During the construction of my MegaDungeon Campaign I made a reference to the fact that clerics were, at one time, trained by just one faith/religion/order. Later other faiths saw this training and its effectiveness and copied the style or converted trainers to teach clerics of their own. This helps explain away the fact that all clerics, regardless of faith or religion, have the same abilities and spells.
This concept actually works well in Deminar's atheistic to have everything explained and making sense. So, should we "steal" (being a loose sense of the word, since it's already my idea) this concept for Deminar or something simliar?
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
Design and Development: Religions
The standard template for D&D religions seems to be that people pick a god and that's the god they worship, sometimes on a racial (read: species, but we're talking classic D&D here) level (the god of elves!), sometimes on a class level (the god of magic!). A farmer prays to the god of farming and a warrior to the god of war. Temples exist for each individual god and you go worship there as you please or whenever mass is.
The question is, should we hold on to that classic style in Bluestone? Are there a variety of temples dedicated to each god that is worshiped in, say, Ashford Bay. Or do they organize the groups into pantheons, something similar to say, Eberron? So perhaps a major god and two minor gods with similar portfolios would be called The Triad and have their own temple or perhaps the humans would mix together a group of gods and the gnomes would group together another (with some potential cross-over, either realized or not) and each have separate worship.
Or maybe a mix of both, some places/species only revere gods individually while others like to group them into pantheons. More things to ponder...
The question is, should we hold on to that classic style in Bluestone? Are there a variety of temples dedicated to each god that is worshiped in, say, Ashford Bay. Or do they organize the groups into pantheons, something similar to say, Eberron? So perhaps a major god and two minor gods with similar portfolios would be called The Triad and have their own temple or perhaps the humans would mix together a group of gods and the gnomes would group together another (with some potential cross-over, either realized or not) and each have separate worship.
Or maybe a mix of both, some places/species only revere gods individually while others like to group them into pantheons. More things to ponder...
Friday, November 19, 2010
On: Sharing the Love
Quick post, just want to point out a few other blog related things I have a hand in:
First off, there is the other project that the team from Omniscient Projects is working on: a rules-lite pulp feel RPG called ExplorerMan! The progress of such can be found on this blog.
Second, I've been inspired to put together my own Megadungeon to run my gaming group through and would feel remiss if I didn't blog about that too, so that's also available to check out.
First off, there is the other project that the team from Omniscient Projects is working on: a rules-lite pulp feel RPG called ExplorerMan! The progress of such can be found on this blog.
Second, I've been inspired to put together my own Megadungeon to run my gaming group through and would feel remiss if I didn't blog about that too, so that's also available to check out.
Design and Development: Spirits
In my last post I mentioned that clerics and druids gain their abilities (from spell casting to turning the undead to shapeshifting) through power given to them by the gods and spirits. This power actually comes out of the being's very essence and thus each mortal he blesses with these abilities makes him weaker (albeit in very small amounts).
I spoke at some length why the deities are very careful with this and why not every holy man has clerical powers, but how about druids?
Like the gods, spirits have to give up their own power in order to fuel a druid, thus, only the more powerful spirits would ever think of offering their patronage to druids. Also like the gods, spirits wish to better their station and look for an opportunity to do so. While spirits do not wish to destroy one another in order to take over (a trait spirits contribute to gods as "picking up from simple mortals"), they are as ambitious as any living creature. Spirits exist in a strict hierarchy, everyone has their place and knows who lords over them and who serves under them. The spirits also place the gods in this hierarchy (and not at the top), for in their minds, the gods are just another form of spirit. The gods pay little attention to their place in the order however. The hierarchy is a complex thing, with much crossover between various groups (a tree spirit, for instance, has a place among other spirits of trees, nature spirits, and spirits of living things, among others) and various positions among the spiritual ladder in each one. A spirit would always like to climb up one of those ladders when possible. A forest spirit, as it grows in power, may become the spirit of a grove, and possible the spirit of a whole forest and with enough effort, the spirit of all natural thing on an island.
