Mannapunk (Race and Class ideas anyone?)
- Thread starter Stormborn
- Start date
tadk
Explorer
Vermeil: Still in progress but more to read
Vermeil Writings
Vermeil: This is the name of the world the campaign resides at mostly. In this setting there are aliens from other worlds. They have and still do visit the world of Vermeil using magical and pseudo-technological means to do so. The world of Vermeil is an old one. It is tens of thousands of years older than the human records would indicate, perhaps millions of years older based on the just starting decline in solar output of their primary.
The world is about 8300 miles in diameter. It has a standard 1 gravity and consists of about 40% land and 60% water in composition. Yielding several large continental land masses with a few scattered island chains normally located coastally.
It is a slightly on the cool side of temperate with a little less illumination due to distance from their sun. There is no satellite or moon in orbit. The world is all alone that way.
The system has several other smaller planets, a solitary gas giant far out in the system and a fairly scattered asteroid belt in perpetual darkness at the edge of the solar system influence.
The local year consists of a 400 day cycle with a planetary rotation of 25 hours. There are several calendars in use currently among the humans and others that live on the planet.
Nations and Races
There are no nations per se. Instead there are powerful city states that are akin to nations. Exercising control and authority around themselves.
The only dominant race on the planet are humans. There are several others that play significant social roles, but are not numerous at all. Humans are all descended from nomadic tribes that came out of the endless steppes and plains to the west. Several thousand years ago two main tribes came out of the plains. One settled and founded what has become the oldest human city of Khan. The other traveled farther and ended up settling among ruins of several “Before” cities all stacked on another. This became the city of Tarnish.
Queen Verdigris: She is the self proclaimed ruler of the city of Tarnish. She came into power just a year some ago right after The Conflagration occurred. She speaks with an accent that is reminiscent of the mountaineer towns just north and east of Tarnish. Yet there are odd tones to her speech and sometimes the patterns are wrong. Verb placement and such point to other origins to the curious.
Appearance: She is rather tall for a mountaineer, standing taller than most men in the city, she is a rounded figure, hard from a rough early childhood it would appear. She has long straight black hair with no gray showing at all. She has a robust physique and there are no known romantic entanglements. She came into power in a bold move when the former ruler, King Crule died in The Conflagration. Many rumors abound about her background and potential involvement. She has no claim but has been accepted by the populace as a ruler and so far the most she has done is to promote small gardens and rebuilding of damage form the war with Khan.
Hints:
Stat Block:
Back Story GM Only: She is another created being form a “Before” race. The closest analogy is like a Bee Keeper. She is a guardian, herder, protector, a domesticator of humans or what ever is dominant in the area when she awakens. She is not aware of what she is. Just that she has the overwhelming compulsion to guide the city of Tarnish. She has accepted that she has a poor memory up till only a year some ago. When she came to life from her hibernation deep inside the ruins that lie under the city she lives in now.
Now she is finding out she feels empathy for the city and is working to restore it to a semblance of the glory that was programmed into her when she was made. This involves plants, animals, a more bucolic and garden like setting than the pre-industrial appearance it currently has. All of which means she will come into conflict with the Guilds, The Magic Users, the Fashioned, and the Operators eventually.
Power Blocks on Vermeil
The East Tarnish, Tarn by the Sea, Thisi, Kmea
The South Khan, Pjit, Kale, Kmea
Nomadic Tribes The humans that did not migrate and found cities two thousand years ago
The Chain Island chain that is on the eastern side of the continent. Extending out into the ocean towards The Black Waters.
Guilds Merchantile concerns located in all the cities. Cut across political boundaries.
The Operators Mostly in Tarnish and Tarn by the Sea (Magic users with a magical communication net)
Inheriteds Single beings that come into odd or strange inherited powers. Sometimes device oriented.
Fashioned The constructs on Vermeil that are conscious, sentient
The Borne Magically created or altered races.
Free Traders The movers, shippers, of goods from city to city. They set up free trade spots where ever
they go.
The 3 Sisters The three cities of Thisi, Kale, and Kmea when they are working together instead of with the East or the South.
