McManus

Re: Breadth instead of depth One thing I try to do when building a team is apportion not only the power archetypes but the skill sets and personality types as well. For instance a group of 5-7 might have: 2 Bricks, 2 energy projectors, a metamorph, a mentalist, and a martial artist But they also need skill sets: Hard Science skills Engineering/Gadgeteer skills Social Science skills Occult skills Law enforcement/Detective skills Medical skills Transportation skills Business Finance skills Social skills Streetwise skills Spy/Stealth skills Others? And personality types: Leader Hothead/Overconfident Steadfast Naïve/innocent Grumpy/Curmudgeon Cheerful Charlie Stranger in a Strange Land Dark and Brooding Jokester Romantic Veteran Others? Shtick is more than about just powers, it is about feeling individual and (IMHO) superlative. Having the players making sure their skills and personalities are unique is probably more important than their powers, if they are given opportunities to shine outside of combat. The Emo Hothead Brick with Leet Hacker skills is a very different character than the Steadfast Leader Brick with Medical and Military skills. Even if both have the same STR and PD/ED, but the players are not likely to feel the other is horning in on their shtick. I like the idea of giving extra points to build broader characters. I have done similar things in GURPS. Will have to consider it next time I run a Champions campaign (if I ever get that chance again).

Re: People with Powers I had a similar story setting idea only in mine everyone got at least base level powers. ET Quantum Nanites (i.e. Pseudoscience pixy dust) is spread uniformly all over the world. I call it the Seed. The basic purpose of the seed is to prepare the planet to fight off or survive through a really nasty alien invasion. There are 10 classes of seed (S1…S10). S1 is the minimum base. At that level everyone gets Regeneration, +5 resistant defenses, LS: No Need to Eat or Drink, Immune to disease and toxins, Limited resistance to radiation, cold, and heat. S9 is all that plus some basic improvements on stats or some small powers. Each number on the scale is approximately 10 times more powerful than the next lower. The Greek classifications are broad categories more commonly used to denote general power level. Alpha and Beta levels are very, very powerful - easily Superman/Silver Surfer or better. 07JUL10 - Superseed Explodes Total World Population - 6.84 Billion Population under age 14 - 1.83 Billion Alpha - 1 Beta(S10,S9) - 86 Gamma (S8,S7,S6) - 81,300 Delta (S5,S4,S3) - 81.3 Million Epsilon (S2) - 732 Million Zeta (S1) - 5.73B Zt + 0.3B Zx = 6.03 Billion apparent Zetas (Za) All children (Zx) under puberty appear to be zetas, though that may change on maturation Omega (S0, No Seed) - None after S-Day, used as a baseline or historical comparison. 07JUL10 - Superseed Explodes US Population - 309 Million Population under age 14 - 62 Million Alpha - 1 Beta(S10,S9) - 9 Gamma (S8,S7,S6) - 4,000 Delta (S5,S4,S3) - 4 Million Epsilon (S2) - 36.1 Million Zeta (S1) - 269 Million Za Population Frequency Epsion 1:10 Delta 1:100 Gamma 1:100K Beta 1:100M My question is how would the world change if everyone woke up one morning bulletproof and with no need for food or shelter.

Re: running down a crowded hall waving his weapon? This makes some sense. But keep doing the math. I am a man. I am two feet wide with my arms at my side. Four men = 8 ft wide. If I have a shield it may be 3 ft wide. Four shields = 12 feet wide. If I have a sword in hand that will likely stick out another foot from the front/side of the shield. Now I am 3-4 ft wide. Four such = 12-16ft wide. That 13 ft double hex is getting pretty crowded. We probably don't have room to stand side by side, so we stagger into two rows. There is room for someone (also 3-4ft wide) to squeeze through, but not quickly or easily. On the other hand if that person is 2ft or less wide, they might not have much trouble. DEX roll at least I would say.

Re: City of Heroes - Online Hero Game Had a really fun time yesterday on Pinnacle Hero-side. HeroJoe was with a group with a very good leader doing missions in Striga Is. The leader kept the group together, assigned priorities and basic strategies with out telling people how to play their characters. Even gave targets on the fly (Joe ... take out that gun!). It was a lot of fun and came close to a movie/F2F game experience. Reminded me why I play CoH, when I can get it.