A spirit climbs this ladder by... well, that's why this is a Design and Development feature and not a Musing. I'm not entirely sure how spirits rise in the hierarchy, though I know why they do not. They don't destroy each other, for if you killed the spirit of a tree, that tree would die. Even if a greater spirit could "consume" a lesser one, then that tree would lose its individual spirit, something the spirits would never think of doing.
So, a few ideas: Perhaps lesser spirits are required to swear allegiance to more powerful ones, via some ancient unbreakable eldritch pact. Perhaps it is similar to a blood bond in White Wolf's Vampire games, where a spirit is injected with some a great spirit's essence and then becomes its thrall. Perhaps a greater spirit, as it grows in power, increases in size, a metaphysical web spreading from it that enthralls all lesser spirits of similar type within its grasp.
Any of those sound good? Ideas of your own?
I spoke at some length why the deities are very careful with this and why not every holy man has clerical powers, but how about druids?
Like the gods, spirits have to give up their own power in order to fuel a druid, thus, only the more powerful spirits would ever think of offering their patronage to druids. Also like the gods, spirits wish to better their station and look for an opportunity to do so. While spirits do not wish to destroy one another in order to take over (a trait spirits contribute to gods as "picking up from simple mortals"), they are as ambitious as any living creature. Spirits exist in a strict hierarchy, everyone has their place and knows who lords over them and who serves under them. The spirits also place the gods in this hierarchy (and not at the top), for in their minds, the gods are just another form of spirit. The gods pay little attention to their place in the order however. The hierarchy is a complex thing, with much crossover between various groups (a tree spirit, for instance, has a place among other spirits of trees, nature spirits, and spirits of living things, among others) and various positions among the spiritual ladder in each one. A spirit would always like to climb up one of those ladders when possible. A forest spirit, as it grows in power, may become the spirit of a grove, and possible the spirit of a whole forest and with enough effort, the spirit of all natural thing on an island.
A spirit climbs this ladder by... well, that's why this is a Design and Development feature and not a Musing. I'm not entirely sure how spirits rise in the hierarchy, though I know why they do not. They don't destroy each other, for if you killed the spirit of a tree, that tree would die. Even if a greater spirit could "consume" a lesser one, then that tree would lose its individual spirit, something the spirits would never think of doing.
So, a few ideas: Perhaps lesser spirits are required to swear allegiance to more powerful ones, via some ancient unbreakable eldritch pact. Perhaps it is similar to a blood bond in White Wolf's Vampire games, where a spirit is injected with some a great spirit's essence and then becomes its thrall. Perhaps a greater spirit, as it grows in power, increases in size, a metaphysical web spreading from it that enthralls all lesser spirits of similar type within its grasp.
Any of those sound good? Ideas of your own?
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Musing: Religion Part 2
One of the common misconceptions (or, indeed concepts if written into the setting) is that every holy man is a cleric or a druid. Every temple you wander into, the head priest is a cleric of some level, often with lower level cleric apprentices. I like to call this the Forgotten Realms syndrome. Deminar is simply not designed that way.
From a game perspective, I've already mentioned my belief that an adventurer should be rare, in order to maintain the uniqueness the player's feel when their characters interact with the world. How special are you when you're one adventurer among a countless horde after all?
Within the world, it wouldn't make a lot of sense either. Unlike the arcane spellcasting of a magic-user that manipulates the very building blocks of creation, divine spellcasters are fueled by the gods themselves (or from various patron spirits amongst the druids). A god has to sacrifice a bit of his own power to give a cleric the ability to cast spells or turn the undead and, despite the power of the gods, their power is finite. Every bit of power given to a patron on Deminar is power that the god no longer has at his disposal to fight off rival gods. The gods are locked in a power struggle, and a god that does not have enough worshipers or who foolishly expends his power on both planar and mortal followers risks having his domain taken over by a lesser god or having his domain absorbed by another major god. Because of this, a god can't simply gift every being that prays to him with power. On the other hand, gods receive their power from mortal worshipers as well as the souls of those faithful that pas beyond mortal life. What better way to convert followers then to show a god's power through a mortal vessel (since no god can directly influence the mortal world)? Like any power struggle, this is a delicate balancing act between attracting more followers through displays of faith and power and holding onto enough power to protect their position.
