Building my own world and wanted some feedback. [Archive] - Wizards Community

Building my own world and wanted some feedback. [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
archangel_arcanis_07
12-27-07, 09:58 AM ok the short version is the world was created and all of the gods left for unknown reasons. This is the reason there are no prepared spellcasters. For the map i'm useing a map of Taladas from Dragolance nexus by James O'Rance, as well as modified versions of his Taladas geography descriptions. I have redefined a lot of the culture and changed out the races on it so far. Here is the Crunch of it first:

Player Races of Taladas

Human: standard PHB goodness

Elves: same here too

Half-Elves: obviously

Xeph: Psi race mostly transporters.
• +2 Dex -2 Str
• Medium size
• Base Speed 30 feet
• Darkvision 60 feet
• +1 on saves vs powers/spells/spell-like abilities
• Naturally psionic +1 pp/lvl
• Burst (Su): Three times per day, a xeph can put on a burst of speed to increase her speed by 10 feet, plus 10 feet per four character levels beyond 1st, to a maximum increase of 30 feet at 9th character level and higher. These bursts of speed are considered a competence bonus to the xeph’s base speed. A burst of speed lasts 3 rounds.

Plane Touched: Tiefling and Asamir are in with the +0 LA variant
Tiefling:
• +2 Dex -2 Cha
• Outsider Type
• Medium Size
• Base Speed 30 feet
• Darkvision 60 feet
• +2 bonus to bluff, hide, and move silently
• 5 pts of resistance to acid, fire, and electricity

Asamir
• +2 Charisma
• Outsider Type
• Medium Size
• Base speed 30 feet
• Darkvision 60 feet
• +2 spot and listen

Classes of Taladas:

Barbarian: me smash

Spirit Shaman: most common divine caster. Have a great bond to the natural and supernatural worlds. Almost never found within civilized society but do occur in most nomad cultures and among those in the Serpent kingdom. Check with me for any spells not in PHB.

Favored Soul: deities favored weapon will be selected on creation within reason. Gains Powers from the ideals they believe in. Similar to how a crusader is described. Commonly found among civilized society as healers and herbalist. Sometimes they are known to be great warriors as well. Check with me for any spells not in PHB.

Warmage/Beguiler/Dread Necromancer: Fulfills most arcane casting roles. Full specialized lists, all use cha for DC even if not normally part of that class. These 3 classes each cover their own specialty in magic. They all can still learn some extra spells through their advanced learning, the restrictions on this will be much more relaxed than in the book.

Psion: modified DCs are CHA based to be on par with everyone else. Here are your generalist and utility guys. Some powers will be on a trial basis to see how the character will use them and will be beat with a nerf bat if they become abused (primary target for this would be metamophasis and some out of the other supplements).

Crusader: Tanking goodness with secondary healing, lots of the Paladin role in it. Devout followers of an ideal or cause and this belief allows them to take massive amounts of punishment and keep going. They also can strike back very VERY hard when they put their minds to it.

Warblade: Replaces fighter since it is what a fighter should have been. Weapon masters that can change weapons on the fly. Have a great variety of maneuvers at their disposal as well (think blade masters)

Rouge: sneaky thieves and the like mostly replaced by Beguiler and Scout but can be useful flavor-wise. Don’t expect them to be used much I would prefer people to be beguilers or Scouts as they offer many of the same options depending on how you would like to focus but there are some situations where the rouge is the only shoe that fits so I left them in.

Scout: almost a low BaB ranger. These guys make excellent skirmish type fighters or hit and run snipers. If you want combat mobility this is the class. This requires a change in how many people think about combat since you will not be standing there trading full round attacks for massive damage this is more of a whiddleing away at your enemy while hi can’t catch you.

Warlock: Bargained with outsider to gain powers, fills an archer and utility roll, best magic item creator at lvl 12. These guys sold their soul to get power and they are going to use it.

Sword Sage: Use unarmed variant to get monk replacements. Monks with customizations.