Other power blocks
“Others” Alien races on other worlds
Dusters
Feyl
Siderl
“Before” Precursor Races
Corean
Several other ones
Hooks, plot threads, things coming soon
The Operators Have successfully set up a localized net between themselves. It stretches out to Tarn by the Sea. It was inspired by rumors they had heard from Other races with something similar on their worlds. So they set up about making a means to communicate and store information like a scroll library but using magic for the communications and crystals for storage. They succeeded and now essentially a nascent Internet like arrangement is in existence. Being magical almost anyone will eventually be able to access it. Currently only Mages and such are using it. Some of the Other races have found out and will be attempting to infiltrate it for their own use and exploitation.
The Inheriteds More of them will be coming into existence. There is a hidden agenda to the creations, and about 1000 will eventually be in existence across Vermeil. This will be leading to power plays and battles between near entities.
Politics Struggles between Queen Verdigris and the other power groups in Tarnish. Especially the military and the Guilds seeking control for their own reasons. The war with Khan is not over, just paused after the horrific losses suffered at The Conflagration. With male population down due to the war, the females are now coming more into power across all spectrums of society. There is a lack of males between 20 and 40 in both cities that does not exist in the other cities on Vermeil. Same with a lack in skilled fighters in both cities that some power groups plan to exploit. While the military wants to expand in size and is looking for Bornes that want to join and be troops. This will be an excellent social climbing opportunity.
NPCs in the setting
Queen Verdigris Ruler of Tarnish
The Jagged Ruling council of Khan
Khantor Inherited of the Moon (Which there is none in existence that is known of)
New Feats (rough for sure)
Common Magic: Able to cast Cantrips equal to the Intelligence Spell bonus per day. Can take only 1 time. Open to all classes
The Touch (inspired by laying on hands and also Reiki energies. Highly fictionalized here)
Can take up to three times. Allows for healing. Each time taken it is called a degree
1st Degree Can Heal 1 Pt. per person touched per day
2nd Degree Can Heal 2 Pt. per person twice a day ( 2 or 4 pt. per person per day)
3rd Degree Can Heal 3 Pt. per person three times a day (3 or 6 or 9 pt. per person per day)
New Skill:
Craft Harmony (inspired by Feng Shui)
This skill is used to layout rooms, buildings, cities, advise people in relationships, clothing, in a metaphysically balanced fashion and way. It might become a way of life eventually.
Open Game Content (For private use only) for the feats and skills at this point.
Better determination as the setting unfolds.
Word count 641 07.01.05
Races
Human 2 variants, the Eastern (Darker Skinned) and Southern (Lighter Skinned)
Fashioned These are all the different sorts of Constructs in the setting
The Borne These are the races that were created using magic or the results of magical experiments that breed true
“Before” These are the races that lived on the world of Vermeil before Man arose into sentience and ascendance
“Others” The races that travel to Vermeil from their worlds using magical and or technological means
Dusters Come from a desolate dry world with an immortal ruler
Feyl A Fey like race that is very nomadic with a strong connection to the living
worlds
Siderl A solar based race. Some consider them a possible “Before” race due to their
longevity.
Background 2 thousand Vermeil years ago the city of Knan (now known as Khan) was founded by nomadic wanderers from the vast steppes and plains to the west of the city. Two separate groups of humans came out of the steppes and plains to found different cities. One tribe founded Knan and the other inhabited the ruins that have since become Tarnish.
Languages Vermeil is the core human language.
There are two main variants to it. Corresponding to the main human groups.
There are roughly eight regional dialects as well.
Recent History
The war between the cities of Tarnish and Khan has been over for close to a Vermeil year. It was 10 years building up. Once hostilities broke out there were two years of open fighting, mostly in the hills that separate the vast plains from the low lands where the cities reside.
The Conflagration (as it is now known) was the climactic battle between the two city’s armies.
A massacre, a slaughter, an abattoir resulting in a devastated wasteland devoid of life.
Power Blocks in the world of Vermeil
Eastern Cities
Southern Cities
The Fashioned
The Borne
Guilds
“Others”
Inheriteds
The Chain
Magic potential permeates the entire universe that Vermeil. This is what ties all of creation together.
