Author Topic: Campaign & Setting Info  (Read 3580 times)

Offline sirpercival

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Campaign & Setting Info
« on: January 30, 2013, 07:50:47 AM »
Heroes Reborn

Your undying soul felt the call across time, and now you've been returned to the world of the living, without your consent... or any memory of your past life.  You've been brought back to the mountain city of Borean to defend the God-King Singorn's lands and his worshippers from perils unknown, and in the process you'll rediscover the answer to the riddle of your legendary heritage -- and affirm (or question) your dedication to the cause you've been conscripted into.

Number of Players: TBD, I'll take at least 8 if there's enough interest. 3 teams of some number of players (6-8?)
System: D&D 3.5 (homebrew setting), gestalt.
Style of Play: Balance of RP and combat, a lot of both.
Allowed Content: Homebrew encouraged.  Port over anything from mmx that you want to use.  I'm not altering the published base classes for this campaign, I'd just rather you only use them when strictly necessary.  Homebrew fixes are fine.

Character Creation
Backstory: You're a typical (or atypical?) adventurer, though you've always felt drawn elsewhere... and unfulfilled, like a half-remembered dream.
Experience: 8th level
Wealth: Standard WBL.
Ability Scores: 10, 12, 14, 16, 16, 18 (pre-racial of course).
Hitpoints: Max.
Alignment: Evil discouraged.  Must work well as a team.
Flaws/Traits: 2 flaws, 1 trait, SRD only.

Gestalt Rules: PrC's are allowed on both sides, and you may take dual-progression PrCs as long as you don't go for triple 9s. You don't get to double-count progressions (i.e., no wizard//mystic theurge).  If you take PrCs on both sides at the same time, both sides of the gestalt must be independently valid -- that is, you can't use class features on side A to qualify for the PrC on side B (feats and skills count for both sides).  Dual progression PrCs must be gestalted with base classes.

Background: When writing a background for your character, pick one of the two sides of the gestalt to be your "ancestor" side, and the other to be your "descendant" side.  This has no mechanical effect whatsoever, but over your character's pre-campaign lifetime, they began with only the descendant side.  In recent times (over the past year or two), the ancestor side has been awakened, and they're not sure why.  They find themselves with new skills and abilities that they never had before: muscle memory, instinctive magic, etc.  You can go in-depth about how the transformation and growth affected them, or just include it as one line, but I want to make sure that it's part of their experience and history.

Other Notes:
This is a traditional, high-magic epic heroic fantasy campaign.  Medium-to-high optimization (none of the borderline TO tricks from High Arcana, but be effective at what you want to do).

Houserules
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I am the assassin of productivity

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Offline sirpercival

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Re: Campaign & Setting Info
« Reply #1 on: January 30, 2013, 08:38:04 AM »
Setting Info

The Empire of Amanatanea

Amantanea, Singorn, and the Titans

Then Singorn from his mountain keep
held reign o'er wind and water low --
the titans in their troubled sleep
dreamed what to reap
and what to sow.


The Empire of Amantanea has existed for thousands of years, ruled by the God-king Singorn from his current capitol in Borean.  The Empire sits in an extremely fertile temperate region, with green rolling plains, dense forests, and wide, clear rivers.  The climate is a fortunate circumstance of geography: the Tinbar Mountains in southern Amantanea protect the land from the extremely dry weather of the Obsidian Desert to the south, and the dryness of the desert balances out the western marshlands of Suul.

The quality of living in the Empire is relatively high, and the cities are wonders to behold.  The God-king encourages the use of marble, columns and aqueducts, and large, expansive buildings.  Cities are designed to be clean and orderly, and Temple Guards keep the peace throughout the Empire.

The God-king's Rule
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The God-King and his Titans
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Geography, Politics, Neighbors, and the Brotherhood of Night
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The Curtain
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Suul and Herx
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The Fall of Regnus
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The Shadow War
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« Last Edit: January 30, 2013, 08:39:49 AM by sirpercival »
I am the assassin of productivity

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Offline sirpercival

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Re: Campaign & Setting Info
« Reply #2 on: January 30, 2013, 08:41:29 AM »
Cosmology 101

In the beginning, there was only Om, the Sleeper, the Dreamer of All.  Om dreams, and in Om's Dreams grow many worlds and many living things.  The dreams of Om float in Void: bubbles of thought and memory.

Om is the Overbeing, the creator of all.  Om is beyond worship or reproach; Om simply is.  Each plane is a Dream of Om, built of the elements (Air, Earth, Fire, Water, and Æther) and connected by the Void.

The Void
The Void, commonly known as "the Black", has the properties of the Astral Plane and the Plane of Dreams in more traditional cosmologies.  It can be accessed via Plane Shift et al., as well as through Astral Projection and similar effects.  In fact, Plane Shift from the Prime Material can only bring you the Void, and not directly to any other (non-elemental) planes.

The Elements
There are 5 elemental planes: Air, Earth, Fire, Water, and Æther.  The four physical elements have the same properties as their counterparts in traditional cosmologies.  Æther, commonly called "the Grey", is the plane of elemental magic and animating life-force, and combines aspects of the Ethereal, Shadow, Positive Energy, and Negative Energy planes.

