The game will start in the city of L'Trel in southern Archstedt on June 4th, 499AY. As the game progresses, the greater world will become explored.
For the six basic abilities, these will be generated using the purchase method. You have 15 points to spend. After you have done that, apply racial modifiers.
I will accept all of the Core classes. If you want to play another class, such as from the Advanced Player's Guide you will need to ask me first. It has already been decided that the Gunslinger is not appropriate.
This campaign will start out rough. There should be no prissy people. They will need to be willing to help their fellow (demi-)humanity in times of crisis. I know there is a tendency for adventurers to make themselves orphans. Instead of doing that, if you are going to be from the town of L'Trel (you don't have to be), please provide a list of relatives that can and will be killed in the first fifteen minutes of the campaign. (Is it wrong that I have a big grin on my face while I typed that?)
There will be a crisis that will shape you all. So you don't have to be adventurous background. Be a flower arranger for all I care. You will be called, and you will have to answer.
Although it is common to have a well balanced party with a representative of the four major classes, I am not going to require that. We can adventure without a wizard easily. All that I ask is that a healer be present.
The DM is also known to kill horses frequently. He pretends not to be trying to do that, but there is incriminating evidence otherwise.
Kire is home to hundreds of intelligent races and gives rise to dozens and dozens of potentially heroic paths. In an ErikWorld campaign, there are some changes to the standard rules. The races described in the Core Rulebook are all present on Kire, but players are not allowed to play gnomes. This restriction is because I can’t stand gnomes, so I’m not going to allow them as a character race.
If you want to play a non-standard race, I will allow it, pending approval. Although there are might be changes to some of them.
Druids are mysterious figures who are feared by most civilized folk. They represent all that is dangerous about the wilderness and many believe that they bewitch children and kidnap them to gain unwitting recruits.
Druids gain a 10% increase in life expectancy for each spell level attained, this also applies to aging categories such as middle age, old and venerable. This is in addition to the Timeless Body ability gained at 15th level.
When dealing with strangers, the druid receives a -4 penalty on any social skill checks (Diplomacy, Gather Information, Sense Motive) except for Intimidate and Bluff, where they receive a +2 circumstance bonus.
Each sorcerer has a source of magic somewhere in her heritage that grants her spells, bonus feats, an additional class skill, and other special abilities. Of the bloodlines listed in the Core Rulebook, Draconic is not allowed. No dragon would deign to demean themselves in that way. Nor could any race truly survive the process.
In addition, a sorcerer who wants to gain 6th level spells is required to contact an intelligent supernatural entity (probably related to the bloodline) to learn new spells. Such creatures usually don't want payment in gold but prefer to strike a bargain instead. These supernatural patrons teach their mortal friends spells in exchange for an occasional service.
When picking spells for your character, you may only select from the Core Rulebook. If you want spells listed elsewhere, you will either need to create them yourself, or find them from a different source.
For this campaign, I do not care specifically about alignments, but your character must be willing to help people in times of need. At least at the start, as time goes, your character can become more cynical.
At first level, and every third level, you will be given 3+INT bonus knowledge skills. These represent your knowledge you would have acquired over your lifetime. They must be area or history knowledge and be justified properly. They cannot be used as the prerequisites for anything.
If you have any optional rules, feats, or prestige classes that you would like to use, please tell me and I will look into it.
There are many races on the face of Gradallia. The vast majority of them do not go out and look for trouble. But there are always exceptions to every rule.
There is one chief ethnicity of elf in Western Gradallia, the Elves of Grey. Their origins upon Kire are not commonly known.
Nearly all the elves of Western Gradallia hail from Alfheim where they have a long history and culture. They live longer lives than any other common race which leaves them with a broad perspective on events, remaining aloof and unfazed by petty happenstance. They tend not to plan ahead, because there are few drawbacks to not doing so. Humans have a mayfly-like existence to breed before they die. The elves don't, and they aren't going to exert themselves over it.
