Oct 12, 2022 2:53 pm
Disclaimer: I am nowhere NEAR ready to launch this, I'm more or less gathering opinions on whether this sort of setting would be of interest to anyone. I'm probably still going to work on it regardless, but it doesn't hurt to gather information.
Put in its most simplistic terms, this would be a wild west setting but with medieval weapons instead of guns, but rather than guns just somehow not existing, circumstances have basically made them less effective than swords and arrows unless they're in the hands of extremely skilled shooters. Think Dune with its personal shields that stop fast moving projectiles, but slower moving objects can go through, but with more of a fantasy twist. I haven't figured out exactly what yet, but whatever it is, it's common, mundane, and simple enough to make handheld guns more of a niche weapon rather than just the best solution to combat. Being shot would still hurt, but the damage would be greatly reduced unless an unprotected part of the body was hit.
This would necessitate an introduction of a simple 'called shot' mechanic, where a target would get the chance to make a dexterity save to avoid damage completely, making it a somewhat risky maneuver so players aren't constantly making called shots which would slow down encounters to a grind.
This setting would deal heavily with the major construction projects of the American colonies as the key points of conflict; railroads, blast mining, water canals and forts. One aspect I'm trying to be VERY careful with is the topic of slavery. I don't want to trivialize the suffering of slaves nor the indifference of the people that allowed it by framing it like some funtime action movie where the heroes can kill slavers with a clear conscience to solve the slavery problem, but I also don't want the setting to feel too heavy, preachy, or political.
The setting would also be very turbulent; the country is in the midst of a civil war, but punched up with the added complications of multiple species and of course, this new wrinkle that has put knights and archers back on the battlefield.
In keeping with the high fantasy aspects, this would also open up new avenues for challenging encounters; ogres wielding crank gatling guns like TF2's Heavy, mad bomber goblins, and of course would draw upon the wealth of mythology that came from the 1800's all over the world.
The infrastructure would be what would really make this setting stand out. Printed newspapers, banks, general stores, and a mail system would make day to day life a little more familiar and add a ton of flavor with amusing things like advertisements for dwarfish beer. "Brewed Mountain Strong. Not for leaf lovers!"
Other things I'd be working on for this project:
-A retooling for the gunslinger fighter subclass to fit the aesthetic of the setting (basically to be really effective with guns, this class would be a necessity.)
-A new homebrew monk subclass: "Way of the Wilds", based on animal-stance forms that get specific abilities outside of spending ki (shifting stances in combat would consume ki.) to offer more combat flexibility. Given that the 1800's saw the first influx of Chinese immigrants, that opens the doors for more natural-feeling Asian influences and aesthetics that WOTC have kind of danced around.
-New balance changes for martials to give them a little more utility
-Price changes for equipment and conversion to dollars and cents rather than coinage. (Set to 1800's values)
-A new crafting system specifically centered around upgrading weapons and equipment rather than just collecting a wardrobe of magic items to really allow players get attachments to their favorite gear for theming and personal flavor
-A ton of illustrations to nail down the visual aesthetic of the setting.
-Trying desperately to not just simply be Wild Wild West the RPG.
-Trying desperately to not just make this an excuse to draw tieflings and dwarves as saloon girls.
Put in its most simplistic terms, this would be a wild west setting but with medieval weapons instead of guns, but rather than guns just somehow not existing, circumstances have basically made them less effective than swords and arrows unless they're in the hands of extremely skilled shooters. Think Dune with its personal shields that stop fast moving projectiles, but slower moving objects can go through, but with more of a fantasy twist. I haven't figured out exactly what yet, but whatever it is, it's common, mundane, and simple enough to make handheld guns more of a niche weapon rather than just the best solution to combat. Being shot would still hurt, but the damage would be greatly reduced unless an unprotected part of the body was hit.
This would necessitate an introduction of a simple 'called shot' mechanic, where a target would get the chance to make a dexterity save to avoid damage completely, making it a somewhat risky maneuver so players aren't constantly making called shots which would slow down encounters to a grind.
This setting would deal heavily with the major construction projects of the American colonies as the key points of conflict; railroads, blast mining, water canals and forts. One aspect I'm trying to be VERY careful with is the topic of slavery. I don't want to trivialize the suffering of slaves nor the indifference of the people that allowed it by framing it like some funtime action movie where the heroes can kill slavers with a clear conscience to solve the slavery problem, but I also don't want the setting to feel too heavy, preachy, or political.
The setting would also be very turbulent; the country is in the midst of a civil war, but punched up with the added complications of multiple species and of course, this new wrinkle that has put knights and archers back on the battlefield.
In keeping with the high fantasy aspects, this would also open up new avenues for challenging encounters; ogres wielding crank gatling guns like TF2's Heavy, mad bomber goblins, and of course would draw upon the wealth of mythology that came from the 1800's all over the world.
The infrastructure would be what would really make this setting stand out. Printed newspapers, banks, general stores, and a mail system would make day to day life a little more familiar and add a ton of flavor with amusing things like advertisements for dwarfish beer. "Brewed Mountain Strong. Not for leaf lovers!"
Other things I'd be working on for this project:
-A retooling for the gunslinger fighter subclass to fit the aesthetic of the setting (basically to be really effective with guns, this class would be a necessity.)
-A new homebrew monk subclass: "Way of the Wilds", based on animal-stance forms that get specific abilities outside of spending ki (shifting stances in combat would consume ki.) to offer more combat flexibility. Given that the 1800's saw the first influx of Chinese immigrants, that opens the doors for more natural-feeling Asian influences and aesthetics that WOTC have kind of danced around.
-New balance changes for martials to give them a little more utility
-Price changes for equipment and conversion to dollars and cents rather than coinage. (Set to 1800's values)
-A new crafting system specifically centered around upgrading weapons and equipment rather than just collecting a wardrobe of magic items to really allow players get attachments to their favorite gear for theming and personal flavor
-A ton of illustrations to nail down the visual aesthetic of the setting.
-Trying desperately to not just simply be Wild Wild West the RPG.
-Trying desperately to not just make this an excuse to draw tieflings and dwarves as saloon girls.
