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Message: <blockquote data-quote="malcolm_n" data-source="post: 5270104" data-attributes="member: 63154">Sorry, running a little late this week.  I started a new job and am trying to get used to the hours (4am-9:30 avg).Anywho, I've been working on some photo edits of my own this last week.  They're on the facebook page we made last week (see above post).  I'm not very good yet, but at least if I get them done, I can include them and say that I was able to finish 90% of my book on my own.  Now, there's an accomplishment.So, I picked up my copy of the Dark Sun Campaign Setting this week.  I was a little more than surprised to see some of my own work has similarities to the stuff in there.  The world is without gods, arcane magic is outlawed....  Hmm, come to think of it, there aren't any more immediately obvious things that match.  Well, that makes me happy.  Either way, I figured I'd spend this week comparing our newest WotC campaign setting with my own; as sort of an exercise to show myself (and include everybody here) that I'm on the right track.[sblock=Athas vs. Pnumadesi]Story:  Athas is a world that magic has destroyed, and is still destroying.  Long ago, the gods died or left Athas to its own devices, nobody really knows why or to what purpose.  Arcane power defiles the land, so the benevolent (cough) sorcerer kings have outlawed its use outside of their control.  The deserts of the world make life difficult for everybody, and a scarcity of metal forces would-be heroes to adorn themselves in hides, scales, and glass.Pnumadesi is a world separated by the gods, who are still very much in existance, but leave the central continent alone to grow or die as it would.  The elementals of Pnumadesi have a longstanding hatred for arcane magic because it has always been the power most sought to defeat them.  When the magelords of the continent finally fought themselves into a standstill with the elementals, they decided to split Pnumadesi with their own power and pulled half away for their own use.  Metal armor and heroes still exist; in fact, the world has a natural process of creating heroes who the masses call children of destiny.  Adventurers on Pnumadesi have a purpose all to their own, which often equates to preventing or starting some world altering event, for good or ill.Mechanics:  Dark Sun introduces several new mechanical tools to help you flesh out the world of Athas.  Alternate options for enhancement progression, arcane defiling, sidebars on including races/classes that shouldn't exist, wild talents and themes are all things characters and DMs can use to parse out a Dark Sun campaign.  The world becomes a great place for experienced players and DMs to test their mettle when they want to learn and utilize every available option.Pnumadesi hosts a new power scheme, called signature powers, racial progeny feats, a generic class build, nonstandard magic items, and an explanation for why and how most races and classes still exist on the continent.  No new learning process, as the mechanics involved in each have already been introduced in some way or another, thank you wizards.  Via this, Pnuamdesi fits the role of a campaign that's available to DMs and players who maybe aren't as experienced and prefer a setting without more bells and rickata-rackata (go go Smoochy).Races: The mul and the thrikreen receive full racial options and write-ups.  A third race, the half-giants (goliaths) receive fluff and feats with no new mechanical updates.  Each other existing race gets some backstory, even if it is to say they were destroyed long ago and should only be included if the DM allows.The ursaren, vedros, and xendauni round out the new racial options within Pnumadesi.  In addition, each race available through the GSL has backstory and a couple options seeded throughout to fit them into the world.  Pnumadesi also offers a host of backstories for potential races which can be flavored into those currently available to play something different.Classes: In Athas, players have the option of using themes and several new builds for existing classes to round out their characters.  25 new paths spread out through races and themes round out the paragon tier and there are 5 setting-specific ways to complete your epic destiny as a character in Dark Sun.Players in the world of Pnumadesi can create a totemist or a sentinel; and they can also enhance their current class with a signature power.  20 Paragon paths offer a mix of race or class choices since the races of Pnumadesi are defined by society for their individual talents more than their job or hobby.  3 setting-wide epic destinies focus on being a particularly powerful member of one's race, an arcane master, or an immortal being who watches the daily trappings of life.Support: WotC has changed things up this year, and combined the campaign guide with the player's guide for Dark Sun.  This freed them up to also make a monster manual-esque book for the world and still hold to their mantra of 1 setting = 3 books and that's it.Pnumadesi is a world with 6 (known) continents.  One or more of these continents will be featured in each upcoming player's companion, in addition to being featured in the world companion as a basic concept for running the game.  By this time next year, I look forward to being back here, talking to you about the Cas'Dilae and Yokaizi Deren focused player's companion, along with a monstrous companion featuring creatures across the four available continents of that time.[/sblock]As always, I hope this was an insightful update.  As to a preview, here's a look at paragon paths.  I'll be back next week, enjoy![sblock=paragon paths]Adventurers in the world of Pnumadesi have mastered techniques powerful and dangerous.  The races of the world become so ingrained in their specialty, that one can safely assume the halfling they just passed was a Capitalist; yet it wouldn’t be quite as recognized that his tiefling friend was also trained in the same fashion.  Such glaring assumptions ring true more often than not.    This player’s companion offers you 20 new paragon paths with which to customize your hero.  Each is given fluff for the world of Pnumadesi, but all are equally available anywhere.    ANNODAM HIGHBORNMy life is already lost.  You can do little else.    Prerequisites:  Annodam or Barbarian    Annodam highborn are usually the sons or daughters of the present king.  Sons are pitted against one another to vie for a chance to usurp while daughters are held in high regard by their peers and elders for the strong blood they were born with.  Not surprisingly, many highborn annodam run away at the first opportunity to start a life they want instead of one forced upon them.  Because of this, the annodam aren’t afraid to welcome anybody as a highborn who is tough enough to defeat their children.Annodam Highborn Features    Dangerous Power (11th level):  You gain Power Attack as a bonus feat.  If you can already use power attack, you only take a -1 penalty to attack rolls when using it.    Threatening Action (11th level):  When you spend an action point to take an extra action, you also gain one benefit of your choice until the end of your next turn.  Choose from the following.-    An enemy you can see within 5 squares of you is marked by you.-    An enemy you can see within 5 squares of you takes a -2 penalty to attack you.    Born to Rage (12th level):  You gain one 10th level or lower barbarian utility power.  When you use that power, you are considered raging.  You cannot select a power you already have.    Berserk (16th level):  Once per encounter, when you score a critical hit with any attack power, you can immediately make a melee basic attack as a free action.  You do not have to attack the same target that you scored a critical hit against.  If you have the Rampage barbarian feature, you get a +2 bonus to the attack.Annodam Highborn PowersOverpower    Annodam Highborn Attack 11You sweep into the enemy’s strike with a vicious attack of your own.Encounter • Primal, WeaponImmediate Interrupt    Melee weaponTrigger:  An enemy attacks youTarget:  The triggering enemyAttack:  Strength vs. ACHit:  2[W] + Strength modifier damage and the target misses you.Stonekeeper’s Rage    Annodam Highborn Attack 20Only the annodam could instill in a person such a hatred of life.Daily • Primal, Rage, WeaponStandard Action    Close blast 3Target:  Each creature in blastAttack:  Strength vs. AC, one attack per targetHit:  4[W] + Strength modifier damage and the target is dazed (save ends).Miss:  Half damage and the target is dazed until the end of its next turn.Effect:  You enter the rage of the stonekeeper.  Once per round, until the rage ends, you can make the following attack against an adjacent creature.    Standard Action    Melee weapon    Attack:  Strength vs. Fortitude    Hit:  The target is petrified until the start of your next turn.    Aftereffect:  2[W] + Strength modifier damage and the target cannot be petrified again until the start of your next turn.[/sblock]</blockquote>

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