Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Scalamander 05-23-07, 07:32 PM	I am preparing a new campaign in which ocean life plays a significant role. What follows are a few short blurbs about the campaign world as well as a new creature. I was wondering what you think about it. The World of Leva’as: This world appears to its denizens as a vast hemisphere of rich, blue ocean, dotted with the floating refuges known as the Earthbergs. While the planet itself may be very large, only the small part of the northern hemisphere has been able to support life. Surrounding this thin disc is a wall of raging storms and hurricanes that can rip even the strongest of ships to pieces. Beyond this wall of storms lie only cold and barren mountains of ice. The few explorers who have made it back alive from this harrowing journey report that it was as if all that was warm and light on Leva’as just didn’t exist on those frigid plains extending as far as the eye could see. While this does cut off many avenues of expansion, the Five Great ‘Bergs are capable of containing most of the life on Leva’as barring a few scattered island nations. Once more the depths of the great ocean hold many secrets worth searching for that can be obtained in an easier fashion then trekking across the cold face of hell. The waters of Leva’as team with life of which more then a good chunk is intelligent. While most of these aquatics are not concerned with the goings on up above a few have made alliances, mostly in terms of trade and so have become a part of Leva’as culture. The nations of man have incorporated Merfolk outposts into their sprawling cities with some going so far as to grant citizenship to particularly influential members of those societies. The elves share a common blood bond with their kin who turned to the sea as well as maintaining a strong alliance military alliance with the Kenarki whom they see as spiritual brothers. While many dwarves have a natural distrust of the water and all that it contains, their splinter race, the gnomes have made better diplomatic inroads then any other nation, counting the kuo-ta and several sahaguin tribes as trading partners as well as the rest of the inhabitants of the Great ‘Bergs. The Earthbergs: For nearly six hundred years the nations of man, dwarf and elf have dwelt upon the continent sized rocks that floated in the vast ocean. These huge pieces of rock floated quite steadily, its porous and usually verdant surface absorbing even the strongest of storms. Once more they have remained fixed in their positions, not subject to the currents of the ocean. Many sages have predicted that this has something to do with the moon Arios. This sky-blue moon is present even in daylight and when it seems farther from the planet the Earthbergs appear to sink in the water. This rising and falling was regular enough that it soon became a way of dividing the summer and winter seasons, called Lowtide and Hightide respectively. While there are many smaller floating islands, some even given to sailing the currents, none can match the sheer size and scope of the Five Great ‘Bergs. While both the dwarf and elven races have a different name for this conglomeration, the human one has tended to drift into common usage. The three main races of elf, man and dwarf have more or less divided the ‘Bergs between each other, the occasional conflict still taking place on particularly well situated smaller bergs which would be useful as outposts or kelp farms. With a few small exceptions most Earthbergs appear to be not only capable of supporting life, but quite proficient as well. The exposure of the bergs surface to sunlight has the effect of sending all the seaborne algae caught on it into a huge bloom. This growth can literally by watched as strange reeds and plants wither and die. This soon creates a layer of fertile soil from which a second more controlled growth starts. In time the newly risen berg will be able to support trees and other large flora. While most earthbergs are relatively stable, occasionally a smaller berg will seem to lose whatever force held them buoyant and slowly sink down into the deeps. This is always preceded by a mass die-off of all the plant-life on the berg. In the case of smaller bergs this can happen in a matter of days while for larger ones the effect has been shown to take almost half a year. Bergs that are sinking or have become stable underwater are referred to as Seabergs and are explained below. The Legend of the Abyssal Portal: This is a story that is eventually recounted to just about every soul living on the Great ‘Bergs. It has undergone various embellishments in the 200 years since it was reputed to have happened, many of which have almost completely obscured the truth. In its most basic form the legend is about the adventures of one Raynid Sonners, a human with the blood of elves in his veins. While it is certain that some of the exploits attributed to him, like single-handedly defeating the Sea Drake Kedzies in combat, have been blown out of proportion, it is certain that he indeed lived an adventurous life. The Abyssal Portal was one of the reputed discoveries of Raynid in one of his many adventures. While it is unknown whether he ever discovered the Portal in truth he gathered together an expedition of well known heroes and sea men with the hopes of plumbing the depths of the oceans to find it. It is said that he followed the words and symbols of ancient stone map taken from the very altar of a morkoth temple. He claimed that this map proved the existence of a passage through the center of Leva’as that would lead to vast new lands beyond the ice. Most assume that he never achieved his goal since the expedition has been missing for over 200 years at this point. It has now passed into popular legend and the stories of the Abyssal Portal have become the sort one tells small children to make them sleep at night. The Swarms: The Swarms are a relatively new manifestation in the months since the sun has begun to fade. While it is unclear whether they are connected to the cosmic event or merely disturbed by the deep delving exploration attempts now underway to find the legendary Abyssal Portal. They resemble a large series of bulbous jellyfish all mashed together, as if fused into one being. This mass takes the form of a long, snaky column gently twisting in the water from the shuddering action of its tentacle-like cilia. These columns stretch for hundreds of feet and what’s more disturbing as