Re: Steampunk/Victorian fantasy setting questions That is some neat ideas. I had not made the HazMat/nuclear materials analogy. I need to figure out how the susceptibility/vulnerability works. Based on the old GURPS construct I am using Magery as a way to reflect amount of faerie blood and tie it to the ability to manipulate magic. This would also tie to the effect of iron on the individual. Perhaps it will be something like - Fey/Magery lvl 0 - Susceptibility to touching iron 1d/hour, Vuln to iron x1.2 effect, -2 to all spell rolls when touching iron Fey/Magery lvl 1 - Susceptibility to touching iron 2d/hour, Vuln to iron x2 effect, -4 to all spell rolls when touching iron, -2 to all spell rolls when within 1 hex of iron, Fey/Magery lvl 2 - Susceptibility to touching iron 3d/hour, Vuln to iron x2 effect, -6 to all spell rolls when touching iron, -4 to all spell rolls when within 1 hex of iron, -2 to all spell rolls when within 2 hex of iron, Fey/Magery lvl 3 - Susceptibility to touching iron 1d/min, Vuln to iron x2 effect, -8 to all spell rolls when touching iron, -6 to all spell rolls when within 1 hex of iron, -4 to all spell rolls when within 2 hex of iron, -2 to all spell rolls when within 3 hex of iron, Faerie - Susceptibility to touching iron 2d/min, Vuln to iron x2 effect, cannot cast spells when touching iron, -8 to all spell rolls when within 1 hex of iron, -6 to all spell rolls when within 2 hex of iron, -4 to all spell rolls when within 3 hex of iron, -2 to all spell rolls when within 3 hex of iron, Perhaps the amount of iron that it takes to set off the susceptibility and the spell minuses could decrease with each level - 1 pound for 0 lvl, 1/2pound for lvl 1, 4oz for lvl 2, 2oz for lvl 3, and 1oz or less for lvl 4. Thanks for the ideas ... please keep them coming.

Re: Steampunk/Victorian fantasy setting questions Please let me know what you think. Suggestions and critiques are always welcome. For instance "Battlemages" needs a better, more Victorian sounding name. Also how should I handle folkloric people/creatures form non-British, Irish, or Norse traditions. Having the PCs chased by Baba Yaga as they wander the Russian Steppes seems so great, but what is she? I am starting this for my kids, but am interested in developing the world for other purposes as well. Thanks.

Re: Steampunk/Victorian fantasy setting questions Mages in the Empire Approximately 1 in 5 British people have some level of fey blood. For 1-5 fey this gives them basic spell casting, for 1-50 intermediate spell casting, and 1-5000 have the ability to cast advanced spells if they know them. The rest have inherent magical abilities of one sort or another or can instinctively cast a single spell. In Europe the fey blood is 1 in 20. In most of the rest of the world it is 1-100 or less. Most mages (people with at least basic spell casting ability) learn no more than a dozen simple spells. If they work in a factory they will know their factory spells pretty well. If they work on a farm they will have basic farm spells. Professionals will have spells that can help them in their daily jobs. There are people that make most of their living with magic. They usually specialize on one broad area. Examples include - Alchemists - while magery is not a requirement for alchemy, most people who delve deeply into the field use spells to help them manage their experiments. Alchemical formulae and charms are an important part of the industrial revolution . Apothecaries and chemists are considered subsets of Alchemists Battlemages - specialists in using magic for killing people and breaking things, and all the support necessary to do that in an organized fashion. Differ from soldiers in that they usually disdain the more mundane weapons and ways. Confabulators - magical entertainers that use illusion and sound spells to put on shows. Enchanters - these are the high level thaumaturges and the backbone of the enchanting industry. They differ from fabricators in that they are specialists in magic theory and manipulation rather than the practical applications of magic and technology. The two share a similar relationship to physicists and engineers. Fabricators - specialists in making/breaking, conjuration, and low level enchantment. These can be the basic craftsmen - tinkers, cobblers, coopers, tailors, and wrights. Others are more advanced mechanics and engineers. They are the driving force behind the Industrial Revolution. Physickers - magical healing specialists. They may or may not also have mundane medical knowledge. There is a stereotype of them as quacks or old wives. Modern Doctors that use medical magics are trying to turn the stereotype around. Seekers - specialists in knowledge and finding spells. Often double as clerks and scribes for the many illiterate of the age. Warders - specialists in protection, warding, and meta-magics. They are the security specialists and police.

