Wolfe-Chan

Re: What setting does your campaign use?

I'm prepping for a new FH campaign and trying to decide between a homebrew or published setting. This isn't really a "sell me" thread, I'm just trying to sort through my thoughts.

 

(Also, it's nice to trade ideas and stuff with an online community and I'm wondering how many folks are using the Turakian Age. But I'd love to hear from everyone.)

 

Personally I enjoy homebrewing and that way you know it inside and out, but it can be a lot of work writing everything up from scratch. Also, a homebrew is limited to only my ideas and can feel stale and/or sketchy. A published setting does things differently than I would and as a result it seems large and mysterious, more real. It also stretches me as a GM far more than I'd ever push myself. Anyone else find this to be true?

 

So...

 

What campaign setting are you using? Why did you choose it? How is it working out?

 

If you've run or played in other FH campaigns in the past, what setting did you find most successful? Least successful? Why?

 

Mike

Well I am working on my own setting because the few I found that were steampunk did not feel right to me. I started working on a Machine verses Man idea and then went tech verses magic aswell and a little bit of other stuff for veriety. An island of undead some Zepplin using pirates and an Analytical Engine that is so large it became sentient and evil.

I basically wanted bit of both worlds but wanted to do things how I thought they should work I am borrowing a lot of stuff from other sources. As well as making up a bunch of my own.

Wolfe-Chan

Re: Naruto

Hello My Hero Elite.

 

 

I was really board last night and it started to puzzel me. How would you best buy/make the abilities showcased on Naruto? For certain characters like Sakura it is easy, just buy up equvilent stats and knowledges. But when you get to characters like Garaa with the control over sand and Neji with his biyakugan(and all the powers that he commands from it.) it gets much harder to think of the proper way to build them.

 

PS: I have managed to watch every episode made so far and both movies as and I am a real big fan of the show. (expecially of Rock Lee)

Well there is no "Proper way" to build any power is more personal preference really. For example I would buy most ninjutsu as a multipower and create an appropriate taijutsu. Then the weapons they use. Maybe a few special Ninja related combat maneuvers specifically for a Naruto Campaign.

Alot of the fancy stuff they do with the weapons you can just make a talent or even a weapon proficiency that you might have to buy to learn the technique.

And with the Multipower for creating Ninjutsu powers you could use multi slots for often used powers and ultras for powers that are stronger and not as used often. If you baugh Sasuke's learned powers in a mutipower you could buy them as ultras and they would be cheep to buy new ones.

Well that is how I see it but there are lots of ways to do things. VPP's could be a good way to do a few types as well depends on how much leeway you want to give your players. do not think you would need cosmic on his VPP tho just say Ninjutsu powers that sort of takes in a lot and if you wanted you could add a few more points on for the wide range of powers that seems to include but I think +2 is a bit much. THe special effect will always be Ninjutsu. And I think even Sasuke would have to make a skill roll maybe a Ninjutsu skill role to change his VPP.

Wolfe-Chan

Re: House of the Flying Daggers

But not to have the daggers swoop around like boomerangs? If you can hit someone with something that curves like that, you can hit a eye slit or an exposed armpit (hard to armor there).

 

The best way to do something like this IMO, is to just make it a campaign standard that no one wears armor.

 

Side note: As long as we're talking about unrealistic, it did kind of irk me that Zhang Ziyi's character was hit with a dagger, then lay there as if she was dead long enough to be buried in snow, and then she staggers to her feet. The swordfight lasting that long seemed epic, the not-being-dead after that long seemed cheesy.

But is that not what melodrama is all about?

Re: Steam Punk Fantasy Hero

I like the idea of a city being built up, and the 'high' roads slowly covering up the lower wards, very visual. I can imagine being on the ground floor, and only getting snippets of the sky, when it rains water drips down from the overpasses, looking up at night and seeing the bright glow of the upper city, while the low part is dimly illuminiated with a few gas lamps here and there.

 

As they are not able to move out, or up, the poorer districts will continue to become more crowded as refugees pour into the city.

