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Post by Azan on Sept 2, 2006 21:54:37 GMT -5
Yeah, an accurate test is basically impossible, but meh.
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Post by Niccolo on Sept 2, 2006 23:42:16 GMT -5
Dorian history finished, check it out. Dorian geography started... anyone know how to make a decent map?
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Post by Azan on Sept 5, 2006 11:54:29 GMT -5
I can make maps, ive been slowly practicing ever since my first one (as seen in the Valenwood Board in Isadale) but im currently busy working on the next campaign im gonna do (as I conside Valenwood a practice DM thing ) But does it need to have colors etc. etc. or can it be really simple?
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Post by Niccolo on Sept 5, 2006 21:13:12 GMT -5
Whatever you feel like, but simple is fine. I'll get you a handrawn map as soon as I can.
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Post by Azan on Sept 7, 2006 15:23:58 GMT -5
Well if you dont mind that its simple, you do have photoshop (well your dad does) its not that hard to pick up as long as its simple... not to mention that it would be more accurate if you made it yourself But if and when I have free time ide be happy to make you one if you like.
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Post by Azan on Sept 14, 2006 19:03:57 GMT -5
So what are some of everyones favorite spells?
Here are some of my favorite 3rd (Sor/Wiz) spells
Gaseous Form -3rd Hold Person -3rd Tongues -3rd Displacement -3rd Fireball -3rd Fly -3rd Suggestion -3rd
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Post by Niccolo on Sept 14, 2006 21:23:40 GMT -5
-Any and all Polymorph spells -Finger of death -Circle Of Death -Slay Living -Phantasmal Killer -Harm, mass -Meteor swarm -Summon Armored Vehicle ...and... -Gespent -Reshningal (Last two spell names pending... you'll know soon enough...) But in all seriousness, I'm thinking of starting D20 Past campaign sometime (likely after Trechary and Treason) tenatively titled On All Fronts. It would be set during World War II, and it would really be a combination of several mini campaigns, each one detailing a different major battle or offensive. Also, the PCs would be really playing all sides. You might play the offensive into Poland as the Waffen SS, El Alamein as the Brits, Operation Overlord as the US, Stalingrad as the Soviets, then go back and play Operation Market Garden as the same Waffen SS squad again. You wouldn't have to necessarily make a half dozen different characters (unless you want to), just essentially change the name, personality, backstory, and equipment. An example: Say I'm playing Franz, a German Panzergrenadier, who's a Strong 3/Soldier 2. Franz a sargeant is leading the squad (other PCs plus the NPC remainder) in the defense of Carentan, France. Franz is armed with an MP40, two speigelhandgrenader, and his trademark Mauser sidearm. During the battle, Franz and co. get enough XP to level up, but only by the end of the battle, and thus this german campaign section. The campaign now focuses on the battle of El Alamein, a British bit. Instead of Franz, I'm now playing Louis, a proud sargeant in her madjesty's army. Although Louis was a mere Strong 3 when he was last played, he is now a Strong 3/Soldier 3, so those new abilities I just earned in Carentan weren't a waste. It's a simple issue to change his equipment to an M1/A1 Thompson, a pair of Mark II frags, and a jolly good M1911 sidearm. Also I'd bloody well better start talking loike this, old chum, inztead of lik zis! So, whaddaya think? Another good part of this campaign design is it's MUCH easier to rotate DMs. All you need is a good grasp on history, and the force and battle in question. After all, it's not like we don't all know how the "story" goes.
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Post by Vash on Feb 2, 2007 21:13:25 GMT -5
Not quite sure how many people come here and read this, but whatever. How would everyone feel about pitching in and buying a new MM? That way we can actually have a new variety of monsters. Also, after reading through the D&D forums, I got an idea, what if we took the time to compile every feat into one file?
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Meryl
Full Member
Hi I'm Meryl
Posts: 52
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Post by Meryl on Feb 6, 2007 21:49:41 GMT -5
nope. Anyone who wants one will buy it for themselves. And others can borrow but as you very well know Vash everyone cannot buy one book and expect that it'll go smoothly forever.
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Post by Niccolo on Feb 8, 2007 20:10:26 GMT -5
Mkay... Here's the the fluff I gotses typed op on Dure (pronounced due-ray, you silly people). This may or may not ever actually wind up being played, but here's what I gots right now. Feedback is welcome.
What has come before us: A history of Dure
Dure, the endless desert, sits like a vile blemish on the southern tip Feirel. Thousands of years ago, it was paradise, a lush land with rolling hills, deep forests, and beautiful snow-tipped gorges. Magic flowed through every river, and grew with every tree. The land was shared by humans and fey, living well in it's natural bounty, blessed by The Goddess, maker and provider for all things. And for a time, it was good.