Re: Steampunk/Victorian fantasy setting questions Magical Creatures There are a number of magical creatures to be found on Eorth. There were a fey faerie animals that came to the human world when the Curtain fell. These spread with the faeries around the world. In some cases they interbred with natural animals and created new breeds. Other new animals have been created by mages experimenting or through bizarre spell failures. Chimera - The most common magical creatures are chimera, combinations of two or more natural creatures. In many cases these breed true. Or the create other new chimera when they breed with natural animals. Common chimera include the pegasus, gryphon, and hippogryph. There are many others. Faerie Animals - these often resemble their normal counterparts, but are significantly more intelligent. In many cases they have human or greater intelligence. They also often have magical capabilities. These range from simple single knacks to complex spellcasting, depending on the individual rather than the breed. Dragons - There were no dragons in either the faerie or the human world. Some 800 years ago thaumaturges started experimenting to try and create them. Eventually many succeeded. There are several types of dragons and dragon like creatures. They come in different sizes and have different capabilities and powers. Some are intelligent while others are not. Some have magic. Some can fly. Many, though not all, have bred true and now there are dragons all over the world. The Great Dragons, as the large, flying, intelligent, magic using ones are called are rare. Wyverns, wyrms, and sea serpents are much more common. Demons - the generic term for any creature created by magical disaster. These are often dangerous but are seldom last long enough (or are eorthly enough) to breed. In many cases they share some level of intelligence from the mage or mages that inadvertently created them. Some mages try to conjure these creatures. Those deliberately conjured are the most dangerous.

Re: Steampunk/Victorian fantasy setting questions Eorth Races Humans - True humans are the natural sentient inhabitants of Eorth. They come in many varieties based in part on where they live. Physically and culturally they are similar to Earth humans. Fey are humans with faerie blood. They may or may not have Magery. All fey have some magical abilities. Most fey fall well within the bounds of true human appearance. There are rare fey that take more of the appearance of their faerie ancestors. Size is the most common difference. Little People are brownie and goblin fey breeds that are three feet tall or shorter. Half-giants can stand up to 9 feet tall and with tremendous strength. These sorts of fey are not often welcome in normal human and fey society. Half-men - Humans that have been magiced to incorporate animal characteristics. These are the products of permanent enchantments that breed true. Examples include centaurs, mermen, birdmen, minotaurs, and nagas. In general half-men are not welcome in human society and form their own communities. Faeries - Five main categories of faeries came into the human world. Elves - also called daoine sídhe, alfar, or ælfe - Human sized, or taller, these are the most powerful of the faerie races and the royalty of the faerie world. They bred most easily with human folk and are the origin of most of the fey blood in the modern world. True elves have almost completely disappeared from the Empire, though it is rumored that some may be found in the unsettled places of the world. Dwarves - also called dvergar, svartálfar, dökkálfar, dwarrows, or duergar - short, stocky humanoid creatures who generally prefer to live underground and/or in mountainous areas They are famed miners and smiths and do not share the common faerie detestation of iron. Most of them followed the vikings to the new world though some remain in secluded underground places kept secret from the rest of the world. The Iron Lords are interbred with dwarves. Brownies - nisse, tomte, leprechauns, sprites - The smallest of the faeries. They can range from almost a foot high to only an inch or so. They are often either helpful crafters or carefree nature lovers. They were able to interbreed with humans through magical means. Brownies are the origin of much of the low caste fey blood in the Empire. Some true Brownies still can be found though they most often hide from "big people" in order to avoid exploitation. Goblins - kobolds, lutins, gnomes, vetter - This is a catchall for faerie creatures larger (and in general less helpful) than brownies, but smaller (and generally less powerful) than dwarves. Goblins are mischievous by nature, with many going all the way to true evil in their actions. They were able to interbreed with people, often with the use of magic to make up for size differences. Many of the fey in the Great Horde are goblin breeds. Giants - also ogres, jotun, fomori - huge beings with tremendous strength from the faerie world. Most of the giants were banished with the Unseelie Court. Some jotun traveled with the dwarves to the new world and a few stayed in the Western Empire and bred into the fey population. Devolved Races Some of the faeries bred with animals or were cursed and the curses bred true. There are numerous variations on these devolved races, with each individual or small group being very different from the others of their general race. Trolls -Cannibalistic offshoots of the Giants. These humanoid creatures stand 9-12 feet tall and have a basic cunning, if not great intelligence. They are known to appear in any climate or terrain. They adapt themselves magically to fit their habitat. Left to their own devices they will almost always attack humans. But they can be controlled by magical means, or trained if captured while young. They can learn to use simple weapons, but cast no magic and cannot understand technology. Hobgoblins - Goblins that have been magically bred with trolls. Smaller and weaker than trolls, they have more native intelligence and can use simple technology and magic. Often used as soldiers by the Unseelie Court. Ghouls - Originally Elves and half-elves that were cursed by eating the flesh of humans. They and their descendants are cursed to always hunger for more. It is said that this curse can be passed along, like a disease, with the bite of a ghoul. They can pass for human at a glance, but more detailed examination will show the differences. Ghouls have magics of their own that enable them to hide and feed. Occasionally more intelligent ghouls will band together and form a society of sorts. These are sometimes confused with the vampires of legend. Ghoul bands are most common in the Horde lands where the Unseelie allow them to exist for the Dark Court's own purposes. Pixies - Brownies that have succumb entirely to the call of Nature. In many cases they have interbred with either insects (butterflies or bees being the most common) or with other animals. Occasionally they even bond with trees or other plants. They have their own magic and can be dangerous to humans that come across them in the wilderness. Boggarts - Troublesome Brownies that killed with their tricks magics were cursed to become boggarts and boggles. Mostly magical spirits that carry on their troublesome tricks. These can be dangerous to the uninformed or the uninitiated. They prefer to live in proximity to people. People prefer for them to not. This often causes conflicts. True boggarts cannot be killed by any regular means, but there are several ceremonial ways to drive them from an area. Gnolls - Goblins that interbred with wolves (or occasionally other animals). These hirsute humanoid hunters travel in packs. They have developed a primitive technology and can used basic magics. They are very rare in the civilized parts of the Empire, but can occasionally be found in the back reaches. In the East they are more common. It is said the Unseelie Court occasionally breeds them deliberately and sees them as cannon fodder and dog soldiers.