 

One consideration will be how to move goods up, and down the city. Elevators? A large ramp that runs around the city (perhaps a current project)? There will have to be at least one nice road on the lower level leading to the city gates so nobles and merchants don't have to pass through the dreks to enter or leave the city.

 

Thieves with good acrobatics will be king, as they will be able to move in 3-dimensions which will greatly aid in their ability to escape from the law.

Awesome ideas! thanx bunches and bunches. Yes you seem to have caught what I was trying to convey about the city!

I have been on an Oblivion break as I have got Elder Scrolls IV and have been playing for two weeks straight and pretty much not doing anything else.

I am going to get back to work on my Campaign tho as I am computer gamed out now for a bit I think. Have a friend that I am going to start a one on one adventure to check things out and to see how things work out.

The game Rise of Legends has a steam punk race called the Vinci that is so what I was thinking like only a little more technologically advanced then I was looking for. The clothes, armour, and the look of the characters is so how I envisioned people in the campaign looking.

Re: Steam Punk Fantasy Hero

Yeah' date=' it's formed in swamps. But it's formed millions of years ago. Look at places where coal is mined now...they're not swamps, because that would be dangerous and expensive.[/quote']

 

 

Life is cheap when you are using serfs or slaves to mine, and a good water pump will help. I am not saying that the mines will be right in the swamp just on the parts that have mostly dried. I want the mining to be a dangerous thing so that coal is not a very common resource. As well as very expensive and well worth fighting over.

 

The reclaming of most of the land for the city from the fens and swamp will have put most of the mines under the city itself.

 

Also I think it would be more fun to have it like that so I guess I will have to suspend the old belief and hope players do not know where coal is supposed to found. Plus swamp monsters in the coal mines would make a good adventure. Some times I think that for the sake of fun you have to bend the rules of the nirmal world to make the setting that you want. (just not to much)

 

I wonder what would be a good coal mine monster, maybe someth8ing that eats coal?

 

Wolfe-Chan

Re: weapon weights?

Actually polearms run in the same weight range as other great weapons.

 

Here's a good starting point for discussion on the weights of weapons:

 

http://www.thearma.org/essays/weights.htm

 

A quick Google search for Medieval Weapon Weights brings up a number of likewise worthy sites.

Thank you for this site! It has made me want to run out and practicing with weapons again! Maybe I will actually do it again and loose all the pounds I am supposed so says my doctor!

Re: weapon weights?

I actually peffer the Stone system in IronClaw--it actually made sense to rank something in terms of a fraction of a stone. I always equate 1 stone sword to a big two-handed sword. Similarlly, a 1/4 stone sword is a short sword.

 

And for the record, 1 stone = 16 pounds.

Actually a stone is 14 lbs. Check out the Wikipedia here

Wolfe-Chan

Re: Steam Punk Fantasy Hero

Coal isn't usually found around marshes, is it? It's certainly not mined around them, anyway. The mines flood too easily.

 

Your city might be better placed on a mountain, with the poorer sections of town spilling down into the upper levels of the mines. As the population increases, the rich take over some of the poorer areas of the surface, and the poor have to move into the mines if they want to stay within the city walls.

Well I was reading that coal mines they are mainly found in swamplands here is a quote from Wikipedia.

Coal was formed in swamp ecosystems which persisted in lowland sedimentary basins similar, for instance, to the peat swamps of Borneo today. These swamp environments were formed during slow subsidence of passive continental margins, and most seem to have formed adjacent to estuarine and marine sediments suggesting that they may have been in tidal delta environments.

So that is why I am putting the city by the swamps and fens of the two or three rivers running from the mountains.

Re: Steam Punk Fantasy Hero

It might be more interesting to dispense with real-life concepts of gunpowder and instead have the gunpowder in your campaign be derived from something of great value to the magic kingdom. For example' date=' perhaps both magic and guns run off 'fairy dust', only maybe the gunpowder version involves actually grinding up the fairies. There would then be all sorts of conflicts over the control of the fairy lands and its supply of fairies, as well as the morality of producing 'fairy dust'.[/quote']

 

Brutal that is a bit too gross for me but definitly an iterseting Idea. Will have to think about it maybe it could be made from the sweat of the fae that way there is no grinding up cute little creatures and they could be running in hamster wheels or somesuch.

