Iron Age Celtic setting ideas...

[gamerprinter]

Conundrum or Opportunity?

Runemaster (Wizard)
HD d6, Good Will Saves, Skills: 2+Int modifier, replace Knowledge (planes) with Knowledge (Fey) and Knowledge (Local)/Knowledge (history) with Knowledge (clan).

1st level: Arcane Bond, Arcane Mark (Sp) at will, Arcane School, Cantrips.
2nd level: Skill Focus: Craft (carving runestaves)
3rd level and above follow normal wizard features progression...

Spell Access: as per Sorcerer/Wizard list
Spellbooks and Scrolls are replaced with arcane runestaves. Spells are cast into the staff at the beginning of each day, thus only requires command to release spell.

Runestaff: 6' long

Spellcasting: casting takes 10 minutes + 10 minutes per spell level to carve runes to hold the spell onto the runestaff. Runes cover 1 square inch per spell level, four 1 square inch areas can be placed in circumference around the runestaff. The top 12 inches of the runestaff resembles a cudgle (shillelagh) and can be used like one. Thus 60 inches of height x 4 square inches means a runestaff can hold 240 levels of spells. A command word is uttered to release the spell and the rune leaves a burned blackened area. Once spent that area can nolonger hold a rune replacement. Perodically the runestaff needs to be replaced.

New thoughts...

If you've already cast your spells into your runestaff for the day, and activating a spell is merely uttering a command phrase for a specific spell. Wearing armor will cause no disruption to spells being released from the runestaff. When you place them, you cannot be wearing armor (without taking armor check penalties) or otherwise be encumbered as you cast the spells initially. Once placed should a runemaster not be able don some chain-mail or whatever other armor she has access?

Which means the Runemaster is in every way a wizard, except there are no spellbooks, no scrolls, a staff with carved runes carrying daily and older not yet expired spells, and can wear armor (no shields) for most of the day!

Should I not allow Runemaster (wizards) to wear armor, or should it be a benefit for the way they cast their spells?

GP

 

[gamerprinter]

Runes lasting more than one day is too powerful

In some more rethinking allowing a rune of a daily spell lasting longer than a single day is too powerful. A 7th level runecaster could have a weeks worth of spells on his runestaff and go nova for two or three encounters - that's way too powerful.

So I'm adjusting the runes cast in runestaves of daily powers to be effectively enchanted for only a single day, as a normal wizard's daily spells.

Since a runecaster can carve/engrave stone and metal, these would be more worthy of holding a 'permanent' scroll, allowing for held spells indefinitely until used.

Thoughts?

GP

 

[gamerprinter]

Scout (rogue) class

Since I want to stay Core as much as possible, the Rogue conversion has been the easiest so far. First I'm calling her the 'scout', as she is less a rogue or thief so much as a wilderness stealth martial class. Flavor-wise its notable that she does not serve a rogues guild, rather her clan. Urban settings are mostly missing from the setting, except perhaps the Etruscan city-states region.

Trapfinding and Trapsense, one available talent to be replaced, and one bonus skill focus, that's the only differences.

Trapfinding and trapsense are replaced with snarefinding and snaresense, as well as any talent with the word trap is changed to snare (ie: trap spotter). Mechanical traps are simply unheard of yet in the settings cultures, while pit traps, pully weighted ropes for deadfall traps, shutting cages, pendulum of barbs all constructed from rope, rocks, logs, covering in debris, etc. exist. Since trapfinding is probably a more complex talent than snarefinding, as well as disabling trap/snares - the snare finding skill is useful in setting snares, taking the same amount of time to disable a snare as setting one.

1st level Bonus skill focus: Craft (snare) - allows you to quickly hew logs, cut notches, place roped triggers, or prepare pit traps and other wilderness snares. Once pieces of the snare are in place, the time it takes to set a snare is the same as disabling a snare with the Scout's snarefinding ability (using the same rules for trapfinding.)

Ledgewalker is pretty much useless as most buildings are single story roundhouses with thatched or beehive fitted stone roofs. Some broch towers exist at 40' to 60', and some halls are two or three stories tall, but these are one per community at the most. Climbing buildings is not an issue in the setting.

Trees on the otherhand are everywhere, can be used to hide from pursuers, as an observation platform, a defensive position, a place to prepare an ambush or a missle platform.

Ledgewalker should be replaced with Brachiation, allowing you to grasp branches above you and swing by your arms from branch to branch. With a successful Acrobatics check you can throw yourself to more distant branches or branches above those you currently hang from, or you can swing yourself onto your feet above the branch you hang from.

Comments?

GP

 

[Maidhc O Casain]

Since I want to stay Core as much as possible, the Rogue conversion has been the easiest so far. First I'm calling it the 'scout', as she is less a rogue or thief so much as a wilderness stealth martial class. Flavor-wise its notable that she does not serve a rogues guild, rather her clan. Urban settings are mostly missing from the setting, except perhaps the Etruscan city-states region.