Re: Steampunk/Victorian fantasy setting questions Major Powers of the World The Empire of the Western World – The largest of the world’s empires. Often referred to simply as the Empire or the Western Empire. A federation made up of many constituent parts some more closely tied to the Imperial Crown than others. The Empire has a central parliament that includes representatives from all the vassal states. The Imperial bureaucracy governs the Crown holdings and provinces while other states are self-governing. The Empire is the world leader in magic, most technology, agriculture, commerce, manufacturing, enchanting, and military might. Culture and language varies across the Empire, but British culture and English language is the standard to which all others are compared. The great merchant companies have great influence over vast parts of the Empire and compete with each other and with other trade interests for access to markets and resources. The Empire is joined by the Twelve Great Gates. These are magical portals between the most important or strategic of the Imperial holdings. The Great Gates connect London to Dublin, Paris, Madrid, Vienna, Rome, Ottawa, Nassau, Cairo, Cape Town, Calcutta, Brunei, and Sydney. They are two-way and permanent, but passage through a Gate costs almost as much as a traditional voyage between them would. Power in the Empire is based on birth, wealth, and achievement. The aristocracy is almost entirely fey, but there are many fey outside the aristocracy as well. The Empire has a very class conscious society, but it is not completely closed. Successful merchants, scientists, military men, and others may find themselves raised to the gentry or even the peerage if their accomplishments find favor with the Crown. There is always unrest in the Empire. The military always has work putting down rebellions or piracy, as well as protecting Imperial interests beyond the borders. There are still parts of the world that are unexplored and unexploited. It is a great time to be British. Component parts – United Kingdom of Great Britain - Home Kingdom of the Imperial Crown Imperial Vassal States – People born in these areas are considered Imperial Citizens Kingdoms & Principalities – semi-autonomous sovereignties within the Empire - King, Prince, Grand Duke - Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, other European holdings Dominions – subordinate sovereignties that were formerly Colonies – Governor General – Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada, and Newfoundland Provinces – Large areas directly under Crown control – Viceroy - India, Pakistan, Ceylon, Bangladesh, and Burma Crown Colonies – self-governing overseas territories not held directly held by the Crown – Governor – the Caribbean islands, Ethiopia, Rhodesia, Malaysia, many others Crown Dependencies – direct holdings of the British Crown – Chief Minister – the Channel Islands (Jersey and Guernsey), the Isle of Man, Gibraltar, Malta, Hainan . Autonomous Vassal States – People born in these areas, unless born of Citizen families, are not considered Imperial Citizens Princely States – Large states treaty bound to the Empire, but nominally autonomous – Raja, Nawab, Emir/Amir, Khedive, Sultan, Resident-General, Chief Resident, Resident - Hyderabad, Mysore, Jammu and Kashmir, Baroda, Egypt, Saudi-Arabia Protectorates - a political entity that formally agrees by treaty to enter into an unequal relationship with the Empire. Internal government established by Crown - Lord High Commissioner, Chief Commissioner, Commissioner, Agent – Greece, Ionian Islands, British Residency of the Persian Gulf States, Maldives, Uganda, and many African states Protected States - a political entity that formally agrees by treaty to enter into an unequal relationship with the Empire. Britain controls only defense and external relations - Chief Resident, Resident, Envoy, Agent - Greece, Cyprus, Rumania, Palestine, Jordan The Great Horde/Golden Khanate – This is the second largest polity on Eorth. It is an even looser federation of individual sovereignties than the Empire. Some of the states within the Khanate, such as the Pricipality of the Russias and the Empire of the Great Khan, are huge. Others, such as the Ilkhanate (present day Afghanistan) or the Crimean Khanate, are smaller. And some Hordes or Khans control no more than a single valley or town. The basic technology level of the Khanate is much lower than that of the Empire. The Khanate, with a few rare exceptions, is still almost medieval. The Enlightenment did not come to the Khanate. Moscovy and Cathay are the two most advanced parts of the Khanate, almost up to European standards. The rest of the lands under the Horde are poor, with the population worked hard just to provide the food for survival. Any excess is taxed by the rulers. This is mostly because the Mongol rulers of the Khanate, shaped by a millennium of Unseelie philosophy, do not encourage free or progressive thinking. Any individual that can fight his way to the top is allowed to keep what power he can build. But, there is little rule of law to help him or her maintain his power, only the rule of the sword and spell. The Mongols claim this is the ultimate in personal freedom and individualistic achievement. Most outsiders see it as lawlessness approaching anarchy. The Iron Kingdom – This is the third of the world’s Great Powers. The many various North American colonies that now make up the Kingdom fought for their independence from the Western Empire starting in 1776. Eventually the war ended with Canada, Newfoundland, and Greenland staying in the Empire and the southern colonies gaining their independence. The Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy. The