Ask The Emperor? (Kingdoms of Kalamar)

[Prince of Happiness]

I wasn't able to find the original thread, so I decided to start a new one, as I'm about to start a KoK campaign soon (centering around the Brandobian coast), and I have questions!

I was wondering if the DM's screen has the names of all the deities by culture? (Brandobian, Renaarian, etc)

It's not made implicitly clear that the Dejy are the aboriginal inhabitants of the Delnondrian Islands and the Privbolsian Islands? Are there any non-human civilizations that inhabited these islands? I'm going to have them like that anyways, I just thought it would be cool to read that, yes, there are weird Lovecraftian ruins on "them thar islands."

How far do the Pirates of the Straits of Svimohzia rove? Do they end up raiding Mendarn at all?

Thank you!

 

[dogboy]

The KoK Equipment Handbook might answer some of your questions. It has a lot of useful info in there, not only for KoK. A great book!

 

[Prince of Happiness]

The KoK Equipment Handbook might answer some of your questions. It has a lot of useful info in there, not only for KoK. A great book!

There's an equipment book? I know there is an equipment book by Kenzer, but I thought it was more general.

Thanks though!

 

[Coreyartus]

I wasn't able to find the original thread, so I decided to start a new one, as I'm about to start a KoK campaign soon (centering around the Brandobian coast), and I have questions!

I was wondering if the DM's screen has the names of all the deities by culture? (Brandobian, Renaarian, etc)

They are indeed listed as such, providing the names of each according to each particular culture. It reproduces table 6-1 from page 94 of the Player's Guide, as well as several other campaign specific setting information tables, including Domains, Divine Focus, and too many other things to list here...

It's not made implicitly clear that the Dejy are the aboriginal inhabitants of the Delnondrian Islands and the Privbolsian Islands? Are there any non-human civilizations that inhabited these islands? I'm going to have them like that anyways, I just thought it would be cool to read that, yes, there are weird Lovecraftian ruins on "them thar islands."

Go for it! I dunno enough about the answers to this question to give you a decent answer. Try the Kenzerco boards here:

http://www.kenzerco.com/forums/postlist.php?Cat=&Board=KalamarGeneral

Your question will have a greater chance of being answered appropriately than here on ENWorld.

How far do the Pirates of the Straits of Svimohzia rove? Do they end up raiding Mendarn at all?

There's nothing to say they can't. The Campaign setting book clearly indicates that pirates roam the Brandobian Ocean. "Salt and Sea Dogs" actually has a whole chapter on the Pirates of the Windy Straits (aka the Straights of Svimozhia). It can tell you a lot more than a person on a board could... I'd urge you to buy the book.

Coreyartus

 

[Prince of Happiness]

They are indeed listed as such, providing the names of each according to each particular culture. It reproduces table 6-1 from page 94 of the Player's Guide, as well as several other campaign specific setting information tables, including Domains, Divine Focus, and too many other things to list here...

Yeah, I was going to slap myself on the head when I looked on the DM's Screen and found that. I hadn't *really* looked at it in months. There's so frickin' much on the screen. Thankfully spared me a lot of prep work.

Go for it! I dunno enough about the answers to this question to give you a decent answer. Try the Kenzerco boards here:

http://www.kenzerco.com/forums/postlist.php?Cat=&Board=KalamarGeneral

Your question will have a greater chance of being answered appropriately than here on ENWorld.

I'll definitely be checking it out!

There's nothing to say they can't. The Campaign setting book clearly indicates that pirates roam the Brandobian Ocean. "Salt and Sea Dogs" actually has a whole chapter on the Pirates of the Windy Straits (aka the Straights of Svimozhia). It can tell you a lot more than a person on a board could... I'd urge you to buy the book.

Coreyartus

Yeah, I'm definitely picking it up, but by the game will begin by the time it gets here.

 

[NewJeffCT]

Yeah, I was going to slap myself on the head when I looked on the DM's Screen and found that. I hadn't *really* looked at it in months. There's so frickin' much on the screen. Thankfully spared me a lot of prep work.



I'll definitely be checking it out!



Yeah, I'm definitely picking it up, but by the game will begin by the time it gets here.

How about this idea - there is a pirate raid off the coast of Mendarn... leave it up to the PCs to find out if they are from the Straits off of Svmnosh (sp?) or from elsewhere. Maybe some folks from Pel Brolonon or Eldor dressed up like pirates from Svmnosh to try & blame it on them.

Then, when the book arrives, you can decide which is actually true.

 

[Mark Plemmons]

I wasn't able to find the original thread, so I decided to start a new one, as I'm about to start a KoK campaign soon (centering around the Brandobian coast), and I have questions!

Sounds good to me! Some of your questions have been answered already, so I'll keep the official answer short.

I was wondering if the DM's screen has the names of all the deities by culture? (Brandobian, Reanaarian, etc)

Yes, the deity names are listed for all of the major PC races: Dwarven, Elven, Gnomish, Halfling, Human (Brandobian, Dejy, Fhokki, Kalamaran, Reanaarese, Svimohzish), Hobgoblin, Orc.

