Oathbound - an overlooked setting?

[Psion]

Finally, the setting seems more suited for high level or epic play. I would imagine that most campaigns take place between 1-12 level. A lot of groups just do not enjoy high level play. Combine that with a lack of new material, bad art, and no 3.5 update and you have a recipe for meh!

Oathbound just cannot compete with Midnight, Arcana Evolved, Eberron, or FR.

I'd play Oathbound before I would play any of those.

The reasons Oathbound cannot compete with those are mostly market penetration, so don't sell it short. Midnight is the only setting even comparable to where Oathbound sits in the market. (And mad props to it for the attraction it has drawn, but after giving it a chance, I don't think Midnight is working for me. If you are looking to get into Midnight, you might check ebay soon...)

 

[Romnipotent]

The good thing about Oathbound is you can play an already "developed" character from FR or whatever you want. Play a new seed and BAM you dont have to know anything about the realm because you probably wouldn't.
I've been in an Oathbound game on IRC for a few months (when it runs) and its good. Its got everything I like, as pointed out before, politics and dungeons and the like.
I like making FR characters (power ) but I dont like FR...
I have made Eberron characters but haven't played in Eberron.
Etc Etc Etc
Oathbound is fun.

 

[qstor]

Any good links for an overview of the setting?

thanks

Mike

 

[Psion]

The good thing about Eberron is you can play an already "developed" character from FR or whatever you want. Play a new seed and BAM you dont have to know anything about the realm because you probably wouldn't.

Er, did you mean to say "The good thing about Oathbound..." ? From context, it sounds like what you are talking about. I've not seen "character importability" as a feature of Eberron.

 

[Teneb]

qstor: The first post in this thread links to a setting overview. As to the Hub, I haven't been updating it too much because I was under the impression not too many folks were looking at it, and I was going to devote my energy elsewhere. Am I wrong?

 

[Voadam]

I'm looking forward to the pdf revision of the world which will redo the prestige races to a different mechanic. The races are a neat idea but straight xp for powers is not something I have been happy with balance wise in my high level game.

I would like a huge collection of Oathbound adventures, including stuff for the higher level ranges. A collection like Atlas' en route series or the foul locales series for Hunt rise of Evil campaign would be a great pdf to pick and choose from. Particularly for higher level characters (high teens there is not much out there, although Oathbound provides lots of high CR foes).

 

[Teneb]

I'm not too familiar with these two series. Can you describe a little more what they offer that you like?

 

[Voadam]

I'm not too familiar with these two series. Can you describe a little more what they offer that you like?

A collection of short themed adventures that can be dropped into a campaign.

En route was single encounters to be done as the PCs go from point A to B either on the road or through the forest, etc. as they are doing other things.

Foul Locales I don't have yet, but basically the same thing but for short horror adventures, one themed for in cities, one themed for outside cities.

There was a collection like this for Ravenloft in 2e that I got a lot of use out of at the time, book of crypts I think it was called.

There was also various book of lairs with lots of short adventures in one source, and some in the city of greyhawk boxed set had a lot I used in their one sheet adventure, and a greyhawk adventure collection as well that was packaged as a module but I forget the name.

These were all more fleshed out than just a plot hook (complete stats and maps in addition to story hook) and more complex than just an encounter with a monster.

WotC also had book of challenges for 3e which is just short encounters.

I was expecting Mysteries of Arena to be this format exploring various neat features of Arena, but though it has many plot hooks and interesting things it only has one ready to go adventure.

 

[DMH]

Also, if you have read Mearls statement about "core stories" then I think that Oathbound fits into the mold of a setting without a core story to it.

You haven't read the adventures in the books, have you? That is the one part of the whole write up for OB is the metaplot that seems like it will end when the bound god is freed (why the hell would I want to do that?) The nice thing about the adventures is the help in giving the feel of the Forge.

Finally, the setting seems more suited for high level or epic play. I would imagine that most campaigns take place between 1-12 level. A lot of groups just do not enjoy high level play. Combine that with a lack of new material, bad art, and no 3.5 update and you have a recipe for meh!

a) Suited, but not set in stone- I have been writing up campaign seeds for low level play all over the Forge. b) "A lot of groups" is a generalization and I would prefer to see some numbers (which is impossible of course). c) There is a 3.5 update written up right now- all it needs is editing and layout; as for no new material- with 2 illnesses, BP has survived much better than MEG (who I hope will be getting Fall of Man out soon).

Every single day I learn something I wish I could immediately unlearn.

Joke all you want, but if I were a hyper person I would be bouncing off the walls waiting for the PG and WW. And I agree with Voadam about a version of Foul Locales for OB. Horrors of Penance was great, but now we need more adventures like those (but not free- I would rather pay and encourage more work).

 

[tf360]

When I was given the charge of writing and designing all of the future Oathbound materials, (starting with Wildwood and moving forward), there were four major obstacles/barriers, whatever you want to call them, that I felt needed to be addressed to take the setting to the next level so to speak.

1) Art- The art from the core rulebook, Domains of the Forge as well as Plains of Penance and Wrack and Ruin elicited only two responses-love and hate. Although I'm not certain of the percentages for each category, I'm pretty certain that the latter was certainly the more vocal of the group. Since then, we've moved away from the sinewy and highly stylistic art to more realistic or traditional fantasy art. The cover for Wildwood is a good example of the "new" look for lack of a better term. So if the art from the early books turned you off, it's pretty much gone in the latter supplements. Also the Wildwood maps were drawn by the guys from Inner Circle Games, (Denizens of Avadnu for those unfamiliar with them), so the maps are simply off the charts in terms of quality.

2) Epic Gaming- I've made a conscious effort to move the later materials, starting with Wildwood, away from emphasizing epic characters and more towards a "level neutral" approach. The disclaimer that Oathbound characters should be 7th level or higher to start off is pretty much history in my mind and in the product.

3) Rules Issues- Prestige races have undergone a major overhaul, and all of the classes and races have been updated to 3.5 (these updates appear in Wildwood and the Oathbound Player's Guide which is to follow). Other mechanical aspects of the campaign setting have also been reworked considerably, (channeling comes to mind immediately, but there are others.)

4) Anthropamorphic races- Again, some people like furries and others hate them. I'll just say this. Future Oathbound supplements after Wildwood-which has two humanoid races, two furries and one that really doesn't fit in either category, will feature far fewer furries than earlier ones.