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| #1jlpinli40Oct 10, 2014 5:36:21 | ok now that the 5th E PHB is out and the MM. 1st ) I was wondering if anyone has come up with backgrounds specific to our favorite setting, dark sun, or did you just re-flavor the listed ones? I was thinking of a veiled alliance background but cannot come up with enough to make it an attractive option for my current players (any suggestions are welcome). I did see a thread where someone posted a few backgrounds but like I said now that the PHB is out I thought with the community’s help we could flesh them out more. The ones that are there for us and I will be using is slave (play test packet), noble, guild merchant, there is a variant entertainer, gladiator but I think for dark sun its missing something. The one background that I can’t seem to adapt is the acolyte. Thanks for any help on this. |
| #2cowleymenOct 17, 2014 19:53:34 | acolyte could beocme a templar perhaps? Veiled alliance should have something like the criminal background. YOu should be able to have a way to request aid and information from other members. |
| #3jlpinli40Oct 20, 2014 3:37:41 | thank you that is the kind of help i was looking for. |
| #4cowleymenOct 21, 2014 14:12:40 | No problem, would love to hear what you come up with in the long run |
| #5jlpinli40Oct 24, 2014 3:39:01 | Sure no problem ill post what I have soon as they are all finished. The veiled alliance background, dune trader, merchant house asset, Templars of the city states, and the order. The templar one is taking the longest only because iam trying to finish my write up of the Psion class and psionics in general (my group is going to strangle me if I do not start the campaign soon). There are a few more iam going to def. use from the play test packet. |
| #6cowleymenOct 25, 2014 5:04:12 | Yeah. There have been a few psionic classes posted in other sections. So far none of them have hit a strong resonance with me. Im kinda hoping that WoTC comes out with psionics sooner rather then later. As it is I think warlock translate overs the best atm. Blades are soulknives book psion and chain....crap I cant remember the psionic class that manifested pets. |
| #7eventhorizon1Nov 29, 2014 22:36:40 | here are the back grounnds i have come up with let me know what you think.
Dark sun Backgrounds Merchant house agent, the order, the veiled alliance, dune trader, slave, commoner, Templars.
The veiled alliance Magic has left the world of athas a desert waste land. Its people blame all magic users for the planets current ecological state. Not only do they blame preservers and defiler’s alike they despise them. Magic is against the law in all of the major city states and anyone caught using magic risks eliciting the anger and fear of the common people, and the attention of the Templars. So the alliance was formed to protect the preservers and its allies. The alliance is a secret organization that have vowed allegiances to a set of five aims The chief aim is to protect the alliance; the second aim is to protect preservers; the third aim is to protect auxiliaries (non-magic members); the fourth aim is to oppose defilers; the fifth aim is to undermine the Sorcerer Kings. The Alliances share obedience to the Five Aims, individual chapters sometimes have additional goals unique to their situations. Sometimes chapters honor an Aim more in the breach than in the observance. . As a potential member of the Alliance you have access to certain features depending on the chapter. Skill proficiency’s: sleight of hand Feature: rally If the veiled alliance sees you and you ally’s as potential initiates and you come under the all too watchful gaze of the templars, their agents, or facing an angry mob the will rally to your defense. After observing you for a weeks’ time to determine that you are not a defiler. They will send out feelers (a 3rd level preserver) to question your intentions along with any other information they deem relevant to their cause. If you and your ally’s face trouble the alliance will come to your aid. This may come as a simple distraction to sending in reinforcements. Between 1- 4 members to aid in a combat situation. Usually 3 preserver no higher than 5th level and one auxiliary member.
Merchant house agent You are a master of commerce. If there is something that is needed but cannot be produced a merchant house agent can procure it. You are not a citizen of any one city instead you are granted a permit to operate in one of the many emporiums that provides goods and services. The authorities have learned the hard way not to harass you for fear that goods they need will become rarer still and the price seriously inflated. You may be indispensable to the city sates but by no means are you popular. That’s to the very wares you ply you have become incredibly wealth. As such have many enemy’s, especially from rival merchant houses. Skills: bluff Languages: you can read and right common Feature: master of coin Agents from the farthest outpost are constantly coming and going, moving their wares from one location to the next. They are well compensated for their business travels considering the risks involved traveling by caravan. They receive additional ceramic pieces as compensation. Each class’s monthly compensation is fighters 5d4, wizard 1d4, rogue 2d6, cleric 3d6, psionicists 3d4, (all of the final die roll is x 30ceramic pieces).
