[Repost] Nevermore: d20 Dreamscape campaign setting: Looking for input.

[jaldaen]

This all sounds awesome. Do we have this all hosted on a website or in a file? Or is this going to be a published project?

The hope is this will be a published work... I have an interested party and they want to see a proposal... They mentioned asking people on the messageboard what they would like to see and I thought it a good idea... So here we are.

If you have anything you want to see in the setting let me know, I'm not an uber-designer (yet) and so might be missing a few concepts that others might believe to be of great importane to a dreamscape campaign.

Speaking of things I missed:

Magic... how should it work in a dream?

I think it should have some side effects on the dreamworld similar to what Rune has in his story hour (plug: If you haven't read his campaigns story hour you should its got a great dream feel to it). In other words, magic should have a chance of causing a chain reaction in a dream, for good or ill.

But what I'm interested in is how each of the different schools of magic would work or not work in the dream...

Any suggestions?

-Joseph

 

[jaldaen]

Rune Said:

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Originally posted by jaldaen
Hmmm... it's definately a powerful skill, but it has some nasty side effects, nightmares and backlashes.
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The problem is, that just makes it even more likely that players will view it as an "essential" skill.

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I think that it's something to remember, though, that such a skill has little consequence in the waking world, and by putting many ranks into it you might be taking away from ranks you could be putting in "real life" skills.

That said, I think that breaking it up into three different categories is definitely the route to take. Perhaps certain types of changing the dreamworld would be more applicable to certain classes: for example, I see that channeling might be a function of intelligence, transmutation one of charisma, and altering one of will. Thus, all of the mental stats would be played up in their own category, and it would make for different kinds of alterations to the dreamworld, instead of having just one big skill to cover them all.

It is important, though, to make sure that the three skills be equally balanced in power...hmm, more on this later.

Laters,
-John-

I am also leaning toward the three categories each linked to one of the mental skills. As for balance that will definately need to be addressed and I look forward to what you have in store for "later" ;-)

-Joseph

 

[Echoes]

But what I'm interested in is how each of the different schools of magic would work or not work in the dream...

Any suggestions?

Hmm. Given the idea of having the dream creation skills broken up into three, it might be possible to have it work something like this:

For a spell that is changing the caster (say Cat's Grace, etc.) one could make a Channeling skill check of DC 10+Spell level. A failure might result in the kind of chain reaction you're talking about, or perhaps have a different effect.

Likewise, spells that affect others (Charm Person, eg) would use Transmutation checks, and so on.

However, this might put undue strain on arcane spellcasters to get a bunch of ranks in all three skills so as to use their full complement of spells. Let me know what you think.

Laters,
-John-

 

[Maki]

Sleepers are characters that do not recoqnize that they are in a dream and thus can do many amazing things without thinking about it
...

Awakened are characters that recognize they are in a dream and thus can do amazing things by force of will, but can suffer a "nightmare" if they critically fail.
...

Hi!

Quick suggestions:
Instead of "Sleeper" and "Awakened" maybe you could call them "Dreamer" (or "Ordinary Dreamer") and "Lucid Dreamer" (which is more appropriate).

More later.

 

[Echoes]

The hope is this will be a published work... I have an interested party and they want to see a proposal... They mentioned asking people on the messageboard what they would like to see and I thought it a good idea... So here we are.

Just wanted to say that I really hope this gets published, and I also wanted to say that I'd be first in line to playtest it before it did. Although I probably wouldn't be able to do that until this summer, unfortunately...

Laters,
-John-

(And I'm still thinking about magic/balancing the three skills, I'll post when I've collected my jumbled thoughts together)

 

[jaldaen]

Hmm. Given the idea of having the dream creation skills broken up into three, it might be possible to have it work something like this:

For a spell that is changing the caster (say Cat's Grace, etc.) one could make a Channeling skill check of DC 10+Spell level. A failure might result in the kind of chain reaction you're talking about, or perhaps have a different effect.

