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Post by acclue lockheart on Apr 1, 2008 21:27:28 GMT -5
THIS SUBJECT STILL BEING CREATED! IF SOMETHING SEEMS WRONG, JUST SAY SOMETHING AND I'LL SEE WHAT I CAN DO! Oh, but check out this campaign setting, I think it'll be great once I get everything down, make some suggestions, really. If something is incomplete, or just a floating category title, I just haven't gotten to it yet In the year 2012, a small group of British archaeologists found a hidden chamber underneath the Great Pyramids in Egypt. The room was filled with technology far out-weighing our own, yet archaic in its design. Of course, humanity felt the need to screw around with things they didn't understand. Scientists attempted to utilize the tech and find out what it did. It was the most grave mistake in human history... The men and woman inside when they hit the button were instantly incinerated as the top of the center pyramid opened and discharged a colossal shock of pure energy. The pyramids were surrounded by a transparent shield and the surrounding area was glassed for miles. Every human being on Earth felt what would from that day forward be known as The Wave. The Wave tore open a new section of the human gene pool, a third helix as some found later. Humans all over Earth instantly and inexplicably found themselves changing into animals and... monsters. Others found themselves rapidly shifting between the real world and a place where they suffered the same fate as the others. A little less than half the Earth's population became otherworldly creatures with no explanation what-so-ever. People killed in confusion just at the appearance of some, some nations locked them up for study or condemned them, family's disowned their children as freaks, and rulers were overthrown. In short, people reacted exactly as one would expect. Humans weren't the only affected by The Wave. Animals became things that you could only find in peoples dreams... or more commonly, their nightmares. Dogs became monsters of flesh, cats became ghostly specters that drained peoples' very life energies. Few animals remain in the world today, most of them changed into these demons. The world was literally split into two. Not split spatially, but split into two different Earths. The Earth we all know, and a place virtually undisturbed by humanity. The creatures that were once animals were perhaps always the way they were in this realm, and are much more evolved and dangerous. Yet, even with the change, humanity moved on. They have proven time and again to be a resilient race, and even something this drastic has proved no different. It has been two years since then, and humans have accommodated to their new lives. There is definite discrimination, especially to the ones who changed in normal Earth, who are often regarded as 'sub-human' regardless of the fact that they are actually a step up in evolution. These 'Beasts' as they were called are often refused important jobs, not trusted by ordinary humans, and generally beaten on, both physically and socially. The 'Splitters', as those that lived between worlds were called, had an easier time of things, as they quickly developed control over their jumping and looked just like normal humans in their home realm. If they were discovered by others, they were mistreated, but not nearly as much as the Beasts. The world has returned to a new normality, but it has changed forever... We brought it onto ourselves. This world has changed forever. It's been split. ------------------------------- Gameplay MechanicsNot only is this world a complex setting because of the effects of The Wave, but it's also set in modern time, in a previously realistic world. So a lot of mechanics are going to change in the game, especially races and classes. Races(For all roleplaying purposes, every character was once human as described in the PHB. All races get the language of their place of origin as an automatic language, which can be lost with a -2 modifier to INT, and may have any other real language for bonuses) HumansBeastsBeasts are just like Humans, but changed by The Wave. In their new forms, certain skills have become drastically less useful (meaning they do not maintain their extra skill points or feat), but their new bodies give them certain physical advantages over ordinary humans... There are numerous types of Beasts, all who have different levels of transformation and specialties. All Beasts must have at least one physical transformation Breakers- +2 CON
- 30' base land speed
- Large sized because of transformation
- Automatically takes Large-Body transformation
- two other non-psychic transformations (see list)
- favored class: Berserker
RippersSeers- +2 WIS
- 30' base land speed
- medium size
- may take 1 psychic specialization transformation, and any other two transformations
- MUST have at least one level in Seer
- power decided by WIS
- favored class: Seer
Full- +2 INT
- base land speed of animal form
- size of animal form
SplittersTransformation List(these are all the transformations that can have happened to your character after The Wave. You may not have more than described number of transformations.) (Certain situations, decided by the DM, can allow ignoring CHA penalties) Animal (Exclusive) - character is an exact resemblance to a mundane animal
- gains all physical attributes scores of an animal
- gains all abilities of an animal
- add physical human bonuses/penalties as respective attribute score (aka +2 bonus originally becomes +2 to respective attribute)
- maintains ability to speak
Chameleon (Physical) - character can blend themselves in with background
- -6 CHA
- character can blend in perfectly with any still background, automatically succeeding in any sight-based hide check
Claws (Physical) - character has obscenely long claws at ends of hands
- -2 CHA
- gain claw attack (1d6:Small, 1d8:Medium, 2d6:Large) (2 attacks on full attack)
- take -4 circumstance penalty on any action involving dexterous use of hands
Dwarfism (Physical) - character is very small
- +4 DEX -4 CHA
- character becomes Small size (or one size smaller)
Ears (Physical) - character has powerful, but deformed ears. They can be elfish, animal-like, etc.