But then, for reasons long lost in the mists of history, the humans and the fey grew distant, suddenly seeing full the faults and crimes of the other race. Tensions grew, and finally, some final twig snapped. It is unknown just how it started, but all at once the Days of Fire began, a vicious, brutal war that tore at the very foundations of the earth. Sword was raised against spell, and the bodies of both human and fey littered the fair countryside of Dure, the clashing warriors seemingly unaware of the harm they were doing to the very land they fought over.
So the Goddess did act. "If you will fight over my land," She said, "Then let there be no land to fight for." And so, the rains stopped, and the winds blew hard. The ground split, and the mountains sunk into the earth. All that remained was a wasteland, a desert full of nothing but sand and rock. Thus ended the paradise of Dume, and thus began the Dume Desert. The inhabitants of the withered land pleaded with the Goddess. They would cease their quarrel! they would make peace! But please, return the land to it's former beauty!
But these were just words, and for the Goddess could see into Her children's hearts, She turned a deaf ear to their cries. And it was true. The humans and the fey continued their warring, killing eachother senselessly in their own anger and fear. They fought until their few resources disappeared, and their mighty kingdoms crumbled into dust. Only then did they see their folly, and were so struck by grief, that most simply gave up on their dreams of regaining paradise, and resigned themselves to die in the scorching hot wasteland.
But the Goddess was not so cruel as to let Her children perish. So in an act both of mercy, and a reminder of their punishment, She created Xxirri, the great worm that dwells beneath the sand. As tall as a palace, and nearly a mile long, the massive blind beast hunted for those above ground by listening for rhythms on the sand above. But though it hunted for all creatures, whenever it surfaced, it left an oasis from which the surface dwellers could drink.
Over time, the descendants of the war-makers grew accustomed to their environment. They learned how to survive the desert's perils, and The Goddess made new beasts for them to use. Things became bearable, though they would never be the same. Magic was nearly extinct, and water was always scarce. To live was a struggle in and of itself.
But still, in their hearts, men and fey hated, feared, and now fought even amongst themselves. It seems as though paradise shall never return to Dure...
The Folk of the Desert
"Well, the Goddess must have a sense of humor. After all, she made all of us!" -A Dewborn
The Dure Desert is home to many thousands of souls struggling to survive. Some are old, some are new, some are unnatural, but all must bear the same hardships of the great wasteland.
Humans: Funny-looking things that wander about on two feet. The humans of Dure are mostly nomads. They stick with their tribes, and vary widely in their skills and personalities. Some, like the Waterbearer tribe, travel about peddling their wares. Others, such as the Dunerider tribe, live off of raiding caravans unlucky enough to wander into their path. Others still, move from oasis to oasis in search of their necessities, such as the Wormchaser tribe.
Some humans, however, dwell in towns carved into the great rock formations that dot the desert, the thick stone beneath them protecting them from Xxirri's wrath. These towns are frequented by all sorts of folk, not the least of which nomads passing by to rest or to resupply. But some humans take this a step further, dwelling in villages built into the cliff faces of the gorges which cut though the landscape.
All humans, however, share a distrust of the Sandlings, a lingering resentment from the long-past Days of Fire. Also, they have long lost their knack for magic, and human (or anthropomorph) mages are almost entirely non-existent. Most humans wear simple, utilitarian clothing that keeps of the heat.
Anthropomorphs: Humanoid animals have always existed in Feirel. They are of virtually any imaginable species, though those in Dure most often are ones well-adapted to the desert. They run the gamut from wiry sand mice, to massive elephants. Since before anyone's memory, they have lived together with the humans, and in both race's minds, there is no difference aside from appearance between them. Nearly all simply refer to themselves as human, as does everyone else.
Sandlings: The descendants of the original fey of Dure, possessed of magical nature, gradually became a single race called the Sandlings, a kind of desert fairylike creature. Their graceful, brown-skinned bodies stand hardly two feet tall, and they often wear highly ornamented clothing, though it is rarely practical. Most bear long, flowing hair that ranges from a sandy tan to a brilliant red. Magical by their very nature, Sandlings oft levitate above the ground rather than walk, and are the only native race still able to use magic, though it is not as powerful as it once was. Bear a distrust of humans and their ilk, their race's massive pride still gravely hurt by the Days of Fire, and being extremely longlived, Sandlings have a tendancy to hold grudges.
Dewborn: Strange creatures that appeared in Duma at about the same time as Xxirri did. They are short (around 3-4 feet tall), pale skinned humanoid folk with childlike features, and all bear a great green leaf atop their head. Always wear robes (usually green) that cover their entire bodies save their head. Innocent, but full of wisdom, they often talk of The Goddess like a personal accquaintince. These insights are often dismissed as lies, foolishness or even insanity by Sandlings and humans alike. Many rumors surround these mysterious folk, such as that they are born from oases, can create water from nothing, that they children of the Worm, or that they are immortal. Some are true, others not, though no-one ever has seen a Dewborn die from age...