The primary differences involve both Trapfinding and Trapsense, and one available talent to be replaced, that's the only differences.

Trapfinding and Trapsense are replaced with snarefinding and snaresense, as well as any talent with the word trap is changed to snare. Mechanical traps are simply unheard of yet in the settings cultures, while pit traps, pully weighted ropes for deadfall traps, shutting cages, pendulum of barbs all constructed from rope, rocks, logs, covering in debris, etc. Since trapfinding is probably a more complex talent than snarefinding, as well as disabling trap/snares - the snare finding skill is useful in setting snares, taking the same amount of time to disable a snare as setting one.

Ledgewalker is pretty much useless as most buildings are single story roundhouses with thatched or beehive fitted stone roofs. Some broch towers exist at 40' to 60', and some halls are two or three stories tall, but these are one per community at the most. Climbing buildings is not an issue in the setting.

Trees on the otherhand are everywhere, can be used to hide from pursuers, as an observation platform, a defensive position, a place to prepare an ambush or a missle platform. Ledgewalker should be replaced with something akin to 'branchwalker' or 'treewalker', allowing for jumps between branches, tumbling along branches, or jumping from tree to adjacent tree, without falling.

Comments?

GP

There was a feat in one of the 3.5 splat-books: Brachiation. It allowed swinging by the arms from branch to branch (of course). Might serve as the mechanics for 'Branchwalking,' if you change the description. Wish I could remember which book for you - it's not in the SRD.

 

[gamerprinter]

That works!

You know, I've heard of Brachiation, I remember one of my players reading its description from one of the hundred or so 3.0/3.5 books he owns... don't remember which either. But, I agree, swinging by your arms grasping branches above you, makes for a much more sensible movement method through a tree than, jumping from branch to branch, safer too. Could probably do some unparallel bars kind of gymnastics too - to swing to more distant branches. This would require an Acrobatics skill check to do, DC varying on distance, difference in height (going from lower branch to higher branch, for example), but could not be performed without the Brachiation.

I'll edit the previous post to accomodate this line of thinking. Good idea!

GP

 

[gamerprinter]

Rangers and slings?

The Ranger... name is fine, replace the appropriate Knowledge skills as the other classes, restrict to medium armor (no breastplate), and all shields, except tower shields. Everything else works as is.

One thing though, there might be an issue with one of the Combat Styles. In the Celtic world bow and arrows were used for hunting, not combat. The Celts did use several missle weapons, spear, javelin, but most notably the sling. Looking at the Pathfinder weapon equipment list, the sling is a rather pathetic weapon.

Sling: cost 0, dam sm: 1d3, dam med: 1d4, x2, range: 50', bludgeoning.

However, in the real world, in the hands of an expert, using a fist sized stone, a sling can fracture a skull even through an iron helmet, or break ribs, shoulders, limbs - a sling bullet is a bone breaking weapon. It can even puncture armor.

Rather than reinvent the sling, I've created the Celtic War Sling, able to cast larger stones than a standard sling so damage moves up one level.

War Sling: cost 1, dam sm: 1d4, dam med: 1d6, 19-20/x2, range: 50', bludgeoning.

Just a little more kick and better chance for crits. I've already created the Clan Warrior feats: War Sling Adept that increases the range (though I see, I had the sling's range wrong, it should be 75'), and the War Sling Master: crits are automatically confirmed.

Ideally for the setting the Ranger would not have access to Bow feats, but instead the War Sling, and alter existing bow feats to apply to using a sling (point blank range, precise shot, improved precise shot, pinpoint targeting, shot on the run, rapid shot) replace far shot with War Sling Adept, require War Sling Adept, point blank range, and precise shot in order to take War Sling Master.

I said ideally though, so it might be better just to add War Sling as a third Combat Style, and leave the rest of the Ranger alone.

GP

 

[gamerprinter]

The Bard and Barbarian...

Bard
The bard, barely refitted for the setting. I want to leave the Bard alone pretty much. The altered Knowledge skills (fey) and (clan) vs. (planes) and (history)/(local), of course.

Bards are intrinsic to a Celtic setting, and in this one gains the Druid Trait, (which I didn't mention, the Runemaster above is a Druid trait member too), and should have a few more responsibilities including knowing the Clan Laws, and aiding in the contact of Ancestral spirits for clan warrior lineage powers. Otherwise, the same bard as Core.

Gestatae (Barbarian)
Barbarian in a Celtic world are those naked, screaming, blue painted or tattooed warriors armed with two javelins or shield and melee weapon. They believe they are closer to the gods, and fighting naked improves this divine bond. The limitation of no armor except shield is a severe one, so it might be best to allow the Clan Warrior's shield training feature to be made available to barbarians or provide some other kind of 'unarmor' bonus... (they probably get enchanted armor tattoos as soon as possible.)