- -2 CHA
- +8 bonus to listen checks
Insubstantial (Physical) - Character has no physical form, and manifests as ashaped, smoky vapor
- -6 CHA
- character is ethereal, but can still be seen to ordinary people
Large-Body (Physical) - character is grotesquely over-sized
- +2 STR, -4 CHA
- character becomes Large size (or one size larger)
Possession (Psychic) - character has the ability to place their own mind in another body, overtaking it
- may take over any other living being by making physical contact with them
- if allowed, character may let their target's mind into their own
- if target makes a DC 15+(1/2 user's level) will save, they may knock out the user, ending the attack and rendering the caster helpless, or switch bodies by force and lock them in place for one minute
Pyrotechnic (Psychic Specialization) - character has control over fire with mind
- can use each of the following at will: Dancing Lights, Flare, Light, Endure Elements (Fire), Burning Hands, Continual Flame, Flaming Sphere, Scorching Ray, Pyrotechnics, Explosive Runes, Protection From Energy (Fire), Daylight, Fireball, Flame Arrow, Fire Trap, Fire Shield, Wall of Fire, Delayed Blast Fireball, Sunburst, Meteor Swarm
- uses 3x(spell level) units of power
Scaled (Physical) - character grows lizard-like scales all over their body
- -2 DEX -4 CHA
- +5 natural armor bonus
Scorched (Physical) - body is burned deeply and permanently
- -6 CHA
- +3 natural armor bonus
- Damage Reduction: 10:fire
Tail (Physical) - character has a long prehensile tail like any animal desired
- -4 CHA
- if character has at least 14 DEX, may attempt a trip attack as a move action
- if character has at least 18 DEX, may use tail as an extra grasping appendage
Telekinetic (Psychic Specialization) - Character can control motion with mind
- can use each of the following at will: Mage Hand, Prestidigitation, Feather Fall, Jump, Gust of Wind, Shatter, Blur, Knock, Levitate, Spider Climb, Hold Person, Wind Wall, Displacement, Fly, Dimensional Anchor, Dimension Door, Teleport, Bigby's Interposing Hand, Overland Flight, Bigby's Forceful Hand, Control Water, Move Earth, Phase Door, Plane Shift, Greater Teleport, Teleport Object, Mass Hold Person, Bigby's Grasping Hand, Control Weather, Ethereal Jaunt, Reverse Gravity, Dimensional Lock, Binding, Bigby's Clenched Fist, Freedom, Imprisonment, Gate, Teleportation Circle, Mass Hold Monster, Bigby's Crushing Hand, Astral Projection, Etherealness
- uses 3x(spell level) units of power
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Snadgeros
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Post by Snadgeros on Apr 2, 2008 8:52:15 GMT -5
Okay, few things, I'm listing these off as I read this.
1. There's no such thing as pure energy, shut up. I'm a science nerd and the phrase "pure energy" just really bugs me. 2. Given that this is a modern setting, wouldn't this be d20 Modern, not DnD 3.5? 3. What are rippers? You don't say. 4. What are the classes? You mention seers and beserkers but don't give any mechanics. 5. How does transforming work mechanically? Can you only assume one of these forms at a given time? How long can it be maintained? 6. Units of power? Is this another mechanic you're inventing?
