Mar 19, 2017 2:10 pm
Below is a slightly altered version of the Game Description:
A Low Fantasy, Low Magic, Sword and Sorcery Setting
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 setting will be different than what seems to be the default "High Fantasy" setting suggested by traditional D&D. This setting will be what is described in the 5e DMG on pgs. 38-39 as "Sword and Sorcery." This game 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.
The influence of magic is also toned down severely and converted to a different role and nature within the game. Most spells are restricted. Others are changed. Ritual magic will become the only way for a PC to even have a chance to perform any Arcane spells.
Humans are the default race over 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.
The most dramatic departure from the traditional game will be that Classes and Class Archetypes will be limited almost exclusively to non-spellcasters, with a small exception for the possibility of very low-level druids and clerics with modified spell access and abilities. Characters with some Druid or Cleric levels 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.
A Low Fantasy, Low Magic, Sword and Sorcery Setting
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 setting will be different than what seems to be the default "High Fantasy" setting suggested by traditional D&D. This setting will be what is described in the 5e DMG on pgs. 38-39 as "Sword and Sorcery." This game 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.
The influence of magic is also toned down severely and converted to a different role and nature within the game. Most spells are restricted. Others are changed. Ritual magic will become the only way for a PC to even have a chance to perform any Arcane spells.
Humans are the default race over 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.
The most dramatic departure from the traditional game will be that Classes and Class Archetypes will be limited almost exclusively to non-spellcasters, with a small exception for the possibility of very low-level druids and clerics with modified spell access and abilities. Characters with some Druid or Cleric levels 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.