Dark Thrones: Remnants of the Ancients [ EDIT ]

There are dark elements, both known and hidden, throughout the world. Lost cultures from the distant past dealt in dark secrets. Sorcerers and witches of old called upon the names of demons, gleaned power from horrifying monsters, and made pacts with the races that dwelt on the earth before man. Vast treasure was amassed by the war champions, the wizards, and the fiends of old. The remnants and artifacts of those lost ages are still discovered from time to time, by both the foolish and the bold, whether hidden in the dark corners of an ancient ruin, or perhaps even carried forth in secret by cults and shadowy factions who claim to have some fragment of ancient power.

This will be a "Sword and Sorcery" setting, as described in the 5e DMG on pg. 38-39. The world is dark and gritty, austere and merciless. It is a world that is more "realistic" and may remind us of our own in some ways, but with a dose of unrealistic fantastical settings and darkness. It is also a world of adventure, wealth, fame, and glory for those who are tough enough to explore and subdue it.

Some of the game options and mechanics will be adjusted to fit this setting. Combat is bloody, dangerous, and exhausting. The rules of injury, recovery, and dying are adjusted to capture a grittier depiction of close calls with death at low and negative HPs. Admittedly, it's a dangerous, unforgiving world, and ultimately intended for players who are up to the challenge, where death, and worse is possible.

The influence of magic is also toned down severely and converted to a different role and nature within the game. Ritual Magic will be the only way to perform Arcane spells. Magic is rare, mysterious, largely mistrusted, and most often dangerous and evil.

Humans are the default race across the entire world, and the only race available to Player Characters. Humans of this world will be differentiated by what will be referred to as "Human Sub-Races," which will represent differences in regional groups who share a common language and similar culture. Demi-human races such as elves, dwarves, halflings, and gnomes either do not exist at all, or are modified to be fantastical peoples extremely rare and scarcely understood.

Classes and Class Archetypes will be limited almost exclusively to non-spellcasters, with a small exception for the possibility of very low-level druids, clerics, paladins, and monks with modified spell access and abilities. Characters with these limited exceptional classes will have to multi-class at some point to continue to advance in overall character class levels.

So in the end, this will be mostly a game for Fighters, Rogues, and Barbarians. It will be the stories of a bold and shrewd team of adventurers, masters of steel and hardware. Sometimes just surviving, and sometimes wrecking shop and running the tables on even the deadliest of opponents, calling on their own brawn, wit, and guile to take on all challengers, the natural and the supernatural alike.

Posting frequency goals for this game will be once a day, Monday through Friday, with additional posting and involvement beyond that being at the player's discretion. Weekends will be optional (for both Players and DM), to allow for family, recreation, and the other RL obligations.



The original Forum on the Games Tavern section is still open as well here:
http://gamersplane.com/forums/thread/4686/