Taladas Geography:
Most civilization is concentrated in Southern Hosk, the southwestern part of the continent. The only true empire since ancient times is here; League of Dwayna consisting of Ergala, New Styrilla, High Vale and The Conquered Lands. South of the League is the kingdom of Thenol, which is currently at war with the League. Thenol is ruled by Trandamere, a powerful Dread Necromancer, with the aid of huge armies of undead. A small confederation led by elves, known as Armach, is located near the western coast. Lizardmen, live in huge swamps covering the southern end of Southern Hosk forming their own Serpent kingdom.
Northern Hosk is home to numerous human nomads. It is also home to nomadic elven tribes that are extremely aggressive, as well as goblins who live in the mountains.
Neron, the southeastern part of the continent, is mostly covered by jungle and swamp which is home to wild elves, who have mastered a magic strongly linked to nature (spirit shamans). It is also home to the ancient temples of the Couatl where people have sought ancient mysteries.
Most races live in relative peace with each other in the Rainward Isles, northwest of Taladas. However, they are threatened by rampaging undead.
The huge mountain ranges close to the Burning Sea are inhabited by the Mind Flayer empire. This is centered at the Bilo Collumns and branches out to control and feed off of their neighbors. They have become much more aggressive and expansive in the past few decades.
The eastern, near-barren parts of the continent are home to many communities of Xeph. These empty lands seem to be set into darkness for unnaturally long periods of time.
The islands to the southwest of Taladas are home to powerful nation of mariners. They dominate the trade around the continent with their fast sailing vessels. Some are also among the most feared pirates on any of the seas. Some even have control over massive turtles which they use as assault vehicles against other ships.

I need to finish up with a more detailed history, even if my players never get to hear it it does help me figure out motives for certain groups. I plan on the Mind Flayers being the primary antagonist through out the quest, because nothing motivates you like someone trying to eat your brains though a straw. A lot of what i have done with the classes was to try and have them be more balanced between the spellcasters and the others. My thoughts are that if you make all the spellcasters be more careful in what spells they choose or what type of spells they are allowed to focus on that they have to be more creative in their use or become less effective in dominating the game. This is also balanced by a step up in power and customization for martial characters by way of the ToB.

Thoughts, comments, concerns?
GoriceXII
12-27-07, 10:11 AM I like the idea of giant turtles as marine siege engines.

Limiting the player races in my opinion is helpful--I tend to get players bewildered by the range of choice if it is just thrown at them. What will you do though if some player has an idea for a race that isn't on your list?

Are the mindflayers a mysterious opponent or a well known one? Are you going with the idea of them being an ancient race, a space race, or a combination thereof?
archangel_arcanis_07
12-27-07, 10:20 AM i am willing to work with a player if they want to play something else but i would encourage them to stick with these as they have been selected to keep things balanced and flavorful.

The mind flayers will be a known threat but how dangerous won't be reviled until after the game has begun. I was considering them being taken by a flayer hunting party in order to get them together. there is an NPC the players know about that i was going to play for a one shot game that could get them out of there and leave. The mind flayers will be an ancient race that goes through cycles of strong activity and then relatively little, think the wraith from Stargate: Atlantis. Right now they are on an upswing in activity and it is not on their normal cycle so it will catch people off guard.

The lava lake in the middle of the map is a result of a huge volcanic eruption think worst case scenario of Yosemite national park, and that is what got them on the move to try and take over the world, as lawful evil villeins tend to do.
Delfedd
12-29-07, 04:33 PM I don't understand why the gods leaving would stop druids, sorcerers, and wizards. Or was it just a personal choice?
archangel_arcanis_07
12-31-07, 07:28 PM It was my preference, i'm trying to get away from prepared spellcasters. I would prefer my characters/players to have mastery over one area find creative ways to solve a problem with what they have than to just wait until the wizard can study a different spell.

As most people will agree spell casters are over powered by mid to high levels. this i just to try and make them tone it down some and give the others a boost in options. I don't want one character able to solve all of the parties problems, i want there to be issues they can't deal with without having to A)get outside help, B) find a creative way to use a spell/ability, c)find uses for their skills (ie. the forget the lock i'll use my knowledge Arc. & Eng. to dismantle the door frame approch)
Kyric
01-02-08, 09:28 PM Nice idea, it's good to limit the spell casters as they are overpowered, and you've done it quite nicely. It forces the players to think about how to do something rather than just taking a nap and looking through their spell book. Limiting the casters will let the non-magical characters shine more as they become the only people who can take on a particular obstacle, instead of a spell that can replicate their abilities.