The average elf feels that if they ignore a problem long enough, it will go away. An elf has not need for change. If something has worked in the past, no matter how poorly or how well, the elf will never change it. A human life is short and uncertain, but an elf has a long life and a great deal of certainty; the benefits of change are minimal, but the potential losses are huge.
As such, there are few new ideas in elven society, and there is a tenacious hold on the old ways. These combine to form a quagmire of conservatism that is unmatched by any other culture. It is normal for them, and what they expect. They will violently defend it, because it works for them. It has worked for thousands of years, and if you think you have a better way, you could not possibly be right.
The few that are more prone to action frequently find life in Alfheim dull and tend to leave in search of more exciting events.
Long ago, the elves understood that their empire was in decline when compared to the human ones. The humans, though, were fascinated by the elves. Many coveted the fey beauty and arcane secrets of them. Many of the elves married into human guilds and noble families. Most elves saw this as a long-term investment. The elves were accustomed to looking centuries ahead, and having learned of the short human lifespan, an elven spouse had an excellent chance of inheriting control of family resources. Few elves imagined that they could conceive a child with a human. And for a thousand years that was true. Then, suddenly the first half-elves were born.
Those elves that mingled with humans had typically married into privileged families, so that the first generation of half-elves was born with power and influence. For the most part, human parents were overjoyed with their unusual children, while elves saw the half-elves as pale reflections and mockeries of their ancestors. Many of the elves chose to back away from their human alliances and withdraw to the safety of Alfheim. If not for this desire to preserve their racial heritage, it is likely that the elves would have far greater influence across Gradallia. Rules were enacted by the elders of Alfheim that forbade any future human/elven marriages. This has prevented new original half-elves, but some are still born under varying circumstances. Even as the true elves pulled back, the young half-elves spread across Gradallia, embracing its many wonders.
Over time they founded their own cultures and even their own nations. They are not a prolific people, but they have made their mark.
The halflings are a people without a home. They gather together in caravans or fleets of river boats, the members of which are all part of a single extended family. They wander Gradallia, their belonging carried by pack animals or loaded into covered wagons. The master of the caravan is called the captain, an adult male who decides when the caravan makes camp, how long it stays, and where it travels to next. He also delegates responsibility to the other members and has the final word in all matters of trade and commerce.
They do not tend fields and so have learned to take what food they can from the land itself. They are able to identify plants and animals with remarkable facility and have little trouble locating sources of drinking water. They are not able hunters, preferring to hed cattle and fish provide meat. They barter and purchase whatever else they need from villages and are not averse to stealing or rustling when times are lean.
The halflings keep to themselves unless they have something to gain by associating with outsiders. As a whole, they do not hate or dislike non-halflings, but they rarely accord them much respect. They simply feel that humans have little to offer besides their coin. They have no compunctions about cheating, lying, or stealing in their dealings with non-halfings, if they feel such double-dealings are warranted. Halfling laws apply to the halfings, and non-halfling laws apply to the non-halflings. This doesn't mean they won't seek justice for a wrong done to them; it just means they won't be surprised when the wrongdoing occurs.
There are several clans.
The halflings of the Kaldresh clan are generally the most practical of the halflings, concerning themselves with crafts and trade than entertainment or mysticism. Kaldreshites tend to be physically fit and well suited for long travel and hard labour. They are pragmatic and somber in both dress and demeanour, eschewing unnecessary ostentation.
Unlike the Kaldresh, the Boemians strive for ostentation. They lack the Kaldreshite talen for crafts, so they turn to services instead, and the service they specialize in is entertainment. The Boem flair for entertainment pervades their lives. Boem caravans are constantly accompanied by music. The people sing as they go about their daily business. Their wagons and boats are heavily decorated and their clothing brightly coloured. No one can help but be entranced by the sounds and sights of a passing Boem caravan.
The Boemians are a passionate people, and their modds shift abruptly. In public, out among the humans, the Boemians are charming, lively, and romantic. They are open and friendly but cultivate just enough mystery to leave outsiders curious and eager. In private, amongst only themselves, the Boemians are dark, angry, and brooding. They lament having to play clown for foolish townspeople. They bitterly deride others for their settled lifestyle, yet they are equally jealous that they have no home to call their own. Boem camps are quite and tense with a palpable feeling of anger in the air. They do not sing at night as they do in the day, instead telling tales of tragedy and horror. The Boemians are a tormented people, yet every morning they find the resolve to go forth and make merry once more.
