(Recruiting) The Fall of Zathas

[Theroc]

The average on a die is equal to the sum of it's faces divided by the number of faces.

Learn something new everyday.

A warforged would likely be viewed by others as a golem of some sort initially. It certainly wouldn't be common to see them around.

Alrighty. I'm trying to determine whether or not he'd actually have much of an identity then. As in, he'd be encouraged not to have one, now I need to decide whether he'll rebel against the concept or attempt to conform.

If your not a fighter, no weapon specialization feat chain. If you take up to 2 levels in fighter you wouldn't need to look at the book. After that you get more into double feats and feat boosts.

Okay. 2 levels of fighter you say? I'll probably take those first two levels, then roll into barbarian afterwards. I'll start attempting work on a character sheet soon.

Another question: Will I be permitted to use Warforged Feats from the Races of Eberron book and the Eberron Campaign book?

All of those feats are available at the crystal keep website.

And another question: What are the benefits of a higher rank in the scheme of Zathas? Is it a primarily roleplay benefit? Are there tangible advantages? Just wondering what it is, as you didn't exactly say how rank affects a player save the ability to order people around. Does one lead men during adventures with a higher rank?

 

[GlassEye]

Expressing interest here. And...I have the BoXM. I'm leaning towards wizard but fighter domains look interesting as well. I'll work on a character concept and post it fairly soonish. Any Earth culture analog that might help me visualize the setting? (Seems on first glance to be somewhat Spartan + Babylonian). Ah, cleric is also a possibility... You got a blurb on the pantheon you use?

 

[Creamsteak]

Another question: Will I be permitted to use Warforged Feats from the Races of Eberron book and the Eberron Campaign book?

Sure.

Expressing interest here. And...I have the BoXM. I'm leaning towards wizard but fighter domains look interesting as well. I'll work on a character concept and post it fairly soonish. Any Earth culture analog that might help me visualize the setting? (Seems on first glance to be somewhat Spartan + Babylonian). Ah, cleric is also a possibility... You got a blurb on the pantheon you use?

I wouldn't give anything a strict comparison for culture. The culture of the Empire of Sumar is like a technologically advanced (to the age of steel) version of an early Babylonian/Mesopatamian/Greek/Roman/Indian/Persian culture. A real melting pot honestly (with all the good and bad that comes with that). But the City of Zathus is more like a long term warcamp of spartans headed by Christopher Columbus into the new world. With their backs against the ocean and only hundreds of miles of enemies in front of them.

This game is set in the second of five epochs of my homebrew campaign setting. You would have only vague ideas of the first (each is seperated by enough boom that I can run them as distinct games).

The first epoch is a world just created. Lovecraftian horrors (Titans) and the equivelent of Celestials/Demons (Inevitables) walk the earth pretty commonly. At the end of that epoch, most of them have been sealed away. Somewhat similar to the Scarred Lands if anyone is familiar with it. The only reason I mention this is because it's possible that characters may encounter remnants of this or cultures that still worship these things.

The second epoch (the one this campaign takes place during) is a world full of what is essentially points of light in a sea of the darkness. I've run this as E6 before to represent how that works out. Nations are starting to form, and different cultures are just starting to show their faces at this point. Anyone can become a hero, and magic is rare but potentially very powerful.

King Marduk is believed to be 400 years old or so at this point in the game. Governor-General Zathus died in his mid-hundreds. Rumors of heroes that carry the blood of immortals are not uncommon. So a Greek/Roman/Babylonian mythology is somewhat accurate. Gods are often much more hyborean (Conan) in that they are usually real heroes and monsters that exist or did exist in recent history. I wouldn't even rank them as demigod status though by Dieties and Demigods standards.

At this point in the setting, most divinity is still very abstract. There are a handful of ascended gods, but most are physically present in the world. It's not a set in stone path though, and not everyone that is close is going to get there (or stay for very long). So from my perspective, you can take any combination of domains that work for you.

If you find a village worshipping a really big snake, it might very well be granting their clerics spells. But not every big snake is going to do that, and it might not give the snake itself any sort of magical power.

This link has a fairly well fleshed out pantheon, so if you feel like taking one of the gods described in the historic section as your own - that fits. But it's not something hard-coded right now. http://www.crystalkeep.com/d20/rules/DnD3.5Index-Deities.pdf

 

[Theroc]

What are the benefits of higher ranks in the military; besides the obvious "Less people can tell you what to do". I mean, being a militocracy, chances are we'd be sent on missions as our adventures regardless.