“Before Race Corean. This is a precursor human like race. They had thick bodies, large bony brows, thin slit noses, violent butchers who conquered all they could. Brutal, closer in appearance to proto-homids than humans.
Introduction
This is the tale of two powers locked in struggle. Tarnish fighting against Khan for survival.
Guilds economically cut across the city boundaries. Free Trade areas pop up all the time. Denizens f small towns, hundreds of extended family hamlets dot the Vermeil landscape.
History:
The humans on Vermeil emigrated from the vast and endless steppes and plains several thousand years before the war between Tarnish and Khan began. They were nomads. Having been on the world of Vermeil for at least 3,500 years. They have no written histories older than the time they left the steppes and moved into the lower lands and created the first cities.
The Conflagration
The devastated land where the final major battle in the war between Tarnish and Khan took place. There are no exact dates for when it occurred. The energies that were unleashed there warped the very fabric of space. Time is no longer linear. The ground roils and heaves with the torment of magical and technological weapons used in the struggle.
Now scavengers stalk the edges of the miles of distorted corpses and forgotten weaponry looking for salvageable pieces and scraps of power.
As well as the highly profitable practice of body retrievals Where distraught family members pay large sums to have the bodies located in the new badlands and brought back safely to them for internment.
Vermeil Writings
Vermeil: This is the name of the world the campaign resides at mostly. In this setting there are aliens from other worlds. They have and still do visit the world of Vermeil using magical and pseudo-technological means to do so. The world of Vermeil is an old one. It is tens of thousands of years older than the human records would indicate, perhaps millions of years older based on the just starting decline in solar output of their primary.
The world is about 8300 miles in diameter. It has a standard 1 gravity and consists of about 40% land and 60% water in composition. Yielding several large continental land masses with a few scattered island chains normally located coastally.
It is a slightly on the cool side of temperate with a little less illumination due to distance from their sun. There is no satellite or moon in orbit. The world is all alone that way.
The system has several other smaller planets, a solitary gas giant far out in the system and a fairly scattered asteroid belt in perpetual darkness at the edge of the solar system influence.
The local year consists of a 400 day cycle with a planetary rotation of 25 hours. There are several calendars in use currently among the humans and others that live on the planet.
Nations and Races
There are no nations per se. Instead there are powerful city states that are akin to nations. Exercising control and authority around themselves.
The only dominant race on the planet are humans. There are several others that play significant social roles, but are not numerous at all. Humans are all descended from nomadic tribes that came out of the endless steppes and plains to the west. Several thousand years ago two main tribes came out of the plains. One settled and founded what has become the oldest human city of Khan. The other traveled farther and ended up settling among ruins of several “Before” cities all stacked on another. This became the city of Tarnish.
Queen Verdigris: She is the self proclaimed ruler of the city of Tarnish. She came into power just a year some ago right after The Conflagration occurred. She speaks with an accent that is reminiscent of the mountaineer towns just north and east of Tarnish. Yet there are odd tones to her speech and sometimes the patterns are wrong. Verb placement and such point to other origins to the curious.
Appearance: She is rather tall for a mountaineer, standing taller than most men in the city, she is a rounded figure, hard from a rough early childhood it would appear. She has long straight black hair with no gray showing at all. She has a robust physique and there are no known romantic entanglements. She came into power in a bold move when the former ruler, King Crule died in The Conflagration. Many rumors abound about her background and potential involvement. She has no claim but has been accepted by the populace as a ruler and so far the most she has done is to promote small gardens and rebuilding of damage form the war with Khan.
Hints:
Stat Block:
Back Story GM Only: She is another created being form a “Before” race. The closest analogy is like a Bee Keeper. She is a guardian, herder, protector, a domesticator of humans or what ever is dominant in the area when she awakens. She is not aware of what she is. Just that she has the overwhelming compulsion to guide the city of Tarnish. She has accepted that she has a poor memory up till only a year some ago. When she came to life from her hibernation deep inside the ruins that lie under the city she lives in now.
Now she is finding out she feels empathy for the city and is working to restore it to a semblance of the glory that was programmed into her when she was made. This involves plants, animals, a more bucolic and garden like setting than the pre-industrial appearance it currently has. All of which means she will come into conflict with the Guilds, The Magic Users, the Fashioned, and the Operators eventually.
