Ancient Destinies General Information n' Rules

[chese780]

<<::All of this is still being finalized::>>

Alright, so Ancient Destinies was a setting I came up with about ~2 years ago when I was running a no-stat game. Obviously I've had to adapt it into a stat game, so I thought that 2e would be the best place to do that.

Now, for the general description of the world you would be adventuring/living in.

The world's name is Arkantos, a cloud covered world where people live on floating islands and technology is well, a *little* more advanced. That does not mean there will be machine guns and lasers, the technology has progressed more into combining magic and some steam powered aspects. Guns exist, however they are almost always just a magic trick or a steam-powered weapon. Each weapon that was not manufactured, such as clockwork weaponry, will have /different/ stats. This brings up a fairly obvious question of how people get around, and that is answered by Sky-ships. Sky-ships come in many designs and well, are very, very diverse. However diverse they are, they fit into four basic categories.

Magic - The rarest and fastest of all the ships, trying to get one on the market would be like asking Fort Knox to just give you money.
Steam-powered - Faster, but less common, the "military basic" ship. They are expensive, but much easier to find than Magic ships.
Sail - The most common of all the ships, in terms of how often they are seen. They are not the most expensive, but they offer less speed and maneuverability than the two rarer forms. If you are wondering how it flies, it just does...
Blimp (Or Zepplin if you REALLY want to call it such) - The absolute cheapest ship you could get, with a slow speed, but the easiest vertical height changer of any ship (It can literally go up and down easier than any other ship). Generally used for vertical descents to attempt to scout the barren world below.

Flying races are fairly abundant in the more condensed floating islands due to the ease of travelling between the islands.
There are no "large" bodies of water in the sky, occasional lakes on islands, but nothing too extravagant.

The "White Sea" is the term used to refer to the thick layer of clouds separating the sky and the world below. The clouds can be anywhere from about a foot thick to nearly half a mile depending on air patterns and local weather. There are holes within the clouds that shed light on the world below, but few are willing to explore it.

Below the clouds is a barren wasteland full of all sorts of unimaginable things, ranging from icy cliffs to volcanos depending on the area, but for the most part, it is a large dusty rock with scattered ruins and monster camps. Monsters are the main inhabitant of the "lower world" as coined by the people in the sky, and as such, there are very few monsters in the sky.

[chese780]

Carrying on into History and other fun stuff:

Not much is known about how the lower world became a wasteland, but many have theorized that whatever destroyed it caused the clouds to cover the surface.

Years 0 - 280 are almost blank, with the exception of lost tomes and scrolls.

In the year 289, the Great Arkantum was created and named as the capital of the new nation build above the clouds, Heilior. This new capital was built on top of a large floating island that can move based on the magic power supplied to the island. (It's essentially a magical floating crystal with a bit of land on top)

In the year 297, Cities were founded in the names of the gods.

Years 315 - 436 are unrecorded and/or lost to pages long forgotten.

=========================
The party will show up in around 483. History ends there, and will be written as things occur.

[chese780]

Rules that I will be using. Thanks Jaded. I asked you a few months ago and just now finished stuff.

Core Rules
Character Generation - I will be using Method V. (4d6, drop lowest, arrange as desired)
Rerolling Ability Scores - A player may reroll a single roll if it is 3 during character generation. Otherwise, you keep what you get. If you are unsatisfied with the results, talk to me, maybe we can work something out.
Height/Weight/Age - Players need not roll for these, unless they want to. They can just choose them. The DM secretly rolls your maximum age, to learn when your character will die of old age (if you're lucky!)
Starter Spells - A player may choose his wizard's starting spells, but still must roll to learn them. Upon reaching a new spell level, a general mage learns a new spell for that level automatically (chosen by the DM) whereas a specialist mage learns a new spell of their chosen school (chosen by the player). A mage's first spellbook is free, but additional ones must be paid for.
When XP is Given - Characters earn XP (and level up automatically upon receiving enough to do so) at the end of a thread. Threads are usually divided into chapters, and generally will end when the party rests for the night.
Initiative - I use Individual Initiative during combat. I also use all of the modifiers that come with it, including casting times and weapon speeds. Characters with multiple attacks don't use them until the end of the round (except for those who are dual-wielding).
Firing into Melee - This rule is completely ignored. You can only hit an ally during melee with a projectile weapon if you roll a fumble or if they move directly into your line of fire (and are larger than or the same size as your target). If you try and fire a projectile weapon at a target while someone else is meleeing you, the opponent gets a free attack.