So, what benefits do higher ranks afford?

 

[Creamsteak]

What are the benefits of higher ranks in the military; besides the obvious "Less people can tell you what to do". I mean, being a militocracy, chances are we'd be sent on missions as our adventures regardless.

So, what benefits do higher ranks afford?

Simply by being a member of the Military Caste you have no legally recognized rights. That goes so far as to include basic human rights.

Someone with a rank of 1 might be a small child, an elderly grandmother, a town guard, or a 36 year veteran with more combat experience than half the army combined.

Someone with a rank of 2 has legal authority over anyone with a rank of 1 that they so choose to take authority over (that is not already under the orders/commands of someone with a rank of 2 or higher). It's a simple no-nonsense system that demands respect from ones superiors and responsibility towards ones subordinates.

This made sense on landing in the wild lands... when everyone was a soldier. But war has persisted in one form or another for a long time now. There are families here now. There are farms. There are merchants and hospitals and even a select few nobles. The structure largely adapted as necessity saw fit. A system of hard and fast law that asked no questions and gave no quarter has been bogged down by additional caveats and rules over generations. Because a corrupt chain of command could easily take actions that harm their subordinates unduly, the middle years when the last of the original expedition were aging out were full of protectionist clauses and rules. Quickly, a series of microgovernments formed within the militocracy. Members of the 5th regiment follow different rules than members of the 6th regiment.

The best analogy I can think of is the roman army. People carry their units pride on their shoulders.

For a PC, the value of this is all in how you use it. The use you mentioned is defensive in nature (I can avoid some authority). The opposite angle would be offensive in the nature (I can have some authority). Neither of which are actually very useful in the hands of someone who doesn't understand them. The real power is visible in the hands of someone that can use them to fulfill goals. Maybe those goals are political in nature, or perhaps more tyrannical, or perhaps more civic. It represents just as much a responsibility as it does an advantage, so at the end of the day it's somewhat of a wash.

Note that the feat (if taken) isn't the only way to earn a rank. Anyone can be promoted with or without a feat. What it represents is an advantage over others of similar standing and reputation. It's also something that I'll put a lot of weight on for how NPCs treat a person. Maybe there's a circumstance bonus/penalty to some diplomacy checks or similar, but that's on my side of the table and I won't make any declarations one way or another regarding it.

 

[Theroc]

Alright. I think I understand the concept of the feat, if not how best to use it. Thanks. Will start work on the sheet sometime today.

 

[Shayuri]

I am interested. Considering ideas now.

Is this caste system equally applicable to all races, or do nonhuman races have their own setup?

Are all classes equally applicable in any caste? That is, do you find warriors among merchant castes? Noble caste barbarians or rogues? Etc.

 

[Theroc]

Another question, I believe I know the answer but wish to clarify.

Warforged who have plating cannot wear armor. That means you will allow this armor to be enchanted in the future, yes?

 

[Creamsteak]

I am interested. Considering ideas now.

Is this caste system equally applicable to all races, or do nonhuman races have their own setup?

Within the confines of the city, everyone has a designated caste according to the system that rules. So it would be equally applied to anyone. Some outsiders would, of course, be treated as nobles or merchants in line with their status and occupation. So a trader from a foreign nation would be of the merchant caste (and there would be some abstract sense that he is bartering for the will of his country/tribe/people within which there is at least one member of the noble caste). They essentially view everyone from the confines of their own government, for all internal purposes.

That said, however, it's unique to this civilization. Everyone outside of the empire would have their own differing systems. The indigenous people of the area would also have their own cultures and systems.

Are all classes equally applicable in any caste? That is, do you find warriors among merchant castes? Noble caste barbarians or rogues? Etc.

Yes, they are all applicable. Caste is a birth right for nobles/merchants (or one forced upon someone in the case of the military caste). It does not determine how a person will develop. There are countless members of the supposed military caste that are nothing more than farmers and laborers. Similarly, someone born to a noble family that is an incredible fighter would not be unlikely. He would not, however, be permitted to change his caste as they are all set.

- - -

Also, I havn't really gotten into this, but there are people who forge documents and attempt to fake their caste or otherwise change it. It's certainly not impossible, and if a PC wants to attempt it they are welcome to. It is, however, notably dangerous.

 

[Creamsteak]

Another question, I believe I know the answer but wish to clarify.

Warforged who have plating cannot wear armor. That means you will allow this armor to be enchanted in the future, yes?

Yes, they can.