I'm creating a low magic renaissance world.
The name (still to fix) is Crystaldawn
People
The wold is mostly populated by humans, except that there are some gnomes (native from the islands in the south), a few elves in the woods (more gentle and fey-like than the D&D elves) and a strong strain of Hobgoblins that dwell in the barren lands of the north.
Places
Most of the campaign should take place in a country on the west side of the continent, next to the sea, similar in climate and in political status to renaissance italy (courts, small independant states).
In the south we have mariner countries (many islands, also), a hotter climate and pirates.
In the north there is a cold forest (such as the northern Russia) where the hobgoblins have their strongholds.
In the center of the continent there are large plains where there is a more medieval type or kingdom.
In the very easr (that can be reached also from the west sailing around the globe) there is another renaissance-like country.
History
After a dark age that lasted thousand years the people of Crystaldawn are now raising to a new life.
Very few know something about the "Ages of Legend" that where before the dark times. There are some miths, but almost no certaint knowledge. The only almost certaint fact is that there has been a glacial period at the beginning of the dark ages (while the climate now is getting hotter).
Magic
Magic is different from the standard D&D setting.
The most important spellcaster is the Alchemist that gets his power from skillfully mixing special components (mostly gems and metal powder); he can produce many pyrotechnic effects (fireballs, lightnings, frost), some healing and polymorphing.
Another "spellcaster" is the Mystic, a solitary person devoted to meditation, that though his determined soul and will can defend himself, heal and find knowledge about the past. Still many of his powerful spells require a long meditation time to be cast successfully.
The last magician is the Artist: with different specialities (music, poetry, oratory, tumbling) he can achieve effect on the other people (mostly charms and other mind-affecting spells). He can also create works of art so good that can have permanent magical effects.
While alchemical items, potions and other single use magical items are common, permanent magic items are rare. Weapons and armor, usually, are creations of great artisans and not of alchemists; magical artwork is becoming more common, but is more limited in scope.
Religion
In the world of crystaldawn the souls of people reincarnate (but with nearly no memories of the past, except something that can be found in dreams) and so there is no afterlife. Also there are no gods, at least for what is known to the people: there where tales of strange rituals and effects in the beginning of the dark ages, but now it's all lost and forgotten.
Except in the medieval-like kingdom in the center of the continent, where two centuries ago some people started preaching Aylar, the One God. This is a monotheistic religion (Aylar is between LN and LG) that has gained much power by now inside of the kingdom, but is nearly non-existant outside .. but the church is ambitious and wants the whole world (to let him live peacefully under the illuminated Speaker of Aylar, they say, but the other countries don't share this vision)
The religious order is divided bewteen Priests (less combat oriented than the D&D clerics, some new abilities and less offensive spells) and the Zealots (paladin-like, either LN (steel zealots) or LG (white zealots), skilled in fighting with metal longspears).
[I have still to write down the rules for these classes, but since it won't be available to the PC and won't probably appear at the beginning of the campaign I'll wait a bit]
Tech
The world of Crystaldawn is advanced: there are sophisticated clockwork devices, advanced crossbows (double crossbows and repeating crossbows) and even gunpowder (guns and muskets).
Combat
In crystaldawn most noble people fence with skill using sharp rapiers instead of heavy swords.
Cavalry is still important, but the evolution in projectile weapons and the use of very long pikes has changed the way the battles are won.
In the kingdom and also in the north among the hobgoblins the longsword-and-shield fighting is still common, and warriors are still heavy armored.
Culture
Expecially in the more advanced countries the cultural level is high, and the princes pay lots to have the best artists and sages in their lands.
Manners are more refined, and when at a party people must be very well behaved to avoid beging bad considered and thus loosing many chances of buisness.
Important things for D&D rules
- The world is low level: a 13th level character is nearly epic.
- Magic works through skill checks (except for Aylar's followers)
- The classes have been redesigned: fighter and rouge are the same, the ranger is changed, the bard has become the artist, the wizard became the alchemist; there are no clerics, druids, paladins, sorcerors and monks, even if the mystic is something between a monk, a cleric and a paladin. The Aristocrat is a PC class (with bonus feats).
- Custom feats are used to create the Fencing fighting style
Inspirations
- Renaissance european (expecially italian) art and history
- The Three Musketeers
(still other to add)
Part of the drafts are available on my website (http://digilander.iol.it/gpetruc/crystaldawn)
(still to update, but most of the rules stuff is there)
While there is still much to do (expecially the geography: I've only got a map and the city population made using a demography spreadsheet), but something I was also considering is what it could be a starting adventure.
My idea was: small city, the prince decleared two days of parties and celebrations because spring is coming and the prince's son is beging engaged to marry a nearby daughter of a princess (thus expanding the city's area of influence). The neighbouring duke is unhappy of this, as he
is interested in controlling most of the area. So he sends concealed emissaries to try to create a big mess and, hopefully, killing the prince's son (trough poison, probably). the PCs learn something about this by a drunk street artist that is immediatly killed when the others find out this.
There is also a conspiration, organized by a demagogue (an artist with the oratory powers) to overthrow the ruling aristocracy. (they are fanatics, probably the PCs should go against them).
Ideas/suggestions are welcome
(both on the world and on the starting adventure)
If you want more details, I'll post them.
