Need players for a homebrew Steampunk espionage campaign. (closed)

[Viking Bastard]

Races

The rules for the races are the same as in traditional D&D, but with new (short) descriptions and origins.

ELF = Fey Blooded – When the denizes of the Faerie planes mate with a mortal the result is the Fey Blooded. Like the dreamchildren, their offspring come in all shapes and sizes and it’s most often easily spooted if one is of the blood or not. Different cultures take on them differently. Kentaari humans usually fear them, but the Gnomes who traditionally are in more touch with their dream-self see them as a natural part of life, altough they know that like their fey kin, the Blooded are often not to be trusted and therefor want much to do with them. The Orcs, on the other hand, see the birth of a Blooded one as the ultimate blessing.

HALF-ELF = Fey Touched – People of Fey Blooded kin where the faerie blood is farther back in history, even dozens of generations back. The Touched are not as obviously of Faerie kin as the Blooded, but still show some physical signs of it like pointy ears, a tail or miscoloured eyes. They blend in easier than the Blooded and can usually pass for a normal human without trouble.

DWARF = Mountainfolk – The though skinned Gnomes from the southern mountains live deep beneath the surface in their majestic cities. They are slightly shorter that the others of Gnome stock and the other Gnomes usually refer them as ‘the dwarves’… never to their face though, as they are known for both their stubborness and hot temperment. The mountains are the only place where to find Wild Orcs in modern times, so they find themselves fighting them off constantly, resulting in a much stronger warrior culture than with the other Gnomes.

HALF-ORC = Orc – The savage and usually dim witted race of Orcs used to be the masters of the New World before the coming of the Kentaari. After that they were hunted and killed or enslave for centuries. It’s not until the Revolution that they became free as citezens of the new Merchant Guild’s Union.

GNOME = Cityfolk Gnome – When the ships of the Kentaari Empire first came to the New World, a minority of the Gnomes welcomed them with open arms. Disinterested in the lifestyle of their forfathers they embraced the more adventurous lives of the newcomers. Since then, the Cityfolk have evolved into a nation of their own with quite a different view to life than their content cousins.

HALFLING = Smallfolk Gnome – Most Gnomes did not like the humans when they first appeared in the New World. Content with their lives as they were (except maybe their neighbours, the Orcs, which they could have gone without). They are mostly simple farmers and craftsmen, with the occasional scholar thrown in. Still, even among these simple folk, one and one Gnome can be found with a thirst for adventures like their cousins the Cityfolk.

 

[Viking Bastard]

Classes

BARBARIANS, BARDS, FIGHTERS, ROGUES, MONKS, DRUIDS, WIZARDS, RANGERS and PALADINS need no alternate descriptions.

CLERICS = The Imperial Church was founded a millennium ago by the Kentaari Emperor. It united the many splinter factions of the believers of the Book of Father (where it tells us of Father and his first, second and third children, the Celestials, Titans and Mortals). Through the years, the many factions slowly evolved to form three major factions (which each is splintered into smaller factions which I won’t go into):

• Hammerites – The Hammerites (or the Holy Order of Father’s Will) are easily picked of the street for their blue robes and huge warhammers each of the clerics is armed with (seen as a holy weapons since Father himself shaped the world with a hammer). They believe that Law and Order are the main teachings of Father and all his rules and guidelines should be uphold without exception, with force if necessary. Over time the Hammerites have become the Kentaari Empire’s keepers of law and peace but their power has only affected the New World slightly as the Guild tries to keep the Church’s power in check. The Hammerites’ domains are Law, Strength and War.
  
• Hospitalers – While the Hammerites see Father as a strict parent, the Hospitalers (the Humble Children of Father) see him as a pacifist guide. Instead of out rightly forcing us to follow his laws, he merely points them as a road to a better life (or death). The Hospitalers have raised hospitals and sanctuaries all over the Empire where they help and heal the needy. The Hospitalers’ domains are Good, Healing and Protection.
  
• Stargazers – The Stargazers (the Church of Understanding) seek to further understand Father and his world. They believe that only through understanding Father’s creations can they truly understand Father. Faithful scholars, the Stargazers seek out to learn every detail of science and occult secret of the universe. Whether in nature, magic or technology, on Earth, in space or in the outer planes. The Stargazers’ domains are Knowledge, Magic, Luck and Chaos..

I'll post the info on Sorcerors next.

 

[Xael]

Guns, aircruisers and rockets?

I'm very interested about this, I just don't really know anything about steampunk(ish) games. Well, you seem to give lots of information so I don't think that'll matter.

Besides, I like black.