King is elected by the Althing, the Kingdom’s Parliment. He serves for life, unless impeached. The real head of government is the President of the Alting. The Alting is made up of two houses – the Storting and the Odelsting. The Iron Kingdom is an odd cultural mix of Norse, native (skraeling), British, French, German, and Spanish ancestries. African and Asian cultures have played a part as well. Africans were brought to the new world as slaves, while Chinese came as laborers and merchants. The Kingdom accepts immigrants from all over the world and is something of a melting pot. The percentage of fey in the population is significantly lower than in the Empire. And many of the fey are dwarf breeds, enabling them to work with iron. Thus the Kingdom has a technological advantage over the rest of the world. The Iron Lords, dwarf breed fey, are perhaps the best engineers and enchanters in the world, as well as some of the hardest soldiers. The Kingdom has a level of industrialization that matches the home countries in the Empire and exceeds all others in the world. Traditionally the Kingdom has been isolationist, trying to stay out of the rest of the world’s business. This is in part because they are still trying to conquer their own continent. But this is changing as they need more resources to support their industrializations and markets for the products produced. The Southern Empire – Officially called The United Empire of Greater Brazil, this feudal confederation is the world’s foremost producer of alchemical resources and creations. The diverse ecology of the Amazon basin provides ingredients that can be found nowhere else. The Rulers of the Empire are of Spanish, Portuguese, and French decent. Many of the royalists from these countries fled to Brazil after the War of the Grand Alliance in the 1690s. Originally part of the Western Empire it gained its freedom during the European War. The northern-most provinces, Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador, then fought for their own independence. The Persian Caliphate – With some help from the Empire, the Persians overthrew they Muhgal yoke in 1787 and established a nation founded on Islamic law. It is a relatively weak nation and relies on British help to keep its freedom. It is a small player in the Great Game, usually allied with the Empire. The Empire of Japan – The third largest rent in the curtain between the worlds occurred in the islands of Japan. Faerie creatures very different from European faeries were cast into the world of man. Called kami and oni these creatures have not interbred with the people of Japan but work in cooperation with them to protect the islands. The Mongols tried to invade Japan several times during the 13th and 14th century. The kami called forth great storms and sank the invasion fleets. Due to internal politics the Japanese Shoguns closed the islands in the early 1600s to all outsiders for more than 200 years. The country was only recently forced to open its borders by a strong intervention of the Iron Lord Perry. Since its opening the Japanese Empire turned surprisingly expansionist. Already they have taken the southern Korean peninsula and several near by islands under their control. This is beginning to be a concern for the Western Empire. But as long as they Japanese are taking territory from the Horde, the Western Empire will not resist. The Malagasy Republic – Founded in 1800 by a group of French revolutionaries and anti-monarchy factions of the Hova (Commoner) class of the Merena people of Madagascar allied with Portuguese merchants and the Bantu sharecroppers of Mocambique. This unlikely partnership took advantage of the chaos of the European War at the turn of the century to declare independence. They set up a democratic state based on the ideals of Thomas Paine and, more recently, Karl Marx. The republic is an experiment in social change and new social systems. Numerous groups within the Western Empire support the Republic continued existence. Some appreciate the fact that the Republics growing Navy is working hard to eradicate piracy and slaving in the region. Others support the idea of seeing how these social ideals play out and look upon the republic as a test bed for ideas that the Empire may one day want to incorporate. Other factions look upon it as a dangerous precedent for anti-imperialism and would rather see it brought back under Crown control as soon possible. Nusantara – Often called the South Seas Federation or the Spice Islands, this island nation was founded when the Western Empire took control of the Dutch East India Company’s holdings after it went bankrupt in 1800. The territories controlled by the Company were split between the Crown Colonies of British Malaya, Brunei, Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore and the independent nation of Nusantara. Nusantara is perhaps the most diverse small nation on Eorth. The population includes Eurasian, Chinese, Indian, European, Arab, Turk, Afghan, Malay, and Javanese peoples. The islands themselves often have strange magical resources that make them both valuable and strong enough to withstand outside forces. Volcanoes and lagoons may be home to elemental aspected mana pools. Many Faeries that were disgusted by the excesses of the Faerie Wars chose to find a home as far from any of the warring factions as possible. A large number of them ended up in the Islands. Some of these Faerie remain and many of the regions people are fey, the highest percentage found outside the Empire. The culture of the Islands is relaxed, accepting, and open to trade and commerce, but since the days of Dutch and Imperial colonialism, the people have learned to protect themselves.

