Iron Age Celtic setting ideas...

[gamerprinter]

Cartography is a strength for me

that is a gorgeous map.

Thanks! Making maps is one of the things I do well - I've updated it since you seen it last.

I added a new Ancestral Lineage into list on the post above - Easterling, to represent the possible Germanic tribes in the Celtic homeland; Saxons or Danes. I have experimented with a strange talent involving getting drunk - take a look. I think its fun!

GP

 

[Sylrae]

The Map is labelled Hybreni instead of Hybrenia, but it looks pretty damn good.

I think the text labellin the map should be a smaller font size. The map looks a little too busy now.

 

[gamerprinter]

Intentional for now

The Map is labelled Hybreni instead of Hybrenia, but it looks pretty damn good.

I think the text labellin the map should be a smaller font size. The map looks a little too busy now.

Thanks, Syrae. I agree that the names especially of the forest and mountains are a bit larger than nessassary - and I will shrink them down a bit eventually, they are taking lots of space aren't they?

Incidently, though I call it "Hybrenia" in my post, it supposed to be Hybreni as in the map. Hybrenia sounds too Roman, the Celts have tribes that end in "i", so I think that's more accurate - the isle is named Hybreni.

My plan is to use this as an inset map for a close-up isometric view of a stone circle, so since the inset map is roughly a quarter or fifth of the size of the rest of the map, the larger font makes the labels easier to read for the intended map.

Here's what I've done so far for the close-up map...

 

[Sylrae]

That one's pretty nice too. What do you do your maps in?

Those look like freehand + computer, or just a photoshop/SAI drawing.
Do you use a mapping program?

 

[gamerprinter]

That one's pretty nice too. What do you do your maps in?

Those look like freehand + computer, or just a photoshop/SAI drawing.
Do you use a mapping program?

I use Xara Xtreme Pro, which is a vector drawing program like Illustrator or Coreldraw, so not a dedicated mapping app. And while not my only style, those maps are in fact hand-drawn plus computer apps.

The second map was modeled in 3D, then printed as a high contrast image, then I placed tracing paper and traced, hand drew the details. Finally applied the color in Xara. So 3D + hand-drawn + vector coloring.

GP

 

[gamerprinter]

Map is done

Here is the final version of the map I was making, using those elements. Now its time to go back to setting development. Note the larger file link has some changes that are not in the thumbnail - a recent update and now thumbnail made for it, uploaded.

While it is for a contest entry, I plan to use it in my publication as well.

Enjoy!

GP

Link to larger version: (newest one)
http://www.gamer-printshop.com/cbg/menhir-dance-final.jpg

 

[Sylrae]

I've been thinking about your Clan Warrior class.

The way I plan on approaching a class with lots of plane shifting abilities (which may not be appropriate or useful in many games) gave me an Idea, and it also ties into my suggestion that it not all be celtic.

I know you said the fey detection stuff is needed for your setting, but have you considered this possibility?

Keep the fey sense and Fay gate sense type abilities, but make them optional. Make another build that functions in a standard campaign.

As it's a class tied to a culture (which all the other base classes avoid for the most part) try making some alternate builds that get a handful of different abilities, maybe swap some weapon proficiencies out, or vary up the bonus feats.

A class with a single 'type' is okay, but if there are a few dozen ways to build a class, and it can be shoved into any setting with no problems, the class is considerably more appealing.

~Sylrae

 

[gamerprinter]

I see what you mean...

I've been thinking about your Clan Warrior class.

The way I plan on approaching a class with lots of plane shifting abilities (which may not be appropriate or useful in many games) gave me an Idea, and it also ties into my suggestion that it not all be celtic.

I know you said the fey detection stuff is needed for your setting, but have you considered this possibility?

Keep the fey sense and Fay gate sense type abilities, but make them optional. Make another build that functions in a standard campaign.

As it's a class tied to a culture (which all the other base classes avoid for the most part) try making some alternate builds that get a handful of different abilities, maybe swap some weapon proficiencies out, or vary up the bonus feats.

A class with a single 'type' is okay, but if there are a few dozen ways to build a class, and it can be shoved into any setting with no problems, the class is considerably more appealing.

~Sylrae

I see what you mean, and its a smart move, perhaps have the Fey Marked version deal with spirits or outsiders, perhaps even incorporeal undead.

