Searching for a Brutal, and Harsh Setting.

[Dark Helmet]

Then there's always Warhammer Fantasy. Even if you don't use the exact setting, you should read through the books to get a good feel of how a dark, harsh setting should look like. I like how the WF setting has a nice Greyhawk meets Call of Cthulhu feel to it.

 

[Wormwood]

Then there's always Warhammer Fantasy.

I second that. I suppose you could do a decent d20 conversion if you expanded the disease rules a bit and removed magical healing (although I'd give the WHFRP rules a close look beforee deciding to go with d20. They do their job pretyy well)

 

[Scott814thmpco]

Hi-
oops, forgot about WFRP, now thats a brutal and harsh high renaissance setting, kinda like the German states of the 14th and 15th centry's.
This setting has CoC type monsters, Macavalian type intrigue at every corner. The setting is brutal and harsh but in a macavalian type of way.
Forgot Fading Suns, this a good rip off of the warhammer setting and it is d20. All that needs to be done is strip away the tech and you will have a very dark and unforgiving setting.

Scott

 

[hong]

The setting is brutal and harsh but in a macavalian type of way.

I almost thought you were going to finish that sentence with "in a nice way".


Hong "weird and misleading, but in a nice way" Ooi

 

[Scott814thmpco]

Hi Hong-
Now if I said in a nice way, it would not be brutal and harsh way
Hmmmm, perhaps I should put up a definition of "Macavalian"?


<<almost thought you were going to finish that sentence with "in a nice way".


Hong "weird and misleading, but in a nice way" Ooi>>

LOL


Scott
gads, I really gotta work on my D&D game for this afternoon, stupid boards are addicting.

 

[Leopold]

try the daemonforge setting in the hosted area. If your players survive and live long and don't feel that the gods are against them then they are truly heroes..

 

[hong]

gads, I really gotta work on my D&D game for this afternoon, stupid boards are addicting.

I was just thinking that myself, actually.

And while we're talking brutal and harsh, I wonder what throwing the following at a 3rd level party (barbarian/shaman, shaman, sorcerer, rogue) would result in?


VERY YOUNG RED DRAGON


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Large Dragon (Fire)
Hit Dice: 10d12+30 (95 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 40 ft, fly 150 ft (poor)
AC: 18 (-1 size, +9 natural)
Attacks: Bite +14 melee, 2 claws +9 melee, 2 wings +9 melee, tail slap +9 melee
Damage: Bite 2d6+5, claw 1d8+2, wing 1d6+2, tail slap 1d8+7
Face/Reach: 5 ft by 10 ft / 5 ft
Special Attacks: Breath weapon
Special Qualities: Fire subtype, immunities, blindsight, keen senses
Saves: Fort +10, Ref +7, Will +8
Abilities: Str 21, Dex 10, Con 17, Int 12, Wis 13, Cha 12
Skills: Bluff +11, Concentration +13, Diplomacy +11, Escape Artist +10, Listen +11, Search +11, Spot +11
Feats: Hover, Flyby Attack, Power Attack

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Challenge Rating: 4
Alignment: Always chaotic evil

SA–Breath Weapon (Su): Cone of fire, 40 feet long, every 1d4 rounds; damage 4d10, Reflex half DC 18.
SQ–Immunities (Ex): Immune to sleep, paralysis.
SQ–Blindsight (Ex): Dragons can ascertain creatures by nonvisual means (mostly hearing and scent, but also by noticing vibrations and other environmental clues); this dragon's range is 60 feet.
SQ–Keen Senses (Ex): Dragons can see four times as well as humans in low-light conditions and twice as well in normal light. They also have darkvision (range 200 feet).
SQ–Fire Subtype (Ex): Fire immunity, double damage from cold except on a successful save.

(generated courtesy of CRGreathouse's dragon generator -- excellent resource)


Hong "and they call me a pansy DM, muahahaha" Ooi

 

[Ashy]

The quickest way to put me to sleep is to talk about oathbound. Bastion has a tendancy to overwrite, and premise is too Chronicles of Narnia for me. You will be forever changed sounds like some hippy talking about how acid affects you. The book is sizeable and good for self defence.

Nothing could be farther from the truth, actually. Oathbound is very harsh, very alien, and very very cool. When they say that you will be changed forever, they mean it, oddly enough in the best and worst possible ways...

BFG, Oathbound has many echoes of Planescape, which is why I like it so much, of course, it doesn't hurt that I got to help out with it's development either...

 

[Scott814thmpco]

?Hi-
uh Hong, aint that just a tad brutal and harsh on your players?



Scott

 

[hong]

?Hi-
uh Hong, aint that just a tad brutal and harsh on your players?

I don't know why you'd say that. It's only a CR 4 monster. Easy peasy for a 3rd level party.

(They cast hold person on my foozle. Not once, but twice. They killed my beautiful monsters and took all their treasure. They will pay. They will ALL pay!)