Ideas are funny. Some are thought up within sessions of deep,
carefully planned thinking... Others spring into being as an escape from
the prattling minutiae of the day-to-day... But they oftentimes come
and go like the wind, conjured up and disappearing like a puff of smoke. Then
there are the ideas that stay with you. Haunt you. The ones that become
so deeply rooted in your brain that you can't help but ponder your
thoughts over and over again. This world of mine is that idea --
inspired by years of fantasizing, video games, and roleplaying. The
game I want to make will take place in a fantasy world where magic is
scarce. It wasn't always like this, however... Centuries, perhaps even
millenia before our story begins, the world was overflowing with Mana --
the source of the world's magicks and the catalyst that allowed men to
bend the laws of reality to their will. But... As history would show,
the inhabitants of the world were not satisfied with their little piece
of Eden. A terrible war erupted, scarring the lands and ending
civilizations. It was said that the gods abandoned the world at the
precipice of the planet's destruction, taking away their gift of Mana as
they left. Absolute destruction was averted, but the price of men's
hubris lead to Calamity. With Mana gone, the elves lost their
immortality; crops withered and died; and plague spread through the
lands, culling the mortals of their insolence that lead to this... The
world where our story will take place will be a one where the memories
of The Great War of the Magi and the events of Calamity are faded,
attributed to only stories and legend. There are signs of these events,
however... Such as the Great Scar, an enormous chasm that serves as a
cold reminder of the War. There are also some magic relics that survived
the tides of time, enchanted with a power that no living person can
replicate. Our story shall begin a few years after a more hopeful
world-changing event known as "The Awakening." Mana has returned to the
world, in form of various "Mana Fonts" that are scattered across the
world. It is not nearly as plentiful as it was back in the time of
legend, but for the first time in ages, man has once again been given
the gift of being able to play the chords of magic. This, however, has
brought about a different problem: warring over the right to control
these "Fonts." Is the world truly ready for the return of Magic? Or will
Mana simply trigger yet another Calamity? ...What will your role be in
these changing times? ...Okay, now that we have the basic premise
of the world on the table, let me explain some different things I want
to implement in this game: Game Features
Story-related Feats!
At
certain points of the game or when your character shows significant
character development, I will grant you a "Story Feat." A Story Feat is a
feat that is completely customized and designed by me that is directly
related to how your character behaved/changed/grew in the associated
story arc.
If you don't RP, you don't get story feats. Your Gate of Truth will be blank.
Low Magic (Refer to the bolded "Magic" Section for more on this)
Elemental Affinity System (Refer to the bolded "Elements" Section for more on this)
3.5 Material & Homebrew allowed with approval
More than just Mindless Combat
Too
often I have found many D20 games devolving into "I must hit everything
and violence is the only answer ever." There is something seriously
wrong when you solve everything with "I charge and power attack." Sure,
it's fun, but don't you want MORE out of your game?!
This means
my game will have more "Alternate Encounters" like puzzles and literally
unbeatable fights. (The Unbeatable fights are kinda like a puzzle. One
where you can die if you decide to turn around and fight that thing that
is designed to be unbeatable.)
Alignment system rehaul
I
always found the D20 Alignment system to be tremendously inflexible and
often lead to players "overplaying" their role. Also, this lead to
terrible stereotypes... Like anyone casting "Dark" Magics had to be
evil. In my world, "Darkness" is an element -- not strictly evil.
You
still choose your alignment, but your alignment is more what your
character ASPIRES to be, not what they are. Good people are not good ALL
the time. Evil people don't go around twirling their mustaches and
throwing women on railroad tracks. Those are caricatures of people, but
not how people really act. My hope is that your character will be more
than its Alignment, Race, and Class.
Character Creation
You MUST talk to me first and tell me your character concept.
Haven't determined Starting Level yet
Talk
to me about what type of character you want to play -- be prepared to
roleplay as this will be heavy RPing with your combat.
You may min/max or optimize, but your character better have a personality
Magic
Yes, you MAY play a spellcaster class if you wish. As with any character, please talk to me first about your character concept.
No Magic items for sale. You may only FIND Magic items.
All Magic Items are considered Relics/Magical Artifacts.
I
always hated how in D&D Magic artifacts sucked compared to some
other sword you enchanted yourself. You would literally rather use
something you bought at a magic shop then that one-of-a-kind "Legendary
Weapon" you found in some Lich's chest cavity. In my world, that's the
only way you're ever going to find a magical weapon.
Your Magic
Weapon can be upgraded by "Awakening" them through a function I have yet
to decide. This way, you don't need an excuse to throw away your weapon
when you find another one. As such, you can eventually be that
Legendary Hero with that signature weapon.