they translucent in many cases, almost perfectly matching the colours of the water around them. When actively in motion they churn through the water like a slow motion cyclone. This motion combined certain other indeterminate parts of a Swarms biology can nearly encase them in a tube of bubbles rendering them very difficult to target. Some sailors have also brought back tales that large, predatory ocean creatures are often drawn to the churning mass. Trying to see through the screen of bubbles to target the gelatinous swarm is difficult without adding a couple Deadeye Sharks to the mix. Once those creatures taste blood in the water the screening effects of the bubbles no longer deter them in finding their prey. Many have suspected that the Swarms are responsible for the new incursions of squid-like beings the likes of which were never seen before. While individual swarms have been spotted feeding off of coral reefs and fungus plains no one has yet to bring back proof that they are capable of spawning the cephalopodan nightmares now found in increasing numbers near almost all the Allied ‘Bergs. There are certain wild rumours now surfacing amongst the sailors and docksmen that Swarms have been devouring entire seabergs, enveloping them entirely into one massive jelly-like ooze. None of these tails have been officially confirmed yet, but it’s only a matter of time before the truth surfaces one way or another. Gronaglis Small Aberration (Oct’lis) HD: 3d8 (12hp) Init: +3 Speed: Swim 60ft. AC: 17 (+3 Dex, +3 insight, +1 size) touch 17, flat-footed 14 Base Atk +2 Grp +8 Attack: Tentacle +4 (0) plus dissonance Full Atk: Tentacle +4 (0) plus dissonance and bite -1 (1d3) SA: Implant enzyme, improved grab, powers SQ: Dissonance, darkvision 60ft, empty husk, entangling goo, jet, low-light vision, naturally psionic SV: Fort +3, Ref +6, Will +2 Abl: Str 14, Dex 17, Con 11, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 6 Skills: Listen +7, Hide +14, Spot +7, Swim +10 Feats: Alertness, Dodge Environment: Warm aquatic Organization: Solitary, 5-6 plus 1 Pelogalies Challenge Rating: 2 Advancement: - Powers: 3pp 1 – Mindlink, Precognition, Psionic Daze Dissonance (Su): The feather thin touch of a Gronaglis tentacle can cause impart a victim with a trouble vision of the myriad of futures in store. This leaves the victim sickened for 1d3 rounds. Will Save (DC 13) Empty Husk (Ex): The force controlling a Gronaglis is not entirely invested into its flesh. Thus whenever a gronaglis would be brought to 0 hit points it is destroyed and the consciousness flees the body making resurrection impossible. This also makes it difficult to gain any information from the dead minds of the creatures adding +10 to all checks to gain such knowledge. Entangling Goo (Ex): Instead of squirting a cloud of ink a Gronaglis can slow its attackers by manifesting entangling goo as the power. This can be used a total of 3/day. Implant Enzyme (Ex): If the Gronaglis gets a hold of its victim with its improved grab, it can use its bite attack to deliver a special enzyme (no save). This enzyme pools in the brains of its victims and becomes almost impossible to detect by magic or psionic means, +10 bonus to avoid detection. This enzyme sends a very strong psychic pheromone that can be detected and tracked by any Oct’lis within 120ft. underwater. During this time the victim also suffers a -2 penalty to all saves against Oct’lis powers, Will negates. The enzyme dissolves harmlessly within a week. Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a Gronaglis must hit an opponent of any size with its arms attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and automatically deals bite damage. *A Gronaglis has a +4 racial bonus on grapple checks. Jet (Ex): A Gronaglis can jet backward once per round as a full-round action, at a speed of 100 feet. It must move in a straight line, but does not provoke attacks of opportunity while jetting. Naturally Psionic (Su): The Gronaglis can harness the power of psionics due to its nature as a duo-dimensional being. It gains 3 bonus power points and the psionic subtype. Skills: A Gronaglis has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always while choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action swimming, provided it swims in a straight line. It can also change its colour to camouflage into its surroundings granting it a +10 to Hide checks. "Serrin swam for the surface, her finned legs pumping furiously even as her mind reeled from what she had just witnessed. The vast amount of creatures had frightened her almost as much as the fact that any moment they seemed only half there, fading from conscious thought only to reappear closer and closer as the viewers mind reeled. Expelling water furiously from her gills, Serrin tried to stay on task. Then she realized, they had already found her. She suddenly backfinned and then floated as close to absolute still as she could in the water. She could sense nothing in the dark waters around her, but something in her mind screamed that she was being deceived! A momentary rush of vertigo overwhelmed her even as she felt the delicate kelp-like stroke. Thrashing about in the water she was suddenly overwhelmed by a cascade of sounds and images, bombarding her senses into submission. Soon she hung helpless, gently buoyed by the currents, unable to fight back against the psychic attack. A strange lassitude overcame her and she began to feel as if she were on the verge of a blissful sleep. Then something in her eyes adjusted to the abyssal gloom. She could see the fleshy tentacles and the globulous beings attached to them even as they further entwined themselves around her. Something leeched out of her as the last of the water flowed from her gills. Now she could feel nothing, though the beaks concealed in the gelatinous bodies of the squid like creatures had now been set to work. They were small and weak. Yet she was surrounded in an ever widening mass, a womb of pulsing protoplasm. Her last thought as she died brought a twitch to her lips. Whether it was the thrash of some severed nerve or tingle from the digestive poison she was bathed in remains uncertain. Or maybe it was the irony of the situation that brought one last smile to her scaled face." She was now her own Swarm.
queenfange 05-26-07, 10:29 PM	It sounds like a really interesting world with some well-developed ideas. What do you plan on working on next? Other monsters? NPCs? Starting classes? Specific cultures? ...?