The Manusa are the most exotic and aloof of the three tribes. Their numbers are far fewer than those of the other tribes. Unlike other halflings, they do not market goods and services to outsiders. Seeking out their company is a wasted effort, for they are never found unless they wish to be, and they usually wish to be alone. Even other halfings find the Manusa impossible to track down.
When they are encountered, the Manusa are taciturn and distant. They rarely answer questions, and when they do their responses are cryptic. When they wish to speak, their words are direct and brief, with no time wasted on pleasantries. They care little for their appearance and are often dishevelled and dirty as a result. They grow their hair long, and the men do not trim their beards or moustaches. The men dress in simple wool robes and caps, while the woman where colourful dresses and scarves. The Manusa appear older on average than most halflings, the more burned and beaten by the weather. Their eyes are bright and piercing.
The humans are the most common race on Kire and have spread themselves all over the known continents. There are several ethnicities.
The country of Abden is long gone. It was absorbed into their conquest of Western Gradallia that eventually became the Diab empire. That disappeared when it was slowly conquered by the Juncert empire.
<To Be Determined>
The Majuurish are much given to the wearing of gold ornaments. They are excellent riders of their small desert horses. They are of a nomadic race, and their dies is influenced by that. They are fond of goat meat, goat milk, and cheese made of goat's milk. They also like wine, and their women are famous for baking a flat bread that they say tastes best when made from wild grain.
The Majuurish have skin of golden tones, and straight, fine-textured hair that is universally dark, ranging from dusky brown to bluish black. Their eyes are usually green or grey-green; hazel and gray eyes are rare. They tend to be long of limb and facial features, with high cheekbones.
These are the people who most commonly live in Major Port. When the Juncert empire recolonized the ancient city, they mingled with the native Majuurish of the area. This fraternization has led to a new race that is considered to be equal of its two forebearers. These people consider themselves the last bastion of the Juncert empire. This focus on the past has made them both introspective and egotistical.
Their diet consists of meat, bread, cheese and wine. They believe red meat to be necessary for warriors and scorn fish unless starving. Green vegetables are considered to be food for peasants and rabbits.
The Majunc are a cross between Tasnad and Majuurish. Their skin retains the golden tones of their desert parents, with a taller height than one would expect. However, they are no longer as slender, and are somewhat stocky. Their dark hair is thick and the women are known to have impressive manes.
Raensia has been labeled a city of a million-and-one princes. If this is true, every Neusenal must think himself a noble. Many Gradallion display their hard labor on their faces; dark and worn, weathered and scarred. This is not the case in Raensia, where the Neusenal majority tends to be pleasing to the eye, if not the ears, with their honeyed voices and debonair mannerisms.
Courtly matters are of great importance in Raensia, and a man or woman's measure is often taken based on appearance and manners. Neusenal folk are witty, arrogant, charming, conceited, flirtatious, beguiling, and devil-may-care--sometimes all together, but rarely all at once. A cunning Neusenal might invite one to dinner, order the finest meals, try the newest Sinic imports, and manage to somehow get his guest to pay for the entire engagement.
Neusenal blood remains more pure than many other ethnicities, due to ancestral pride and the desire of castellans to maintain this purity. They cover the entire area around the Renean sea where they claim the finest ships throughout Western Gradallia.
As a folk the Neusenal are, in the main, thin of stature, however their physiques are sometimes relative to their indulgences and appetites (applied to the wealthy, in particular). Most Neusenal are spindly and narrow hipped, with fair skin and light, fine hair--red locks and freckled skin are often definitive traits. Neusenal women are sometimes described as leggy and svelte and the men as tall and lanky.