These elements are the raw building blocks of every plane except the Void.  As such, they can be accessed from anywhere other than the Void with Plane Shift et al., and Æther can be accessed via Etherealness, Shadow Walk, etc.  In addition, natural portals and transit points can be found where there's a large enough concentration of the appropriate element.  This means, for example, that large magical outbursts can create temporary transit points to the Grey.

The Planes
All other planes (including what would be known as the Material plane and the Outer planes in other cosmologies) exist as bubbles in the Void, made up of various essences and humours drawn from the Elemental Planes.  Direct transit between Amantanea's plane and other planes is impossible, and must be accomplished through the Void or the Elements as intermediaries.

Beyond the Curtain
The Curtain exists somewhere on every plane other than the Void and the Elements.  Some postulate that travel between planes is possible via the realm beyond the Curtain, but there are no stories (other than apocryphal legends) of anyone who has accomplished it.

It is rumored that Singorn's Titans came from somewhere Beyond the Curtain, but no one knows for sure.
I am the assassin of productivity

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It's begun — my things have overgrown the previous sig.

Offline sirpercival

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Re: Campaign & Setting Info
« Reply #3 on: February 02, 2013, 03:50:26 PM »
THE BROTHERHOOD OF NIGHT



Symbol: A black crescent moon.
Background and goals: Founded in the arid country of Wrusk, far to the southeast of Amantanea, the Brotherhood began as a pervasive supernatural thieves' guild.  Thanks to the brilliant political acumen and skilled assassination attempts of its founders, the Brotherhood of Night now runs Wrusk, the omnipresent shadows behind the throne.

Over the last couple decades, the Brotherhood has begun branching out into neighboring realms, subverting and acquiring thieves' guilds in major cities and using them to infiltrate local governments.  Its motivations are money, power, and expansion.

Amantanea, with its vibrant population and its location on some of the most fertile land in the world, would be a major prize for the Brotherhood to acquire.  However, the existence and canny rule of the God-king Singorn has made such a venture extremely difficult, if not impossible, up till now.
Type: Thieves' Guild.
Members: The Dagger is the leader of the Brotherhood, an almost mythic figure among its ranks.  Part of the problem is that no one knows exactly who he is.
Scale: 14 (continental)

CriterionAffiliation Score Modifier

One-time
Character level+1/2 PC's level
5 or more ranks in Bluff, Hide, Intimidate, Knowledge (Local), or Move Silently+1/skill
10 or more ranks in Bluff, Hide, Intimidate, Knowledge (Local), or Move Silently+1/skill
Hide in plain sight or shadow blur ability+2
Ability to cast 3rd-level spells from the Shadow subschool or initiate 3rd-level maneuvers from the Shadow Hand discipline+2
Ability to cast 5th-level spells from the Shadow subschool or initiate 5th-level maneuvers from the Shadow Hand discipline+2
Originally from Wrusk+1
Obtains and keeps a position in the Amantanean government for less than 6 months without detection+1
Keeps a position in the Amantanean government for more than 6 months without detection+2

Multiple-Use
Successfully assassinates a rival government official or takes over a local thieves guild+2
Betrays a Brotherhood cell to a rival government-2
Betrays a Brotherhood cell to the Amantanean government-4
Betrays the Dagger to a rival government-6
Destroys a fellow member of the Brotherhood without cause-1/6 creature's CR
Fails to carry out a Brotherhood-assigned mission-1


Affiliation
Score
Title: Benefits and Duties
3 or lowerNo affiliation
4-10Sap: The Brotherhood uses you for gruntwork during a mission, but it's good practice.  You gain a +2 circumstance bonus on Hide and Intimidate checks.
11-20Mace: After being taught a few secrets of the trade, you are given missions of your own to carry out… so don't screw up.  You learn one 1st-level Shadow Hand maneuver, as per the Martial Study feat.
21-29Hammer: You're in charge of your own Brotherhood cell, and have contacts and spies everywhere.  You can make Gather Information checks across the entire continent without leaving town.
30 or higherKnife: As a member of the Brotherhood elite, you have attendants with you at all times.  You gain a retinue of 6 7th-level human swordsages, as per the Leadership feat (using the rules for followers).

Executive Powers: Assassinate, Shadow War, Terrorize
I am the assassin of productivity

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Offline sirpercival

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Re: Campaign & Setting Info
« Reply #4 on: March 07, 2013, 11:31:34 PM »
THE WORLD AT LARGE


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« Last Edit: March 09, 2013, 02:36:20 AM by sirpercival »
I am the assassin of productivity

(member in good standing of the troll-feeders guild)

It's begun — my things have overgrown the previous sig.

Offline FireInTheSky

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Re: Campaign & Setting Info
« Reply #5 on: April 10, 2013, 11:38:20 PM »
Amantanean Calendar
Date of gathering in the courtyard: Sathairn, Bealtaine 19, YSR 12493

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« Last Edit: April 11, 2013, 06:33:36 PM by FireInTheSky »