Valiosant (Tynan's DnD Setting)

[Innocentius]

Alright, I've filled out a bunch of details in my campaign setting, on the world of Valiosant. Unfortunately, I've been drafted by my family to play the dreadful game “Entertain Family Friends,” so more details won't be forthcoming until much later tonight or tomorrow. For now, you can see some of the layout of the world – geography and such – because that's all I've typed up so far.

Teverlin: The central continent of the world (an oblate spheroid, of course).
Major Geographical Features:
->The Way of the Sword is a major mountain range that runs east-west through the heart of the continent. Many strange creatures are known to live in these mountains, and the only semi-safe means of passage on foot is the Way of the Mind, a small mountain pass.
->The Path of Daggers is a broad range of foothills that form the beginnings of the Way of the Sword in the West. A rather charming place, home to many pastoral, idyllic towns and free from monsters that are rampant in many other places.
->The Ulden Plains are to the north of the Path of Daggers. Home to some monsters as well as some farmland. Many people come here as the farmers pay good money for guards against the monsters (more like wild animals, but hey, they're just commoners.)
->The Platinum Coast wraps around the north and west of the Ulden Plains. It's a fairly nice place, although it's slightly chilly. It's also the place to go to see frolicking dolphins.
->South of the Path of Daggers is the Dralhi Desert, one of the most miserable places to be. Filled with savage beings as well as ferocious monsters, it's avoided by pretty much everybody.
->To the west of the Dralhi Desert lies the Yalrin river basin, at the center of which lies the Yalrin River. Home to many corporations that originally used the Yalrin River as a cheap source of power, it is still a major center of production even as other sources of power have been discovered.
->Between the Dralhi Desert and the Yalrin river basin is the Chronomos Peninsula, which is dominated by the Chronomos Forest, known to be dominated by many different magical creatures.
->The land to the north of the Way of the Sword is divided between The Wilds and Order. The Wilds is a quite dangerous jungle. All you need to know about Order for now is that it is an empty, flat, gray land.


The Golden Coast: To the west of Teverlin, it's also the central continent of the world. (Don't you just love spheres?) It's mostly a big, balmy beach with many palm trees and the like. Excluding the giant sharks that occasionally swim around, it's also very peaceful. Excluding, of course, the major demolitions work being done at the south end. More on that later


Pyverlin: To the north of Teverlin, it's also the central continent of the world. Formerly entirely the property of the nation of Wylvia, and current home of their mass driver and launch pads, it has been partially consumed by Order. The Heartland mountains run southwest-northeast through this land, but they are slowly being demolished by the advance of Order. Also, twin rivers known as North Wall and South Wall run across the continent north and south respectively. They seemed to have stalled the advance of Order. The continent also has a great deal of farmland. To the far north is a region known as the Ascension. All that's known about it is it's where extraplanar creatures enter and exit Valiosant.


The Great Unknown: Far to the northwest of Teverlin, life has been detected here, but has never been seen. It's also never been explored due to the huge mountains preventing anybody from landing there.


Alright, have to go entertain now. Be back later.
Also - I can't write stuff as fast as Mark can. This may take a while. Hopefully, I'll post more stuff later.

[Innocentius]

Some stuff on cities:

Wylvian Seat: Certainly the center of power in the civilized world. Several hundred years ago, due to a freak teleportation accident, the council of nine regents that rules over Wylvia suddenly found themselves on one of the planet's moons, whose Wylvian name is Libertia. Finding it to be a rather pleasant place to live, they founded the Wylvian Space Exploration program. Nobody is quite too sure why the colonies on the moon are needed, but they are undeniably a symbol of Wylvia's power, as are its numerous airships and airplanes (airships' source of lift is magical, airplanes' source of lift is from the Bernoulli principle.) Native citizens of Wylvia – mostly human – vote for their regents every five years. Despite being mostly human, all races are welcome in Wylvia, although some, such as orcs, are generally looked down upon. Elves of all types demand a great deal of attention because they are known to be powerful, but rarely seen. Dwarves are fairly common and command some respect, especially when in bars. Halflings and gnomes are frequently made fun of for their small stature, but only the halflings seem to be able to take it in stride. Anything else is quite rare. The weapons technology is quite fantastic, powerful magic is very commonplace, and shiny buildings stretch far into the sky. Deals are typically done with bank notes or a “medal card,” which functions similarly to a debit card. The city is also kept meticulously neat by the unemployed, who are forced into employment if found loitering about the city and marring its beauty. They also maintain the city's transportation system, which uses a system of dimension door spells to ferry citizens of the city around for free. However, many people do own their own airships, as they are fairly cheap and very commonplace.
Fact Sheet:
Population: 15,000,000
Approximate Progress Level: 22 (in Earth centuries AD)
Notes on class: There is no nobility. Business owners and master crafters generally demand the most respect, followed by adventurers, then performers, artisans, shopkeepers, and then the working class.
Gods: Libertia, god of freedom, chaotic good; Alvinitor, god of judgement, lawful neutral; Felvia, god of health and good fortune, neutral good. All three are commonly practiced.
Culture: Theater, fine music and art, and food from all over the world are frequently enjoyed. Those with gold to spare bet it on a popular card game known as Cardell (blackjack, with a twist), or spend it watching some of the several sporting events that take place, such as the Alvinitor Games (a test of the competitors strength), the Felvia Stakes (old-fashioned races of animals) or the Wyverlin City Challenge (race through the skyscrapers in speedy airships).