Anyways, I think I'm probably in. Put me down for......a seer beast with the Telekinetic, Dwarfism, and Animal (which one to be decided later) transformations.
EDIT: I'm thinking monitor lizard. I've always loved them.
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Post by acclue lockheart on Apr 2, 2008 10:57:56 GMT -5
1. dude... sci-fi... 2. no, I dinnae like d20 modern 3. it's not done yet 4. It's not done yet! 5. GOD D***IT, I SAID IT ISN'T DONE YET!!! 6. ARGH!!!
I suppose this WAS the wrong area to put it though, I'll change that later, but right now, this is still in beta... no, scratch that, this hasn't left alpha yet! I'm just taking suggestions on the gameplay elements.
read the gigantic letters at the top of the page, they're there for a reason.
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Snadgeros
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Post by Snadgeros on Apr 2, 2008 12:17:38 GMT -5
Alright then, here's some mechanical problems that might arise (for you to fix).
1. A full animal gets +2 INT, which is nice, but it doesn't fix the fact that most, if not all, mundane animals have 1 or 2 INT. So....whoever plays a full animal is stuck with 4 INT? 2. The dwarfism transformation, does that affect base land speed? Small creatures get +1 AC and +1 to hit, but usually at the cost of movement speed. Then again, kobolds are small and have 30' movement speed, so.... 3. The whole possession thing seems like it could be especially broken against hulking monsters like ogres or purple worms. Most of them have high fortitude but crap for will and reflex. Not to mention how quickly the save DC scales. Perhaps reduce that to 15+(1/2 user's level) so it scales about evenly with spell save DCs. Then again, this is a rather risky maneuver, given that it could potentially lead to death, since if they render you helpless, they can just coup-de-grace you next turn. I don't know, you're the DM. You balance it. 4. The whole insubstantial body thing seems vastly underpowered, unless you were to make it so that ONLY insubstantial beings could do possession. Also, how do they take damage if they're gaseous?
That's all I've got for now, but I'm sure more will arise as you reveal more. Looking forward to it!
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KurstDisciple
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Post by KurstDisciple on Apr 2, 2008 13:21:45 GMT -5
alright, ideas. i have...tons, but I will list a couple.
1. Race should be random, seeing as how those mutated didn't pick which, now since this is using DnD 3.5 (i assume), have a race select from races in DnD, then a mutant race here randomly selected, and apply the bonuses + minuses to base race.
2. Mutations should be, again, selected randomly, I'm thinking a d100 table (or 50 or 20 etc etc depending on what we can think of) based on Dead Earth's system of radiation selection. Rather than # of mutations depending on Race, how about # of die of mutations depending on proximity to the event at the time, also random on how close you were.
3. Snad brought up a good point about the time setting in this, while DnD could be the basis for it, i think equiptment and technology should be taken from other sources, unless you want to go through the hassle of either progressing the DnD equivelants through time, or making up things for the whole world.
Just a few like I said, anyways get mulling.
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Snadgeros
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Post by Snadgeros on Apr 2, 2008 15:08:24 GMT -5
Kurst, in regards to your "random" idea, no. Really, you don't get to choose what race you are or what job you're cut out for in real life, but does that mean that should be applied to the game world? No. You don't roll a d100 to see what race or class you play in normal DnD, so why should this be any different? Games are a means of escape, a way for us to be something we're not, and the entire principle of them is that we get to choose what we want to be. I don't want to get stuck with a race or class I don't like, because then the game's not fun for me anymore! Minor things like height or weight are given random tables because they don't really affect you in-game, but something as major as what your character's role will be in the party is generally not left up to chance.
