Kalamar question

[Eolin]

Hello everybody,

I'm in this Kalamar game, (Kenzer product, and its even a HackMaster game) and I was looking through the main book and happened upon the Sword of the king of Kalamar, which seems to be an unstatted magic item.

It origionated by the bodyguard type of the greatest King of Kalamar swearing a mighty oath that he and his progency would protect the King and his progency for all time. That night, his god told him that he would never have children, and so his oath was broken. He was given a choice -- he could break his oath, or he could swear it again, but at a price. He chose the latter, and was transformed into the Sword of the King.

Any idea what that sort of item should look like?

 

[Elf Witch]

I play in a Kalamr game and we had the Sword of Kings play a big part in the game. Since Rovak Fen'Doral was a paladin of the Valiant and the Valiant choice of weapon's is a greatsword or a lance. I would think that this sword first of all would be a greatsword.

My DM made it a beautiful sword with a the hilt made out of blue one of the main colors of the church and engraved with the all seeing eye of the Valiant.

 

[Eolin]

::smacks self::

Sorry, i didn't actually mean the physical description, I meant statblock. though that is a nice descripion, and seems about right.

 

[Mark Plemmons]

We prefer that certain mysteries and legends, including a few long lost artifacts like the Sword of Kings, remain just that - mysteries. Tantalizing hints and clues can often be much more fun - and intentionally much more open for the DM - than just a simple statistics block.

It's the same for Emperor Kabori - I've seen campaigns where he's misguided, where he's a demon lord, a puppet of a great mage, or an evil dictator.

I like to think that the setting gives you the detail and background history to add depth to your adventures without confining them. The Kingdoms of Kalamar setting allows you to be the author of your own destiny by providing the scenery but not the story.

 

[Eolin]

And that is what I love about enworld -- that people like Mark Plemmons show up and give information straight from the company's mouth.

Thanks.

 

[jester47]

Mark,

Just wanted to say that given how much I have enjoyed The Villain's Design Handbook and Nights Dark Terror, Dangerous Denizens and the fact that Salt and Seadogs seems to be the best in seafaring books, I am starting to become somthing of a fan of KOK. Noticing that Stiggybaby has them up for 50% off I might invest in the core setting book. That and the Atlas for sure. Still debating if the players guide is worth it, as I can do most of the stuff in there on my own and not everything in a setting needs a feat or PrC to be important. And its 3.0 and not 3.5. But the Atlas, the setting book and a few of the adventures would be great to have, along with the Villain Book and the pirate book which work great for general use.

Aaron.

 

[jester47]

Also, when was kalamar originally published? Was it intended as a 1e or 2e setting?

Aaron.

 

[NewJeffCT]

Also, when was kalamar originally published? Was it intended as a 1e or 2e setting?

Aaron.

Kalamar came into existence about 10-12 years ago, making it originally a 2E setting. Of course, back in those days, TSR would hunt you down & shoot you - and then get really angry - if you used the D&D name on something. So, it was not an official setting back then.

However, the Kenzer folks updated Kalamar for 3E, expanded on the already good 2E books, made a few minor changes and now Kalamar is an official D&D product.

I would recommend the Player's Guide & Primer if they are within your budget. Both are very good and can add a lot of depth to a campaign.

 

[Mark Plemmons]

Mark,

Just wanted to say that given how much I have enjoyed The Villain's Design Handbook and Nights Dark Terror, Dangerous Denizens and the fact that Salt and Seadogs seems to be the best in seafaring books, I am starting to become somthing of a fan of KOK. Noticing that Stiggybaby has them up for 50% off I might invest in the core setting book. That and the Atlas for sure. Still debating if the players guide is worth it, as I can do most of the stuff in there on my own and not everything in a setting needs a feat or PrC to be important. And its 3.0 and not 3.5. But the Atlas, the setting book and a few of the adventures would be great to have, along with the Villain Book and the pirate book which work great for general use.

Sounds like a good idea to me.

I totally agree that not everything needs a feat or PrC to be important, but the Player's Guide is still worth a look if you're interested in adding some more KoK-specific depth to the PCs. It's particularly useful for clerics, since it details ways to convert characters from other settings where they worshipped different gods, along with temple ranks and the canons of each faith. Plus, the 3.5 update/errata is on our website.

Of course, the campaign setting sourcebook is all a DM really needs - it's the history and geography book of the setting. For the rules, you can just use the PHB. For players interested in their character's land, I'd recommend the Player's Primer instead.

You should check out the KoK reviews here on the ENWorld database. That'll probably help quite a bit too.