Ulden: Similar in dynamics to the Wylvian Seat, and also created by humans, but much poorer and much more depressing – and gray. While there are many people here who have gotten very rich off of trade, the King of Ulden, Francis XVIII, has allowed poverty to get out of hand, to the point where the city police are nearly constantly trying to keep the rioting under control. Just recently, the King was successfully able to lower the level of the rioting by installing a enormous gladiator arena on the outskirts of the city and making food available for free. However, funding this ventures has caused him to go deep into debt to Wylvian debitors, requiring him to raise taxes on the wealthy. There have been rumors among the bourgeoisie of an uprising against the nobility for some time, but nothing has come of it as of yet. Overall, Ulden's technology is significantly harder to access than in the Wylvian Seat, and most people simply walk about the city.
Fact Sheet:
Population: 22,500,000
Approximate Progress Level: early 21
Notes on class: Bloodline nobility still rules, but their grasp looks tenuous compared to the rising bourgeoisie, who represent businessmen as well as skilled worked such as engineers. The poor are the bane of the city, but provide cheap labor for the upper classes.
Gods: Same as Wylvia.
Culture: Everybody attends the King Francis arena to watch the gladiator matches, regardless of class. Despite the power struggles between classes, everybody will leave behind their status and enjoy the good food and drink provided with the great entertainment.

Argh...I write slowly. I'll put up more after dinner. If you're interested in playing a cleric and one of the gods appeals to you, let me know so I can assign it domains. There's a whole bunch of cities coming in addition to these. They may not be as detailed, but don't feel compelled to jump on these. I'm aiming to get another four up after dinner. Wish me luck.

[Innocentius]

More city stuff! Also, I have a map that I'll furnish at the next meeting.

Lorgrin: The ancient city of the dwarves, where all the old traditions are still practiced. Travelers on the Way of the Mind mark the halfway point of their journey with the massive gate that leads to the city of Lorgrin, and many choose to spend several nights there. Even though it is underground, and the technology is somewhat primitive compared to what is available in other places, the city is renowned for the best hospitality in all of Valiosant. Run on the four pillars of dwarf society – preachin', killin', minin', and drinkin' – it is an attractive home for dwarves of all types. Due to it being entirely underground, constructed entirely of stone, and providing no transportation other than the citizens' feet and the occasional horse, it attracts few long-term residents that aren't dwarves. King Gardok's reign has led to a great era of prosperity in the city, as well as the discovery of a new material called “axepowder” that has proved to be very effective for excavation as well as demolition purposes. While they feel that a good weapon might be made out of it, they aren't quite sure how it would be done.
Fact Sheet:
Population: 2,000,000
Approximate Progress Level: late 17
Notes on class: The King and his descendants are the only nobility. The highest rank of dwarf society is maintained by the preachers, followed by the killers, miners, and lastly the drinkers.
Gods: Balgoth (god of mining, neutral), Valkosen(god of wars, chaotic neutral), Dralliom(god of the dwarves, lawful neutral)
Culture: Every good dwarf fulfills at least one of the dwarves' roles. Of course, once the work day is done, everybody convenes at the bars for a good time in the evening. All dwarves take off at least one day of the week to attend the services of their chosen god.