 

[Viking Bastard]

SORCERERS = Sorcerers (often of Fey or Titan blood) are able to shape the fabric of reality after their own will. Still, their strength over different aspects of reality depends heavily on the origin of their gift (Faerie, Titan, Spirit, Celestial or Demon).

Instead of the traditional Sorcerers of D&D, use the PsiHB for Sorcerers (Psion=Sorcerer, Psychic Warrior=Warlock). Instead of z Psion taking just one Discipline, a Sorcerer takes two in the form of one (NOTE: One does not need to be Fey Blooded/Touched to be a Dreamweaver, the tainting may go that long back):

• Dreamweavers – The ones tainted with the blood of the Faerie have access and great understanding over the ethereal realms. The realm of dream, faith, the mind and one’s inner self. The Dreamweaver’s disciplines are Telepathy and Psychometabolism. Their Attribute is Charisma.
  
• Savant – The ones of Spirit blood have power over the elemental forces and energies. To control the surroundings and even create objects out of thin air. The Invoker’s disciplines are Metacreativity and Psychokinesis. Their Attribute is Intelligence.
  
• Fatespinner – The Titan blooded can access the Source itself, the power that binds all elemental and ethereal energies together. They can read the fabric of reality like a book (granted, a very heavy and tough book, but book nonetheless). The Fatesoinner's disciplines are Psychoportation and Clairsentience. Their Attribute is Wisdom.

The Celestial and Demon blooded Sorcerers are not for play for PCs since the power of the blood is so powerful that it turns most insane.

 

[Viking Bastard]

Guns, aircruisers and rockets?

I'm very interested about this, I just don't really know anything about steampunk(ish) games. Well, you seem to give lots of information so I don't think that'll matter.

Oh, it's simple. Fantasy with guns.

Besides, I like black.

Who doesn't!!?

 

[Xael]

Oh, it's simple. Fantasy with guns.

I like fantasy, and I like guns.

---) I like steampunk.

Who doesn't!!?

My parents.

 

[Viking Bastard]

Then of course there's REAL steampunk, which is about the oppression of the industrial age and the rebellion against it, while glorifying the power of steam technology.

But to me, it's the guns, the victorian suits and all the neat steam gadgets.

 

[Dalamar]

Instead of the traditional Sorcerers of D&D, use the PsiHB for Sorcerers (Psion=Sorcerer, Psychic Warrior=Warlock). Instead of z Psion taking just one Discipline, a Sorcerer takes two in the form of one

You lost me here a bit. The 'standard' psion chooses a primary discipline from which he must choose a power each level and that determines his ability score for bonus PPs and class skills.
From what I understand of your text, it seems you are limiting the sorcerer to just 2 disciplines, whereas the psion can pick powers from any discipline provided he has the necessary ability score.

Do tell more, I'm interested.

 

[Viking Bastard]

Urm.. yes that is poorly worded.

What I mean is that the Sorcerer gets two primary disciplines (but only one primary attribute).

The reason being that instead (something I now realize I forgot to explain there) is that powers when activated cast feedback (higher the level of the power, bigger the feedback) which can damage the caster (nothing drastic except in higher levels).

.

The reason for this whole Psionics=Sorcery thing is that I've never felt quite satisfied in the Sorcerer class rule wise, while I like the Psionics system but wasn't able to really place it in my steampunk world (which was already formed).

.

Character Creation

BTW, for character creation, all standard classes from the PHB (and PsiHB), point buy 30 points, level 5, 1/2 HD. Most stuff from the Splat Books allowed. I'm looking for 4-5 players.

So I got Tokiwan, Xel and Priest onboard (yay!). So garyh, are you in as well or...?

 

[Viking Bastard]

The setting is a city named Serpent City. It is placed in the western continent of the world, the New World, which was first settled about 700 years ago by humans from the then-all-powerful Kentaarian Empire (that's sometime in the 11th century of the Kentaarian calendar). Before that the only sentinent races in the continent were gnomes and orcs. At first, both the gnomes and the orcs neither liked these new strange invaders and tried everything to stop them. The gnomes quickly changed suits after the Kentaarian army crushed and enslaved the whole orc civilization in one strike. Instead, they greeted the strangers with open arms, glad to be rid of those pesky orcs who had been tormenting them for milleniums.

Serpent City was the first city to be founded by humans in the new world, although back then it was named Forkwood City, after the neighbourhood woods. It was built from stone taken from the mountain ranges west of the city called Shadow Mountains. The spooky name comes the fact that the rocks the mountains mainly consist off are completely black. Therefor, Serpent City is nearly all completey black too.