This is why clerics are more then simply undead hunters, they are also traveling emissaries of their faith. They are divinely appointed to spread the good name (or vengeful wrath) of their god, converting new followers through awe or fear. A cleric who forsakes this duty soon finds himself without his abilities, as even the smallest bit of a god's power is precious and the deity is always looking for the most effective way to use it.
From a game perspective, I've already mentioned my belief that an adventurer should be rare, in order to maintain the uniqueness the player's feel when their characters interact with the world. How special are you when you're one adventurer among a countless horde after all?
Within the world, it wouldn't make a lot of sense either. Unlike the arcane spellcasting of a magic-user that manipulates the very building blocks of creation, divine spellcasters are fueled by the gods themselves (or from various patron spirits amongst the druids). A god has to sacrifice a bit of his own power to give a cleric the ability to cast spells or turn the undead and, despite the power of the gods, their power is finite. Every bit of power given to a patron on Deminar is power that the god no longer has at his disposal to fight off rival gods. The gods are locked in a power struggle, and a god that does not have enough worshipers or who foolishly expends his power on both planar and mortal followers risks having his domain taken over by a lesser god or having his domain absorbed by another major god. Because of this, a god can't simply gift every being that prays to him with power. On the other hand, gods receive their power from mortal worshipers as well as the souls of those faithful that pas beyond mortal life. What better way to convert followers then to show a god's power through a mortal vessel (since no god can directly influence the mortal world)? Like any power struggle, this is a delicate balancing act between attracting more followers through displays of faith and power and holding onto enough power to protect their position.
This is why clerics are more then simply undead hunters, they are also traveling emissaries of their faith. They are divinely appointed to spread the good name (or vengeful wrath) of their god, converting new followers through awe or fear. A cleric who forsakes this duty soon finds himself without his abilities, as even the smallest bit of a god's power is precious and the deity is always looking for the most effective way to use it.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Book Building: Class Write-Up Preview
As I await some feedback about the amount of gods/worship in Bluestone I realized that though I had completed the fluff pieces for the various classes, I never posted any. So, as a bit of a preview/teaser, here's the first one!
Assassin
Assassins are nothing less then professional killers and while one could argue that title could belong to any adventurer on Bluestone, only the assassin does it with such skill, subtlety, and ruthlessness. The very idea to be hired out to kill others, often without any prior knowledge of the target is difficult for many people to understand. Many of the people of Bluestone could not detach themselves morally enough to contemplate such a profession. Of the intelligent species only three, humans, dwarves, and kobolds, find that they have those amongst them that can handle such a lifestyle.
Among Ashford Bay and many of the larger towns, assassins work for various guilds who keep a close watch on the murder-for-hire business, making sure they keep prices competitive and that no rogue killers work without representation. While these guilds are not officially recognized by the Lords of the land, they are the worst kept secret of Bluestone (and still quite thoroughly taxed, even if it doesn't show up on official records). For most citizens, assassins are of little concern, the peasant and merchant classes simply could not afford the prices they charge and that same high cost keeps nobles from wasting gold on the lower class. It is much easier to bribe a guard to take a peasant into a dark alley or blackmail a judge to lay a false sentence on a merchant then to hire an assassin. Assassins main targets are nobles, but fear of retribution from a rival's family means a noble decides to use assassination as only a last resort or if he knows the hit cannot be traced back to him.
A kobold's lack of morality, small frame, and desire to prove himself, means a well trained kobold can make a fearsome assassin. They never will question the morals behind their choice of targets and will not give up on a job until the end result is either the target's death or the kobold's. Kobolds make excellent assassins for more "morally ambiguous" targets; women, children, or clergymen for example. Kobolds have to be well trained however, so not to allow their fleeting minds find another occupation they like better and wind up acting as a squire to the very nobleman they were sent to kill. Humans, and their diverse ethics, make excellent assassins as well, however the ever present (in even the most morally detached person) human condition means they are more likely to have clear cut limits to who they will target. However, humans are better at reacting to changing conditions, and can better handle an assassination attempt gone wrong then an average kobold can.