Re: Steampunk/Victorian fantasy setting questions Eorth History On the first day of the new millennium the world changed forever. The curtain between the faerie world and the human world was rent asunder. The center of this rent was in the British Isles. Smaller rents occurred in others places, with the largest secondary rent being in Scandinavia. The political differences that the Faeries brought with them to this world climaxed in the Faerie Wars of the 12th Century. The Seelie and Unseelie Courts, along with their human allies, battled across Europe, ending with the Unseelie Court being banished to the Far East, the Dwarves and their allies entering voluntarily exile to the New World, and the Seelie Court intermarrying into the noble houses of Europe. The Unseelie Court and their allies fled to the Far East where they settled in and around the Khitan Empire. Little is know of their actions there until the rise of Temujin in 1190. It is thought that they separated, with each faerie lord allying himself with some local ruler or taking over some tribe and used them as pieces in their internecine struggles. It is known that some of the Unseelie allied themselves with this strong human leader and helped spur him to power. It is thought that Temujin may have been fey. It is certain that many of his descendants were. By the time of Temujin’s, then known as Genghis Khan, death in 1228 the Unseelie had once again put aside most of their internal divisions and put their strength behind the growing Mongol Empire. Buy 1280 Kublai Khan, the fey descendant of Genghis Khan, had conquered most of Asia, the Middle East, and Russia. The Empire stopped expanding after Kublai’s death in 1297, but while it fractured it did not give up many of its holdings. The Mongol Empire was really a loose confederation of many different Hordes and Khanates. The Unseelie Court’s internal struggles increased the tendencies for these groups to break apart. Over the centuries one leader or another would arise and unify some portion of the loose Empire. Timur (Tamerlane) who united a large portion of Central Asia under his control in the late 14th century and Ivan who united a large part of Russia in the far west of the Golden Khanate in the late 15th century were perhaps the most famous of these. After the Faerie Wars England, with the highest concentration of faerie and fey in the world, began to expand it power. By 1200 England, Scotland, Cornwall, and Wales were joined as Kingdom of Great Britain. During the next two hundred years Britain conquered Ireland and France. By 1540 the British Empire had taken the title of Holy Roman Empire after King Henry’s defeat of Emperor Charles and Pope Clement. During this time British, Nordic, and Spanish colonies were vying for domination of the New World. Each had indigenous allies. The advantage the Iron Lords had gave them something of an advantage, but since many of the colonist were true humans the Iron Lord’s iron weapons were less dangerous in the New World than in Europe. At the end of the Thirty Years War, the 1648 Peace of Westphaelia brought most of the major European countries under the imperial patronage of the British Crown. Each of the sovereignties kept their own crowns, but these in turn swore loyalty (and in some cases fealty) to the Holy Roman Emperor, who was also the King of Great Britain. France and Ireland were once again granted sovereign status separate from Britain but under the Empire. The Empire became the Empire of the Western World. New World holdings were consolidated under the Empire. The Empire did not long remain at peace. In 1650 public dissatisfaction with the Crown’s preoccupation with Europe, among other causes, led to a civil war that ended with the regicide of King Charles and his son. After a period of chaos Oliver Cromwell used the Army set up a Protectorate and was declared Lord Protector. This lasted only a few years before the Royal line was restored. During this time the Empire’s hold on the other European houses was weakened. This lead to the War of the Grand Alliance at the end of the 17th century. By the end this war The Empire was more firmly restored and in control of most of Europe and the New World. At this time, in the Great Horde – the western term for the peoples of the Mongol Empire – were seeing a resurgence in expansionism. The Unseelie elements with in the Great Horde had reestablished their control over the various humans. The Mughals of the Central Asian steppes, descendants of the Timurid Empire, started to expand into South Asia and India. By 1627 the Muhgal Emperor was well established on the throne of India and by 1690 had control over most of the Ottoman Empire. With in the bounds of the Golden Khanate the Unseelie faerie and fey maintained a much more strict caste system between themselves and true humans, with the humans on the bottom. While little of the original Faerie culture remained, the basic evil of the Unseelie was a strong current permeating the cultures within the Khanate. The 17th century saw the beginnings of the Age of Reason that lead to the Enlightenment. This philosophical revolution also led to the political revolutions of the 18th and 19th centuries. The great Imperial Merchant Companies saw their beginnings in this time as well. In the 1770s the first of the great revolutions occurred when The Iron Kingdom won its independence from the Empire. The Southern Empire followed soon thereafter. This was also the age when the British managed to wrest control of India and parts of Southeast Asia from the Khanate. Persia, with some help from the Empire, also gained their independence from the Khanate. In the 1790s the French revolted, killing their king and forming a republic. Republican feeling was running high in London and the Empire chose to regard this as a matter internal to the French, as long as they did not repudiate the allegiance to the Empire. But in 1804 Napoléon Bonaparte declared independence from the Empire, crowning himself the first French Emperor. He managed to sweep across most of Europe. It was not until the Battle of Waterloo that he was finally, and permanently defeated the European War ended and the Empire restored. This brings us to the current time (flex time between 1835-1885). The Empire, under Queen Victoria’s firm hand, is playing the Great Game with the Khanate and the Persians to gain control over Central Asia. The Khanate is moving all across the world trying to reassert itself as a world power outside its borders.