Artifices: Once inanimate objects, the artifices were given life by human mages long ago to fight the fey. As the wars ended, and they were no-longer necessary, most were simply discarded, left to wander the dunes endlessly. Some took a place in human society, though these are rare, and often treated as inferiors. Artifices can range anywhere from a massive golem to a tiny doll. They are physically incapable of learning magic, though some were imbued with magical abilities by their creators.
Elves: Elves are elegant, slim creatures that stand at about 4-5 feet in height and always have extremely strange colored hair; blues, purples, greens, and others are by no means uncommon. Oftentimes, they wear elegant robes, decorated with arcane symbols and strapped with tomes and ingredients for spells They are not native to Dure, instead coming from a land far to the north, and most come to the forbidding desert in hopes of unlocking some ancient secret. Studious, especially in the arcane arts, their magic is far different than anything found in Dure, having learnt their craft in well-organized mage's colleges in other lands. Extremely rare in Dure, and often reluctant to use their magical skills around humans for fear of being associated with Sandlings.
The Desert
"We're all like the desert, you know. We always change and rearrange ourselves, but at our heart, we're still the same." -A Dewborn
Dure is a giant sandbox, with great stones dotting the landscape, alternatively covered and uncovered by the ever-shifting dunes. The days are scorching hot, and the nights surprisingly cold. Rainstorms are exceedingly rare, but always massive, soaking the landscape with an unbelieveable downpour. The results afterwards are nothing short of a small miracle- Plants, although very short-lived, spring up across the desert overnight, making for a wonderful harvest in the morning. Sandstorms, on the other hand, are absolutely brutal, capable killing creatures caught in the open, destroying oases, and occasionally even burying towns.
Dure is a shallow but broad peninsula in shape, it's opening to the north blocked by high mountians. It's souther coast is cut off from the rest of Dure by the Great Gorge, a vast, four-mile wide gash that runs the length of the coastline, completely preventing access to the sea. Also, the mountins are exceedingly difficult to cross, mostly due to the fact that there are no villages nearby, so much of an average traveler's supplies will be exhausted by the time he reaches them. Two smaller gorges branch off of the Great Gorge; The shorter of the two, The Roane Gorge, is located in far westtern Dure, while the larger Jenneii Gorge is some distance east of that. Small cliffside villages have sprung up in each of these, the gorge walls offering excellent protection from the harsh sandstorms.
There are few major landmarks in Dure, as the landscape is constantly shifting as the sands are blown about. There are no constant villages, save for those built into the largest of rocks, and these are few and far between. These towns, however, are major centers of desert life, being stopping points for merchants, safe haven from the desert beasts and raiders, and a welcome respite from the sand and heat. Most often, though, travelers will take shelter for the night on the uninhabited rock formations that are nearly everywhere.
However, there are a few important, constant points in the ever-changing landscape...
Mount Zeinen: A massive, ice-tipped mountain that pierces the clouds. It sits in the exact center of Dure, mocking those who wish for it's frozen water to climb it's massive, and exceedingly dangerous slope. Only a handful of the hundreds who have attempted to climb it have ever returned, changed forever by the experience, claiming to have nearly touched the Goddess' face.
The Great Temple: Carved by forgotten hands, the Great Temple resides in eastrern Dure, inside of an enormous, perfectly circular rock formation. It's massive chapel bears a 100-foot tall statue of the Goddess, as well as seats for thousands of worshippers, and carvings of the elemental spirits abound. Yet, the temple has no clergy, or any worshippers for that matter. Dewborn are often found in the remote temple, though no-one knows why.
Dorina Ruins: Before the Days of Fire, Dure was ruled from the great capital city of Dorina, home to mage acadamies, vast museums and libraries, and the majestic royal palace (the royal family, along with any form of true government in Dure, is long dead). But the city was left a hollow shell after the landscape was sundered by the Goddess, and it has steadily deteriorated over the years. Still, who knows what secrets the half-buried city may hold?
Neria: Dure's only true city, Neria is still small by all standards. Carved like all other towns into an amazingly large rock formation, it is home to many merchants who have done well for themselves. It has no true ruling body, though the most prominent and wealthy citizens contol most goings on. Home to Dure's only museum: La Chateau De Les Arts. It's owner, a wealthy serpentine anthropomorph by the name of Madame Katrine, has a fixation to with the lands to the north, thus the rather out of the ordinary name of her establishment.
That's all I gots right now. Creatures and Culture sections are in the works, as are actual rules to go along with all this crap.
Gahh... I hate writing rules...
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Post by Niccolo on Feb 10, 2007 15:45:07 GMT -5
More fluff!
Beasts of the Wastes
"The furry ones are my favorite!...But I wish they wouldn't try to bite me..." -A Dewborn
The Dure Desert is home to many strange creatures, some domesticated, but many very, very dangerous. A traveler would be wise to learn their ways well...
