[OOC] Arcanis: The Spear of the Lohgin

[Byrons_Ghost]

Since my other games are at a bit of a lull right now I've decided to start my own. I'm looking for 4-5 players who can post once a day or so. Knowledge of the Arcanis world is helpful, but not needed, and the PHB alone is sufficient to create a character for the world. Incidentally, we'll be using the standard 3e rules until I've got an actual Revised copy; I don't want to have to worry about hunting around for all the little changes that have been posted to the web.

Those who are interested, please post your characters here. We'll be starting with the first Arcanis module, "The Spear of the Lohgin", and then we'll see where things go. Characters start at 5th level using a 32-point buy as per the DMG for attributes (and don't forget the extra attribute point you get at fourth level). Starting equipment should total no more than 9,000 gp, also as per the DMG. Characters must be non-evil, and should have at least a few paragraphs of background.

Arcanis has a number of unique features that can effect character creation:

Races: All PHB races EXCEPT halflings and half-elves are available. Major changes have been made to the elves, and slight changes to the dwarves and gnomes. There are also three new races: Ss'ressen, Val and Dark-kin. This document has the new races and summarizes changes to the existing ones:

http://www.livingarcanis.com/downloads/codex_appendix_one.doc

In short, Dark-kin are similar to Tieflings but without the ECL, and the Ss'ressen are a type of serpent person. The Val are a key part of the setting- they are literally descended from the gods. Depending on their lineage, they gain certain spell-like powers called Bloodline Powers. A val character will begin with two of these; a third one may be taken by sacrificing the character's bonus attribute point at fourth level. A list of powers can be found here:

http://www.livingarcanis.com/downloads/codex_bloodline_powers.doc

Although similar to humans, Val have enough advantages that they do not get the bonus feats or skills. Also, each bloodline has a different favorite race, but I'm not going to post those here. Ask if you're interested in a certain bloodline.

Classes: All classes are allowed with the following rules:

Divine classes- anyone who gains divine magic of any form must have a patron diety (posted below).

Paladins- Instead of paladins, we will be using holy warriors from the Book of the Righteous, only holy warriors can be of any alignment, and serve any sort of patron diety.

Psionics- Only vals may take the psionic classes, due to the celestial blood in their veins.

Sorcerers- Because of the lack of magic in their heritage, humans may not be sorcerers, only wizards.

Courtiers- Because the pcs will be dealing directly with nobles and lieges, I have decided to use this class from Rokugan instead of the Aristocrat class, and to open it up to PCs.

Prestige Classes: Your characters can start with prestige classes if they meet the requirements, or be working toward one. I have all the WotC splatbooks and a number of other books that might have classes people are interested in, such as Relics & Rituals, AEG's Good, and Book of the Righteous. For those with the Hunt, the classes associated with Gildor and Dunreth would also be appropriate (and possibly others). In short, I'll allow a lot of stuff, but be sure to ask me first- I can't think of any one book where I'd allow everything listed.

For those with the Codex Arcanis, the following Prestige Classes will be open: Order of St. Theomund, Tal Kanath, Sharp Shooter, and val'Mehan Emissary.

Feats: All new feats from the Codex Arcanis are allowable. The only one I think needs to be mentioned for those without the book is the "Gentry" feat, which makes you minor nobility. This makes Ride and Diplomacy class skills, and also allows for IC access to firearms (see below).

Feats from most other books should be alright, but ask first.

Equipment: As mentioned above, Arcanis uses Rennaissance-era firearms. In order to legally carry a firearm (and to get access to ammunition), one must be a noble. This means that one must either be Val, or possess the Gentry feat. All countries have severe penalties for those illegally carrying firearms, though that's not to say you can't try.

The statistics for firearms are the same as the DMG, but far more expensive (1,000 gp for a pistol and 2,000 for a musket). There are no grenades. To make the firearms a little more worthwhile, I will be using the "Penetration" rules. Simply put, firearms go through armor better than most weapons. Pistols have a PEN rating of 2, muskets a PEN rating of 4. This is subtracted from the defender's nonmagical armor rating (armor + natural bonuses) when firing at them. There are no genades in Arcanis.

I think that's about it for chargen rules. The next post will have more information on the setting, such as countries and dieties.

 

[Byrons_Ghost]

Setting

From the Living Arcanis page:

It's like the end of the world.