The name (still to fix) is Crystaldawn
People
The wold is mostly populated by humans, except that there are some gnomes (native from the islands in the south), a few elves in the woods (more gentle and fey-like than the D&D elves) and a strong strain of Hobgoblins that dwell in the barren lands of the north.
Places
Most of the campaign should take place in a country on the west side of the continent, next to the sea, similar in climate and in political status to renaissance italy (courts, small independant states).
In the south we have mariner countries (many islands, also), a hotter climate and pirates.
In the north there is a cold forest (such as the northern Russia) where the hobgoblins have their strongholds.
In the center of the continent there are large plains where there is a more medieval type or kingdom.
In the very easr (that can be reached also from the west sailing around the globe) there is another renaissance-like country.
History
After a dark age that lasted thousand years the people of Crystaldawn are now raising to a new life.
Very few know something about the "Ages of Legend" that where before the dark times. There are some miths, but almost no certaint knowledge. The only almost certaint fact is that there has been a glacial period at the beginning of the dark ages (while the climate now is getting hotter).
Magic
Magic is different from the standard D&D setting.
The most important spellcaster is the Alchemist that gets his power from skillfully mixing special components (mostly gems and metal powder); he can produce many pyrotechnic effects (fireballs, lightnings, frost), some healing and polymorphing.
Another "spellcaster" is the Mystic, a solitary person devoted to meditation, that though his determined soul and will can defend himself, heal and find knowledge about the past. Still many of his powerful spells require a long meditation time to be cast successfully.
The last magician is the Artist: with different specialities (music, poetry, oratory, tumbling) he can achieve effect on the other people (mostly charms and other mind-affecting spells). He can also create works of art so good that can have permanent magical effects.
While alchemical items, potions and other single use magical items are common, permanent magic items are rare. Weapons and armor, usually, are creations of great artisans and not of alchemists; magical artwork is becoming more common, but is more limited in scope.
Religion
In the world of crystaldawn the souls of people reincarnate (but with nearly no memories of the past, except something that can be found in dreams) and so there is no afterlife. Also there are no gods, at least for what is known to the people: there where tales of strange rituals and effects in the beginning of the dark ages, but now it's all lost and forgotten.
Except in the medieval-like kingdom in the center of the continent, where two centuries ago some people started preaching Aylar, the One God. This is a monotheistic religion (Aylar is between LN and LG) that has gained much power by now inside of the kingdom, but is nearly non-existant outside .. but the church is ambitious and wants the whole world (to let him live peacefully under the illuminated Speaker of Aylar, they say, but the other countries don't share this vision)
The religious order is divided bewteen Priests (less combat oriented than the D&D clerics, some new abilities and less offensive spells) and the Zealots (paladin-like, either LN (steel zealots) or LG (white zealots), skilled in fighting with metal longspears).
[I have still to write down the rules for these classes, but since it won't be available to the PC and won't probably appear at the beginning of the campaign I'll wait a bit]
Tech
The world of Crystaldawn is advanced: there are sophisticated clockwork devices, advanced crossbows (double crossbows and repeating crossbows) and even gunpowder (guns and muskets).
Combat
In crystaldawn most noble people fence with skill using sharp rapiers instead of heavy swords.
Cavalry is still important, but the evolution in projectile weapons and the use of very long pikes has changed the way the battles are won.
In the kingdom and also in the north among the hobgoblins the longsword-and-shield fighting is still common, and warriors are still heavy armored.
Culture
Expecially in the more advanced countries the cultural level is high, and the princes pay lots to have the best artists and sages in their lands.
Manners are more refined, and when at a party people must be very well behaved to avoid beging bad considered and thus loosing many chances of buisness.
Important things for D&D rules
- The world is low level: a 13th level character is nearly epic.
- Magic works through skill checks (except for Aylar's followers)
- The classes have been redesigned: fighter and rouge are the same, the ranger is changed, the bard has become the artist, the wizard became the alchemist; there are no clerics, druids, paladins, sorcerors and monks, even if the mystic is something between a monk, a cleric and a paladin. The Aristocrat is a PC class (with bonus feats).
- Custom feats are used to create the Fencing fighting style
Inspirations
- Renaissance european (expecially italian) art and history
- The Three Musketeers
(still other to add)
Part of the drafts are available on my website (http://digilander.iol.it/gpetruc/crystaldawn)
(still to update, but most of the rules stuff is there)
While there is still much to do (expecially the geography: I've only got a map and the city population made using a demography spreadsheet), but something I was also considering is what it could be a starting adventure.
My idea was: small city, the prince decleared two days of parties and celebrations because spring is coming and the prince's son is beging engaged to marry a nearby daughter of a princess (thus expanding the city's area of influence). The neighbouring duke is unhappy of this, as he
is interested in controlling most of the area. So he sends concealed emissaries to try to create a big mess and, hopefully, killing the prince's son (trough poison, probably). the PCs learn something about this by a drunk street artist that is immediatly killed when the others find out this.
There is also a conspiration, organized by a demagogue (an artist with the oratory powers) to overthrow the ruling aristocracy. (they are fanatics, probably the PCs should go against them).
Ideas/suggestions are welcome
(both on the world and on the starting adventure)
If you want more details, I'll post them.