So yeah, bravo.

About the races, are you sure you want to close off the strong races? It makes humans the only possible choice for a barbarian.
Eldritch_Lord
01-02-08, 10:02 PM I like the idea, but I think you need to provide a more in-depth in-game reason why loss of gods leads to no prepared spellcasters. Perhaps, like in Dragonlance, wizards are tied to the moons (or sun or other feature of the Material) and those are tied to gods, so the gods leaving revokes wizardry. Perhaps, like in Forgotten Realms, there is/are (a) god(s) in control of all magic and their loss disallows any arcane knowledge (read: wizard spells) that had existed before. Also, druids are usually tied to the world, not gods, so you'd need a reason for them as well.

Whether your players care or not, the reason the prepared casters are gone can lead to plot hooks and other in-game ramifications. Nations that depended on their wizards and clerics for protection now left defenseless, an arcane economy now in ruins, and such stuff as that can shape the world completely differently based on your approach.
archangel_arcanis_07
01-03-08, 03:29 PM first of all thank you for showing an intrest in my project, and thank you for thinking well of my ideas.

Ok for the lack of prepared spell casters here are my reasons that would help.

Clerics: lack of gods, the gaining of power through faith in and of it self is done by favored souls

Druid: your faith in nature is what gives you your powers, but with the continent still literally burning at its heart it can not grant you your powers.

wizard: the scope of the way a wizard is built is too much for their minds to handle. every other class has a limited list. the ability to know almost every spell in existence and change out with some sleep is beyond what a mortal mind is capable of.

ranger/paladin: these guys could be allowed back in since they are by no means broken, but their roles can be done better by other classes. these i would probably allow in if a player wanted to play them but would have to talk to the player about it.

Bard: while not a prepared spellcaster i think the beguiler does its role better outside of direct combat.