 

Wolfe-Chan

Re: Steam Punk Fantasy Hero

Well I have been working more on the Campaign and I have come up with the idea of a type of resource that the tech is made of a special metal or alloy of some special element. I am not sure how I am going to go about this or if I should just make coal the resource that the war between the Clockwork computer and the Humans is about.

I have been working on the main city of Westerhiem and I have decided that it is going to be a large city that is growing up instead of out because of the marshy terrain that is around the city. So they are building larger taller buildings and some on top of others. The city is getting taller. So most of the streets are covered and the lower areas are the where the poor live and the rich live above them.

Any ideas or criticism on the city idea would be great.

As for the magic kingdom I have not really gave it to much thought yet but they are not anti-technology. They are more magic oriented so any technology they do have usually will have a magic component like a horse less wagon that is pulled buy invisible summoned creatures or magical means. That there "technology" is based on magic instead of science. To them, Magic is a science would be a good way of explaining there out look on technology.

The marsh and fens around Westerhiem will mean that there will be a lot of coal near the city. It will be hard to mine that coal do to the number of creatures and monsters that will infest the marsh and fens. Creating many adventure opetunities in just getting coal.

What about gun powder should it be something I should think about? Are guns a good addition to fantasy? Do you think that they will take away from the fantasy elements?

That is pretty much where I am at the moment. Please be as critical and helpful as you can be.

Wolfe-Chan

Re: Steam Punk Fantasy Hero

Some times cliches are not bad. bUt as an added note there is a third Kingdom as well as a few other suprises like Nomads and barbarians to the west of the main kingdom, pirates and the undead hordes of an ancient undead wizard, Pirates.

The second main Kingdom is going to be magical and nature and they will not have any understanding of Technology. And later on after I got bored with the Mechanical computer I am going to have a conflict between technology and Magic.

The third kingdom is going to be a league of city states run by druids. And will be more open to technology or magic.

Being cliche does not neccessarily make something bad. Some times you can really enjoy the familiar. If I can put a fresh face on a the ordinary you can turn it into the extraordinary.

Well that is my take on things as far a cliches go.

The main part of the campiagn to begin with is going to be the battle between man and machine but only at a pre-industrial level. I want Terminator meets Victorian England meets High Fantasy. Well that is what I want to shoot for.

Re: Steam Punk Fantasy Hero

Ok I have worked on it in my head all day and I think I hvae come to the realization that it will be a Monarcy with the help of various Guilds & Unions.

Now I am just trying to think up some good names for those guilds and unions.

So far I have:

Steam Workers Union

Steel Workers Guild

Association of Clockwork Artisans

All bit not that great any ideas anyone might have for good names for similar organizations would be a great help.

I am also trying to come up with what to call replacements of a mechaical/clockwork/steam nature on people like arms and legs and such.

Please tell me what you think.

Thanx Wolfe-Chan

Re: Steam Punk Fantasy Hero

Twist it around a little, take away the Magna Carta. The Royalists won the War of the Roses. Imagine a functioning society and politcal System run by a Monarchy.

 

You could still have a Constutional Structure, but ultimately power rests with the King (or Queen).

 

Just my 2 cents

 

QM

I like your idea. Going to sit down and work on that today. Thanx

Re: Steam Punk Fantasy Hero

Cool thanks for you comments they have helped a lot. I am still working on the political structure of the Westerhaven and the main city Westerhiem is going to be a warren of different levels of buildings built on top of each other it is going to be huge with different levels and parts of the city suspended above other parts.

What would be a good politcal system for a pre-industrial civilization?

Should it be a constitutional monarcy similar to Victorian England? or maybe something else?

Re: Equipment

No in a Heroic level campaign you do not but normal weapons or equipment with cp but usually any magical or special weapons are usually baught with cp. That is upto the GM and the feel of your campaign itself.