Dwarven assassins are another matter entirely, as their work is purely military minded. Dwarven assassins are trained to eliminate high profile targets among their enemies, mostly the goblins. A dwarven assassin is ruthless in his pursuit of a goal, and will take out any targets of opportunity that stand between him and his quarry. To dwarves, the goblins are not people, simply the enemy, and a dwarven assassin can be even more heartless then a kobold in pursuit of his target or choice of target itself. However, dwarf assassins are only used against an enemy of a different species, never their own kind. Even though various dwarven clans may have rivalries with one another, the idea of taking another dwarven life, even of a different clan is an alien concept to them. Dwarven assassins, even those that have left their clan, would never join an assassin's guild, for killing another person who you don't have a personal or racial vendetta against is seen as nothing more then murder in their eyes.
While guild assassins are well paid, their targets are few and far between, due to the cost and retributions from their use. Because of this, many assassins also take up adventuring, as a way to supplement their income and continue to practice their skills. A guild assassin is still ever ready to be sent to a job at a moment's notice, however, and adventuring parties with them in the group are not surprised to wake up one morning and find their companion gone. A dwarven assassin that is adventuring is, to other dwarves, a shameful sight. If he is not working for the clan, then he must no longer be part of it. A dwarf assassin joining an adventuring party more then likely failed to eliminate a target and left the clan in shame for his digression. These dwarves will often be very faithful to a party, a combination of the dwarven sense of community and the desire to prove to themselves that they are still skilled warriors.
Assassin
Assassins are nothing less then professional killers and while one could argue that title could belong to any adventurer on Bluestone, only the assassin does it with such skill, subtlety, and ruthlessness. The very idea to be hired out to kill others, often without any prior knowledge of the target is difficult for many people to understand. Many of the people of Bluestone could not detach themselves morally enough to contemplate such a profession. Of the intelligent species only three, humans, dwarves, and kobolds, find that they have those amongst them that can handle such a lifestyle.
Among Ashford Bay and many of the larger towns, assassins work for various guilds who keep a close watch on the murder-for-hire business, making sure they keep prices competitive and that no rogue killers work without representation. While these guilds are not officially recognized by the Lords of the land, they are the worst kept secret of Bluestone (and still quite thoroughly taxed, even if it doesn't show up on official records). For most citizens, assassins are of little concern, the peasant and merchant classes simply could not afford the prices they charge and that same high cost keeps nobles from wasting gold on the lower class. It is much easier to bribe a guard to take a peasant into a dark alley or blackmail a judge to lay a false sentence on a merchant then to hire an assassin. Assassins main targets are nobles, but fear of retribution from a rival's family means a noble decides to use assassination as only a last resort or if he knows the hit cannot be traced back to him.
A kobold's lack of morality, small frame, and desire to prove himself, means a well trained kobold can make a fearsome assassin. They never will question the morals behind their choice of targets and will not give up on a job until the end result is either the target's death or the kobold's. Kobolds make excellent assassins for more "morally ambiguous" targets; women, children, or clergymen for example. Kobolds have to be well trained however, so not to allow their fleeting minds find another occupation they like better and wind up acting as a squire to the very nobleman they were sent to kill. Humans, and their diverse ethics, make excellent assassins as well, however the ever present (in even the most morally detached person) human condition means they are more likely to have clear cut limits to who they will target. However, humans are better at reacting to changing conditions, and can better handle an assassination attempt gone wrong then an average kobold can.
Dwarven assassins are another matter entirely, as their work is purely military minded. Dwarven assassins are trained to eliminate high profile targets among their enemies, mostly the goblins. A dwarven assassin is ruthless in his pursuit of a goal, and will take out any targets of opportunity that stand between him and his quarry. To dwarves, the goblins are not people, simply the enemy, and a dwarven assassin can be even more heartless then a kobold in pursuit of his target or choice of target itself. However, dwarf assassins are only used against an enemy of a different species, never their own kind. Even though various dwarven clans may have rivalries with one another, the idea of taking another dwarven life, even of a different clan is an alien concept to them. Dwarven assassins, even those that have left their clan, would never join an assassin's guild, for killing another person who you don't have a personal or racial vendetta against is seen as nothing more then murder in their eyes.