Power Blocks on Vermeil
The East Tarnish, Tarn by the Sea, Thisi, Kmea
The South Khan, Pjit, Kale, Kmea
Nomadic Tribes The humans that did not migrate and found cities two thousand years ago
The Chain Island chain that is on the eastern side of the continent. Extending out into the ocean towards The Black Waters.
Guilds Merchantile concerns located in all the cities. Cut across political boundaries.
The Operators Mostly in Tarnish and Tarn by the Sea (Magic users with a magical communication net)
Inheriteds Single beings that come into odd or strange inherited powers. Sometimes device oriented.
Fashioned The constructs on Vermeil that are conscious, sentient
The Borne Magically created or altered races.
Free Traders The movers, shippers, of goods from city to city. They set up free trade spots where ever
they go.
The 3 Sisters The three cities of Thisi, Kale, and Kmea when they are working together instead of with the East or the South.
Other power blocks
“Others” Alien races on other worlds
Dusters
Feyl
Siderl
“Before” Precursor Races
Corean
Several other ones
Hooks, plot threads, things coming soon
The Operators Have successfully set up a localized net between themselves. It stretches out to Tarn by the Sea. It was inspired by rumors they had heard from Other races with something similar on their worlds. So they set up about making a means to communicate and store information like a scroll library but using magic for the communications and crystals for storage. They succeeded and now essentially a nascent Internet like arrangement is in existence. Being magical almost anyone will eventually be able to access it. Currently only Mages and such are using it. Some of the Other races have found out and will be attempting to infiltrate it for their own use and exploitation.
The Inheriteds More of them will be coming into existence. There is a hidden agenda to the creations, and about 1000 will eventually be in existence across Vermeil. This will be leading to power plays and battles between near entities.
Politics Struggles between Queen Verdigris and the other power groups in Tarnish. Especially the military and the Guilds seeking control for their own reasons. The war with Khan is not over, just paused after the horrific losses suffered at The Conflagration. With male population down due to the war, the females are now coming more into power across all spectrums of society. There is a lack of males between 20 and 40 in both cities that does not exist in the other cities on Vermeil. Same with a lack in skilled fighters in both cities that some power groups plan to exploit. While the military wants to expand in size and is looking for Bornes that want to join and be troops. This will be an excellent social climbing opportunity.
NPCs in the setting
Queen Verdigris Ruler of Tarnish
The Jagged Ruling council of Khan
Khantor Inherited of the Moon (Which there is none in existence that is known of)
New Feats (rough for sure)
Common Magic: Able to cast Cantrips equal to the Intelligence Spell bonus per day. Can take only 1 time. Open to all classes
The Touch (inspired by laying on hands and also Reiki energies. Highly fictionalized here)
Can take up to three times. Allows for healing. Each time taken it is called a degree
1st Degree Can Heal 1 Pt. per person touched per day
2nd Degree Can Heal 2 Pt. per person twice a day ( 2 or 4 pt. per person per day)
3rd Degree Can Heal 3 Pt. per person three times a day (3 or 6 or 9 pt. per person per day)
New Skill:
Craft Harmony (inspired by Feng Shui)
This skill is used to layout rooms, buildings, cities, advise people in relationships, clothing, in a metaphysically balanced fashion and way. It might become a way of life eventually.
Open Game Content (For private use only) for the feats and skills at this point.
Better determination as the setting unfolds.
Word count 641 07.01.05
Races
Human 2 variants, the Eastern (Darker Skinned) and Southern (Lighter Skinned)
Fashioned These are all the different sorts of Constructs in the setting
The Borne These are the races that were created using magic or the results of magical experiments that breed true
“Before” These are the races that lived on the world of Vermeil before Man arose into sentience and ascendance
“Others” The races that travel to Vermeil from their worlds using magical and or technological means
Dusters Come from a desolate dry world with an immortal ruler
Feyl A Fey like race that is very nomadic with a strong connection to the living
worlds
Siderl A solar based race. Some consider them a possible “Before” race due to their
longevity.