Dominating the western regions of Western Gradallia is the Tasnader population, and a more obstinate breed doesn't exist. These no-nonsense, rugged folk look for the most practical means of accomplishing a task, and won't quit until it's done. However, their practicality suffers when their obstinacy takes a firm grip of their faculties. Even if a Tasnader realized he wasn't going about something in the finest fashion, he'd be darned before he'd let on that he was proceeding wrong. Seems foolish, but nevertheless, if a task falls to a Tasnader, it'll be finished--and finished well-one way or the other. This in mind, it stands to reason that Tasnaders make up the majority of Archstedt's armed forces. Their complete inability to admit defeat makes them the most steadfast soldiers in all the kingdoms. This tenacity and bullheadedness has served Archstedt's troops well in many a difficult conflict.
People of Tasnad stock are slightly above average in height and thick of build, with generally rugged looking men and women of ample curves. With some notable exceptions, most Tasnaders are tan-skinned, some with quite dark pigmentation, and black hair is the norm. They have thick eyebrows, square features, expressive faces, and are inclined to scowl too much.
The peninsula barbarians are diminishing. Their worship of the Divine Bureaucracy is woefully small, and so the "civilized" races term them barbarians.
The Tysron peninsula is where they have built themselves their home. With the constant raids from Cryx, and the mountains to the north, they are isolated from the rest of Western Gradallia.
Tysonians range from olive-skinned to swarthy, depending on tribal heritage, with medium to dark colored hair and somewhat almond-shaped eyes. Tysonian men are of average height with little or no facial or body hair, although downy beards are sometimes seen, and most are prone to thinning hair or baldness. Tysonian women are nearly as tall as the men and quite strong. Most women have silky, medium length hair, often tied back. They frequently accent their brows are the rims of their eyelids by cosmetically penciling them with a peculiar type of soot mixture.
The most abundant inhabitants in Cryx are the malevolent and unmannered Scharde. These people are named as such because of their utter assimilation of the natives that once inhabited the Scharde Islands and other havens of the Broken Coast.
Scharde folk are the darkest sort of humans, living on the blighted seas surrounding the throne of the vile Lord Toruk. For centuries they have raided the coasts, sailing under the flag of pirate captains who serve pirate kings who, in turn, server racketeers that answer to the very servants of Lord Toruk. Indeed, every Scharde is connected to the Dragonfather, whether they acknowledge it or not.
Dragonblight affects Schardes differently. Outwardly, many look as human as any other, save for their cultural habits of ritual scarring, tattoing, and various body piercings, often with bone. Socially, however, all Scharde tend to be callous cutthroats who would sell their own children if the need arose. Those who live nearest the Dragonlord's nest, however, are quite identifiable. Some have black or shining eyes, razor-sharp teeth, discolored skin, blackened nails, and pronounced veins in the face and neck. Even so, this blighting is subtle compared to the deeper taint, for living in such a wicked place seeps into the soul. Truly, some of Western Gradallia's most horrible villians hail from the bleak and craggy Cryxian shore.
The people of the Scharde Islands are tall and physically fit. They have dark olive skin, and black hair. The men are often rugged and handsome, if weathered and grim. Their women are just as attractive, although intimidating for their height and directness.
The people of the continent of Sinaga.
The details of your character's age, gender, height, weight and appearance are up to you. However, if you would like some rough guidelines to help you determine such details, refer to the following sections.
Your character's age is determined by your choice of race and class, as given in the following table. Find the age at which your character reaches adulthood in the first column, then roll the indicated dice in the column for the character's starting class and add that many years. The result is the character's starting age.
| Race | Adulthood | Barbarian, Rogue, Sorcerer | Bard, Fighter, Paladin, Ranger | Cleric, Druid, Monk, Wizard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elf | 23 years | +1d4 years | +1d6 years | +2d6 years |
| Genasi | 16 years | +1d4 years | +1d6 years | +2d6 years |
| Half-Elf | 16 years | +1d4 years | +1d6 years | +2d6 years |
| Human | 16 years | +1d4 years | +1d6 years | +2d6 years |
A character's physical ability scores change with advancing age, as described in the Player's Handbook. This table gives the ages at which each race reaches each age category.
| Race | Middle Age | Old | Venerable | Maximum Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elf | 165 | 250 | 330 | +d100 |
| Genasi | 45 | 68 | 90 | +3d20 |
| Half-Elf | 70 | 100 | 140 | +4d10 |
| Human | 35 | 53 | 70 | +2d20 |
Choose a spellcasting class that you possess. Your spells cast from that class are more powerful.