While guild assassins are well paid, their targets are few and far between, due to the cost and retributions from their use. Because of this, many assassins also take up adventuring, as a way to supplement their income and continue to practice their skills. A guild assassin is still ever ready to be sent to a job at a moment's notice, however, and adventuring parties with them in the group are not surprised to wake up one morning and find their companion gone. A dwarven assassin that is adventuring is, to other dwarves, a shameful sight. If he is not working for the clan, then he must no longer be part of it. A dwarf assassin joining an adventuring party more then likely failed to eliminate a target and left the clan in shame for his digression. These dwarves will often be very faithful to a party, a combination of the dwarven sense of community and the desire to prove to themselves that they are still skilled warriors.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Design and Development: Gods
I've talked plenty about the gods before, in fact, the greater cosmology of a setting seems to always be a high point for me, be it designing or reading about it. When we originally developed Deminar we had a good number of gods figured out, nine major powers representing the nine alignments, plus a score of lesser gods that dealt with a variety of specific aspects, concepts, and states of being. The same god may be worshiped by several different groups, each who call him a different name, and worship a different aspect of his portfolio and believing that the other groups are worshiping a different or even false god (and indeed, going to battle over such slights). There may be hundreds of different religions among all the islands of Deminar, the isolation between each other means even more radical offshoots of the same deity could be worshiped.
The question is, how many of these gods do we introduce in our first book? The Bluestone Isles are not that large, but they do feature a diverse number of species and one major metropolitan area. Enough variety for several deities to have a home. I don't think there should be too many gods in the Player's Guide, especially with this one acting as a low-level beginner's guide. You don't want to overload player's with too many choices to begin. However, I do want to introduce the concept of different species (or even the same species) worshiping the same god under a different aspect/ideology/practice without them even realizing it. Though it wouldn't be spelled out that it was the same god in the Player's Guide (that's what the DM's Guide is for), meaning to players, it would seem like just a different god.
So, how many? Just the major ones? A few of the major ones? How many minor gods? Are there minor gods very specific to Bluestone? What would be a good target number for how many different types of deity worship exist on the Bluestone Isles?
The question is, how many of these gods do we introduce in our first book? The Bluestone Isles are not that large, but they do feature a diverse number of species and one major metropolitan area. Enough variety for several deities to have a home. I don't think there should be too many gods in the Player's Guide, especially with this one acting as a low-level beginner's guide. You don't want to overload player's with too many choices to begin. However, I do want to introduce the concept of different species (or even the same species) worshiping the same god under a different aspect/ideology/practice without them even realizing it. Though it wouldn't be spelled out that it was the same god in the Player's Guide (that's what the DM's Guide is for), meaning to players, it would seem like just a different god.
So, how many? Just the major ones? A few of the major ones? How many minor gods? Are there minor gods very specific to Bluestone? What would be a good target number for how many different types of deity worship exist on the Bluestone Isles?
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Musing: Religion Part 1
There are two major forms of religion on the Bluestone Isles, druidism and deity worship. Both are intrinsically linked to one another, but the separation of ideology between them means they will forever be at odds.
Druidism is the belief that everything has a spirit, be it a living creature, inanimate matter, or a concept or idea. The spirit may be a part of something (the souls of all living things) or the spirit could be a guardian and caretaker of it (like the spirit of a river or the spirit of war), but it a force possessed by all things. The ultimate testament to the faith is the Druid, someone who can commune with spirits to obtain an array of powers and abilities.
Deity worship, on the other hand, is the belief that the powerful beings worshiped as gods created the world and everything that exists on it. They created all living things, set about the laws that make the world work, and developed every concept from love to war. When a soul dies, it travels to the plane of the god that the being worshiped and who's tenets it lived by the most, or the plane of the god that is most befitting the being's punishment, if it worshiped no god or violated his god's tenets. The ultimate expression of the power that the gods wield is that of the Cleric, someone who can focus the very power of the gods into a variety of spells and the ability to drive away the undead.
Both religions have many ties to one another, those that worship the gods very much believe in the souls that exist in them, while the druids cannot deny the power of the gods, nor their duty to claim the souls of those beings that die. However, their are core differences in their beliefs that have stopped the two from ever existing fully entwined.