As to the races:
I think that any could be a barbarian but like you said humans would be the only optimal choice. And like i said i have no problems if someone wants to play a different race but they would have to come to me with it. The listed races for PC's is just those that are common and guaranteed to be supported by the DM. I'm taking a grain from Ebberon and saying that anything can be in there but won't be by default unless i want it in there or it means a lot to the player. The game is about having the players and DM have fun so i will try to accommodate their idea when i can.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
archangel_arcanis_07 12-27-07, 09:58 AM	ok the short version is the world was created and all of the gods left for unknown reasons. This is the reason there are no prepared spellcasters. For the map i'm useing a map of Taladas from Dragolance nexus by James O'Rance, as well as modified versions of his Taladas geography descriptions. I have redefined a lot of the culture and changed out the races on it so far. Here is the Crunch of it first: Player Races of Taladas Human: standard PHB goodness Elves: same here too Half-Elves: obviously Xeph: Psi race mostly transporters. • +2 Dex -2 Str • Medium size • Base Speed 30 feet • Darkvision 60 feet • +1 on saves vs powers/spells/spell-like abilities • Naturally psionic +1 pp/lvl • Burst (Su): Three times per day, a xeph can put on a burst of speed to increase her speed by 10 feet, plus 10 feet per four character levels beyond 1st, to a maximum increase of 30 feet at 9th character level and higher. These bursts of speed are considered a competence bonus to the xeph’s base speed. A burst of speed lasts 3 rounds. Plane Touched: Tiefling and Asamir are in with the +0 LA variant Tiefling: • +2 Dex -2 Cha • Outsider Type • Medium Size • Base Speed 30 feet • Darkvision 60 feet • +2 bonus to bluff, hide, and move silently • 5 pts of resistance to acid, fire, and electricity Asamir • +2 Charisma • Outsider Type • Medium Size • Base speed 30 feet • Darkvision 60 feet • +2 spot and listen Classes of Taladas: Barbarian: me smash Spirit Shaman: most common divine caster. Have a great bond to the natural and supernatural worlds. Almost never found within civilized society but do occur in most nomad cultures and among those in the Serpent kingdom. Check with me for any spells not in PHB. Favored Soul: deities favored weapon will be selected on creation within reason. Gains Powers from the ideals they believe in. Similar to how a crusader is described. Commonly found among civilized society as healers and herbalist. Sometimes they are known to be great warriors as well. Check with me for any spells not in PHB. Warmage/Beguiler/Dread Necromancer: Fulfills most arcane casting roles. Full specialized lists, all use cha for DC even if not normally part of that class. These 3 classes each cover their own specialty in magic. They all can still learn some extra spells through their advanced learning, the restrictions on this will be much more relaxed than in the book. Psion: modified DCs are CHA based to be on par with everyone else. Here are your generalist and utility guys. Some powers will be on a trial basis to see how the character will use them and will be beat with a nerf bat if they become abused (primary target for this would be metamophasis and some out of the other supplements). Crusader: Tanking goodness with secondary healing, lots of the Paladin role in it. Devout followers of an ideal or cause and this belief allows them to take massive amounts of punishment and keep going. They also can strike back very VERY hard when they put their minds to it. Warblade: Replaces fighter since it is what a fighter should have been. Weapon masters that can change weapons on the fly. Have a great variety of maneuvers at their disposal as well (think blade masters) Rouge: sneaky thieves and the like mostly replaced by Beguiler and Scout but can be useful flavor-wise. Don’t expect them to be used much I would prefer people to be beguilers or Scouts as they offer many of the same options depending on how you would like to focus but there are some situations where the rouge is the only shoe that fits so I left them in. Scout: almost a low BaB ranger. These guys make excellent skirmish type fighters or hit and run snipers. If you want combat mobility this is the class. This requires a change in how many people think about combat since you will not be standing there trading full round attacks for massive damage this is more of a whiddleing away at your enemy while hi can’t catch you. Warlock: Bargained with outsider to gain powers, fills an archer and utility roll, best magic item creator at lvl 12. These guys sold their soul to get power and they are going to use it. Sword Sage: Use unarmed variant to get monk replacements. Monks with customizations. Taladas Geography: Most civilization is concentrated in Southern Hosk, the southwestern part of the continent. The only true empire since ancient times is here; League of Dwayna consisting of Ergala, New Styrilla, High Vale and The Conquered Lands. South of the League is the kingdom of Thenol, which is currently at war with the League. Thenol is ruled by Trandamere, a powerful Dread Necromancer, with the aid of huge armies of undead. A small confederation led by elves, known as Armach, is located near the western coast. Lizardmen, live in huge swamps covering the southern end of Southern Hosk forming their own Serpent kingdom. Northern Hosk is home to numerous human nomads. It is also home to nomadic elven tribes that are extremely aggressive, as well as goblins who live in the mountains. Neron, the southeastern part of the continent, is mostly covered by jungle and swamp which is home to wild elves, who have mastered a magic strongly linked to nature (spirit shamans). It is also home to the ancient temples of the Couatl where people have sought ancient mysteries. Most races live in relative peace with each other in the Rainward Isles, northwest of Taladas. However, they are threatened by rampaging undead. The huge mountain ranges close to the Burning Sea are inhabited by the Mind Flayer empire. This is centered at the Bilo Collumns and branches out to control and feed off of their neighbors. They have become much more aggressive and expansive in the past few decades. The eastern, near-barren parts of the continent are home to many communities of Xeph. These empty lands seem to be set into darkness for unnaturally long periods of time. The islands to the southwest of Taladas are home to powerful nation of mariners. They dominate the trade around the continent with their fast sailing vessels. Some are also among the most feared pirates on any of the seas. Some even have control over massive turtles which they use as assault vehicles against other ships. I need to finish up with a more detailed history, even if my players never get to hear it it does help me figure out motives for certain groups. I plan on the Mind Flayers being the primary antagonist through out the quest, because nothing motivates you like someone trying to eat your brains though a straw. A lot of what i have done with the classes was to try and have them be more balanced between the spellcasters and the others. My thoughts are that if you make all the spellcasters be more careful in what spells they choose or what type of spells they are allowed to focus on that they have to be more creative in their use or become less effective in dominating the game. This is also balanced by a step up in power and customization for martial characters by way of the ToB. Thoughts, comments, concerns?