Re: Steampunk/Victorian fantasy setting questions Hey all, In the venerable tradition of the Hero Boards I wanted to put forward some of the details of my new campaign world. I would love to get feed back on things it would be cool to add or things that might need rethinking. One thing to recall is that I am creating this for a game I am using to intro my boys (ages 8 and 10) to gaming, so I want to make it somewhat simple and familiar. At the same time I like more detail in my world to give me hooks for plots I am interested in writing. EORTH BACKGROUND General Eorth is an alternate world that split from ours some 1000 years ago. Despite the split the events in one world influence the other. The Napoleonic Wars in our world, for instance, were reflected by the usurper Bonaparte who almost managed to overthrow the Empire from within. Even the names of major players are often the same, or at least similar. There is time lag between the two worlds and events do not always take place at the same time. The main split between the worlds happened 1000 years ago when the faerie realm manifested within the human realm on Eorth. Hundreds of thousands of faeries appeared world wide. The vast majority manifested in the British Isles and Scandinavia. Smaller numbers of related mythical beings manifested in other parts of the world. It is thought that all these mythical/folkloric beings came from the same realm.

Re: Banshee Wail On the name (from Wikipedia) - I have seen there are variations of ways Gaelic (Irish or Scottish) can be spelled. But it is a long time since I studied it. When I first read your description of the Wails effect (not the power but the narrative) I got out that the Wail turns the hearer's hair white. I think that is a really cool effect that could be done with a linked Transformation that might "heal" as new hair the original color grows out, or might be permanent. Fear turning someone's hair white is a venerable tradition. It would be cool to see it in a game and would give the player something to think about for a while without actually damaging the character. I may steal that idea for my game.

Re: Order of the Stick Gotta get on the rep wagon. well done.

Re: Steampunk/Victorian fantasy setting questions I thought about that. In the Western Empire, which is the main setting for the stories the fey are often the Aristocracy and the upper classes. While there are poor fey, they are often the illegitimate descendants of some aristocratic fey. In the military the officers are often, if not always fey. And the High Command is always fey. Therefor they don't want the average trooper having ready access to iron weapons/tools. Not the least because their officers would have a strong allergic reaction to just being in proximity to their troops. This isn't to say there are not all human special ops groups that use iron, but they are not the norm. The Iron Kingdom is just the opposite. They use iron as much as it is used in our world's history. The dwarf blood in their mages is not allergic to iron, but they are limited in the sorts of magic they can do (mostly earth and fire elemental types, and the much slower rune magics). Luckily for the Empire the Iron Lords are isolationist rather than expansionist.

