@ Iycae:
No - not the spells and intrinsic abilities that a caster might have. The intention is to encourage the use of the creation feats. I'd like the party to be like... 'Hey magic guy... I need bracers of defense!' Or the magic guy trying to create something that isn't in the book - those can end up being really entertaining and fun player-driven quests. In the game I play in we killed a named, cow-eating wolf. I rolled a survival check to skin it (although should likely have been a craft skill) and I rolled a 20 on the check. The DM allowed me to create a +1 cloak of protection out of it as a Wondrous Item. I absolutely love that kind of thing.
So in actuality, the 'lack' of magical items makes a caster with creation abilities 'more' valuable to a party.
That's not to say there will 'never' be a random magic item, and it's definitely not to say there won't be artifacts that have specific purposes. It's just my way of encouraging the use of feats that in my past have not been viewed as 'game changing'.
@Bobby:
This is my first rough of the overview and a map of the place.
[...]
The land of Kneelland has been in a state of upheaval for the last thirty-five years when a young Gnomish wizard known as Fallar Tappinhobbin enchanted a scepter that was meant to cure disease. It was a time when such an artifact was in need, for a plague was spreading and its ill effects were being felt by the six kingdoms.
The creation of an artifact capable of countering a disease is not a fool-proof science, as was the case with the Scepter of Purity. The creation was one of righteousness as its power was that of Iomedae, but without a conscious will the device recognized more than physical afflictions as diseases, and those who were narcissistic, greedy, or otherwise susceptible fell prey to the scepter’s lure as its cure only managed to clarify and focus the traits.
No one knows where the scepter is now, but the kings of the six realms feel its call - though some more than others. The first of the two human kings, Uthlandor, has been stricken the most severely, and all of his efforts are bent upon the discovery and acquisition of the scepter. King Uthlandor raises an army, bent upon conquering the rival kings until the artifact is relinquished to him.
The second human, King Huel, is equally obsessed with the scepter although his means of discovery are more subtle. Master spies, assassins, and scrying mages spearhead his effort to locate and claim the maddening device.
D’Lar is the kingdom of the Halfling. Although there is now ‘declared’ ruler in the Halflings lands, the Matriarch Longtoe is openly recognized as political voice and ambassador when the need be. The Halflings, in general, find the artifact to be a perversion and both deny possessing, or desiring to possess it. However, the plague the scepter cured benefited the kingdom of D’lar more than any other kingdom – a well known fact that lends a suspicious air to the Matriarch’s claims of indifference.
Jikar is the home of the Dwarf, and their kingdom spreads to the west to the shores of Lake Mead and the Sea of Souls, and to the South well into the Gnarl Mountains – though no one knows how far their borders reach below ground. King-Lord Stonefinger sits upon the throne in the marbled hall of Castle Va, although he is rarely seen. The dwarves are quiet and secretive –uncaring for the wants and desires of the surface races. What is known to the other races is that to trespass upon the lands of the dwarf, both above ground or below, could likely carry a sentence of death.
High Priestess Lioriana governs the Elfin people of Astithon. Her stance is that they are the only race that should be entrusted with the scepter. In her wisdom, she recognizes what the scepter has done to Kneelland’s six kingdoms and thus her justification for desiring the scepter.
Olgsig is the home of the gnome. Both mechanical and magical the race is governed by a body of wizards, scientists, sages, and engineers who default to the tally of majority votes in matters of importance. The scepter was their creation, and it was employed by a gnome – these two facts are legally binding when article 234, paragraph 1.2, is referenced. It states: ‘All manner of production and its effects shall be the sole responsibility of the purchasing body.’ However, since no one purchased the scepter, then by default, it belongs to the Olgsig - to state their case, the gnomish counsel outlawed the gifting, business, or otherwise transport of any gnomish technology to lands beyond their declared borders. The impact of this can be seen in all kingdoms where gnomish devices have fallen by the wayside due to lack of repair or scheduled maintenance.
It’s not only kings that search for the scepter. Powerful wizards and sorcerers seek it, cults and religious fanatics see it as a altruistic sign of the gods and the path of their salvation, and those who lust for gold above all else search for it high and low.
No one knows where it is – though all have their suspicions.
[...]
I haven't decided exactly where the story will begin, but it will be in Uthlandor, probably on the western coast.
Despite the story of the Scepter, the game isn't a quest for it, it's just what's happening. I try my best to offer free-will to the players to go and attempt what they choose to.
It's also one of the parts of the 'writing' portion I think would be fun - the players themselves will shape the setting. I do have race restrictions to those listed in the six kingdoms. Half-Elfs and Half-Orcs would be playable too, but the 'half-breeds' are at a social disadvantage - Half-Orcs more-so than the elf type.
Besides the lack of a magical K-Mart those two things are really the only major 'home-brewing' I do.
I do encourage that the party try and cover skills as best as they can. I normally run four players (although in lower magic, five players is not a bad thing in order to compensate for the lack of magic items) thus it is likely that not all bases can be covered.
As a DM, I am not afraid to kill people. I do not 'try' to do it, and I try to keep encounters as even as I can, but sometimes dice are dice and they will do what they will. I had a 'opener' fight as I like to start every session with combat where my second level party fought a freaking equal number of skeletons. I have never seen so many critical hits in one combat before. The rest of the session was spent rolling new characters. Heheh.
Because of that, I insist that everyone has a backup toon.
Anyway. That's some things about me and where I am heading with this.