While practitioners of druidism believe in the gods, they do not believe the gods created all that is. The gods are simply a group of spirits, powerful indeed, but not even the top of the spirit hierarchy. While their positions are important, their are things that have existed long before they did and play a much more important role in the world.
Those that worship the deities see the gods as the ultimate powers in existence, and that everything that is, is because of them. Also, these worshipers do not believe that everything has a spirit, certainly not non-living things and concepts. More extreme believers (but not the followers of all gods) do not even believe that unintelligent living things (such as many monsters, beasts of burdens, and wildlife) have souls and the most extreme do not even think that all intelligent species (their enemies in particular) have souls, so killing these beings is not any worse then cutting down a tree.
So who is right? Are the gods supreme beings that created all that exists and have the power to destroy it on a whim? Or are they simply just part of a larger spiritual hierarchy that has always been and always will be? These questions ensure that while the two religious ideologies may not always be at one another throats, they will never truly get along.
Druidism is the belief that everything has a spirit, be it a living creature, inanimate matter, or a concept or idea. The spirit may be a part of something (the souls of all living things) or the spirit could be a guardian and caretaker of it (like the spirit of a river or the spirit of war), but it a force possessed by all things. The ultimate testament to the faith is the Druid, someone who can commune with spirits to obtain an array of powers and abilities.
Deity worship, on the other hand, is the belief that the powerful beings worshiped as gods created the world and everything that exists on it. They created all living things, set about the laws that make the world work, and developed every concept from love to war. When a soul dies, it travels to the plane of the god that the being worshiped and who's tenets it lived by the most, or the plane of the god that is most befitting the being's punishment, if it worshiped no god or violated his god's tenets. The ultimate expression of the power that the gods wield is that of the Cleric, someone who can focus the very power of the gods into a variety of spells and the ability to drive away the undead.
Both religions have many ties to one another, those that worship the gods very much believe in the souls that exist in them, while the druids cannot deny the power of the gods, nor their duty to claim the souls of those beings that die. However, their are core differences in their beliefs that have stopped the two from ever existing fully entwined.
While practitioners of druidism believe in the gods, they do not believe the gods created all that is. The gods are simply a group of spirits, powerful indeed, but not even the top of the spirit hierarchy. While their positions are important, their are things that have existed long before they did and play a much more important role in the world.
Those that worship the deities see the gods as the ultimate powers in existence, and that everything that is, is because of them. Also, these worshipers do not believe that everything has a spirit, certainly not non-living things and concepts. More extreme believers (but not the followers of all gods) do not even believe that unintelligent living things (such as many monsters, beasts of burdens, and wildlife) have souls and the most extreme do not even think that all intelligent species (their enemies in particular) have souls, so killing these beings is not any worse then cutting down a tree.
So who is right? Are the gods supreme beings that created all that exists and have the power to destroy it on a whim? Or are they simply just part of a larger spiritual hierarchy that has always been and always will be? These questions ensure that while the two religious ideologies may not always be at one another throats, they will never truly get along.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Book Building: Status Update II
With our campaign (which was really gelling together nicely) currently on life support, I've been furiously scrambling to put together something better fitted for our "revolving cast" style sessions we've been having lately. That, coupled with something called Real Life showing up a whole lot these last few weeks, means the manuscript for the Player's Guide has been on a bit of the back burner. And, this accompanying blog as well.
But fear not! Progress has continued in the background, even if I've not been vocal about it here. The class flavor text is finished, knocking another chapter off the list. With the bulk of my new campaign wrapping up and things dying down around me before the fervor of the holidays, I've begun to turn an eye towards the next chapter. Either History is going to get a revisit or I'll begin the Religion chapter, haven't decided yet, but forward I shall go!
But fear not! Progress has continued in the background, even if I've not been vocal about it here. The class flavor text is finished, knocking another chapter off the list. With the bulk of my new campaign wrapping up and things dying down around me before the fervor of the holidays, I've begun to turn an eye towards the next chapter. Either History is going to get a revisit or I'll begin the Religion chapter, haven't decided yet, but forward I shall go!
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