GoriceXII 12-27-07, 10:11 AM	I like the idea of giant turtles as marine siege engines. Limiting the player races in my opinion is helpful--I tend to get players bewildered by the range of choice if it is just thrown at them. What will you do though if some player has an idea for a race that isn't on your list? Are the mindflayers a mysterious opponent or a well known one? Are you going with the idea of them being an ancient race, a space race, or a combination thereof?
archangel_arcanis_07 12-27-07, 10:20 AM	i am willing to work with a player if they want to play something else but i would encourage them to stick with these as they have been selected to keep things balanced and flavorful. The mind flayers will be a known threat but how dangerous won't be reviled until after the game has begun. I was considering them being taken by a flayer hunting party in order to get them together. there is an NPC the players know about that i was going to play for a one shot game that could get them out of there and leave. The mind flayers will be an ancient race that goes through cycles of strong activity and then relatively little, think the wraith from Stargate: Atlantis. Right now they are on an upswing in activity and it is not on their normal cycle so it will catch people off guard. The lava lake in the middle of the map is a result of a huge volcanic eruption think worst case scenario of Yosemite national park, and that is what got them on the move to try and take over the world, as lawful evil villeins tend to do.
Delfedd 12-29-07, 04:33 PM	I don't understand why the gods leaving would stop druids, sorcerers, and wizards. Or was it just a personal choice?
archangel_arcanis_07 12-31-07, 07:28 PM	It was my preference, i'm trying to get away from prepared spellcasters. I would prefer my characters/players to have mastery over one area find creative ways to solve a problem with what they have than to just wait until the wizard can study a different spell. As most people will agree spell casters are over powered by mid to high levels. this i just to try and make them tone it down some and give the others a boost in options. I don't want one character able to solve all of the parties problems, i want there to be issues they can't deal with without having to A)get outside help, B) find a creative way to use a spell/ability, c)find uses for their skills (ie. the forget the lock i'll use my knowledge Arc. & Eng. to dismantle the door frame approch)
Kyric 01-02-08, 09:28 PM	Nice idea, it's good to limit the spell casters as they are overpowered, and you've done it quite nicely. It forces the players to think about how to do something rather than just taking a nap and looking through their spell book. Limiting the casters will let the non-magical characters shine more as they become the only people who can take on a particular obstacle, instead of a spell that can replicate their abilities. So yeah, bravo. About the races, are you sure you want to close off the strong races? It makes humans the only possible choice for a barbarian.
Eldritch_Lord 01-02-08, 10:02 PM	I like the idea, but I think you need to provide a more in-depth in-game reason why loss of gods leads to no prepared spellcasters. Perhaps, like in Dragonlance, wizards are tied to the moons (or sun or other feature of the Material) and those are tied to gods, so the gods leaving revokes wizardry. Perhaps, like in Forgotten Realms, there is/are (a) god(s) in control of all magic and their loss disallows any arcane knowledge (read: wizard spells) that had existed before. Also, druids are usually tied to the world, not gods, so you'd need a reason for them as well. Whether your players care or not, the reason the prepared casters are gone can lead to plot hooks and other in-game ramifications. Nations that depended on their wizards and clerics for protection now left defenseless, an arcane economy now in ruins, and such stuff as that can shape the world completely differently based on your approach.
archangel_arcanis_07 01-03-08, 03:29 PM	first of all thank you for showing an intrest in my project, and thank you for thinking well of my ideas. Ok for the lack of prepared spell casters here are my reasons that would help. Clerics: lack of gods, the gaining of power through faith in and of it self is done by favored souls Druid: your faith in nature is what gives you your powers, but with the continent still literally burning at its heart it can not grant you your powers. wizard: the scope of the way a wizard is built is too much for their minds to handle. every other class has a limited list. the ability to know almost every spell in existence and change out with some sleep is beyond what a mortal mind is capable of. ranger/paladin: these guys could be allowed back in since they are by no means broken, but their roles can be done better by other classes. these i would probably allow in if a player wanted to play them but would have to talk to the player about it. Bard: while not a prepared spellcaster i think the beguiler does its role better outside of direct combat. As to the races: I think that any could be a barbarian but like you said humans would be the only optimal choice. And like i said i have no problems if someone wants to play a different race but they would have to come to me with it. The listed races for PC's is just those that are common and guaranteed to be supported by the DM. I'm taking a grain from Ebberon and saying that anything can be in there but won't be by default unless i want it in there or it means a lot to the player. The game is about having the players and DM have fun so i will try to accommodate their idea when i can.