Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Tokus 09-24-07, 02:33 AM	What are some good reference books to use for designing a low magical world campaign? The basics of my world is going to be this: Magic is a forbidden art that will quickly garner you the wrong attention from dragons (they will come to kill you, good or evil as their culture deems it only the domain of the true dragons). There are a handful of hermit wizards around the world but they are highly sought after by the dragon hegemony. Starting an academy of magic is something that would quickly get your city the wrong attention, when a flight of draconian enforcers come to lay waste to such an organization. Technology will be the stuff of magic on this world mostly, clockwork automata, steam powered transportation, exotic natural elixirs and explosives all controlled one of the major schools of science (clockworks, steam-power and alchemy). This combined with abundant raw resources and supernatural raw metals has lead a once very primitive world onto the fast track of technology and civilization. Primitive being the key word in the last part, as a large portion of societies have not gotten up to par with the rest of the world as far as technology and are living in tribal hunter-gatherer and nomadic clusters. Most cultures that posses advanced technology guard them with the same zealous fervor that dragons guard magic with. And just for flavor, the world is still young, just very advanced. So many primitive animals still walk the land. Dinosaurs are not only a common sight, they are downright domesticated by some cultures, using them for everything from driving heavy plows etching out entire farms in one pull across the field to heavy cavalry that would make Hannibal's war elephants look like the pony express. I even have a name for it, Tithonia, named for the final stages of the Late Jurassic Epoch (hence the dinosaurs for farm animals :ayyyy!:). Anyway, any reference materials that I could collect that anyone thinks would be useful for one reason or another in this world would be most helpful (beyond the core books, DMG, PHB, MM).
yellowdingo 09-25-07, 09:13 AM	TOKUS's LOWMAGIC STEAMTECH SETTING Magic is a forbidden art that will quickly garner you the wrong attention from dragons (they will come to kill you, good or evil as their culture deems it only the domain of the true dragons). There are a handful of hermit wizards around the world but they are highly sought after by the dragon hegemony. Starting an academy of magic is something that would quickly get your city the wrong attention, when a flight of draconian enforcers come to lay waste to such an organization. Technology will be the stuff of magic on this world mostly, clockwork automata, steam powered transportation, exotic natural elixirs and explosives all controlled one of the major schools of science (clockworks, steam-power and alchemy). This combined with abundant raw resources and supernatural raw metals has lead a once very primitive world onto the fast track of technology and civilization. Primitive being the key word in the last part, as a large portion of societies have not gotten up to par with the rest of the world as far as technology and are living in tribal hunter-gatherer and nomadic clusters. Most cultures that posses advanced technology guard them with the same zealous fervor that dragons guard magic with. You have some interesting Ideas: They are Very Raw. But I have never used a book source for Steamtech that Didnt Involve something from Leonardo Davinci. A List of Steamtech/Clockwerk Goodies 1.BARON BROTHE'S STEAM CHAMBER "We must escape. We must let others know what is going on here." Huur Talltrees whispered as best he could. Jan Longrunner shook her head. Their emaciated forms could barely stand anymore. "How? The Boundary is patrolled with hounds. I cant outrun a hound. Not now." "If ony we had something to feed them." Jan looked up at Huur. She shook her head at the horrid idea. "It may be our only chance." DM BRIEFING: This nasty racial purist has a nifty steam chamber that allows him to cook half Elves and elves captured in his Region. His current campaign is to sieze an adjacent Forest and cleanse it of tree hugging elves and their bastard halfbreeds. More importantly, he has the blessing of the church who unofficially condone his policies. The Steam Chamber is located at a recently constructed Death camp on the Edge of the Forest and has a 5' x 40' room into which steam is sprayed. Basicly detainees are forced to dig a mass grave then they are cleaned in the steamer before being buried. 2. COSIMO'S STEAM CANNON The Small Iron Shot hurled the one mile distance and pounded into the side of the castle shattering brickwork. "As you can see, the steam cannon has an established range of one mile." Cosimo waved a signal flag and the Cannon's small group of specialists lifted the weapon off the ground and walked fifty yards along the forest edge. Then they set up the weapon, loaded water to its combustion mechanism, and new hotcoals from the well-alight fire cart and after a single ranging shot which had struck the same tower from the far side and fired a second into the tower. "And it takes very little time to re-establish at a new position and they can fire almost immediatly." Baron Sigurd knodded with interest as each fact was pointed out to him. DM BRIEFING: Cosimo's Steam Cannon has a one mile range and can inflict 20d6 damage to any target. The weapon is a good siege artillery weapon. It doesnt depend on Gunpowder rather charcoal to boil water. 3. BLAKE & FRILLS CLOCKWERK REPEATER Hugh unpacked the firearm from its leather scabbard and placed the hardwood stock against his boot. From his backpack, a small silver cylinder with twenty holes was pulled and unwrapped from the oiled cloth that protected it. Hugh slipped the Cylinder into place on the end of the weapon. A large handcrank was then placed over a fitted key protruding from the end and wound anti-clockwise twenty times. He aimed and fired, then again and again until all twenty silver spikes had been fired from the mechanism in a window of twenty seconds. The target was riddled with heavy silver nails. DM BRIEFING: A Blake and Frills Clockwerk Repeater costs upward of 1,000gp, Ammunition: 50gp. It has a range of a heavy crossbow and can be fired at one a second for a 1d6 damage. The Weapon must be loaded, then wound a precise twenty turns anticlockwise so that the clockwerk spring mechanism winds down fully. 4. BARON BROTHE'S MOBILE ARMOURED CAMERA OBSCURER The huge iron machine was pulled across the hill overlooking the battlefield at a terribly slow pace. Baron Borothe alighted from his horse as servants fixed it from rolling about. "The Mechanism is ready my Baron." Franz saluted the Baron as he stepped down onto the strong back of a Servant. "Good! Welome Gentlemen. If you would care to join me inside?" The Baron didnt wait for his guest observers from the mother church to follow. As the last entered the perfectly dark iron chamber, the door was sealed. and then after a moment's nervous wait, a second mechanism was activated. Light poured from a Lens Mechanism in the Roof and displayed the entire battlefield with perfect clarity on the polished and smoothed plaster surface of a circular table. "As you can see the Camera Obscurer provides us with an uncomprimising view of the entire battlefield." A lens was moved and the image focused in on the Generals gathered on the far hill. A Servant opposite the gathered guests of Baron Brothe looked up from reading the lips of the distant generals. "They are sending a unit of cavalry through the west wood to out flank us my Baron." "Very well. Signal Blake's Foresters to prepare for guests." DM BRIEFING: The Camera Obscurer is a simple machine of lenses and mirrors encased in a simple room. It costs about 50,000gp to build and can be located in a mobile structure for use on the battlefield or in the top of a castle tower.