/add to make it "better", or more personable? A quick note; there can be a water-setting available, but I didn't want to get into all that just yet (obviously set in the great bay and out-lying ports and swamps). Thoughts? Questions?
Eldritch_Lord 02-19-08, 04:47 PM	The mechanical stuff I think is fine, and a very good idea. I have a few issues with fluff, however: This empire consists of 10 kingdoms; one run by Gold Dwarves (a race yet to be stated; I may just steal what they've got in the Faerun campaign setting), one by Sun Elves (as noted earlier). A kingdom of High Elves, another of Hill Dwarves, one of barbaric human plains striders, three of knight-themed ones (which range in styles, but the commonality is their governing alignments - LG, LN, LE), a kingdom of powerful fey (which will include tribes of wild elves, and gnome/halfling homesteads), and finally the Empirical kingdom ruled by a nobility which consists of Karsites (those anti-magic humans from the ToM). This empirical kingdom will have firearms. I think that having a race whose schtick is "mirror-opposites to drow" is not exactly a good idea; it's much better to have more commonalities with a few jarring differences than just "the same, reversed." I'd suggest to keep most of their society the same as drow (assuming you're using the Underdark-Lolth-spiders drow) with a few changes: 1) Make their goddess a goddess of magic, so instead of males and females splitting wizards vs. clerics, you might have them splitting cleric/wizards vs. binders and sorcerers. 2) Don't make them LG, make them CG; they would actually end up having less order to their society than the "chaotic" drow. 3) Instead of the stereotypical skimpy outfits, since they're sun elves in a desert have them wear loose, flowing, nondescript outfits that (A) let them blend in with the sand and (B) don't let you tell the males and females apart from a distance. The continent is like a five-spoked wheel, with the empire, the nightmare forest, the barbarian plains, the ogre kingdom, and the great bay making up the spokes. The desert is the center-piece; then there are the dragon cities. Three great cities, one located in the desert, one on/in a lonely black mountain situated on the edge of the abyssal rift, and the last a floating haven mid-way through the great bay. The symmetry of empire-forest-plains-kingdom-bay seems forced; breaking this up a lot would help. Perhaps have the desert bulging out into the plains, forcing the barbarians to intrude a bit into the forest, then have the empire and kingdom warring over who gets to colonize an archipelago in the bay. Now that I've proposed the basic idea, What would you change/add to make it "better", or more personable? A quick note; there can be a water-setting available, but I didn't want to get into all that just yet (obviously set in the great bay and out-lying ports and swamps). Thoughts? Questions? Like I said, the only problems I see with it are unnecessary or forced symmetry. If you shake things up a bit, I think this could be a really good setting.
Dog_O_War 02-20-08, 11:27 AM	The mechanical stuff I think is fine, and a very good idea. I have a few issues with fluff, however: I think that having a race whose schtick is "mirror-opposites to drow" is not exactly a good idea; it's much better to have more commonalities with a few jarring differences than just "the same, reversed." I'd suggest to keep most of their society the same as drow (assuming you're using the Underdark-Lolth-spiders drow) with a few changes: 1) Make their goddess a goddess of magic, so instead of males and females splitting wizards vs. clerics, you might have them splitting cleric/wizards vs. binders and sorcerers. 2) Don't make them LG, make them CG; they would actually end up having less order to their society than the "chaotic" drow. 3) Instead of the stereotypical skimpy outfits, since they're sun elves in a desert have them wear loose, flowing, nondescript outfits that (A) let them blend in with the sand and (B) don't let you tell the males and females apart from a distance. I meant from a completely appearance/mechanics point of view. The Sun Elves for this setting are what the Dark Elves were, before they turned to...well, darkness. Their alignment is neutral, as they are arrogant and pompus race dedicated to a wrathful sun-goddess. Their capitol city I a sinister beauty, with elegant spires bathed in light at the top of a near-mountainous hill. The mechanics I was working on involved having daylight instead of darkness, and retaining the bow proficiencies, as well as increased low-light vision (twice as far as a regular elf; actually to the point of their basic vision providing light as a candle for sight purposes - they don't actually give off light, their vision just counts as always being atleast candlelight). The Dark Elves live in the forest of nightmares (above ground!); this is a place bathed in perpetual night, only offering moonlight to see by. The symmetry of empire-forest-plains-kingdom-bay seems forced; breaking this up a lot would help. Perhaps have the desert bulging out into the plains, forcing the barbarians to intrude a bit into the forest, then have the empire and kingdom warring over who gets to colonize an archipelago in the bay. This was just to give you an idea of what it looks like. There are many interceding terrain pieces (mostly mountains), and the actual make-up of the land is reasonably diverse. It is more like a five-spoked wheel with a very large hub. the terrain features mix and blend at these cross-sections. What I proposed is only what the most dominant feature of each "kingdom" is. Like I said, the only problems I see with it are unnecessary or forced symmetry. If you shake things up a bit, I think this could be a really good setting. Now that I've explained things a little better, what would you add?
