Mythic India?

[shilsen]

oh, and if you're playing along the banks of the Ganges, then make sure to have loads of marble temples, with ash coated yogis sitting outside in saffron colored robes, tending holy fires, and cremating bodies.

Hey, you forgot the demons doing fly-bys and pooping on the fires. It ain't mythic India without a flying demon pooping on your sacrificial fire

 

[mythusmage]

I hadn't heard this, and I'm really not sure if I would like that move or not.

Trouble is, the historical titles by and large didn't pay for themselves in print. At least with PDF publication becomes worthwhile.

Stop by Evil Stevie's Forums and check the E23 board for info.

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

As I recall, the playtest version had tons of info. But the NDA, the fact I no longer have the files on my machine, and my cruddy memory keeps me from divulging anything.

Oh, man, that was AGES ago. Okay, four-five years, but that's a while.

Brad

 

[Ibram]

well then, i advise you to remember that demons, ghosts, and spirits are all great bad guys, and the government should have administrators, teachers, clerics and mages on top, followed by a strong warrior system in charge, etc. very very stratified society.

Your party should be treated by the common folk based on their class, so bards and clerics and casters would be higher ranked and looked on with respect, while theives would be spit on and denied entrance to temples or what have you.

oh, and if you're playing along the banks of the Ganges, then make sure to have loads of marble temples, with ash coated yogis sitting outside in saffron colored robes, tending holy fires, and cremating bodies. And the river itself should have lots of pilgrims bathing, and little lotus flowers with candles floating down.

and stuff.

thats some good stuff...

they already had an encounter with an "Oger" that nearly killed them (it was being kept in thrall to a wizard).
plus they were terrified when they met an emaciated old man sitting in a ruined temple...

ME: "barring your path is an old man wearing a simple loincloth, he sits crosslegged with his eyes closed as a bit of incense smothers in a clay pot before him."
PC: "There is NO WAY I'm going to fight a Swami!!!"

 

[der_kluge]

The problem with a publisher putting out a d20 India sourcebook is that most publishers are pathetic white guys (like myself) and know next to nothing about India.

Barring that, there is also a restriction in the d20/stl that disallows publishers from making settings based on real-world religions. So, that would kind of throw a damper on "d20 India". At best, it would have to be "OGL India".


That said, I would love to play a 5-headed, elephant-faced dude with 4 arms, each wielding scimitar.

That'd be so awesome.

 

[der_kluge]

Speaking of that, my interpratation of India would be extremely high fantasy. Elephant people, people with multiple arms, and people with multiple faces. I mean, you could literally just go off the deep end with the fantastical and be perfectly justified.

India culture is rich in folk stories. Thinks not unlike biblical stories in our world. One such story involves someone unleashing a volley of a million arrows from their bow. So, even the stories are just far-fetched.

 

[talinthas]

well, multiple arms and faces tend to be limited to gods and really high ranking demons, and Elephant people should actually be person, since there is only one...

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

Barring that, there is also a restriction in the d20/stl that disallows publishers from making settings based on real-world religions. So, that would kind of throw a damper on "d20 India". At best, it would have to be "OGL India".

Really? Does that mean that we'll never see Arabian or Indian Adventures D20 or that we'll only see it from WOTC?

 

[mythusmage]

...people with multiple arms, and people with multiple faces...

Well actually...

The multiple arms and faces were how Hindu artists represented a person in motion. Used especially to represent a dancing person. As when doing a representation of Kali in her dance of death.

BTW, when doing an Indian setting don't forget dance. The various Hindu cultures around the world treat dance with great respect. The closest the west has come is theatrical dance and ballet. And only theatrical comes close in terms of sheer physicality.

 

[Garnfellow]

Barring that, there is also a restriction in the d20/stl that disallows publishers from making settings based on real-world religions. So, that would kind of throw a damper on "d20 India". At best, it would have to be "OGL India".

No kidding . . . I didn't realize that. I don't have my copy of Green Ronin's Testament handy, but wasn't that done under the d20 license?