Re: Steampunk/Victorian fantasy setting questions Thanks all. I had not thought about the relative quality of Victorian v. modern steel when looking at sites/sources that talked about the tensile strength of various bronzes/brasses and other alloys. Nor had I thought about the use of carbon fiber or ceramics for materials. Could also use cermets (ceramic/metal composites) such as tungsten carbide for blade edges or firing chambers. GURPS Technomancer has a setting that deals with industrial enchantment in a modern era. Not the same but has some ideas I can mine. Please keep the ideas coming.

Re: Steampunk/Victorian fantasy setting questions Thanks. I am a big Foglio fan and Girl Geius is par tof the feel I am going for. I guess i am wondering if there are other mundane alloys that are good enough to allow Victorian technologies. How about Aluminum Bronze? Or Red Brass (sometimes called gunmetal)? How about a magical way of processing titanium or beryllium to strengthen various bronzes to be as strong and as cheep as steel for those parts of a rifle or pistol that would require the strength. Same for cannons and other bigh guns. What about steam engines and railroad tracks. I need a metallurgist or a earth elementalist!

Re: Steampunk/Victorian fantasy setting questions Yeah, I read them, and will probably reread them soon. Like much of Weber's later stuff I wish he had a disciplined editor to help him cut some of the words. Two 600 page volumes and the main characters have still not finished their voyage to get to the main city. But you are right. I will need to mine it for ideas.

Re: City of Heroes - Online Hero Game I have many characters on many servers. My highest is a L50 on Virtue. My current favorite is on Pinnacle.

Re: Vampire Hero Also there might be a END/Blood Pool bonus for draining a victim to death. I have always looked to answer the question of why some vamps seem to always kill their prey while others live off of blood bank daquaris. Use the "value for liquid" idea above but say that someone's "lifeblood" (their final drops) have the most vitality. It means greedy vamps will go for the kill while those that are careful or plan ahead can drink without killing.

Hey all, Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): How does a society with limited access to iron/steel, but access to industrialized magic, create a Victorian level of technology? I am looking to create a kid friendly fantasy campaign setting that is somewhat early Victorian/steampunk in flavor. Basic premise is that this is an alternate earth that has a shared history with ours until about 1100CE where British, Irish, and Norse elves, faeries, other folkloric/mythical beings showed up in the world. There were thousands, maybe millions of them. They brought magic too. Pretty quickly they began to breed with normal humans and the fey (humans with faerie blood) had magical abilities. After some wars the “Unsealie” faeries were banished to the east where they met up with the Mongol hordes. The Norse dwarfs went west with the Vikings to the Iron Lands (North America) and the British faeries helped Britain establish the Empire of the West (based off the Gallic/Western Roman/Holy Roman Empire). Move forward to ~1850 and the three big polities are the Empire of the West (UK, Europe and its holdings around the world), the Iron Kingdom (North America), and the Great Horde/Golden Kahnate – (Most of Asia). Basically I am trying for a British Empire/Great Game feel for the story, with other geographic areas available for other flavors. The Iron Kingdom is a big Viking Land with some Wild West feel. The Southern Empire (Brazil and neighbors) is a more traditional feudal fantasy area with lots of alchemy. The Malagay Republic is the home of Enlightened Democracy. The Great Horde is the home of freedom and individualistic achievement/lawless anarchy and despotism (depends on your point of view). One of the main story elements is that the fey (except for the Iron Lords) are allergic/susceptible to iron and steel. Therefore they have to develop technology without it. This means bronze, brass, silver, and magic. My questions for the group are – What does the Western empire use for weapons for its armies? The Brits had the Enfield Rifled Musket in 1855. Could a musket (especially a rifled one) be made without iron? What about artillery? What about steam engines? Can they be made without iron? What about railroad tracks? Telegraph lines? Other technologies of the time? What would be worthwhile magical substitutions for these or other technologies that require iron? I see industrial magic as the creation of enchanted items in an assembly line fashion. The assembly line workers would have to be fey while the gadgets themselves are made for use by non-fey. What would an industrial magic economy look like? How can magic and science co-exist or interact? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Re: Was the GM right or wrong in limiting my Gadgeteer?

Re: Order of the Stick What does it say that I really felt sorry for Belkar at the end of the strip?

Re: City of Heroes - Online Hero Game Not sure I am seeing what you mean? What has changed for blasters?

Re: Millennium Champions Organized Play Campaign I am not sure what you mean by organized play campaign. Is this a PBEM? A series of modules? A world book? A game played at lots of cons? I love creating characters. I enjoy creating plots, settings and stories, and i seldom get a chance to play Champions. I would need to know more about what you have in mind, but I am intrigued.