Saurids: Oversized frilled lizards that are larger than a horse. They are incredibly fast runners, and the dragging of their tail makes them undetectable by Xxirri. Many are domesticated for use as riding animals, though there are wild varieties.
Zorods: Massive, six legged herbivore lizards. Dimwitted but strong and tough, they are domesticated as beasts of burden, and are a common sight in merchant convoys.
Needlebeaks: Vicious, carniverous, sharp beaked little birds that attack in groups. If you see them coming, find cover, as they dislike cramped spaces.
Yowangs: Large, stiff-furred bovine creatures that bear horns regardless of gender (females have two, males have four). Extemely territorial and agressive, though if raised from calves, milk can be harvested from female Yowangs.
Pondbugs: Huge, green beetles about three feet in length, Pondbugs are almost always found around Oases. They attack intruders with a blast of scalding steam from holes in their abdomen, before closing to bite with their mandibles.
Axeheads: Large, territorial, ground-bound birds that have a huge beak shaped like an axehead (thus the name). Tough, fast, and unfortunatley far too strong willed to domesticate.
Buzzbirds: No, not buzzards, buzzbirds. Although they often feast on carrion like thier similarly-named cousins, the buzzbird's namesake is it's distincive buzzing call, likely the last thing you'll ever hear before the massive avian carries you off to feed on your nummy bits.
Howler: Think of a wolf, but about twice as big, adapted to desert life, and with a howl so loud that it can send you flying. That's a howler.
Maulermole: A large molelike creature, that like the Great Worm, tracks by sensing vibrations above the sand. Capable of burrowing through the sand extremely fast, and has a nasty tendancy to burst up below it's prey and rip at their legs and undersides with it's oversized digging claws.
Culture and Miscellaneous
Laws: There are no official laws to speak of, but there are some unspoken rules that all desert dwellers abide by. For instance, it is taboo to fight another person within a village, and if one kills within a village, he is likely to be banished, or in a worse case scenario, executed. Theft is uncommon, and is met with a harsh response, especially if water is the object stolen. Outside of towns, however, there are virtually no kinds of rules whatsoever. For instance, it is common to abandon the sick or wounded should they slow down a traveling group.
Music, Art, and Architecture: Music is highly valued in Dure, it's pleasant sounds distracting from the unbearable heat and dryness. It is rare indeed, to find a Durean who does not know how to play an instument or sing. The most common instruments in Dure include the Dohe (dough-hey); a set of three gourd and beastskin drums, the Hiiet (hee-yet); a three-stringed instrument laid horizontally and played by moving the fingers along the stings while striking them with a small metal rod, and finally, the Brato (brah-toe): a broad mouthed horn with is played using the four holes carved into the top.
Visual arts, on the other hand, are mostly limited to simple jewelry and carvings; most Dureans see little point in having pretty things that are larger than they can carry, or worse, that draw the attention of raiders. The exception to this, of course, is the rather eccentric Madame Katrine and her museum.
Durean buildings are almost always made of stone, part of the very rock formations they lie on. Of course, with larger towns, newer, less stable clay buildings are often added to allow population growth. Regardless of materials, these buildings are most often square, many larger ones looking like a pile of sand-colored boxes. Inside, however, they are always clean, and usually have intricate carvings or paintings on the walls, as well as spots for plants that live off the natural moisture that collects on the stone dwellings. Temples, although they often lack any form of paintings, have high ceilings, and multiple carvings and statues of the Goddess and the elemental spirits. Glass windows and wooden doors are extemely uncommon, most usually being carved holes covered with a sheet of cloth draped from above. In case of sandstorms, however, boards fitted to these holes are always on hand.
Religion: In every town, there is a temple to the Goddess and the spirits. The Goddess is the creator and sustainer of all things, and is most often depicted as a tall, fair skinned woman clad in a robe of leaves and flowers, long black hair wild and unkempt. There are five spirits that assist her; Selvi of the Wind, Braza of the Fire, Auris of the Rain, Gaeu of the Stone and Sand, and Rali of the Plants. The priests often feel challenged by the Dewborn, labeling them either as fools, or worse, 'Biirat', blasphemers.
The Empire: The Ilzzone Empire controls most of the continent of Feiriel, and is ruled by the questionably sane Emperor Manfred IX. It is constantly at war with the neighbouring Kingdom of Welphalia, a war that never seems to make any progress either way. The Empire technicaly rules Duma, but effectively has no control, the only Imperial force there being a small unit of soldiers in a backwater outpost near the nothern mountains. Occasionaly adventureous Imperial citizens will join a convoy across the mountian into the unknown wastes, but they generally don't last long. Currency: Barter system! Valuable goods include salt, water, and fruit, amongst other things
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