Dog_O_War 02-20-08, 04:51 PM	Lotsa views, but no posts..... Anyways, here are some sites of interest that I have been thinking of for the setting. ***** Connected to the waterstone wall near the bay is a massive temple which has apparently sunken into a lake (which now surrounds it, showing only a few upper levels of the peak). If characters inquire about the history of the temple, they learn that it is an ancient temple of water long since abandoned. Recently several villages and towns near the lake and subsequient rivers have fallen under a mysterious illness. The water is tainted, and the players must investigate the temple to find the source of the taint. The temple itself has an aztec appeal to it, as does the waterstone wall. ***** In the mountainous barrier between the empire and the nightmare forest lies a small dwarven community that had recently discovered and began excavating an ancient temple that has buried deep underground. Unfortunately This news has spread to some of the dwarves' enemies, who seek the power within this ancient site. These enemies include several elemental mages (those fancy new ogre magi) as well as a young adult red dragon and his blood elf worshippers. This is just leading up to the temple itself; a greek style monstrocity with many deadly traps. ***** A small plateau ringed in stone on a mountainside is host to a very lush and warm deciduous forest, which is odd since the surrounding peaks are snow-covered and feezing. In it's centre lies a natural spring, which has created quite a beautiful pool infront of a cave entrance. This cave entrance purports yet another greek style entrance. This is a cave rife with mystery and intrigue that would shed light onto the civilzation that ruled the continent before the current empires. ***** Other cites include the dragon cities; one in the desert that is perched on a curiously flat, lonely "mountain" (think of that mountain in Austrailia). Has a very arabic feel to it. Another is the floating marvel, similar to the silver city in the Never-Ending Story series. The major difference is the upper ring, which hosts a skyport for airships. The third is the Dark city built on/in the black mountain, which is situated right beside a pit that leads directly to the Abyss. ***** One last thing about this setting. A while back I created a race of flying men; I posted a version of them here (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=895436) called Avereans, and their flying islands. These bird-men and their flying islands are apart of this setting, and the averean race has been reflavored for a more modern outlook and style. They are a type of sky-pirate, who have flying ships (most represent a fairly even split of blimps and floating boats). These sky islands are located all over, but are usually high enough up that they cannot be seen from the ground. Cloud-cover hides them almost 100% of the time.