So my base class lineup in summation of this thread are: Bard, Clan Warrior, Gestatae (barbarian), Oracle, Ranger, Runemaster (wizard), Scout (rogue), Sorcerer, and the Witch.

Prestige classes, so far and probably 'it' for now, are Fey-Bound and the Myrrdon (tattoo artificer).

GP

 

[Sylrae]

So you prepare spells by casting them into the staff, and then just release them.

Where do you keep your spells Known? Do you know all the spells like druids and Clerics in core?

I was thinking you prepare them FROM your staff when I described the mechanic.

If you cast from the staff, They're essentially a big wand. The player is extra screwed if someone steals their staff, disarms them, or if its the target of a sunder.

What happens if someone dispels your staff?

I think they now effectively cast from scrolls. If spellcasting is through Items, I'd allow them to wield the item in armor, and not provoke AoOs to use it.

 

[gamerprinter]

So you prepare spells by casting them into the staff, and then just release them.

Where do you keep your spells Known? Do you know all the spells like druids and Clerics in core?

I was thinking you prepare them FROM your staff when I described the mechanic.

If you cast from the staff, They're essentially a big wand. The player is extra screwed if someone steals their staff, disarms them, or if its the target of a sunder.

What happens if someone dispels your staff?

I think they now effectively cast from scrolls. If spellcasting is through Items, I'd allow them to wield the item in armor, and not provoke AoOs to use it.

Originally Runemaster was just an idea. If one carves a rune to place a spell, you have to carve it into something. Having a big, heavy oak staff that can be used as a weapon, yet having inscribed runes of spells on it is very much like having a big wand. I agree.

The wizard's spellbook and the Witch's familiar are also both subject to getting stolen, sundered or in the case of the familiar killed. There are reprecussions to the Wizard or Witch when that happens. Its no different for the Runemaster, except in her case the spells are in a big stick.

What if your familiar or spellbook is dispelled? No different, so not an especially great weakness compared to what non-sorcerer arcane spellcasters are subject to anyway.

It would be impractical to try and carve a rune into something as a spell cast during combat, the fight would be over and the party TPK'd before she got the first spell off.

She might be screwed for the day, if she lives after losing her runestaff, but creating a new one is just a day of work, and she'll need to replace her staff almost weekly, once she gets to 7th level or higher. Perhaps she could have a supply of non-runed staves ready for use, perhaps have her apprentices carve the basic 'empty' staff ahead of time.

Regarding what she memorizes from whether its a wood tablet with a pre-carved 'alphabet' of runes, or individual stones with runes carved on them. The morning ritual of memorizing runes then casting them into staves is much more time consuming than what a wizard must do. There's probably a two to four hour casting time especially medium and higher spells. (Perhaps a feat for a mid-level Runemaster would allow for faster casting time, as in Rune adept carver or something to carve a rune in half the time, at 7th level.)

So while the casting method is backwards in some senses, its also a wand that she fills up in the morning, uses in 24 hours otherwise has to recast spells into again each day.

And for your final points, yes, I think casting in armor, especially in the form of activating the runestaff should be expected and shouldn't cause an attack of opportunity - I agree with you there.

Is the Runemaster somewhat weak compared to Wizard? Are a few of these classes weaker compared to their base class derivatives? Yes in both cases, but then opponent spell casters and 'clan warriors' are the same so the difference is equalized, yet each have unique strengths too.

What will happen when the Ceran Empire (my Etruscan/Mycenaean analog) invades the Celtic lands in the second proposed campaign with fighter legioneers, full clerics, and true wizard spellcasters because they have a written language...? Probably the same thing that happened to the Celtic lands following the Roman invasion, but that still took 400 years to accomplish in history, so that should be plenty of time to fit in a campaign or two.

My setting needed certain unique aspects that illiteracy is one thing which definitely gives it unique flavor, and an attempt to adapt historic Celtic analogs into a setting, that has not necessarily been duplicated before. While I still need to tweak, reevaluate ideas and decisions I've made, I'm getting closer to meeting my goal to try and get this published before the end of the year.

And while in two other projects I am working with other publishers - my Kaidan project with Rite Publishing, and secret project partnered with Johnn Four of Roleplaying Tips newsletter, and Mike Bourke of the Gamemastery blog - I'm thinking of trying my hand as a one man publishing house (Archaic Publishing, I'm thinking of calling it...) and doing this completely on my own - test my own market.

Anyway, these are my ideas... thanks for the response and critique, Sylrae. I appreciate a good debate, and often tweak my directions based on a good counterpoint. This thread isn't over so keep up the comments. Next I need to start developing monsters and fey...

GP

 

[Sylrae]

While a wizard is in trouble if you take his spellbook, he can still cast spells for the remainder of the day. It's also pretty cheap to keep multiple spellbooks kicking around so that it's not a problem.

Your runecaster and clan warrior are built on cool Ideas, but they kindof lack the sortof 'Oomph' that makes me want to use them. I dont think they should be any weaker than the core classes, for the record.