I myself like to usually go that any magical item you want to begin the game with you have to pay points for and it is not independent so you cannot really loose it unless you take the independent advantage yourself for the item. After all magic items are not paid for and all ave independent in the lims. I would lets some one buy a mafic item with out ind. lim. if they wanted too but then they would have to pay the points from their experience.

Well that is my take on it anyway.

Re: Steam Punk Fantasy Hero

I highly recommend reading Perdido Street Station (for more than just general reasons this time) - especially the bit about the Construct Council

Thanx I am doing that now is a very strange setting but cool too.

Re: Steam Punk Fantasy Hero

Ok I have been way sick for the last few weeks but now I have some more Ideas and I have done more thinking on how I want to work the technological side of the game now.

First there is going to be one "evil" Giant Anylitical Engine that was made some hundreds of years ago and became sentient and destroyed the technically advanced city it was made in. Then the Human population moved south to get out of the reach of the maniacal mechanical menace. they founded a city statejust south of the Fens of hate. They named there new home Westerhiem and have been strugling against the hordes og the Great Engine since there escape.

Westerhiem is a very large city and most of the people that love in the Kingdom of Westerhaven live in the city as the country side is not really very safe as clockwork assassins from the north peroidically careen threw the fields looking for anything living to kill. With in a few leages of the city itself is safe but past that you need an armed guard or the ability to protect yourself. The city itself is a vast waren of passageways and underground routes. One never sees the sky once he has entered Westerhiem. Most farming is automated or done from small towns that are mostly malitia outposts as well as farming communities.

The two easiest was to travel are the Great Road of Tar and the railway system which both lead to the Coal mines in the northern mountains the Steel Peaks. These mountains are the constant Battlefield that the Kingdom of Westerhaven and the Great Engine are constantly at war to keep there respective blast furnices perpetually running and keeping both war machines grinding each other to piles of dust.

Now I have a few questions for you all.

Exactly what level of technology will keep this setting Fantasy and how to keep it fantasy with steam power and coal gas?

Should people be able to replace limbs similar to Fullmetal Alchemist?

Should they beable to replace more then just a limb?

Should I have other races other then human?

Should I have a navy of dirigibles?

What about steampowered vehicles? There is going to be a train and an underground train to get around the city.

And if you want to help me create this setting please take a sec and join the Yahoo group http://ca.groups.yahoo.com/group/FHbyGaslight/

Anyway any comments and criticism would be awesome thanx!

Re: [resource] Adventure Seeds

After a long journy you arive in one of the PC's home town to find that everyone has mysteriously vanished. Now you have to find out where the population of the town has gone.

Re: Anybody done any Narnia characters yet.

No but Hey that would be fun! I will have to see about making Aslan and the White Witch!

Re: Sunday Afternoon Shaolin Kung Fu Theatre!

Cool thanks for the feed back! Is good to here I am doing a good job on the history aspect of the campaign.

Re: Want to look at my new Map?

I think it looks awesome! Is it finished or are you still working on it?

I am thinking of Getting Campaign Cartographer to do my maps some one suggested it when I posted my map that I drew in pencil for my Fantasy by Gaslight Campaign.

Re: How do you focus on things?

Wow cool thanks for all the great advice it has really helped out. I am sure I can get mack on track now!

Re: Steam Punk Fantasy Hero

I see your map making skills are similar to mine...

Was just a rough draft I am sure I could do a bit better all it would take is a bit of solid effort. I am sure you could do better then that too!

Re: Steam Punk Fantasy Hero

Opps that was a bad copy of the scan let me try again

Ok that is a bit more readable

I was wondering if anyone could give me some tips on how to focus on working on my setting I am creating.

My big problem is I am overwhelmed by all the ideas I have and am a bit lost on what I should be working on. What do you suggest is the first order of business while working on a campaign setting.

I would like to know where to go from there! I need sorta of a schedule of things that I need to do to get things moving. What do you all do to keep on track?

Thanx in advance

Wolfe-Chan