User:Average/Homebrew
One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them, one ring to bring them all and in the darkness unite them. ---adapated from J.R.R.Tolkein, Lord of the Rings.
Dungeons & Dragons[edit]
..."the world's greatest role-playing game"
You've just opened up the box containing a whole other world. In here, be dragons, friend, but you can't much close it now, can-ya? I doubt the store will even take it back. :'(
If you're comfortable with your destiny, continue on the cobble road straight ahead. If you want to think about it for awhile, climb up the gently-sloped path and read on...
In here, you'll find dragons -- and commoners who don't speak the language of your outer world, but in which the gods (and the DM) will help you translate their utterances into the language you understand. There be plenty room to grow here, and the world needs every type: from mages to fighters, from healers and naturists, to craftslans and leaders. There's plenty of raw material, including mountains towering miles high, underground mines that might hold your largest cities, enchanted forests filled with sprites and faeries, glorious cities architected to make everything easy, and wild seas that have taken the best captains down to Asmodeus.
The Game Universe[edit]
There are four arenas always acting upon the game universe. You (PC) are but ONE of them. These forces are accessed through your polyhedral dice. Leads cores are best, if you can find them. If you're a craftslan, perhaps you will make some. The Dungeon Master (DM) and some others maintain these worlds, so that an arena for adventure, development, and creativity can occur. In these designs, you will find everything you need in which to ascend to greatness or perhaps you will descend into darkness. Which will it be? Muhaaaahaaaa!
Cosmology[edit]
After eons of battle and evolution, the cosmology of the game universe has stabilized on a planetary body (of unknown dimensions and biomes -- as no one has circumnavigated it), forces of the astral fields from which life began (now drawn upon for magic), a cornucopia of various living and undead creatures all seeking to find their significance or otherwise resolve their various discontents. That includes you, should you enter the arena. What niche will you choose?
| Fields | Description |
|---|---|
| Potioncraft | The use of magic to define physical interactions that engage the body |
| Spellcraft and Scrollmaking | Written materials holding magic to engage the mind |
| Smithing | Forging/ objects out of raw material |
| Heraldry | Use of symbol to denote power and affinities |
| Statecraft | Using power to lead. |
| Devotion and Stewardship | Maintaining an abiding relationship with the forces of life and the divine |
| Medicants and healing | Healing the citizens |
| Fighting foes | Clearing the lands of monsters |
Personal Forces and Abilities[edit]
You have several traits at your command. Eight of them are external (let's call them), semi-permanent "abilities" and are determined by the fate of the dice along with your chosen arrangement of them: STRength, INTelligence, DEXterity, CONstitution, PieTY/WISdom, CHaRisma/Sophistry, PERception, and ASseMblage. In addition to these, you have 6 internal traits: HP, Mana, Alignment, Attitude, Time-slots, XP. These are akin to the strength in your immune system, your karma, your body`s energy, your relationship in the gaming universe, and your personal power.
The forces that act on PCs are the gods who set up large-scale agendas above. Other NPCs who may have agendas of their own or aspire to be gods, other players who may compete for the things you want, and the forces of nature themselves.
The DM has these forces at her command. He or she uses them to sculpt the game universe and your place within it, so you have different forces, besides your personal will and the choices you make.
Whatever the case, all have these same abilities, traits, and possessions:
| Abilities | Class association | Description | Physical effects |
|---|---|---|---|
| STR | Warrior | Your physical ability to move mass | (FAB% * LVL/2) +DAM modifier |
| CON | Leader | Your strength of personal health | faster HP REGEN (from eating/sleeping) |
| INT | Wizard | Your ability to grasp concepts | spell effectiveness doubled, access to arcane knowledge abilities, |
| DEX | Craftslan | Your ability to move in relation to the world | (LVL/2) +HIT modifier |
| WIS | Cleric | Attention to transcendental ideals or gods | better luck |
| CHR | Magistrate | Verbal and visual persuadability | less inclined to enter CON battle if engaging leaders, magic resistance from good-aligned magic-users? |
| PER | Explorer | Attentiveness to the outer world | sees those in stealth (except if flying), ... |
| ASM | Herbalist or Druid | Ability to do fine work with the hands and apply intention | add personal enchantment to items made |
| Attributes | Conversions | ||
| eXPerience/Level/Age | The quantity of life experience in three different descriptors | ||
| Alignment & Attitude | Your account balance in relation to the gaming universe | ||
| Hit-Points | Amount of damage (hits) your physical frame can weather | = 100 Mana = 100XP? | |
| Mana | Amount of life force within that is at your service | = 1 XP | |
| Time-slots | Your personal slice of time in the game universe | = 5ft = 100 Mana | |
| Other Modifiers | |||
| Armor | The amount of resistance to attack | ||
| Attack | The amount of offensive power |
Your job is to harness these forces and hone yourself into the best character you can imagine. Like life, the best character isn't necessarily the one with the most XP or the most gold. You'll have to discover yourself what that means though the trials of time and error.
Two domains of power are always in play from acquiring your food, from interactions with magic or battle, from the NPCs and structures you may encounter, and the complex, unseen motivations of your other PCs. Those domains are your relationship to the outer-world and your relationship to yourself.
