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.

Design and Development: Kobolds Part 4

So we've looked at the nature of kobolds and then we looked at their abilities and we've defined what makes a kobold a kobold in a mechanical sense. So all that leaves now is to figure out what classes a kobold adventurer can be:

• Assassin: Kobold assassins are scary, they're small, quick, can get in and out in an instant and don't hold the same moral values many of the other intelligent species do. A job is a job and they will do anything to anyone in order to get their target.
• Cleric: All kobolds worship Grebow, Lord of All Kobolds, though their worship is unique. The church has no doctrine, instead kobolds worship in whatever style of worship is predominant in the area they live. If the local churches use animal sacrifices under a full moon, so do the kobolds. If the local temple worships in several hour long chants relating to their god's deeds, so do the kobolds. However, all of the worship is given to Grebow, instead of the local religion. Grebow accepts whatever worship is given his way and will reward some kobold's with clerical powers for their dedication.
• Druid: Like the rats some claim them to be, kobolds are urban creatures and have no real understanding of the natural world. Likewise, they all pay reverence to their creator Grebow and have little time for ancestor or spirit worship. Because of that, no kobold has ever learned druidic secrets.
• Fighter: Many kobolds pick up martial abilities, either through emulation of local fighter's guilds or via training in jobs like militia, sewer guards, or other martial careers.
• Magic-Users and Illusionists: No arcane teacher would train a kobold, nor would any kobold maintain the patience and skill needed to become a trained acrane caster. And while some kobolds are born with innate magical abilities (a Wild Mage class may come of that), none will ever be fully trained casters.
• Monks, Paladins, and Rangers: There are no monastic orders in Bluestone and even if there were, much like arcane casters, few would train a kobold. Paladins on Bluestone are an exclusive human only brotherhood and, as mentioned above, kobolds do not have the respect for the natural world to learn to be a ranger.
• Thief: Like assassins, kobolds make dangerous thieves. Their size and speed give them many advantages to thieving abilities and skills and their unique sense of morals means they have little hold up about taking something belong to someone else.

That being said, how good are kobolds at being thieves? Well, their size and speed allow for the following bonuses to thieving skills:
Their small hands give them a +10% to Pick Locks and Pick Pockets. They gain +05% to Find and Remove traps. They gain a +7% to Hide in Shadows and a +5% to Move Silently, these numbers would be higher based on their small size, but their inability to stay still or quiet at times means this bonus is negated by them being so fidgety. Their small size is a determent to Climb Walls (like it is for all smaller species choices in the AEC), but their claws also help negate some of that, giving them a total penalty of -10%.

And there you have it, the final step. I'll let this sit for a bit, see if my "Co-Developers" have any thoughts on it, and if this one also passes the test, then a final write up will follow.

Design and Development: Kobolds Part 3

So we've taken a look at what makes a kobold tick as well as their ability modifiers and their min/maxs, so next up we need to start figuring out special abilities, things that make the species unique in a mechanical stand point.

We can already factor in that they have infravision, it is right there in their description as a monster entry and the red eyes are a staple of the kobold look. Next, they're small and fast, based on their size, thin frames, and unique locomotion, kobolds can move when they have to. At first I thought about some sort of rules for them being better jumpers, based on their locomotion, but there are no rules for jumping in LL (besides an off hand mention in the optional ability check section), and I'm not going to grant bonuses to something that is reserved for DM fiat. Instead, you'd assume that people would say that kobolds are better jumpers if it comes up in play, but there need not be a rule for it. So the best way to represent this would be to firstly take a page from the halfling write-up in the AEC. Halflings get a -2 AC against any creature larger then human sized, but kobolds are shifter then halflings, so, a proposed idea would be that they receive a -1 AC overall and a -2 AC against any creature larger then human sized. Also, to denote their quickness versus other PC species, they are able to move an additional 10 feet per encounter round. This makes kobolds great for quick hit and run style tactics, drawing enemy attention and running circles around them while the rest of the party dispatches them.

Next, kobolds are pretty resistant to magic, this is because many kobolds are born with the innate ability to fire off spells without any training (and with many disastrous results), because of that, the species as a whole has developed a keen ability to resist such magics. Couple this with their speed that would give them bonuses against Breath Attack (since that Saving Throw is really just a dodge roll when you break it apart) and you get the following Saving Throw Bonuses:

• +2 save vs. Breath Attacks
• +3 save vs. Wands
• +4 save vs. Spells and Spell-Like Devices

Saving vs. Posion and Petrify/Paralysis wouldn't get any bonuses as they represent a physical fortitude in my mind and we've already given the kobolds a -1 to Con.

So, there we have their abilities and saving throw bonuses. Unless it is met with mass rejection, the next entry will look at just what type of classes kobolds can be.