Prerequisite: Spellcraft 4 ranks.
Benefit: Your caster level for the chosen spellcasting class increases by +4. This can’t increase your caster level beyond your HD. However, even if you can’t benefit from the full bonus immediately, if you later gain noncaster-level HD you may be able to apply the rest of the bonus.
For example, a 5th-level cleric/3rd-level fighter who selects this feat would increase his caster level from 5th to 8th (since he has 8HD). If he later gained a fighter level, he would gain the remainder of the bonus and his cleric caster level would become 9th (since he has now 9HD).
A character with two or more spellcasting classes (such as a bard/sorcerer or a ranger/druid) must choose which class gains the feat’s effect.
This does not affect your spells per day or spells known. It only increases your caster level, which would help you penetrate SR and increase duration and other effects of your spells.
Special: You may select this feat multiple times. Each time you choose it, you must apply it to a different spellcasting class. For instance, a 4th-level cleric/5th-level wizard who had selected this feat twice would cast cleric spells as an 8th-level caster and wizard spells as a 9th level caster.
Source: Complete Divine
Warriors for redemption, the reborn rise from their own ashes and strive to mend the terrible deeds they committed in their previous lives. While many of them were once wizards or evil clerics, after the fire of rebirth sweeps through them, they are made into powerful figures sent forth to undo whatever horrors they have committed. Why the gods choose them and allow others to burn, none can say, but the reborn are the deepest proof that redemption is possible in the eyes of the gods.
Any class capable of committing grave and heinous acts might go on to be reborn. While the reborn take up blades in the name of redemption, it is possible for a wizard, rogue, sorcerer, or any other class to seek redemption. The only classes that do not become reborn are those that by definition are good.
NPC reborn are lone figures who are very personally involved with a quest or task. One might be seeking to destroy evil cultists and meet a reborn who used to be their high priest. They will aid any who seek to undo the evil they once wrought. That said, the reborn are incredibly rare, and it's profoundly unlikely that one will ever meet more than one in a lifetime--if even one.
Hit Die: d12
Civilized nations have often long forgotten the ancient druidic traditions. These "civilized" people might have even intentionally done away with the tradition and its strange, oft-misunderstood, pagan rites. Those who later pursue this lost knowledge rely more upon crumbling written accounts rather than the wild's natural calling. Scholars of these ancient ways who show enough promise become embraced and "adopted" by trickster fey, learning the old ways anew. Capricious and cruel as only the fey can be, these new druids might eventually discover why the druids of old were put to the sword. The sidhe scholar is an erudite hero who has lost touch with the more mundane tasks of a traditional druid (such as normal care of flora and fauna) in exchange for sylvan power that might prove itself best left to the immortals that refined it.
The fey who usually take these druids under their wings are not your average "fairies". They are not dryads or nixies, grigs or brownies. Instead, the fey who train sidhe scholars are the refined, aristocratic faeries of the Seelie courts. As sleek and dangerous as hunting cats, these fey are incomprehensible beings to whom a human's life holds as much significance as a mayfly's. The faeries of the courts regard human who wish to learn from and worship them with amusement, approving of their reverent attitudes as appropriate behavior from such inferior beings. As such, they do aid their supplicants readily, but expect much praise and appreciation for their pains.
The sidhe scholar is a more educated character than the archetypical druid. She actually has more in common with wizards than any other character class. A sidhe scholar is not a wizard, though. Despite erudite tendencies, the sidhe scholar is still a divine supplicant: she gains her magical powers powers through hard work and study, but she cannot cast her spells or perform her other magical abilities based upon her own inner arcane spark like a wizard or even a sorcerer. Instead, like other druids, she must draw upon the powers of nature and the wild lands.