Dune Trader In the harsh lands of Athas, even the bare necessities of life are hard to come by. The caravans of the traders ply the shifting sands, daring raiders and the elements to bring goods and hope to both the teeming hordes of the city-states and the isolated villagers in the trackless wastelands. Without the traders, life on Athas would be impossible. That is where the dune trader comes in. The trader does what it can to try and turn a healthy profit that profit it is not always monetary compensation. They provide goods and services. If the dune trader cannot turn a ceramic piece then they are willing to trade in exchange for other services. The dune trader unlike a merchant house agent is a welcome site for many of the distance villages that go unnoticed by the big merchant houses. They occasionally trade a valued trinket or two. Skills: insight Feature: barter When moneys are not involved in an exchange for goods and services the dune trader can start negotiations to barter. The protracted barter system (this system is used on items worth a 100cp or more). Each player involved rolls a 1d20 and adds their charisma modifier (this is the first round). The higher roll wins the round the winner has talked down the price of the loser’s item by 10%. If both parties choose to continue to a second round and a 3rd round (the max) service- the services a character renders from those of the unskilled laborers to those of the prized engineers all have their asking price. Simple barter characters compare the cost of the items to be exchanged and then matched the quantities until they are approximately even.
The order A mysterious organization dedicated to the study and advancement of the will and the way. The order seeks out initiates who have attained a certain level of psionic mastery. The order has lofty goal with one aim the “betterment” for all of athas through the way. The location of the orders headquarters is highly guarded and only to members that achieve a certain level of mastery knows the route to the order. The order places missions in its lower ranking members through psionic compulsion. This serves a number of benefits one they will unintentionally mislead anyone to the orders location if they are caught, two they will not be able to consciously recall who gave out there mission or exactly what the mission is until a trigger has been meet, and 3 once there mission has been meet all memory of the orders existence is whipped from there surface memory. Skill: deception
Feature communication reservoir Who know what treasures the orders hold or how long they have been around? One thing can be certain is no body knows the scope or reach of the order. When the order seeks out a new member who must be of a certain level they are given a small obsidian sphere approximately 9 to 9 1⁄4 inches (229–235 mm) in circumference. The sphere is actually a psicrystal that the order help the psionicists create. |
| #8eventhorizon1Dec 01, 2014 0:57:51 | please peach the backgrounds i have come up with. |
| #9DontEatRawHagisDec 01, 2014 8:50:02 | Seems like you are converting the Themes from the DS:CS from 4e. Awesome.
I'd ignore psionics as much as you can for right now. Or use the thematic psionics that they present in the MM. Such as Thriikreen's invisible Mage hand as telekinesis.
maybe a feat like the one that allows the user to get more cantrips? |
| #10cowleymenDec 01, 2014 15:19:41 | One thing, every background gets two skills. Every background needs another skill.
As for the features, all of them see really mechanic heavy, a lot more so then anything in the PHB. I will go through the backgrounds in PHB again, and really look for possible changes i might suggest |
| #11eventhorizon1Dec 02, 2014 1:16:34 | .Thank you all for the kind words and constructive criticism. Your right don’t eatrawhagis I did lean heavy for the feature purposes and glad you liked it I know they get 2 skills not an over sight just there are so few skills I couldn’t think of one. By all means suggest away .as far as psionics I can’t wait till 2017 my players won’t wait that long but feel free anything but magic is the same thing like they are doing now I hate it |
| (Reply to #11)OskarOisinson |
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| #13cowleymenDec 19, 2014 8:25:30 | Though a monk subclass instead, I started working on a soul-knife. I think it came out fairly well, though it is missing capstone abilities. |