In the north, the nation of Canceri begins to buckle from the weight of the theocracy's oppressive rule- most pray for death, and the rest, for deliverance.

Enemies gather round the proud nation of Milandir, each one eager to pull down its bright towers and humble its defenders. Fear gnaws at Milandir's people, and they begin to lose hope.

To the south, the once mighty Coryani Empire sleeps under an indifferent ruler, while its greatest general bides his time, waiting to seize the throne for his own noble house. The Imperial Court looks on like a flock of carrion crows, ready to pick apart the corpse of the land.

The besieged Patriarch of Coryan works tirelessly to reconcile the beliefs of dozens of splinter sects, each one warring upon the others and poised to tear down mother church itself. Everywhere the speakers for the gods look heavenward for guidance, and hear nothing... but silence.

The scions of the great noble houses harken to the blood of the ancient Valinor in their veins, blood that bids them to serve the gods by ruling over the rest of humanity. Plots born from an ancient treachery begin to reach fruition in the present machinations of emperors and kings.

All over the continent of Onara, strife threatens to tear the nations of man apart. It's like the end of the old world... And the beginning of a new.


That should give you an intro of what the world is like. There is a list of countries, and a few sample groups, here:

http://www.livingarcanis.com/abo.htm

Characters aren't required to belong to a faction, I've just included the link for informational purposes. The game will begin in the Kingdom of Milandir, a small nation which broke away from the Empire in order to follow their own codes of chivalry and nobility. The main point of contention was slavery: Milandir has no slaves, everyone is considered a Freeman. However, the royal heir is still young, so the country is governed by a small council of regents.

Characters will begin in service to one of these Regents: Victor val'Holryn, Duke of Tralia. He is known as a good ruler and an honorable man. He has dispatched your group to the town of Ashvan, near the northern border, to investigate a strange plague that has occurred there. Gameplay will begin as the characters are entering Ashvan.

The default homeland for the characters will be Milandir, but characters may hail from other lands with a good background concept. Regardless of origin, the characters will have to have sworn fealty to the Duke in order to work for him.

 

[Byrons_Ghost]

Religion

Religion plays a major role in Arcanis. All the families of the Val are descended in one form or another from the gods, and they have been given divine mandate to guide the land. The gods themselves are distant, often considered uncaring, but worshipped because of their acknowledged might.

Arcanis differs from most fantasy religions in one key element- alignment. The gods are do not have alignments themselves, and their worshippers may be of any alignment. Certain gods tend toward certain alignments, of course, but a worshipper of the God of Death could be a healer as easily as a necromancer.

Because of this departing from alignment, the Good, Evil, Law, and Chaos domains are combined into a single domain: Holy, which is then flavored by the alignment of the caster.

The following is a brief description of the gods of the Pantheon, which are followed by everyone except the elves (who instead serve elemental powers, and are not on good terms with the Pantheon).

For space considerations, I am not including the list of domains or the Val family associated with each diety. I can post information for a specific diety or family for those players who are interested.

Althares: God of artifice and knowledge. He is the patron of the Altherians and taught them how to make blast powder.

Anshar: Goddess of travel, endurance, and pain. She looks after the lost and outcast, and tends the portals of Arcanis. She does not have a formal clergy, but is instead served by wandering mendicants and ascetics.

Beltine: Goddess of the afterlife and of medicine. Wife of Neroth. Her priests are both healers and morticians. Beltine is said to forge the souls of the living, allotting them their time on Onara.

Cadic: God of rogues, darkness, night, and stealth. Patron of criminals and assassins. He is known for his quiet, brutal pragmatism, and is considered to do those tasks which Illir does not want to be associated with. Ironically, Cadic is the lover of Larissa.

Hurrian: God of storms and warriors. He is also known as the Reluctant Warrior, one who fights out of necessity rather than joy. He is said to have been disfigured saving his father Illir from demons; his priests wear masks in honor of this sacrifice.

Illir: God of light and truth. His followers are often nobility, and he is the official patron of Coryan. He is the stern father-figure of the gods, meting out both compassion and justice. It was he who cursed the giants and made them into dwarves. His priesthood is exclusively male, and is complemented by the priestesses of his wife, Saluwe.

The Fire Dragon: Patron of the Ss'ressen, the Fire Dragon is thought to be another aspect of either Nier or Saluwe, depending upon the tribe worshipping it.