Optional Rules (The rules in blue found in the PHB/DMG)
Intelligence Bonus to Proficiencies - For every language slot a character gets from INT, they get an extra NWP slot, as well.
Maximum Spells per Level - Based on their INT score, wizards have a limit to how many spells they can learn each level, total.
Racial Adjustment to Charisma - I actually apply lots of extra modifiers to Charisma when taking into account race, class, ethnicity, and so forth. For instance, a Cleric of Good proudly bearing his icon in a land of evil is likely to get a big penalty to his reaction adjustment.
Detection of Pick Pocketing - I use the optional rule that allows a thief a lesser chance of being caught pickpocketing when the victim is lower level than the thief.
Nonweapon Proficiencies - I use both weapon and nonweapon proficiencies in my game, not secondary skills. Unless stated otherwise, a character must train to learn a new proficiency slot once it becomes available.
Encumbrance - I do use (basic, not specific) encumbrance in my games. I also rule that magical armor does not count toward one's encumbrance.
Horse Traits - I do use horse traits for flavor, but don't usually enforce them.
Armor Made of Unusual Metals - I do allow this.
Spell Components - I do use these. Material components that are rare and expensive must be in the caster's inventory to work. For more general components, like sand, gum, cloth, etc., a caster needs a 'component bag' that costs 1 gp per spell level to refill (a 1st level mage would need to spend 1 gp, a 3rd level mage would need to spend 3 gp, etc.) at a mageware shop. The component bag must be refilled between adventures (or once a month, whichever comes first).
Researching Extra Wizard Spells - I allow that any spell researched by a wizard does not count against his/her limit of spells per level.
Individual Experience Awards - I use these, and group awards, too.
Training - I do not require a character train to advance in level (but they do need to train to learn new proficiencies).
Weapon Type vs Armor Modifiers - I do use these rules. Thus, a piercing weapon is more effective against leather armor, whereas a bludgeoning weapon is better against chain mail.
Parrying - I do allow this.
Multiple Attacks Against Weak Opponents - I do not allow warriors to make a number of attacks equal to their level against opponents who have 1-1 or less HD.
Polearms/Shields and Weapon Frontage - I use both of these rules.
Critical Hits/Misses - I use both. A natural 20 is a critical hit, and the character is allowed to roll for damage twice (not once and then multiplied by two). On a natural 1, the character fumbles. What this means is up to the DM, but it can involve a weapon breaking, accidentally hitting oneself or an ally, dropping a weapon or falling down to the ground. It depends on the situation.
Specific Injuries - I do not use this rule.
Hovering at Death's Door - I do use this rule. At 0 HP, a character becomes unconscious and bleeds out (losing 1 HP per round) until they reach death at -10 HP. A character who is bleeding out can have their wounds bound (no check or roll needed) to stop the bleeding. Magical healing spells only restore an unconscious character to 1 HP and no more can be used until the character has rested one day (exception--the Heal spell).
Aerial Combat - I use all of these rules, too. I have some added ones as well.
Degrees of Darkness Modifiers - I use these, yep. Moving/fighting in moonlight is not as bad as total darkness, etc.
Jogging and Running - I use these rules.
Terrain Effects on Movement - I use these rules. So traveling through water, snow, heavy forest/brush, rocky ground, and in darkness slows the party down.
Terrain Modifiers for Overland Movement - I use these, too.
Command Words - Rods, wands and staves use them, yep.

Splatbook Rules
Kits - I will allow kits, or making them. Talk to me.
The Complete (Insert name here) Book - I will have to find these again, but almost always.
Dungeoneer's Survival Guide - I use the new equipment.
Wilderness Survival Guide - The rules for temperature, the rules for food and water, the rules for foraging, fishing and hunting.
Player's Option: Spells and Magic - The Cure Moderate Wounds spell only.

