Stone Age d20?

Jake_Baker

First Post
Hi all. I'm working on a new campaign setting, and persuing an old interest - the stone age. Because the setting is so different from Standard Fantasy, I'm even doing the unthinkable - writing a campaign bible. (I'm shooting for 100 pages.)

I'm about to hoof it to the library and do the research (yes! there will be Hunter and Gatherer classes!), but I was wondering if anyone knew of any current d20 products set in the stone age which I might crib from.

Thanks!
 

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There's a non-d20 GURPS "Ice Age" that's very interesting and you might draw from.

I worked on a Stone Age project a few years back but it neevr saw the light of day. Tribes were based on Totem dinosaurs and the whole resolution system was based on stones rather than dice...

I so wish I had time to work on all these projects I have lying by the side of the road...

Best of luck and let us know if you ever post anything here or elsewhere !
 

The Sláine setting is a bit into that direction. But it's not really stone age, because of its special magic rules.
 

It's not d20, but you couldn't go wrong by taking a look at GURPS Ice Age ; It's out of print, but you can probably find one at your FLGS or on the 'net somewhere.

For the magic system, look at any of the shaman books.
 

Look through the Dragon magazines of the last year or so -- that Janda Valley campaign setting (or whatever it was called) for the Dungeoncraft column probably featured a lot of stuff you can borrow. Most of those articles are probably online now, too.
 

We did it also !

From what I remember (it's old), we allowed only the classes of
Bard,
Hunter,
Warrior,
Druid, and
Sorcerer.

Hunter was a variant ranger, made for that setting, without spell but with sneak attack and some bonus feats. Warrior was a variant figther, with bonus feats and bigger HD, that had the capacity to take Rage feat to emulate a barbarian.

The setting was too new to have classical deities, the gods were still primal being uncaring for followers. So, no cleric (except some rare, very rare NPCs living in strange places). Wizardry was not yet defined, so no wizards. Barbarians and fighters were meld into one, ranger and rogue were meld also. Bards were changed to be less minstrels and more lorekeepers (most notably, their alignment restriction was "any non-chaotic" rather than "any non-lawful").

We also set up a serie of totems and taboo, each character and each tribe having a totem; each tribe having a serie of taboos. Totems gave special abilities, breaking a taboos would make you lose these abilities until you atone.

Race-wise, we used human (sapiens sapiens), "trusk" (sapiens neanderthalensis; +2 Str -2 Int +2 Wis -2 Cha, shy and less smart than their younger cousins, but wiser than they look), gnome (the forest gnomes subrace, but with -2 Str, +2 Dex), elves (with -2 Str, +2 Dex, -2 Con, +2 Cha IIRC), and halflings (-4 Str, +4 Dex, -2 Con). Dwarves also existed, but, as the most technically advanced race, couldn't be played.

We made a symbolism between the races and the primal deities.

Dwarves and halflings were children of Ouranos, the (rather lawful) Sky Father. Dwarves, notably, rode griffins and searched for starsteel, metal fallen from the sky as gift from Ouranos, to forge and model into tools and weapons. Halflings rode giant owl and served as messengers.

Elves and gnomes were children of Gaia, the (rather chaotic) Earth Mother. Elves were made for the fun, and (involuntarily) served as buffoon for her. In other words, they are a mystic people, that frequently receive "geas" during their dream and go out on strange quest thereafter. Gnomes were made for work, as protectors of Gaia and her creations (including against Gaia's own chaotic creative urges -- she enjoyed doing things like creating ex-nihilo a giant herd of trampling mammoths near a little forest, because a giant herd of mammoths trampling over trees is fun, as is fun a little fiery volcano in a dull flat plain; you see, that sort of mindset).

Humans and trusk were made by Azd, the Sun, as an effort to bring balance to the world. The older trusk, sometimes a bit dumb, proved a failure, so the new humans were created. They proved a failure also, because their first reflex (typical of mankind), was to start exterminating the trusks, "because it's their fault".

Cosmologically, we had a little fun, everything in the creation having been made either by Azd, ruler of What-Is; and Nocte, ruler of What-Was and What-Will-Be. But, bursting from nowhere came What-Can't-Be, the sum of all that was rejected from What-Is, What-Was, and What-Will-Be, and their was a war during which What-Can't-Be was finally cast out, but not after having corrupted some of Azd and Nocte's children. Aberrations, oozes, undead, pseudonatural creatures, and chimeric beasts -- all that is the creation of What-Can't-Be. Nocte's chosen children, the orcs and hobgoblins, were corrupted and tried to make more of What-Can't-Be come into the world (orcs, for example, where necromancers).
 

Thanks all. I'll certainly check out those resources.

Since people are sharing, my plan is to follow the Nyambe model and create a "closed" stone age land (called the Land of Ur) which could be plugged into an existing setting, if wanted.

None of the PHB classes survived my first cut. Instead, I'll be creating new core classes.

Magic will be based on fetishism.

All the core PHB races are present, but altered into primitive stone age versions of themselves.

PS: Thanks Dyal, yes, the Janda Valley campaign is part of what inspired me to want to go back to this.

If I ever get it into any kind of shape, I'll post it on the web somewhere.
 

stone age

be sure to include "Flint Knapping' as a skill. every fighter type will want to take weaponsmithing, I would advise breaking it into 2 skills - wood shaping and flint knapping. pottery will also be an impotent skill in you setting as will weaving, and leatherworking.
It sounds ike a cool setting, I have had the idea of doing somthing similar (20,000 B. C. ) for a long time now. I wouldn't allow book mages and would probable limit the spellcasters to adepts, sorcerers, shamens, and witches. I wouldn't put in priests because you basically have animal and or ancester worship. I would also limit the spell selection and be especially warry of spells like fireball. as the ability to spontanesouly produce fire in this setting is HUGE. play up the superstitious angle too. omens are everywhere use them!

If you get this all writen up do you plan to post it for the benifit of the rest of us?
 

> If you get this all writen up do you plan to post it for the benifit of the rest of us?

Sure. I'll PDF it up, post it somewhere and put up the link.

Regarding magic, there will definately be no PHB-style magic slingers. (Based on my current reckoning) Lore Keepers can delve into the living memory of the Tell to inspire their tribemates and do limited augury. Shamans can bind animal magic into tattoos, body paint, cave paintings, and fetish items. Medicine women can heal the body and soul using natural lore.

Definately no fireball spell. You want fire? Do you have the Fire Keeping feat? Oh, you want to light your own fire? That's the Fire Starting feat, and is a lore known only to very few.
 

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