Larissa: Goddess of love, passion, and fortune. Lover of Cadic. Once an oracle, she gave herself over to hedonism when she was unable to cope with her visions, and her clergy followed suit.

Neroth: God of death and disease. He is responsible for the death of the body while his wife Beltine collects the soul. However, the faithful of Neroth believe they will be given eternal life as undead beings. He is one of the three patrons of Canceri, and his religion is sardonic and nihilistic. His followers often practice self-mortification to bring themselves closer to him

Nier: God of flame war, and destruction. Unlike his brother Hurrian, Nier delights in carnage and warfare. His followers are fanatic militants and among the fiercest fighters in Arcanis. He is the second patron of Canceri.

Saluwe: Goddess of nature and fertility. Wife of Illir. Her priesthood is entirely female, and contains as many druids as priests. They preside over weddings and harvests. Her priestesses are calm and placating unless confronted by brutality toward women or nature; then nothing can hold them back from vengeance.

Sarish: Lord of oaths, magic, and otherworldly contracts. Sarish is the chief of devils, and his worshippers are primarily spellcasters seeking control over such beings. He and his servants must respect the contract they make, but they are experts at twisting things to destroy the bargainer. He is the third patron of Canceri.

Yarris: God of sailors and the sea. Both he and his priests are known for their violent mood swings. His worship is common in any seafaring country (ie most countries in Arcanis).

Finally there is Belisadra. She is the patroness of the elves, and of life and the elements. At one time she was one of the five elemental gods worshipped by the elves, but the other four were slain in battles with the gods of the Pantheon. She and her followers (all elves) still harbor a grudge against the other races for this, particularly humans and the val.

 

[tburdett]

I am interested in playing and I will post a character as soon as I get home from work.

I am thinking either a Ftr/Rog or a straight class Ftr.

 

[Argent Silvermage]

Once I get a chance to look this info over I'll post a character.
Was thinking Paladin but I don't have access to the book you mention so can't. Give me a few to think about it.

 

[Byrons_Ghost]

Glad to have you both aboard! Take as long as you need with characters, I doubt we'll be getting much done over the weekend.

Argent- if you want to do a paladin type character, I can help you with the info from the book. Actually, the holy warrior is pretty much the same as the paladin, but alterable for any type of diety or religion.

So, you can go ahead and create a paladin, and the class' abilities can replicate it exactly. Then, depending on your diety, concept, etc, we can either keep the progression the same or change things a little if you want to try something different.

BTW Illir would be the sort of "generic" paladin diety. Variants could also serve Hurrian (for more defensive types) or Anshar (for knights-errant). So go with the paladin for now, and based on diety chose I'll give you some other options that you can take or not, as you like.

 

[Argent Silvermage]

Glad to have you both aboard! Take as long as you need with characters, I doubt we'll be getting much done over the weekend.

Argent- if you want to do a paladin type character, I can help you with the info from the book. Actually, the holy warrior is pretty much the same as the paladin, but alterable for any type of diety or religion.

So, you can go ahead and create a paladin, and the class' abilities can replicate it exactly. Then, depending on your diety, concept, etc, we can either keep the progression the same or change things a little if you want to try something different.

BTW Illir would be the sort of "generic" paladin diety. Variants could also serve Hurrian (for more defensive types) or Anshar (for knights-errant). So go with the paladin for now, and based on diety chose I'll give you some other options that you can take or not, as you like.

Actualy I was envisioning a Paladin of the sea god. Sort of a chaotic good Swashbuckler type.

 

[Argent Silvermage]

Actualy I was envisioning a Paladin of the sea god. Sort of a chaotic good Swashbuckler type.

Just had a brain storm. His diety will be Hurrian. and he will wait until 7th level to call a pegasus for a steed.

 

[tburdett]

Still reading the material. I'll get something done and posted this weekend.

 

[Byrons_Ghost]

Cool.

Argent, I'm going over the BotR stuff now, I'll have some alternate powers posted later tonight for you to consider.

Tburdett: Don't worry about reading too much right off the bat, that's one of the reason's I'm starting with a packaged module, so people can get a feel for the world. Once you leave town and hit the swamp, none of the politics or background will matter.

This might be a good time to mention, just as fair warning: this module has enough undead to make Bruce Campbell think twice about making a character, even one with a boomstick. Just so you know. I'll tone things down some if we don't end up with a priest.