Eldritch_Lord 02-20-08, 06:12 PM	I meant from a completely appearance/mechanics point of view. The Sun Elves for this setting are what the Dark Elves were, before they turned to...well, darkness. Their alignment is neutral, as they are arrogant and pompus race dedicated to a wrathful sun-goddess. Their capitol city I a sinister beauty, with elegant spires bathed in light at the top of a near-mountainous hill. The mechanics I was working on involved having daylight instead of darkness, and retaining the bow proficiencies, as well as increased low-light vision (twice as far as a regular elf; actually to the point of their basic vision providing light as a candle for sight purposes - they don't actually give off light, their vision just counts as always being atleast candlelight). Ah. That's not exactly a "mirror opposite," which is what confused me a bit. If it's more a conceptual opposition than an exact opposition, that should be fine. The Dark Elves live in the forest of nightmares (above ground!); this is a place bathed in perpetual night, only offering moonlight to see by. Eberron drow FTW! ;) This was just to give you an idea of what it looks like. There are many interceding terrain pieces (mostly mountains), and the actual make-up of the land is reasonably diverse. It is more like a five-spoked wheel with a very large hub. the terrain features mix and blend at these cross-sections. What I proposed is only what the most dominant feature of each "kingdom" is. Okay, that makes sense. Connected to the waterstone wall near the bay is a massive temple which has apparently sunken into a lake (which now surrounds it, showing only a few upper levels of the peak). If characters inquire about the history of the temple, they learn that it is an ancient temple of water long since abandoned. Recently several villages and towns near the lake and subsequient rivers have fallen under a mysterious illness. The water is tainted, and the players must investigate the temple to find the source of the taint. The temple itself has an aztec appeal to it, as does the waterstone wall. Aztec flavoring is underused, IMHO; are you planning to draw real-world inspiration from anywhere else non-European? A small plateau ringed in stone on a mountainside is host to a very lush and warm deciduous forest, which is odd since the surrounding peaks are snow-covered and feezing. In it's centre lies a natural spring, which has created quite a beautiful pool infront of a cave entrance. This cave entrance purports yet another greek style entrance. This is a cave rife with mystery and intrigue that would shed light onto the civilzation that ruled the continent before the current empires. I'd like to hear about this ancient civilization a bit more, if you don't mind; in my experience, contrasting what used to be with what is is often good for plot hooks and background. Other cites include the dragon cities; one in the desert that is perched on a curiously flat, lonely "mountain" (think of that mountain in Austrailia). Has a very arabic feel to it. Another is the floating marvel, similar to the silver city in the Never-Ending Story series. The major difference is the upper ring, which hosts a skyport for airships. The third is the Dark city built on/in the black mountain, which is situated right beside a pit that leads directly to the Abyss. Is the Dark City one of the dragon cities you mentioned or something else? One last thing about this setting. A while back I created a race of flying men; I posted a version of them here called Avereans, and their flying islands. These bird-men and their flying islands are apart of this setting, and the averean race has been reflavored for a more modern outlook and style. They are a type of sky-pirate, who have flying ships (most represent a fairly even split of blimps and floating boats). These sky islands are located all over, but are usually high enough up that they cannot be seen from the ground. Cloud-cover hides them almost 100% of the time. I like flying races; they're often underused in a world where most monsters and any high-level caster can fly. -------------------------- I like what I've seen so far. Apart from my initial flavor comments, I can't really see any areas in need of improvement, just areas where more info would be nice.
Orchomenos 02-21-08, 10:44 AM	This empire consists of 10 kingdoms; one run by Gold Dwarves (a race yet to be stated; I may just steal what they've got in the Faerun campaign setting), one by Sun Elves (as noted earlier). A kingdom of High Elves, another of Hill Dwarves, one of barbaric human plains striders, three of knight-themed ones (which range in styles, but the commonality is their governing alignments - LG, LN, LE), a kingdom of powerful fey (which will include tribes of wild elves, and gnome/halfling homesteads), and finally the Empirical kingdom ruled by a nobility which consists of Karsites (those anti-magic humans from the ToM). This empirical kingdom will have firearms. This seem pretty much "static". Is there a reason why the 9 other kingdoms swore allegiance to the Empirical Kingdom? And if it happened many years ago, is there a reason why these allegiances still hold? Is there any inner struggle between each of them? For example, could one of the kingdom want to size some territory from another one? You know what? This reminds me the few I know about "Legend of the 5 Rings..." ;) Is there any other "Empire" outside this world? For example, would the locations on the seashore enjoy some prosperous trading ports, or would they just be fishing villages?