Objects may also have such stat blocks, but since they are not alive, they are considered objects (not NPCs) and only have the internal stats. So depending on how well they were made (the level of the object), they may stand up to attack (HP) or may not. They may be aligned a certain way or have magical defences (armor), be sentient (time-slots), have enchantments (akin to stored mana), or spring a trap (attack). Some things (like enchantments) will offend the gods if you attempt to divine the knowledge (you lose half of the enchantment). Alignment of objects (and to some degree NPCs) is also something that must be kept to the DM, as it could upset the balance in the game-universe.
| Class | XP advancement | money-making | group relationships | Mana affects |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warrior (STR) | kills (HP2) | by-product of battle | builds armies | applied mana converts to muscle tissue. |
| Leader (CON) | by gold value of territory held | receives salary | the city itself, guides by example | charisma/fab |
| Craftslan (DEX) | selling EQ (10sp=1000XP) & mana strikes | selling of goods at higher prices than acquired | actual craft guilds, pays 10% to magistrate | can convert to stealth for an extra-round |
| Wizard/Witch (INT) | Effective Mana Produced | selling scrolls | guilds of secrets, collective mana | spell power ... |
| Clerics (PTY) | HP healed * 100 | donations | monasteries, builds power | protective shield |
| Magistrate (CHR) | population size | taxation from population | must report in hierarchy and obey above | |
| Explorer (PER) | territory eXPlored | sell of pelts or other found curiosities | makes maps | mana is applied to PER |
| Herbalist (ASM) | Effective Mana Produced | selling herbal bundles | protective of younger life-makings | makes life |
| Druid (ASM) | Effective Mana Produced | selling potions | none known |
If a character executes tasks that belong to another class, it is up to the DMs discretion to award some fraction of XP or not. Otherwise, a character can multi-class to get the full credit. `
Adventuring[edit]
The primary motivation of our endeavor here is adventuring -- expanding your efforts into areas of the unknown, challenging both your creative and intellectual faculties.
Players[edit]
Players come in several races, from the diminuitive faery race to the stocky dwarven race. Each has their own history, strengths and weaknesses, and possibilities. All are humanoid, for the sake of you, the player entering the arena and have plenty of capability to fashion yourself into whatever you can imagine. For sake of simplicity, players are generally outfitted with equipment appropriate to their class and race, and sent on their merry way...
| Races | +/- Traits | Attire (lvl 1/10) | Classes | Equipment (1/10) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Faeruni/Human | +INT/-PER | shirt/tight-weaved pants, dagger | Warrior | strong stick (bo)/sword | |
| Afrikan | +CHR/-PER | robe, kufi | Leader | trinket / ring | |
| Azhian | +DEX/-CHR | gi, sandals, shuriken | Craftslan | lockpick / toolset | |
| Al-Qadim | +PER/-INT | turban/ (th)wab, kirpan | Wizard/Witch | wand / cloak, hat | |
| Elven | +WIS/-CON | leather jerkin/bow | Clerics | holy symbol / robe | |
| Aryan | +STR/-PTY | clothes/metal weapon | Magistrate | cuffs / baton | |
| Dragonborn | +ASM/-MANA | dragonmask? | Explorer | writing instruments / pack | |
| Dwarven | +CON/-DEX | helm/hammer | Herbalist | edible bundle + identification guide / recipe book | |
| Faery | +SPEED/-HP REGEN | whistle, glass house | Druid | map? / gemstone / staff |
Antagonists[edit]
It is said in the codex of Aragon that a universe without constraints, dies. That is, without an opposing force, the forces of life will spread into the boundless and burn out. It's never quite clear, except perhaps to the gods who is the antagonist and who is the hero, but for the sake of our effort here, you will be assumed to be on the side of the good. Perhaps this is why there are gods. In any case, if you have any complaints about entering the realm, speak now friend, by using the tools you have at your disposal to leave a piece of your tongue.
That being said, the forces that bring chaos are sometime other players, various NPCs which have been catalogued by the various Wizards of the Coast, and sometimes even your outer world. So be watchful to protect our effort here, lest it too, disappear into the void. These entities, like you, have various abilities which may or may not be obvious upon your encountering them. They include things like acid breath, immense intelligence that you cannot fathom, or powers that may make you insane.
| NPC Type | Subtypes | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Elemental |
| |
| Vegetation | ||
| Animals | ||
| Human | ||
| Construct (man-made) |
| |
| Death (negative-dimensional) |
| |
| Diety |
|
Outsider type Combinations
- Fiend = Death + Construct + (Humanoid | Elemental | ?); Golems,
- OwlBear = Avian + Mammalian
- Ogre = Demi-god + Human
- Giant = Diety + Human
- Monstrous Humanoid = Humans + Aberrations
- Zombie = Human + Undead
- Ooze = Death + Elemental
- Gelatenous Blob = Vegetation + Elementals + Death
- YuanTi = Lizards + Human
- Chuul = Aquatics + Human
This is not the official release of Dungeons and Dragons. The game masters for that are the Wizards of the Coast. Consult them or your local game store for official game materials.