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Post by acclue lockheart on Apr 2, 2008 15:28:54 GMT -5
Snadgeros: 1. I'm still working on Full, I know I need to buff them a little, but I'm still working out how... Also notice that you only get the PHYSICAL attributes of the animal, while maintaining your mental capabilities. I suppose I should've been more clear on that, but I thought just saying physical was enough... 2. yeah, it's going to cost movement speed. Didn't think of that before... 3. good idea on the save DC, I think I'm going to do that instead 4. insubstantiality would be a fairly difficult transformation to play, being that they lack a body for either physical damage or magical focus, so yeah, possession seems to be the only way to go with that... for now anyway, I could come up with something later... As for damage, how do insubstantial beings in normal D&D get damaged?... perhaps I need to change something on that front too... @kurst: 1&2. I considered that for awhile, but I thought of how that would make a huge inconvenience, but would also create severely broken, powerful or useless, characters. I might add in a system for that, but it'll be optional at the DM's discretion 3. well, yeah, using d20 modern for technology and such is the logical way to go, it'll match up with the rest of the D&D concept right?
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Snadgeros
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Post by Snadgeros on Apr 2, 2008 15:53:42 GMT -5
Ah....so I see. This is looking good now. With the save DC scaling at an equivalent level to spells, it's a tradeoff. If it succeeds, you pretty much win right there, but if it fails, you're pretty boned. Also, I think I get the whole insubstantial thing now. You wouldn't really be insubstantial the whole time, you'd probably just have to keep switching bodies as you possess enemies and they wear out.
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KurstDisciple
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Post by KurstDisciple on Apr 2, 2008 17:14:09 GMT -5
@ Snad: never really looked at the concept that way before, oddly enough, but now I can see why dead earth got such poor ratings for the system
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Post by acclue lockheart on Apr 2, 2008 20:43:41 GMT -5
I didn't get a chance to change much today, I had some stuff to do, and I still have stuff I need to do, maybe I'll add more later, but here's the few things I put in today... And yes, I know, some of this stuff won't make sense until I put in different races and stuff, but you gotta learn, I have a very non-linear thought process... CHANGESBodiless race deleted, it was thoroughly expressed through transformations possession transformation save DC progression slowed to half level NEWTransformationsGraft (Physical) - an object in the immediate proximity of the character when The Wave hit has fused over an existing major appendage
- -2 CHA, -2 DEX
- permanently lose one limb
- the object's original function isn't compromised, but it may be a severely hindering due to the object's weight, size, shape, or which appendage it took the place of
Split (Exclusive) - character lives between Earth and Split Earth and can move between them
- can teleport between Earth and Split Earth by concentrating uninterrupted for one minute
- character can take one true human with them. Beasts seem incapable of traveling to Split Earth with this method...
- character may, on very rare occasions, be called to Split Earth and immediately be teleported there without warning.
- Splitters can sense if the area they are in is underground/underwater/extremely high in the air/etc. in the other world, they can NOT tell if the area is safe, only whether or not something's in the way...
- tip: Earth and Split Earth are parallel. If a Splitter finds a wall they need to get behind, they can transfer worlds, walk a few feet, then transfer again, that easy... as long as your careful where to change...
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Snadgeros
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Posts: 116
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Post by Snadgeros on Apr 2, 2008 21:38:32 GMT -5
Oooh! Graft? Interesting....I could see that being totally awesome if you were holding say....a chainsaw at the time.
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Post by acclue lockheart on Apr 2, 2008 21:43:58 GMT -5
or how about the cannon mechanism in a tank? XD I think I'll be able to add some more later, I overestimated how long this powerpoint will take...
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Post by acclue lockheart on Apr 2, 2008 22:30:36 GMT -5
I was going to add some classes, but then I realized I would need more time for that... so here's Splitter information. CHANGESadded the following to Split transformation: - -2 CHA if known to general public (aka, what you are is common knowledge)
NEWracesSplitters- are exactly as humans on Earth, and only become their Beast forms on Split Earth
- Just as Beasts, Splitters do not maintain their human bonus skills and feat
- automatically have Split transformation
- may take up to the number of transformations allowed by whatever Beast sub-race the character follows that are only noticeable or useful on Split Earth (aka, CHA penalties don't apply, except the -2 if race is known)
- favored class: any
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