Dog_O_War 02-21-08, 11:39 AM	This seem pretty much "static". Is there a reason why the 9 other kingdoms swore allegiance to the Empirical Kingdom? And if it happened many years ago, is there a reason why these allegiances still hold? Is there any inner struggle between each of them? For example, could one of the kingdom want to size some territory from another one? Sometimes the kingdoms within the empire do go to war with each other; this is often due to a noble's petty dispute with another noble. The alliance holds strong thanks to a mutual trade agreement, protection advantage, and oaths of fealty sworn to the old emperor by the kings and queens of the past. The emperor is a Karsite, and in a world that is laiden with powerful magic users this means quite a great deal. His army is also the best trained and uses powerful weapons (firearms). It's hard to compete with a kingdom as organized, faithful, and politically established as this one, so the others submit. It is unlikely that more than three could ban together to overthrow the current emperor, as the political goals and general alginments/outlooks often vary greatly. The only thing they all have in common really is their devotion to this stern but fair ruling nation. You know what? This reminds me the few I know about "Legend of the 5 Rings..." ;) It didn't occur to me before you just mentioned it here, but there are quite a few simularities and parallels to this empire and Rokugan. Is there any other "Empire" outside this world? For example, would the locations on the seashore enjoy some prosperous trading ports, or would they just be fishing villages? There are a great many kingdoms and alliances, though this one is the only true "empire". It is the largest, most powerful non-dragon controlled (but appearances could be decieving) nation. The cities on the bay side of the empire do enjoy many prosperous trade opportunities that does make their land-locked allies jealous. These trades are in addition to the kingdoms within the empire that share the coast.
Dog_O_War 02-21-08, 12:18 PM	Aztec flavoring is underused, IMHO; are you planning to draw real-world inspiration from anywhere else non-European? The default backdrop of the current civilizations (the "civilized" ones anyway) is European. I was going to use Aztec themes to cover the great many ancient planar connections to this world. For sites that involved a more direct man-god relationship, it was going to have an ancient greece feel; massive statues and columns, often coupled with "greek" monsters such as gorgons and harpies. Other stuff I want to include falls into an Egyptian theme; this was going to be for use with the Dark Elves, as well as demon and devil-worshipping cults. This also includes the majority of sites that would involved undead. For REALLY old places I've reserved a Babylonian feel; these ancient places would be the homes to some truely epic terrors (game should be in the realm of 23-30 before I include these areas - this'll give me a chance to research Babylon, because beyond "they built ziggarauts" I know nothing). Oh yeah; the "dragon" cities. These follow a middle-eastern theme; the architecture and style of things. There are some exceptions, such as the white and silver dragons who follow a more Norse style, and the black and shadow dragons who adopted the Egyptian flavor. I'd like to hear about this ancient civilization a bit more, if you don't mind; in my experience, contrasting what used to be with what is is often good for plot hooks and background. Are you familiar with Journey to the Center of the Earth? This entrance depicts a greek theme (and thus a connection to the gods), but it leads to an underground "world" were there is an actual day and night below the surface (like in said fiction above). Here remain the bones of a mighty city (greek-themed again) made for giants. I've been conceptualizing a cyclopean race (that will become a problem in the future) for this particular civ. They offer both powerful warriors and mighty sorcerers that I am trying to include a styling of eye-related magic. Beholders will also be a prevailant monster for this area; these are kinda like the titans to the current world's gods. Most people think of beholders as a mad abomination, but here it is shown that they are warped by the gods as punishment for losing the clash of who ruled the world eons ago. There are some that were resistant to the change, and have since bred back their numbers (though the society has reverted to a more primative tribal culture that uses the greek theme for clothing and armour). Is the Dark City one of the dragon cities you mentioned or something else? The Dark City is a dragon city, though it differs in flavor in that it is Egyptian themed rather than middle-eastern. I like flying races; they're often underused in a world where most monsters and any high-level caster can fly. I grew up playing RPG's, but I came across one that stood out as my favorite; it is actually a strategy/RPG, called Ogre Battle. While the Hawk/Eagle/Raven men were not my favorite units, but they offered a unique portayal of a flying race that I really liked.