Likewise, spells that affect others (Charm Person, eg) would use Transmutation checks, and so on.

However, this might put undue strain on arcane spellcasters to get a bunch of ranks in all three skills so as to use their full complement of spells. Let me know what you think.

Laters,
-John-

Good ideas, but like you said it might be too much for spellcasters... perhaps have a localized Spell Resistance to the dreamscape? In other words have certain places in the dreamscape where magic is difficult to use and other places where it is easier.

Also possible would be a localized "magic reaction" factor... In other words, a percentage of the time when spells cast in that area have a chance of causing a reaction in the dream that is unintended.

There are other courses, but those are the two that spring to mind.

-Joseph

 

[jaldaen]

Re: Re: [Repost] Nevermore: d20 Dreamscape campaign setting: Looking for input.

Hi!

Quick suggestions:
Instead of "Sleeper" and "Awakened" maybe you could call them "Dreamer" (or "Ordinary Dreamer") and "Lucid Dreamer" (which is more appropriate).

More later.

I'm glad you brought this up b/c I thought about that and decided to go with less clinical terms and more fantasical ones. This is mainly b/c Nevermore although based on research into dreaming and lucid dreaming is meant to be an entertaining setting more then a clinically sound one. That is one of the reasons why I'm using the term "dreamweaving" instead of lucid dreaming as well. However you point is well taken and although I don't see myself using those terms in Nevermore, they are definately terms that might show up in side notes or texts describing the sleeper and awakened templates.

Keep the suggestions coming... you obvisoiusly have some understanding of the topic so I'd love to here more from you ;-)

-Joseph

 

[jaldaen]

Just wanted to say that I really hope this gets published, and I also wanted to say that I'd be first in line to playtest it before it did. Although I probably wouldn't be able to do that until this summer, unfortunately...

Laters,
-John-

(And I'm still thinking about magic/balancing the three skills, I'll post when I've collected my jumbled thoughts together)

Thanks for the vote of confidence and interest. Once I get to the playtest stage I'll have to come back to the boards and post an announcement (as long as the publisher is ok with it ;-)

Thanks,
Joseph

 

[Rune]

The hope is this will be a published work... I have an interested party and they want to see a proposal... They mentioned asking people on the messageboard what they would like to see and I thought it a good idea... So here we are.

I emailed you again, and actually, it's about this. I didn't realize you already had an interested party, however.

Magic... how should it work in a dream?

I think you know my thoughts on the subject!

I think it should have some side effects on the dreamworld similar to what Rune has in his story hour (plug: If you haven't read his campaigns story hour you should its got a great dream feel to it). In other words, magic should have a chance of causing a chain reaction in a dream, for good or ill.

Thanks for the plug! If anyone here is interested (and hasn't noticed or cared already), the link to that story hour is in my sig. By the way, just wait 'till you see the effects that psionics have!

But what I'm interested in is how each of the different schools of magic would work or not work in the dream...

Don't want to give too much away before you look at my email!

 

[Rune]

Rune Said:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by jaldaen
Hmmm... it's definately a powerful skill, but it has some nasty side effects, nightmares and backlashes.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The problem is, that just makes it even more likely that players will view it as an "essential" skill.

-----

I think that it's something to remember, though, that such a skill has little consequence in the waking world, and by putting many ranks into it you might be taking away from ranks you could be putting in "real life" skills.

That's true, but less so if the entire setting is set in a dream; if, for example, I chose to use these rules in my own setting, there would be a problem. For Nevermore, on the other hand, you're probably correct.

That said, I think that breaking it up into three different categories is definitely the route to take. Perhaps certain types of changing the dreamworld would be more applicable to certain classes: for example, I see that channeling might be a function of intelligence, transmutation one of charisma, and altering one of will. Thus, all of the mental stats would be played up in their own category, and it would make for different kinds of alterations to the dreamworld, instead of having just one big skill to cover them all.

Actually, I've been thinking that perhaps a fourth could work, as well:
"Conjuration" and/or "Summoning"