IstraRaugir
First Post
Hey guys,
It's been done before and I'll do it again (mostly because the old threads are a mile long and have been dead for years). This here thread is to dump all your crazy campaign ideas, custom classes, odd magic items and other miscellaneous junk. It can be fully laid out or just the barest glimmer of an idea. With a bit of luck your work will inspire others to create something new and interesting (and maybe you'll even draw a few compliments ).
Seeing as I started the thread I think I should lead by example. The following is a custom class I designed for my campaign. And as a result it's all flavor and no crunch (I can post the numbers and mechanics later if anyone is interested).
SONGBLADE:
Songblades are a rare and mysterious class of spellcasters that share many commonalities with sorcerers and bards (in fact they are routinely mistaken for them by the layman). The most striking feature of any songblade is usually his/her voice. A songblade’s voice is nearly a living thing: it causes the very air to ripple with elemental forces and can easily captivate the more feeble minded. The casting of a songblade is universally musical in nature be it a complex songweave or a Zephyr’s powerful note. The fact that songblades are not as weak bodied as their fellow casters and that their flowing poses are not as easily hampered by armor allows some songblades to thrive at the frontline.
Their exact origin is unknown but many assume their power is a blessed as a deity’s favorite, others claim that it is based on some hidden bloodline or an arrangement with dark beings.
Whatever the source, their magic is a thing of its own; as it seems bend or break most conventional rules of magic. Indeed some claim that a songblade doesn’t actually wield magic but simply moves with the magic’s own accord.
There are four paths a songblade may walk: one for each type of spell they can master (Zephyr, Song & Zenith) and one aimed at the caster’s resilience (Pure Song).
Zephyrs: Are powerful spells usually consisting of only a single note or whistle that wreath the caster in elemental magic. Though powerful these spells are unfocused and can harm friends as bad as foes.
Specializing in this path lets the caster empower spells up to and over the point where they endanger himself. When anguished masters of this path have been known to unleash terrifying blasts of magic capable of leveling small settlements.
Songs: Are the most recognizable songblade spells and they can have a strong impact on the course of battle by aiding allies or hindering enemies. Once started a song can be maintained with minimal effort allowing the songblade to focus on other tasks. Any perilous conditions however can cause the song to falter and end prematurely.
Specializing in this path reduces the chance of a song faltering and trains the caster’s vocal skills to the point where they can weave multiple songs together into an entirely new spell. Masters of this path can mold their voice to inhuman levels, seemingly blending and alternating songs at will.
Zeniths: Are the most diverse group of spells a songblade can use employing a level of sophistication equal to the spells of a wizard or sorcerer. This intricacy does not come easy to songblades and requires their full attention for longer than most deem safe. As a result zeniths are usually chosen for their usefulness outside of combat. Conversely offensive zeniths are unusually devastating should a songblade cast it successfully.
Specializing in this path makes the songblade resilient to damage while casting eventually resulting in a powerful ward protecting the caster. Masters of this path can access the spelltrance; casting their minds into the Aether and allowing them to cast their spells unconstrained by their physical form.
Pure Voice: The Pure Voice does not favor one spell type over the other but focuses on the essence behind them.
Following this path results in a clarity of mind and body unmatched by the other specializations eventually enriching their breath with the very essence of Life. Masters of this path have been known to wield the Life in its purest form, delaying or denying death from taking themselves or an ally.
Another ideas I had for this campaign was to design a second custom spellcaster class whose spells are fueled by (self-inflicted) wounds. How do you fight something that gets more dangerous as you wound it?
I've also been toying with using different arrowheads specialized for different armor types (needle bodkins for 'soft' armor like chainmail & leather and plate cutters for 'hard' armor like plate, banded & scale).
I also had the idea of making a 'reincarnating' item. A semi-sentient entity that pops up every now and then with slightly different appearance and powers. For instance: The Verdant Legacy may have been a powerful halberd that could lengthen and shorten itself. But its new form is that of a spear which projects its deadly intent forward with each strike. Either way the banner of blazing green just below the tip shows everyone that this is the Verdant Legacy and it is not to be trifled with.
That's it for now guys. I'll post some more later. In the mean time i look forward to reading whatever you cooked up.