Dog_O_War 02-23-08, 11:46 AM	Lots more views but no posts. I'm going to write more junk down then to stir up some interest hopefully (and because I thoroughly enjoy reading my own stuff. Seriously). The overall theme of the game is what you make of it, but I offer that dragons will be very prevailant (like in Dragonlance during the war of heroes). As dragons are the "big theme", they should have relivance to nearly every cultural tie in the game, from Dragon-crested shields to elementals that have a decidedly dragon-esque appearance. I don't own Dragonmagic so I've excluded things such as dragonborn from that book (didn't like the whole "Dragons are breeding with everything, creating a bunch of watered down yet more powerful than regular elves and dwarves races"). I do however, enjoy the ideas of Half-Dragons and Draconians (I think that's how it's spelled. I am a big fan of dragonlance, and the draconian stories were always entertaining). While I won't offer Draconians for play, they make great allies, cohorts, and enemies. As for Half-Dragons, They are what a half-breed society might evolve into. Since each dragon parent of such a half-breed is so strong in power, breeding with another half-breed (even if the dragon parents were different) would offer that the child of two such people would be an either-or case. An example is if a half-red and a half-silver bred; the child would be either half-silver or half-red (maybe a slight mixing of traits, like the red's eyes being silver instead of gold). Since the dragon parents' genetics will always be dominant, eventually the other side would simply be bred into genericy - to other racial traits offered from the "elven half" or the "human half". These get too mixed and are discarded. This is for the half-dragons I presented in one ofthe above posts (the LA +2 version). There will still be LA +3 versions around, but not for the players. Another thing I'll mention is the monstrous look of these half-breeds. I favor a more draconic head, so the half-dragons I describe will be decidedly more identifyable. While this need not be the case, it adds a much more exotic appeal for the setting. Seeing a half-styx dragon walking down the street with an exceptionally long neck and snout, and a vestigial tail provides a more vivid image than a human covered in <insert colour here> scales. That's just me though. Dragon mounts! We've all wanted to have a dragon mount at some point, but how do we achieve this before epic levels?! Teenage dragons, that's how. Most of the juvenile and young adult dragons are of a ridable size, and are closest to thee mindset of an adventuring party. They still have an immaculately high CR, and a quick look into the Draconomicon shows us that even these types are relegated to an unfortunately high level. So what do we do? Beyond Wyverns (best dragon mount ever. Cool looking, poison, and totally Warhammer when ridden by an orc. I'm a fan of Warhammer as well if you couldn't tell) there isn't really much of an option here. I've been conceptualizing a "retarded" version of the various dragons, offering to strip away spell-casting to better allow for this. These variant would have a -2 int penalty as they've been bred for control by both humanoid and dragon masters. They still come in all the same colours, though they are far more even in terms of power when comparing one type to another. I haven't worked out the exact mechanics, but it is something to ponder on. This would allow possible dragon mounts by 10th level (maybe lower - haven't read the Draconomicon in a few days). Conficts with dragons. Some of the races presented as well as certain kingdoms will invariably "butt heads" with the various dragon types. Playing up conflicts between dragons and giants is always something I've wanted to do; they are often on equal footing, and it is easy to relate to the giants fighting this conflict. It's like watching King Kong when he fought the tyranosaurus (or three in the remake). You think the lizard is cool because when we were young, dinosaurs were very cool, yet you relate to the monkey because of his vaguely humanoid shape and actions. Which side do you side with? is the big question. Another thing to consider is Xorviintal(Sp?) from the MMV; this is such an excellent way to make dragons feel apart of every aspect of the game without actually having to use them all the time. You can look at the world as a giant game-board with these dragons, and in each square a move is to be made. The PC's can be like pawns moving about, furthering one dragon or another's goals and still feel like they are in control. If you've played Shadowrun, dragons are akin to heads of megacorps (though a little more accessable), with their agents and lackeys giving the PC party "runs" to go on. Instead of assaulting a dragons' lair to gain its hoard, they assualt a creature guarding a risk hoard, with that hoard lining their pockets but being counted as a gain for the dragon. I'm not very familiar with the Birthright setting, but I hear-tell that it involves a complex political game that could be played with this setting (and Xorviintal) very effectively. Okay, that's all I've got right now. Woof