House Rules
No Racial Ability Minimums or Maximums - I don't bother with these at all (e.g., not being able to play a dwarf unless your STR is 8 or higher). Never saw the point to it.
No Level Limits - I don't bother with these, either. Most of my games never get high enough in level for them to matter anyway.
Lesser Alignment Restrictions - Druids and Bards can be of any alignment.
Rally Allies/Berserker Rage - The benefits of a bard's 'rally allies' ability kicks in on the first round, not the third round. Those who can go berserker can do so in one round, not ten.
No Racial/Class Restrictions - Any race may take any class in my games. A dwarf can be a paladin, an elf can be a bard, a gnome can be a ranger, etc.
Alignment Restrictions - I could care less what alignment you choose as long as you use it. This is in terms of races.
Proficiency Checks without the Proficiency - In some cases, I will allow a character to attempt a proficiency check in something he/she doesn't have proficiency in. In this case, they must roll a 3 or less to succeed. And the end result will never be of high quality (someone trying to forge a dagger without the weaponsmithing proficiency will only make one of average quality at best). There are lots of stipulations to this rule. For instance, the character in question cannot even make the attempt if the DM feels that it violates common sense (a character who has never seen a horse before can't possibly hope to make a rider check). Likewise, some things are just impossible for unskilled characters, regardless of luck (someone without the armorer proficiency could try and bang out a satisfactory suit of chain mail, but full plate mail is out of the question).
Crossbow Damage - Unless you really want a crossbow, I will probably be replacing them with another form of weapon.
Turn/Control Undead - I allow clerics and paladins with this ability to also use it against extraplanar creatures. A good cleric can turn evil extraplanar creatures, and an evil cleric can control evil extraplanar creatures.
Cantrips - Cantrip is not a spell, but a nonweapon proficiency that can only be taken by someone with levels in wizard or bard.
Natural Healing - The effects of natural healing and the healing proficiency are stacked.
Proficiency Slots - If a player adds an empty NWP slot to a proficiency he/she already has, they get a +2 to their rolls.
Aid Another - If two characters have the same proficiency, one can 'aid' the other in their roll, and this adds a +2 to the roll.
Familiars - I use a special rule for familiars. At level 2, a mage or bard can summon a familiar automatically, without the use of a spell. At level 4, the caster can see through the familiar's eyes if they concentrate and do nothing else. At 6th level, the caster can cast touch-spells through their familiar. Then at 8th level, the caster's familiar gains a special ability (depending on what the familiar in question is).
Reading/Writing - I rule that if you have a proficiency with Reading/Writing, you can read and write any language you can speak. This does not apply to ancient languages, though.
Undead creatures - I could care less if you run them, however they WILL be toned down. Vampires get ridiculous stat bonuses (which will be halved) and any undead creature will probably have some rough run ins with the local priests.
Supernatural creatures - You will still control you character if they are inflicted with some sort of ridiculous curse. However, you must play them as their new alignment would display (until enough time passes that you are out of the control of the "master" or you find someway to control it.) Werewolves are a special case and will be dealt with at that time.
Deck of Many Things - A couple of alternate rules I found:
-No wish may modify the cards in the deck
-If a full Moon is drawn, you may save 1 (And only 1) wish to be used at a later time. However, you must have held onto the card, and you need to look at the card directly and say what you wish for.
-Wishes will only screw you over if: A) It's a super greedy wish, B) It is to kill of a boss, or C) If I feel like you are taking total advantage of the deck.
-You can modify your classes. (To an extent.)

Forum/Posting Rules
Present Tense - Keep your posts in present tense, please.
Three Day Rule - The DM will wait for any given player at least three days before moving on.
Name Your Targets! - When in combat, make sure to specify who you are hitting or where you are centering any spells.
Roll or No Roll - If you roll (attack, damage, initiative, whatever), use Invisible Castle and then (most importantly) post the results of your rolls. If you do not roll, the DM will roll for you. If you forget your modifiers, the DM will add them (when he remembers to).
AWOL - If a player vanishes (stops posting, doesn't even log in) for at least a month without giving any prior explanation or warning, they are dropped from the game and their character becomes a permanent NPC.

[chese780]

Races/Subraces
(If something isn't here, don't worry. This is a list of ones that can be encountered in the AD storyline.)
<Commonly Encountered>
Humans
Dwarves
Elves
-Half-Elves
Gnomes
Aarakocra
Other Humanoids
-Halflings
-Kender

<Rare Encounters>
Goblinoids
-Goblins
-Hobgoblins
Gensai
Undead of any kind.
Elementals

<Unique Encounters>
Supernatural creatures
Mecitari - Essentially constructs that have been given a 'life' by a higher deity. They can't actually pray, but they can become clerics and paladins in a special way. (Go onto Hero Forge and choose the robot race. That's their look.)

[chese780]

Locations! More to come.

<::The Upper Realm::>
The Great Arkantum - Capital of Heilior

Carython

Theelon - The great merchant city.