Design and Development: Kobolds Part 2

So now that we've established the "idea" of what a kobold is in Deminar, we can take that information, along with its entry in the LL book to start figuring out what abilities it has as a species in terms of game mechanics.

Firstly, we know they're small and fast (due to their kangaroo-like legs), so as that applies to Ability Modifiers you immediately think -1 STR, +1 DEX, a set up shared by halflings. However, there are no playable halflings in the Bluestone Isles, so that might not seem to be a copy right away. After all, what else would get a bonus? They're not hardy, so CON doesn't make sense, nor are they particularly more intelligent, wise, or charming then the other species. Another idea would be to take a penalty elsewhere (say -1 CON), retain the +1 DEX, and then through Ability Min/Max limit STR to say 14 or so. It still gets across that they can't be as strong as a beefy Lizard Folk, but doesn't enforce a penalty that mirrors the halflings. Also, despite their desire to emulate others, I don't think Kobolds are in any way more stupid then other species, they just live life differently, I don't think an Intelligence or Wisdom Max lower then 18 is needed, you can have wise and smart Kobolds, they'll just act like wise and smart members of whatever species they're with. Also, I think their adaptability actually makes them slightly wiser then most, due to their ability to emulate people after observing them for just a little while. Finally, their loose grasp on morality also probably stifles their CHA, as seen by other species, somewhat. I can also, of course, give them a DEX requirement to show that all of their species is more shifty then others.

So, at first pass, we have:
Kobolds
Requirements: DEX 9
Ability Modifiers: +1 DEX, -1 CON
Ability Min/Max: STR 3/14, DEX 9/18, CON 3/17, INT  3/18, WIS 8/18, CHA 3/14

Feel free to weigh in on that.

As for their other abilities, infravision is a given, its mentioned in their monster write-up, and I think I'm going to stick with the image of them having glowing red eyes as well, since it sounds cool and helps explain the lower max CHA. But now we need to see if we can work in their adaptability and unique locomotion into their other abilities and potential saving throw bonuses.

That's for next post though, unless the Ability Modifiers and Min/Max need retooling based on suggestions. After that we'll look at Class Limits and Thief Skill Adjustments and we'll be done!

Design and Development: Kobolds Part 1

Before even a single mechanic can go down, it helps to understand the lore of the kobolds in our setting. The idea behind them is something that we've had for a long time and something I'm quite pleased with if you forgive the ego in that.

Kobolds in Deminar are NOT draconian, nor have any dragon heritage, instead they embrace their "dogmen" roots and have much more in common with them. They are not, however, simply anthropomorphic dogs, neither in look or personality.

While kobolds do have canine like faces and are covered in short fur, there are some fundamental differences in their look. First, the males have two small vestigial horns on top of their heads. Second, all kobolds have enlarged feet that rest at an angle, like kangaroos, and also have long thick tails to support them. Because of that, they have the them hopping gait of a kangaroo and sometimes even maneuver around on all fours, especially in tight places.

Personality wise, kobolds yearn to be accepted by all other intelligent species. They are much like rats, found everywhere civilized species are found (including goblin and dwarven holdings). Their doesn't seem to be a settlement, no matter how small, that doesn't have atleast one kobold in it. However, unlike rats, kobolds are not seen as pests (atleast, not by everyone), because in their bids to fit in, they'll accept any role assigned to them. They often have the lowest jobs, charcoal burners, rat catchers, sewer cleaners, all which they take with pride, because they know this means they are part of society. Kobolds emulate the dress style and mannerisms of those closest to them, and many a kobold hero was born after listen to adventurers tales while serving tables and decided he needed to join a party as well.

Kobolds have an odd sense of species unity as well. Where as in most mixed settlements, such as Ashford Bay, you would find places that would be considered a gnomish district or lizard folk district (much like ethnic subsections in a city), there are no gatherings of kobolds. As far as anyone knows, kobolds don't gather into settlements on their own and only live among other species. Sure, some kobolds may live together and small groups may gather socially, but they don't seem to gather together into communities, perhaps due to their desire to fit in with others, there would be no guidance among a large group of kobolds on how to act. However, kobolds are fiercely protective of each other if they feel threatened, to a frightening degree. A single kobold harassed in a town may draw no repercussions, but someone purposely targeting all kobolds in a town may find the entire kobold population in the town (and several nearby towns) at his home at night, carving up his family without remorse and gleefully dancing around the house they just set on fire with the offender still tied up inside. Horror stories exist of kobolds attempting to integrate themselves with early gatherings of humans and goblins while they were still recovering from The Sorrow. These kobolds were killed for fear of attack or perhaps as food for the surviving masses, only to have a great horde of kobolds descend from the darkness and slaughter every man, woman, and child and simple disperse again calmly. These claims may be exaggerated, but always sits in the back of the minds of any settlement who thinks about driving out their local kobold population.

So, interesting take on a race?

Now, how to work that information into crunchy bits for a species write-up?