Rodgrin: Some time ago, as must happen with any civilized race, the principles of reason and science arose in the dwarf community. While the core dwarf audience belittled these radical ideas, preferring to rely on the strength of their gods, many of the youngsters of the city moved on to create a new beginning. Situated at the river delta of the Yalrin River, Rodgrin features some of the most fanciful stonework anywhere on Valiosant. One of the first inventions of the Rodgrin dwarves was submaries. Originally powered by dwarves, they are now typically powered by a mysterious substance discovered in the bottom of the sea, known as “black gold” for its rarity and high value. Black gold now powers the dwarves' land vehicles as well, commonly known as earth crawlers. While the principles of reason play a large role in the city's culture, the Four Pillars do as well, and as much as any Rodgrin dwarf would tell you that they are different from the Lorgrin dwarves, they really haven't strayed as far as they think. Lorgrin dwarves keep an eye on them, and even the most venerable Rodgrin dwarf can still be called “that spunky young'un” by a Lorgrin dwarf. Non-dwarves are much more comfortable in Rodgrin than in Lorgrin, as the entire city is above ground, and humans and elves are both fairly common sights.
Fact Sheet:
Population: 5,000,000
Approximate Progress Level: 20
Notes on class: The Rodgrin dwarves have a democratically-elected assembly, who then elect a King. The government is noticeably down to earth, and it's not unusual to see them out at night with their constituents, enjoying a good drink. Other than that, their class structure is quite similar to that of the Lorgrin dwarves, with the miners replaced with submarine workers.
Gods: Valkosen, Dralliom, and Gosellio(god of the seas, neutral)
Culture: Drinking is a popular pastime, as is attending religious services. However, with trade being established with the Wylvian Seat, it is not unusual to see a dwarf playing a game of Cordello now. There have been some attempts at dwarf theatre, but it has a long way to go to match the elegant productions of the Wylvians.

Chronomosio/Chronomosia: These are the cities of the elves; Chronomosio is the home of the drow as well as other elves with an evil bent, and Chronomosia is the home of good elves. Outsiders who have seen the cities from the air or the sea have remarked on their beauty, as well as how well they integrate with the coastline as well as the Zhul forest, which fills the Chronomos peninsula. However, no non-elf has ever seen the city firsthand, as only elves are permitted within these cities, and elves who leave the cities are notoriously tight-lipped about their homeland. It is also very dangerous to travel on the Chronomos peninsula, as the Great War between the two cities continues to rage on after untold years of fighting. No one is quite sure what they are fighting over, but it's easy to tell they are using some very powerful magic to get it done, easily rivaling what is available in Wylvia.
Fact Sheet:
Population: Estimated, based on the size of the cities, to be 1,000,000 each.
Nobody knows much about these cities except for elves. If you want to play an elf, say so and I'll PM you details on these cities.

[Beeb]

I think I'll play my spiked chain rogue in this campaign (the one you're gonna do soon), then do something different during the school one. Most likely a wizard, since I've never done full-out arcane spellcasting before. I promise I won't suck like another wizard we know.

He has a few levels of fighter, so he can be the backup melee combatant.

[Avi]

I could heal better than you.

[Beeb]

I said it before, and I'll say it again: you would have been killed one way or another. There were 7 guys and the boss near you, and the boss dealt 122 damage to me, and I had much more HP and AC than you. Besides, sometimes you have to throw caution into the wind and just attack, and hope for the best.

Unfortunetly, the best did not come and my head went flying. And you survived instead.

[Jongluer]

I will be playing a ranged fighter, with perhaps some other classes sprinkled in for flavor.
MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

[Innocentius]

So I'm feeling lazy and didn't want to write up another whole post about the campaign setting tonight, so I'm posting character creation rules instead.

Level: 8
Starting Gold: 27,000
Stats: Usual 4d6, roll 7, drop below 11.
Race: You may freely choose any race in the Player's Handbook, of course - although if you want to play a half-orc, halfling or gnome, you may want to hold up until I write a post about those cities. In addition, races that have an adjustment will probably be okay if the total racial hit die + level adjustment is eight or less, but you'll need to talk to me first. Templates and races without a level adjustment are most likely not okay unless you can create an amazing backstory.
Books: The usual suspects are all okay without approval - Player's Handbook, DMG, the Completes, Expanded Psionics. If what you want to play is in one of the Crystal Keep indexes, you're most likely good to go - just let me know if you're pulling something from someplace really weird.
Alignment Restrictions: None.
Backstory: Can be anything you want, but you all must be in the Wyverlin Seat for one reason or another.
Additional Weaponry: Due to the advances in technology, there are several new weapons, many of which will require an exotic weapons proficiency feat. I'll post some later on.

[Avi]

Level 8, sick.

I guess I'm going to be a melee fighter, eh? Interesting...