Meliniashe - A city built in honor of Melinar. Most Mecitari are from this city.
-'Knights of Melinar' - A group of warriors devoted to Melinar. They are similar to Paladins, however they follow the ways of Melinar.
<::The Lower Realm::>
The Chasm - Home to 3/4 of the Undead in the Lower Realm. Few travel here, and fewer depart.

Kur Darohm - A large Dwarven city in one of the few easily-accessible parts of the Lower Realm.

<::The Floating Realm::>
"White Sea"

Valydiriam - A city floating on the clouds. Built in honor of Valydir.

[chese780]

Religion!

There are tens of minor Gods, however there are a few prevalent major gods.
The 'Good' Gods.

Valydir - The Magician
-Goal: To spread the teachings of Magic to all.
-Alignment: True Good
-Followers: Valydiriam, Diverse.
-Prefered Weapon: Magic
--Valydiriam Magic Guild

Glintier - The Healer
-Goal: To spread peace among the lands.
-Alignment: Lawful Good
-Followers: Healers, Diverse.
-Prefered Weapon: Pacifism.

Oryquir- The Seer
-Goal: To see the expanses of time and space.
-Alignment: Chaotic Good
-Followers: Diviners, Prophets, Seers.
-Prefered Weapon: The Mind
--

The 'Neutral' Gods.

Melinar - The Engineer
-Goal: To improve the world.
-Alignment: Lawful Neutral
-Followers: Mecitari, Engineers, The Knights of Melinar.
--Knights of Melinar:
---Goal: To defeat the enemies of Melinar and promote a better world.
-Prefered Weapon: Wrench

Shanahar - The Scribe
-Goal: To discover the lost history.
-Alignment: True Neutral
-Followers: Historians, Truth-seekers.
--Historical Society of Arkantum:
---Goal: To discover the missing portions of history and reveal The Lost One's true identity.
-Prefered Weapon: The Pen

Dorhimor - The Warrior
-Goal: To fight and spread the way of the sword.
-Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
-Followers: Diverse.
-Prefered Weapon: Any form of blade, club, projectile, or physical weapon.
--Carython Fighters' Guild

The 'Evil' Gods

Araheir - The Chaotic
-Goal: To cause chaos in the world.
-Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
-Followers: Indeterminable.
-Prefered Weapon: Utter Chaos

Xylimere - The Demon
-Goal: To destroy the Good and control the Lower Realm.
-Alignment: Lawful Evil
-Followers: Abyssal Creatures, Goblinoids, The corrupt, 'Demon worshipers'
-Prefered Weapon: Contracts
--The Chasm:

The Lost One - This god is a mystery. His followers and writings have been lost and forgotten. The Historical Society of Arkantum have been searching for clues for decades now. Very few tomes have been recovered with information on him.
Recovered Information:
K??l?? - T?e H???r?n??r
Sealed himself in a ?????? to stop the destruction of the world. Should the ?????? release D??l??, the world would ??????.
-Goal: ????
-Alignment: True Evil
-Prefered Weapon: ???????

Interactions:
Valydir - Glintier, Oryquir.
-Neutral: Dorhimor, Melinar, Shanahar.
-Opposes: All Evil
Glintier - Valydir, Oryquir, Melinar.
-Neutral: Shanahar, Araheir.
-Dissapointed with: Dorhimor
-Opposes: Xylimere, The Lost One.
Oryquir - Valydir, Glintier
-Neutral: Melinar, Shanahar, Dohrimor
-Opposes: Araheir, Xylimere, The Lost One.
Melinar - Glintier, Shanahar, Dohrimor
-Neutral: Valydir, Oryquir.
-Opposes: All Evil
Shanahar - Melinar, Dohrimor.
-Neutral: Oryquir, Glintier, Valydir.
-Opposes: Araheir, Xylimere.
-Fascinated with the Lost One.
Dorhimor - Melinar, Shanahar
-Neutral: Valydir, Oryquir, Araheir
-Disappoints: Glintier
-Opposes: The Lost One, Xylimere
Araheir -Xylimere.
-Neutral: Dorhimor, Glintier, The Lost One.
-Opposes: Melinar, Valydir, Shanahar, Oryquir
Xylimere - Araheir
-Neutral: The Lost One
-Opposes: All Good and Neutral.
The Lost One - Neutral: Araheir, Xylimere
-Opposes: All Good and Neutral.