Scarred Lands war colleges question

[Sanackranib]

Does anyone know what the actual in game benifit of attending any one of the war colleges in Darakeene is, I mean besides the obvious they teach certin fears. according to the fighter & barbarians book it takes 9 years to graduate and is expensive to boot. so besides bragging rights ie: "Clayborne alumni" etc. what do you actually get from attending a war college as opposed to just finding someone to train you in what ever feat you are looking to take for that next level?

 

[Sanackranib]

just a bump so nightfall see's this

 

[Nightfall]

To my knowledge there is no definitive benefit beyond the teaching of certain feats, and possibly having access to the College for perhaps purposes of building new school sites, perhaps training benefits (IE willingness to give certain weapons). There's no defined state for this, but perhaps that's just the same as wizards of a certain disposition training in say Hollowfaust.

 

[Sanackranib]

I feared as much. great idea with no practical game application

 

[Nightfall]

Well maybe we can retify that by offering optional rules for fighters that attend such schools.

 

[Trickstergod]

It's background and fluff mostly, which is as it should be.

Not all characters who have a background that reasonably allows them to do whatever a certain feat does will necessarily have attended whatever organization the feat is restricted to.

Furthermore, outside of house-ruling, you don't need to be taught a feat, period, anyway. Whether from a war college or a mentor. You just level up and take it, with few exceptions.

However, things that should be noted: To become a member of the Legion of Ash, you need to have attended and graduated one of the war colleges. If you haven't, you're out of luck.

Another thing that should be noted is that, pretty much, the war colleges produce PC class characters. Which is a big deal; most other lands have Warriors, not Fighters. PC's are the heroes, the exceptions, the folk who stand above their fellow man even when they come from lowly, peasant backgrounds.

For most people, however, that just doesn't cut it. The war colleges grant the training most people need to be a Fighter rather than a Warrior.

So it's not just bragging rights; those saying they graduated from Clayborne or whatever is saying "Hey, I'm deadly." They're saying they're a PC class with probably at least four or so levels. A PC hearing someone graduated from a war college is tipped off that the person's dangerous. Whereas as a background item for a PC, it well explains their ungodly power (which most PC's will have by about level 6).

 

[Nightfall]

Well I guess I can see that point Trick. But consider this: FR and Eberron do have "Favored of" kind of things. I don't see why that couldn't work for the war colleges as well. A modicrum of benefit beyond being trained in certain feats wouldn't be that far off IMHO.

 

[Sanackranib]

I also use the mongoose publishing fighting styles in my game. basicaly these have 5 levels to them that anyone with a high enough wisdom [+1 WIS bonus requires per level] can take with the limitation that only fighters can learn more then 1 style. each style has a bab req and/or feat requirements for each level and no level can be skipped - though you can stop advancing for any number of reasons like you dont meet the next requirements yet or dont have the wisdom nessicary etc. what each Level DOES do is give you some special ability, feat or psudo feat, as well as flush out the xcharacter a lot more. each level of this expertise has a time and gold cost and finding someone to teach you may or may not be a problem.

Furthermore, outside of house-ruling, you don't need to be taught a feat, period, anyway. Whether from a war college or a mentor. You just level up and take it, with few exceptions.

In my game the pc's have to train every level to advance to the next level. they can train themselves without a mentor but it takes twice as long and they dont get any benifits that they would have recieved if they had trained under a mentor which for mages means they wouldnt automatically get 2 free spels in thier book. they could put them in themselves but would have to pay the cost since they wern't using thier mentors supplies.

 

[Sanackranib]

nightfall let me know when you get the provincail map done and I will be happy to add input if you want it.

 

[Nightfall]

*sighs* I was hoping YOU'D upload it onto the site my scribe. I can't draw.