Background 2 thousand Vermeil years ago the city of Knan (now known as Khan) was founded by nomadic wanderers from the vast steppes and plains to the west of the city. Two separate groups of humans came out of the steppes and plains to found different cities. One tribe founded Knan and the other inhabited the ruins that have since become Tarnish.
Languages Vermeil is the core human language.
There are two main variants to it. Corresponding to the main human groups.
There are roughly eight regional dialects as well.
Recent History
The war between the cities of Tarnish and Khan has been over for close to a Vermeil year. It was 10 years building up. Once hostilities broke out there were two years of open fighting, mostly in the hills that separate the vast plains from the low lands where the cities reside.
The Conflagration (as it is now known) was the climactic battle between the two city’s armies.
A massacre, a slaughter, an abattoir resulting in a devastated wasteland devoid of life.
Power Blocks in the world of Vermeil
Eastern Cities
Southern Cities
The Fashioned
The Borne
Guilds
“Others”
Inheriteds
The Chain
Magic potential permeates the entire universe that Vermeil. This is what ties all of creation together.
“Before Race Corean. This is a precursor human like race. They had thick bodies, large bony brows, thin slit noses, violent butchers who conquered all they could. Brutal, closer in appearance to proto-homids than humans.
Introduction
This is the tale of two powers locked in struggle. Tarnish fighting against Khan for survival.
Guilds economically cut across the city boundaries. Free Trade areas pop up all the time. Denizens f small towns, hundreds of extended family hamlets dot the Vermeil landscape.
History:
The humans on Vermeil emigrated from the vast and endless steppes and plains several thousand years before the war between Tarnish and Khan began. They were nomads. Having been on the world of Vermeil for at least 3,500 years. They have no written histories older than the time they left the steppes and moved into the lower lands and created the first cities.
The Conflagration
The devastated land where the final major battle in the war between Tarnish and Khan took place. There are no exact dates for when it occurred. The energies that were unleashed there warped the very fabric of space. Time is no longer linear. The ground roils and heaves with the torment of magical and technological weapons used in the struggle.
Now scavengers stalk the edges of the miles of distorted corpses and forgotten weaponry looking for salvageable pieces and scraps of power.
As well as the highly profitable practice of body retrievals Where distraught family members pay large sums to have the bodies located in the new badlands and brought back safely to them for internment.
Last edited:
tadk
Explorer
semi relevant book i just finished
might give you a few ideas
Yes it is a Gaming oriented one
Got it yesterday
middle of the pack with some decent ideas as far as WOTC MtG inspired books go.
Read better, read worse.
Ravnica by Cory J Herndon
Basically a hive city like feel to it
the entire plane is a single city
follows the dealings of a single cop for lack of a better job title
lots of guilds, some stereotypical MtG ideas, some new ones.
He takes fm several other series for creatures so not too original in that respect
a few gladitorial ideas fm the Scourge ones
Can you tell for someone who buys no cards anymore I read too many of their books
But a dang site more interesting that that first Kamigawa novel.
But magic, city, metropolis, fantasy it is a little more Hive world than not
might give you a few ideas
Yes it is a Gaming oriented one
Got it yesterday
middle of the pack with some decent ideas as far as WOTC MtG inspired books go.
Read better, read worse.
Ravnica by Cory J Herndon
Basically a hive city like feel to it
the entire plane is a single city
follows the dealings of a single cop for lack of a better job title
lots of guilds, some stereotypical MtG ideas, some new ones.
He takes fm several other series for creatures so not too original in that respect
a few gladitorial ideas fm the Scourge ones
Can you tell for someone who buys no cards anymore I read too many of their books
But a dang site more interesting that that first Kamigawa novel.
But magic, city, metropolis, fantasy it is a little more Hive world than not
RangerWickett
Legend
Tadk, Kelleris on these boards is currently wrapping up a book on magical technology, which E.N. Publishing hopes to release in late September. If you're interested, I could send along a sample of the text. When he pitched the book and I read his sample, China Mieville's Perdido Street Station came immediately to mind.
RangerWickett
Legend
I can't attach things to emails sent by the boards, so could you email me at RangerWickett@hotmail.com, and I can reply with a sample?
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