It's been done before and I'll do it again (mostly because the old threads are a mile long and have been dead for years). This here thread is to dump all your crazy campaign ideas, custom classes, odd magic items and other miscellaneous junk. It can be fully laid out or just the barest glimmer of an idea. With a bit of luck your work will inspire others to create something new and interesting (and maybe you'll even draw a few compliments ).
Seeing as I started the thread I think I should lead by example. The following is a custom class I designed for my campaign. And as a result it's all flavor and no crunch (I can post the numbers and mechanics later if anyone is interested).
SONGBLADE:
Songblades are a rare and mysterious class of spellcasters that share many commonalities with sorcerers and bards (in fact they are routinely mistaken for them by the layman). The most striking feature of any songblade is usually his/her voice. A songblade’s voice is nearly a living thing: it causes the very air to ripple with elemental forces and can easily captivate the more feeble minded. The casting of a songblade is universally musical in nature be it a complex songweave or a Zephyr’s powerful note. The fact that songblades are not as weak bodied as their fellow casters and that their flowing poses are not as easily hampered by armor allows some songblades to thrive at the frontline.
Their exact origin is unknown but many assume their power is a blessed as a deity’s favorite, others claim that it is based on some hidden bloodline or an arrangement with dark beings.
Whatever the source, their magic is a thing of its own; as it seems bend or break most conventional rules of magic. Indeed some claim that a songblade doesn’t actually wield magic but simply moves with the magic’s own accord.
There are four paths a songblade may walk: one for each type of spell they can master (Zephyr, Song & Zenith) and one aimed at the caster’s resilience (Pure Song).
Zephyrs: Are powerful spells usually consisting of only a single note or whistle that wreath the caster in elemental magic. Though powerful these spells are unfocused and can harm friends as bad as foes.
Specializing in this path lets the caster empower spells up to and over the point where they endanger himself. When anguished masters of this path have been known to unleash terrifying blasts of magic capable of leveling small settlements.
Songs: Are the most recognizable songblade spells and they can have a strong impact on the course of battle by aiding allies or hindering enemies. Once started a song can be maintained with minimal effort allowing the songblade to focus on other tasks. Any perilous conditions however can cause the song to falter and end prematurely.
Specializing in this path reduces the chance of a song faltering and trains the caster’s vocal skills to the point where they can weave multiple songs together into an entirely new spell. Masters of this path can mold their voice to inhuman levels, seemingly blending and alternating songs at will.
Zeniths: Are the most diverse group of spells a songblade can use employing a level of sophistication equal to the spells of a wizard or sorcerer. This intricacy does not come easy to songblades and requires their full attention for longer than most deem safe. As a result zeniths are usually chosen for their usefulness outside of combat. Conversely offensive zeniths are unusually devastating should a songblade cast it successfully.
Specializing in this path makes the songblade resilient to damage while casting eventually resulting in a powerful ward protecting the caster. Masters of this path can access the spelltrance; casting their minds into the Aether and allowing them to cast their spells unconstrained by their physical form.
Pure Voice: The Pure Voice does not favor one spell type over the other but focuses on the essence behind them.
Following this path results in a clarity of mind and body unmatched by the other specializations eventually enriching their breath with the very essence of Life. Masters of this path have been known to wield the Life in its purest form, delaying or denying death from taking themselves or an ally.
Another ideas I had for this campaign was to design a second custom spellcaster class whose spells are fueled by (self-inflicted) wounds. How do you fight something that gets more dangerous as you wound it?
I've also been toying with using different arrowheads specialized for different armor types (needle bodkins for 'soft' armor like chainmail & leather and plate cutters for 'hard' armor like plate, banded & scale).
I also had the idea of making a 'reincarnating' item. A semi-sentient entity that pops up every now and then with slightly different appearance and powers. For instance: The Verdant Legacy may have been a powerful halberd that could lengthen and shorten itself. But its new form is that of a spear which projects its deadly intent forward with each strike. Either way the banner of blazing green just below the tip shows everyone that this is the Verdant Legacy and it is not to be trifled with.
That's it for now guys. I'll post some more later. In the mean time i look forward to reading whatever you cooked up.