[Jongluer]

Steve when you say playing a rogue, are you taking the typical rogue skills Disable Device/Search/Open Lock?
I ask because I will be playing a rogue-ish character, and I had assumed you'd be handling arcanist duties.

[Avi]

Oh right. Well if you two want to coordinate your rogues, that's cool. Cheese is playing healer. I don't think I want to do arcane spellcasting again... but with 8 levels to play with... Force Missile Mage!



Just kidding.

[Avi]

Actually, I just found a forum post with all 5 levels of the Force Missile Mage.

Force MIssle Mage
Requirements: Concentration 9 ranks, Spellcraft 9 ranks, Feat: combat casting, Ability to cast Magic Missle once per day

1st LVL: Base Attack +0, F+0/R+0/W+2, Bouse Missle, Still Missle, No extra spells per day
2nd LVL: Base Attack+1, F+0/R+0/W+3, Energy missle, Swift Shield, +1 lvl of existing spellcasting class
3rd LVL: Base Attack+1, F+1/R+1/W+3. Overpowering Missle, +1 lvl of existing spellcasting class
4th LVL: Base Attack+2, F+1/R+1/W+4, Reflective Shield, +1 lvl of existing spellcasting class
5th LVL: Bast Attack+2, F+!/R+!/W+4, Bonus Missle. +1 lvl of existing spellcasting class

Weapon and Marmor Proficiency: Force missle mage gains no new weapon or armor proficiencies.

Spells: a force missle mage continues training in magic as he gains levels. At each level after the 1sr, the force missle mage gains new spells per day (and spells known, if applicable) as if he had also gained a level in a spellcasting class he belonged to before he added the prestige class. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If the character has levels in more than one spellcasting class before becoming a force missle mage, he must decide to which class he adds each level of froce missle mage for the purposes of determining spells per day.

Bonus Missle: At 1st level, a force missle mage gains increased mastery over his spell of choice. Every time he casts magic missle he creates an additional missle, even if this extra missle exceeds the normal maximum of five missles that the spell normally allows. Thus a 1st-level force missle mage/6th-level wizard creates five migice missles, while a 1st-level force missle mage/8th-level wizard produces six missiles.
At 5th level, the force missle mage benefits from an additional bonus missile. This means that a high-level force missle mage can create up to seven missiles with a single casting of magic missile.

Still Missile (Ex): All of the force missile mage's magic missle spells lack a somatic component. He casts magic missile as if using the Still Spell feat but without an increase in spell level

Energy Missile (Ex): a force missile mage becomes intimately attuned to teh energies that compose the spell magic missle and may alter them significant ways. Starting at 2nd level, a fice missle mage may add either the acid, cold, electricity, or fire discriptor to any magic missle he casts

Swift Shield (Sp): A foce missile mage realizes the need to defend himself against the magic missiles of other spellcasters. A 2nd-level force missile mage can cast shield once per day as an immediate action. (an immediate action is like a free action, but only one can be made per round.) This spell is cast in addition to the force mage's usual number of spells per day and at the force missile mage's highest caster level.

Overpowering Missile: At 3rd level, the fprce missile mage's magic missle spells become especially potent, breaking through spell resistance with the spell magic missil. This benefit only applies to magic missile spells he casts.
In addition, a force missile mage's magic missiles might penetrate shiels spells and brooches of shielding. Against such protections, the force missile mage makes a caster level check with a DC equal to the caster level, int eh cast of shield, or DC 20, in the case of the brooch.

Reflective Shield (Sp): At 4th level, a force missile mage can reflect the spell magic missile. For the purposes of being affected by magic missile, a force missile mage is constantly treated as being under the effect of the spell spell turning, thus reflecting offensive magic missiles back at their caster. If the caster is protected by the shield spell or the Brooch of shielding, these reflected magic missiles are negated as normal. Missiles reflected back against a caster who also has spell turning in effect require the force missle mage to roll on teh spell turning mishap chart (PHB page 283)



I'm seriously thinking about this now...

[Jongluer]

Just so long as someone covers arcane talents. I'd figure it was steve since he's never done it and he's going to have all of Tynan's other campaign to play his spiked chain rogue. Besides, I don't think Avi's ever done melee...nor Cheese healing. And me, well I have played healers and wizards, and fighters....both in rl and online...plus the Druid who was all those things combined but never stealthy.

[Avi]

Nobody's ever dared to do a Force Missile Mage before!

I'll have other opportunities to play a melee character.



I'm still undecided though. I'm gonna roll up a missile mage now to see how it comes out.

[Jongluer]

Whatever.
None of you will see my brilliant character anyway with the +19 to spot.