I'm looking for some help balancing out these races, their respective societies, and the overall threat level of the campaign. The campaign is based on my collection of miniatures, with ideas running rampant from L5R and dragonlance (not to mention, the Chainmail game which most of these miniatures are from). So, any feedback will be responded to and very much appreciated.
Consolidated Version:
There are 2 main continents, this post will deal with one of them, Razadum, ancestral dwelling place of the dwarves.
The races:
-Steel Dwarves, as phb dwarf except +2 con/-2 Dex, metalcunning replaces stonecunning, and a +2 bonus vs heat (fire) effects replaces the +2 vs poison. +2 Craft bonus only applies to metal. N society.
-Stone Dwarves, as phb dwarf except +1 racial attack bonus applies against Elves and Aberrations (their traditional foes underground). LN society.
-Rush Gnomes, as phb gnomes with Racial Familiarity: Firearms. NG society.
-Grey Elves, as phb elves except +2 int/-2 con and +2 bluff, intimidate, and sense motive replace bonuses to listen, search, and spot. LN society.
-Wood Elves, as phb elves except Favored Class: Druid. Elven weapons do not break druid oaths. CG society.
-Dark Elves, as FRCS entry, +2 ECL. CN society.
-Humans (Thalos), as phb human. Thalos favor sorcery over wizardry and every human born on the island continent may cast one 0 level spell (their choice) 1/day as long as their charisma is at least 10. Arcane spell-failure applies for casting in armor. LG society.
-Savages (Drazen), as mm entries
-Demonic (Gnolls and Lycanthropes), as mm entries. many gnoll are half-fiend or fiendish.
Geography:
The continent is large, about the size of Asia and is bisected E-W by a long river. There is a large mountain range which cuts the continent in half vertically. On the western side of the range the land is fertile. High hills, deep forests, and pristine lakes abound. On the eastern side the land is barren, a large desert which goes to the tip of the sea.
History:
The Steel Dwarves used to claim the entire continent as a large kingdom. They allowed elves to live in their lands and there was peace, but the wars with the savages was constant. At some point the defense faltered. The elves blamed the dwarves, the dwarves blamed the elves, but the damage was done. For a long time the land was decentralized and many city-states emerged.
It was about this time the dwarves moved from the mountains, their ancestral home, to the hills and surrounding area. A group of dwarves refused to leave, and in search of resources dug deeper. The Spider Elves had traditionally lived in the forests, but after they committed some grevious transgressions were forced to leave. They could not (or would not) adapt or accept their fate, and so fled underground.
Afterwards humans from the other continent came forth, eager to meet new people and especially tame new magic. The grey elves heedlessly taught it to them, and they were called Elf-friends and wore blue sashes to commemorate their alliance. A group of elves who disagreed with giving out elven secrets seceded, going off into the woods. Some of these wood elves rode with the humans back to their continent, intent on protecting the forests there.
The humans and the grey elves existed together in great harmony for a long time. Together they helped the dwarves carve out a new kingdom in the hills, and beat back many hordes. The savages began calling themselves "the drazen" after the great chieftain who had broken the combined might of the elves and dwarves. The steel dwarves (or hill dwarves) began working with their allies, the rush gnomes on advancing their technology, and gunpowder was invented.
Recently, fiendish bred gnolls have come from the other continent, with demons and evil lycanthropes in tow. This new threat is keeping everyone on their toes, especially as another recent event as occured. A large earthquake shook the underground tunnels where the stone dwarves and dark elves have lived at war with each other for ages. The stone dwarves are building and reopening tunnels out of the mountains, looking for new territory, while the dark elves have popped on the eastern side of the continent.
Technik
Consolidated Version:
There are 2 main continents, this post will deal with one of them, Razadum, ancestral dwelling place of the dwarves.
The races:
-Steel Dwarves, as phb dwarf except +2 con/-2 Dex, metalcunning replaces stonecunning, and a +2 bonus vs heat (fire) effects replaces the +2 vs poison. +2 Craft bonus only applies to metal. N society.
-Stone Dwarves, as phb dwarf except +1 racial attack bonus applies against Elves and Aberrations (their traditional foes underground). LN society.
-Rush Gnomes, as phb gnomes with Racial Familiarity: Firearms. NG society.
-Grey Elves, as phb elves except +2 int/-2 con and +2 bluff, intimidate, and sense motive replace bonuses to listen, search, and spot. LN society.
-Wood Elves, as phb elves except Favored Class: Druid. Elven weapons do not break druid oaths. CG society.
-Dark Elves, as FRCS entry, +2 ECL. CN society.
-Humans (Thalos), as phb human. Thalos favor sorcery over wizardry and every human born on the island continent may cast one 0 level spell (their choice) 1/day as long as their charisma is at least 10. Arcane spell-failure applies for casting in armor. LG society.
-Savages (Drazen), as mm entries
-Demonic (Gnolls and Lycanthropes), as mm entries. many gnoll are half-fiend or fiendish.
Geography:
The continent is large, about the size of Asia and is bisected E-W by a long river. There is a large mountain range which cuts the continent in half vertically. On the western side of the range the land is fertile. High hills, deep forests, and pristine lakes abound. On the eastern side the land is barren, a large desert which goes to the tip of the sea.
History:
The Steel Dwarves used to claim the entire continent as a large kingdom. They allowed elves to live in their lands and there was peace, but the wars with the savages was constant. At some point the defense faltered. The elves blamed the dwarves, the dwarves blamed the elves, but the damage was done. For a long time the land was decentralized and many city-states emerged.
It was about this time the dwarves moved from the mountains, their ancestral home, to the hills and surrounding area. A group of dwarves refused to leave, and in search of resources dug deeper. The Spider Elves had traditionally lived in the forests, but after they committed some grevious transgressions were forced to leave. They could not (or would not) adapt or accept their fate, and so fled underground.
Afterwards humans from the other continent came forth, eager to meet new people and especially tame new magic. The grey elves heedlessly taught it to them, and they were called Elf-friends and wore blue sashes to commemorate their alliance. A group of elves who disagreed with giving out elven secrets seceded, going off into the woods. Some of these wood elves rode with the humans back to their continent, intent on protecting the forests there.
The humans and the grey elves existed together in great harmony for a long time. Together they helped the dwarves carve out a new kingdom in the hills, and beat back many hordes. The savages began calling themselves "the drazen" after the great chieftain who had broken the combined might of the elves and dwarves. The steel dwarves (or hill dwarves) began working with their allies, the rush gnomes on advancing their technology, and gunpowder was invented.
Recently, fiendish bred gnolls have come from the other continent, with demons and evil lycanthropes in tow. This new threat is keeping everyone on their toes, especially as another recent event as occured. A large earthquake shook the underground tunnels where the stone dwarves and dark elves have lived at war with each other for ages. The stone dwarves are building and reopening tunnels out of the mountains, looking for new territory, while the dark elves have popped on the eastern side of the continent.
Technik
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