About 400 years ago some gnome miners discovered a mysterious new blue-ish alloy in the southern mountains of the continent. The gnomes named it Thunderstone because of it's explosive qualities. The gnomes, who are known tinkers, were able to create such things as gunpowder and explosion combustion engines from this magical substance. Big markets formed around thunderstone products. When this thunderstone tech was combined with the age old human magic disciplines named Rune-Smithing (kinda lowpower magic item creation) by the tinkers of the gnome city Harrgard, such things as wargolems (big metallic warmachines, not always humanoid in form) and aircruisers (flying ships) were created which completely revelutionized the world's way of warfare and travelling.

When the aircruisers became the main tool of travel and trade in the world, the spires were built in many of the main trade cities. Colossal towers often up to 250-350 metres in height. They function as both multilevel docking stations and warehouses and as gigantic market places. The biggest one of them all is the the Serpent which is located in the centre of Serpent City (the city gets it current name from the contruct). Like the rest of the city the Serpent is made from completely black stone, except for the huge silver dragon statue that sits upon the top of the spire and circles it’s tail around the spire all the way down (a long tail, that). The idea is that the dragon sits upon it’s treasure (the treasure being the spire and all the riches it holds).

But the denizes of the western lands were not so happy, because all the profits from the thunderstone went straight to the Kentaarian Emperor. One day Lord Julius Dracani and his followers of New Leiteinscheir, a city south of Serpent City and east of Thunderstone Mountains revolted against the Empire. In the course of the following year all of the Kentaarian colonies except for Gromnburg (a city north of Shadow Mountain) joined Lord Dracani in the war. The war lasted for nearly a decade, or until the old Emperor died and his son took over, who thought that the war wasn't going be won and it would be better just to let them go. And so the western world got freedom to do whatever it wanted.

Some of the southern colonies joined New Leitenscheir into the Dracani Dynasty, ruled by King Julius Dracani I and some of the northern ones (like Serpent City) followed King Kerak, but most remained independant. But Kerak quickly came corrupted by the power and craved for more, so he raised an army and marched south. Kerak's war efforts did though not go well and lost all his followers outside of Serpent City. Then he confiscated the Serpent City's Merchant Guild's aircruiser fleet to aid him in his war efforts. This decision backfired on him though because without the fleet, the guild went out of business, this didn't exactly sit well with the guildmasters so they revolted against Kerak and chopped his head off on the palace's balconies. Now the Merchant Guild controlled Serpent City and they later founded the Union of Free Cities (usually just called 'the free cities' or 'the union') with some of the neighbourhood cities (all of which are now controlled by the guild).

The Guild is lead by a counsil of eight Guildmasters which are elected for life by guild members (which are mainly the rich people, seeing that how awfully high the entrance fee is). Non-guild members (which consist of nearly everyone) have very little rights against guild members. Still, life in the union is pretty good for most people as long as they don't get guild members against them. There are no taxes in the free cities since the guild gets all the neccasery funding from the rates they charge guild members.

The city is divided into wards, the further you go away from the spire the poorer the wards get.

• Surrounding the Serpent is the Merchant's Ward, which consists mostly of warehouses, but also holds the Guild's headquarters and the City Guard's main barracks.
• North of the Merchant's Ward is the Industrial Ward. Here you can find everything from a upperclass blacksmith's workshop to a big steampunkish factory.
• South of the Merchant's Ward you find the Upper Ward. The ward is the home to the most of the city's rich folk and bureocrats.
• Beyound the Industrial Ward, you find the Western-, Northern- and Eastern Worker's Wards. Here you find the normal middle class people of the usual city professions (workers, housewives, smiths, experts, thiefs, prostitutes etc.) living their lives.
• South of the Upper Ward there lie the Scholar's Ward and the Bard's Ward. The Scholar's Ward is a place of wisdom and teaching, there you find schools and libraries and clubs where people talk about the finer things in life and foreign poetry. The Bard's Ward is on the other hand a place of entertainment: theaters, street art and upper class harlots.
• Closest to the city walls are the Lower Wards: The poor man's home and the center of most criminal organizations in the city. The people who live there are frowned at by the rest of the city and it return the population of the Lower Wards frown back.

The City Guard are Serpent City's police force and the closest the city has to an army. The only actual uniform they wear are special red capes (which are issued by the Guild). This has resulted in their nickname: The Red Capes or just Capes. It is lead by the Dux. The position in currently held by Jareck Frost, an old fat and bad-tempered fellow. The capes' job is to fight crimes which may...

• ...make the Guild loose money.
• ...inconvience the members of the guild.
• ...trouble the non-guild citezens of the union so they won't start questioning their current rulership because the Guild doesn't really have any army to fight a possible rebellion.

The standard money unit in the world is the Silver Crown (equals one standard D&D gold piece), which then divides into 100 Cents (equals one standard D&D copper piece).