Dog_O_War 03-11-08, 03:09 PM	I've been thinking of some stylized feats for each region, and I thought I'd submit them here. I've got some other ideas and such that I may go onto tangents with as well, so bare with me here. Faith of Ten Kingdoms (Regional) You have the hearts and minds of all the Empire's faithful in you. Prerequisites: Must be from the Empire, must have a patron deity from the official religion of the Empire. Benefit: You have a near unshakeable faith that is reinforced 10 fold by the might of the Empire's churches. You gain a +1 sacred bonus to all saves against divine spells cast by opponents of the Empire (those not apart of the empire), as well as all enchantment(charm) spells and spell-like abilities (these need not be divine). Special: If you are a divine spellcaster, you gain +1 to all your save DC's when casting against enemy divine spellcasters (clerics and such of an opposing religion). This does not stack with spell focus. Notes~this one needs some work, but I want it along the general premise of this. Citizens of the Empire are resolute in their belief, and are near unshakeable when it comes to matters of the divine (if not alittle ignorant in he capability of other religions). Ogre Knight (Regional) You are dedicated and inducted into a small order of knights in the Kingdom. Prerequisites: Must be an ogre, must be from the Kingdom of Ogres. Benefit: This feat offers several benefits, the first of which is membership into one of the three orders of knights; the Order of the Bull's Blade, the Order of the Crimson Oak, or the Order of the Roc. You automatically start at rank one in your choosen order. Also, you gain one of the following benefits; Order of the Bull's Blade ~ gain a +1 shield bonus to AC when using a sword two-handed and fighting defensively, or using your expertise feat for atleast two points. Additionally you only need an 11 int to qualify for the expertise feat. Order of the Crimson Oak ~ Gain a +2 bonus to resist trip and bullrush attempts. In addition you gain a +4 bonus to attack and damage rolls when using a club or greatclub in a sunder attempt. Order of the Roc ~ gain spot as a Knight class skill, as well as a +2 bonus to this skill. Additionally at 4th level in the Knight class, you gain the option to purchase a special Wareagle from the order.This Eagle acts as a 1st level druid's animal companion with the warbeast template applied. It gains additional benefits dependant apon your rank in the order. Finally, all Ogre Knights replace barbarian with knight as their favored class for the purposes of multiclassing. Notes~this one might seem powerful, but it is built for a race that does not easily benefit from the knight class. The Order of the Roc's companion feels like a very cool feature to me, cooler than the others; I may have to change the others to match up. Trials of the Tribe (Regional) You have gone through the initiation of your tribe; an often bloody or otherwise physically taxing event. Prerequisites: Must come from one of the many tribal societies. STR, DEX, or CON 15. Benefit: gain a +2 bonus to all survival checks. In addition, when you suffer damage that would render you unconcious or put you into the negatives, you gain DR +1/- and energy resistance +2 for this one attack. This is an extrodinary ability. Notes~looks and feels good. thoughts? Nightmare Existence (Regional) There are things no man should ever see, but unfortunately you witness these living nightmares on a day-to-day basis. Prerequisite: Must be from the nightmare forest. Benefit: Gain immunity to all extrodinary and supernatural fear effects, and a +4 circumstance bonus versus fear spells and spell-like abilities. Unfortunately this mental trama comes at a price; you suffer a -2 to all will saves made to resist non-fear oriented corruption (as per the taint rules in Heroes of Horror). Notes~I like the aspects of horror that can be applied to a D&D game. I also really like the taint rules, and am considering using a save versus taint instead of vile damage when vile spells are used. These are some of the feats I have been contemplating for this setting - they are very campaign specific, as the benefits would be too powerful in a standard campaign setting (well for atleast a little while; remember, everyone starts at about 4th level in this game). Woof