Death is not cheap
Resurrection? Yeah, that doesn't exist anymore. Not enough Mana in the world to bring you back after you kicked the bucket.
Try really, REALLY hard not to die. I'm being serious. I understand that you might get one-shotted, so I'm adding an addendum:
Enemies will only be able to kill you if they land a critical on the killing blow OR use a full round action to finish you off.
You bleed out after 10 rounds of falling unconscious.
Coming
back from the dead is not an everyday occurrence. Expect a serious
story event to happen if your friend gets up from a sucking chest wound.
Total Party Wipes will generally resolve in a "Game Over" and you will need to redo that encounter.
Elemental Affinity
Upon
character creation, you will have an elemental affinity assigned to
your character based on that character's personality. This elemental
affinity is the "color" of your character's soul and has an actual
affect on your character's progression. Your character will have one of
six elemental affinities; The natural Elements: Fire, Wind, Earth, and
Water as well as the Morality Elements: Light and Darkness.
The Natural Elements
Fire
- Characters of the Fire element are passionate and emotional. They are
quick to act and are devoted to whatever their pursuit in life is.
Think of someone with a "Fiery" personality -- if the bill fits, they're
probably akin to the Fire Element. Fire elemental is strong vs Wind and
weak vs Water.
Wind - Wind souls value freedom and expression
of self over all else. They are not ones to be tied down and forced into
a role -- their life is their own and they are like the wind... Always
moving, chaotic, and adventurous. The wind element is weak against fire
and strong against Earth.
Earth - Earth elements are steadfast
and patient. They value order and tradition and they represent
stability. Unlike Wind Elements, earth elements are "down-to-earth" and
practical -- willing to do what they must without taking what they
consider to be insane risks. Earth elements are fiercely loyal to their
companions, roles, and duties. The Earth element is weak against the
Wind and strong against the Water.
Water - Water elements are
thinkers and proponents of reason. They are often calm, not letting
their emotion overtake their strategic minds, serine and steady like a
stream... But swift and raging like a river when need be. Water is
strong against fire, but weak against Earth.
The Morality Elements
Light
- Light souls are ones that strive for the ideal of "Good." Oftentimes,
they are just and caring. They are the stereotypical "Good guy,"
fighting for peace and the betterment of their people. That does not
mean, however, they are always "Good." Light souls are particularly
prone to becoming overzealous in their quest for "Good" and are
unwilling to compromise or cooperate with anyone or anything they deem
to be "Evil." And, the line between "Justice" and "Vengeance" is very
blurred line to tread upon. Being Light does not mean you are 100% going
to aspire to a "Good" ideal. As a Morality element, Light souls are
both strong AND weak against the Dark Element.
Dark - Dark souls
are often misunderstood and incorrectly labeled as "Evil." In reality,
Dark souls are the type that are willing to do -anything- to achieve
their goals, with or without the help or understanding of others. This
gives Dark souls bad publicity no matter if it is a good or evil ideal
they strive toward. For example, a Dark soul whose goal is to "bring
world peace," a notably "Good ideal," will have no problem (or at least
consider) enslaving everyone else so that world peace would be
guaranteed, which isn't such a "Good ideal." Being a Dark soul does not
mean you are 100% going to aspire to an "Evil" ideal. As a morality
element, Dark souls are both strong AND weak against Light elementals.
Gameplay significance
Spells will be assigned an element when chosen. For example, "Scorching Ray" is obviously a Fire Element spell.
All
Element types can cast every elemental type, even if it doesn't match
their soul's element type. However, someone who casts a spell that
matches their elemental type gains bonuses. Example: A Water Elemental
Spellcaster can cast Scorching Ray, but a Fire Elemental spellcaster of
the same caster level can cast Scorching Ray better.
"Detect
Evil" and "Detect Good" are now replaced with "Identify Element" which
allows you to determine the target's Elemental affinity.
"Smite
Evil" and "Smite Good" are now replaced with "Light Strike" and "Dark
Strike," which deals extra damage to all types, weakened damage against
their own type, and even more bonus damage vs the opposing type.
...That
was a doozy. I might add more things that come up in my mind later, but
this is everything I have so far. I would love feedback and am more
than happy to answer any questions. :D Interested in seeing how I will DM? I'm holding a game on Mondays that will be a one-shot to brush up on my DMing and I'd love for you to sign up for it! It will be like an interview -- I see how you RP and you see how I DM! Just follow the link and check it out. Note: the one-shot is a pre-made Pathfinder campaign not not nearly as epic as this thing that I'm planning. <a href="https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/313021/gm-lf-players-pathfinder-monday-evenings-7-30-11-30-est#post-313606" rel="nofollow">https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/313021/gm-lf-players-pathfinder-monday-evenings-7-30-11-30-est#post-313606</a>