Good timing too, because I am going to start work on two prestige classes for the setting, real soon. One is a Fey Bound Witch, prerequisite being a standard APG Witch with flavorings towards a fey relationship in its particulars. The Fey Bound Witch makes a pact with powerful Fey being, or various pacts with various fey beings in exchange for Supernatural powers, that comes with a cost (loss of HP, stat decreases, save decreases, and perhaps some type of sacrafice.) I'm looking at a five level PrC for this.

Also will be developing my Myrrdon (Tattoo artificer) as a three level prestige class. Acquires: Forge Ring, Craft Arms and Armor, Craft Wondrous Item, at 1st - 3rd level. Because a prerequisite of Arcane Mark and Permanancy is required (and especially since Permanency is a fifth level spell) - the Runemaster wizard is required to be 10th level before taking this prestige class.

So spellcasters and PrC's next. I will consider tweaks for the Fey Marked Clan Warrior.

GP

 

[gamerprinter]

Looking at just the Fey Marked ancestral lineage

Looking at just the Clan Warrior, Fey Marked ancestral lineage. Certain new skills and the advanced talents of Find Fey Portal and Find Fey Path are too setting specific, though I need them available at least as options. Most of the other powers - detect glamour, fey-marked, resist nature's lure, even the two sorcerer powers, so I don't need to remove them.

Of course skill focus: Knowledge (fey) could be Knowledge (planes), with fey as a specific option for the setting.

Advanced Talents:

Fey Bane (Su): as circle of protection from evil, as spell, but specifically protects against creatures of the fey subtype.

Stoic Mind (Ex): whenever you fail a Save or DC versus fey compulsion magic, you get to automatically reroll, but must keep the second results.

So while still fey-centric, these powers are not so Iron Age Celts-centric.

Thoughts?

GP

 

[gamerprinter]

Thinking about elves...

As I explore new and old tomes of faerie lore, I find many references for the Seelie folk, which include both trooping faeries and solitary faeries. I've got plenty of material for solitary fey, but little regarding trooping faeries.

So looking at the Core Handbook, at Races in the beginning and the entry for Elves mentions how they are "similar in many ways superficially like fey creatures."

Which got me to thinking about a fully fey elf, as the elf of the setting. Probably smarter to call them Fey Elves, rather than Sidhe Elves (Shee), though I prefer the latter, thinking like Sylrae, Fey Elves is probably the better choice. They dwell in the Fey Realms, but since one can so easily traverse the prime material to the Fey Realms and back, they frequently hunt and cause mischief in our realms.

At best, I can leave the Elf Racial Traits as is and just give them some superficial differences from standard Core elves.

Back in 2e Birthright, the elves were called "sidhelien" (people of fey) who had some movement benefits in woodland terrain, as well as the lack of a divine source of power - elves were beings of arcana and did not worship gods. Though Danu is recognized as the Fey Queen, she is also the mother goddess of Celtic pantheon. Though she is a goddess, the elves view her as their immortal sovereign, not their goddess.

Due to fey bloodline sorcerers, I was thinking of making all fey elves natural sorcerers, thus most are either straight sorcerers or multi-class with sorcerer as one of their preferred classes.

The proposed Clan Warrior Ancestral Lineage Fey powers of Find the Path and Find Fey Portal should be natural abilities as well. (I should also make these optional and have more typical campaign, like: Alter Self, as per spell, and Dimension Door, or something of that nature.)

So if I pull divine magic from their resources, does this overly affect / imbalance the race? I'm thinking of giving them access to some type of healing source (perhaps only healing spells from the Fey Court, through Danu as a goddess/sovereign, perhaps eating Faerie Fruit, or just a return to the immortal Fey Realms and they can survive until healed.)

Maybe they should (at higher levels - 4th?) be able to Create Fey Portal as a spell like ability. I think for their lack of divine access should spell-like abilities in addition to being a sorcerer to make up for the loss.

OK, this one is odd, but thinking of giving a Wildshape ability at 6th level, of one animal, probably an insect? Lightening Bug, Butterfly, Dragonfly, Wasp, Mayfly, Flying Ant, even grasshoppers and crickets - perhaps giant versions of those types?

If I'm devoting this much thought to Elves, should I include them as a PC race? I originally was staying humano-centric in setting design.

Basically these fey elves would represent my trooping fey, members of the Seelie Court.

I think they should mostly be an NPC race, with a rare "Drizz't" as a PC, and not a common player choice, if I did allow them as a PC race. (Perhaps lose their innate abilities: Find Path, etc.)

Thoughts?

GP