It's not made implicitly clear that the Dejy are the aboriginal inhabitants of the Delnondrian Islands and the Privbolsian Islands? Are there any non-human civilizations that inhabited these islands? I'm going to have them like that anyways, I just thought it would be cool to read that, yes, there are weird Lovecraftian ruins on "them thar islands."

Hmmm... I'm trying to think how much I can say here. There's some stuff that we haven't revealed about the Dejy yet. I think I can tell you this - the ancient Dejy Empires disintegrated before the other human races migrated from the Svimohzish Isle. How long the Dejy inhabited those particular islands before the Brandobians arrived is not yet published, so you can do whatever you want with it. I picture the culture as being somewhat like Malaysian/Polynesian (in those areas, anyway). Many of their special weapons and customs are detailed in Goods and Gear: the Ultimate Adventurer's Guide (which uses the KoK setting as the standard for the book's descriptive text).

So far, there are no plans for ancient ruins on those islands, but that doesn't mean they won't appear in the future. If you're looking for something really Lovecraftian, you should check out Secrets of the Alubelok Coast. There's a cult worshipping a creature that sounds like it would fit well in the Cthulu genre, as well as a mysterious ancient statue that relates to it.

How far do the Pirates of the Straits of Svimohzia rove? Do they end up raiding Mendarn at all?

They certainly could. It would really depend on the various pirate crews, so I don't think it's been defined. Don't forget that there are Brandobian pirates as well.

 

[Prince of Happiness]

Sounds good to me! Some of your questions have been answered already, so I'll keep the official answer short.

Thanks!

Hmmm... I'm trying to think how much I can say here. There's some stuff that we haven't revealed about the Dejy yet. I think I can tell you this - the ancient Dejy Empires disintegrated before the other human races migrated from the Svimohzish Isle. How long the Dejy inhabited those particular islands before the Brandobians arrived is not yet published, so you can do whatever you want with it. I picture the culture as being somewhat like Malaysian/Polynesian (in those areas, anyway). Many of their special weapons and customs are detailed in Goods and Gear: the Ultimate Adventurer's Guide (which uses the KoK setting as the standard for the book's descriptive text).

So far, there are no plans for ancient ruins on those islands, but that doesn't mean they won't appear in the future. If you're looking for something really Lovecraftian, you should check out Secrets of the Alubelok Coast. There's a cult worshipping a creature that sounds like it would fit well in the Cthulu genre, as well as a mysterious ancient statue that relates to it.

Ack! So many goodies, so little cash (in the "before-my-live-in-girlfriend-notices-and-boils-my-head-for-night-buying-her-dinner-instead" sense)! Well, I'll be playing with certain motifs and see if the PCs take a dig to it, if not, I'll just go at a different angle. I'm trying to do a H.P.L./Clark Ashton Smith/Pirates feel to the campaign.

They certainly could. It would really depend on the various pirate crews, so I don't think it's been defined. Don't forget that there are Brandobian pirates as well.

Ahhh, I haven't forgotten at aaaaallll...NewJeffCT's suggestion is too cool to pass up. And it adds that right level of intrigue that screams *Samuel L Jackson voice* "THIS IS KINGDOMS OF KALAMAR MUTHAF***AS!!!" Especially if those Brandobians are from Cosdol rather than Pel Brolenon!

 

[Coreyartus]

Ack! So many goodies, so little cash

I think you're gonna discover, Prince, that there isn't a supplement published for the Kalamar setting that isn't packed with a wealth of information and inspiration over and beyond what it's really being marketed as. It's a real bummer.

The setting itself is driven by it's attention to detail and historical/political intrigue. If your group is into a deep, twisty story set in a world where nothing is really what it seems, they're really gonna like Kalamar.

I'd suggest giving them enough information to whet their appetites, and then see where you can take it. A little bit can go a long way--the setting detail might be overwhelming for your players if you're not careful. Learning how and when to reveal the backstory, and then deciding on how much of it to reveal, can be your ticket to suckering your group into wanting to learn more!

If they like that sort of stuff.

BWAHAHAHAHA!!

Coreyartus

 

[Prince of Happiness]

I think you're gonna discover, Prince, that there isn't a supplement published for the Kalamar setting that isn't packed with a wealth of information and inspiration over and beyond what it's really being marketed as. It's a real bummer.

The setting itself is driven by it's attention to detail and historical/political intrigue. If your group is into a deep, twisty story set in a world where nothing is really what it seems, they're really gonna like Kalamar.

I'd suggest giving them enough information to whet their appetites, and then see where you can take it. A little bit can go a long way--the setting detail might be overwhelming for your players if you're not careful. Learning how and when to reveal the backstory, and then deciding on how much of it to reveal, can be your ticket to suckering your group into wanting to learn more!

If they like that sort of stuff.

BWAHAHAHAHA!!

Coreyartus

HA! You tellin' me! My shelf's a-groanin' with this KoK stuff. There's just no way I can digest the whole thing. So...small bits at a time. I really wish the Player's Primer would come out soon. What I'm thinking is a 1-2 page summary, i.e. FIND DEITIES HERE: p.xx, FIND PERTINENT COUNTRIES HERE: p. x, COOL STUFF (that you can apply to characters now), pp. x, xx, xx-xx, etc.