Note: everything that follows is made of fail and suck, adjust your expectations accordingly. Also the semi-insulting obscenity laden tone of some of the text is not intended to offend or piss anyone off, it's just my pathetic juvenile idea of what's funny.
The Metal Earth is a gonzo, hardcore blood and guts points of light science fantasy setting with a twisted up Cthulu fetish and juvenile politics and sexuality. So like sneak some booze out your parent's stash, burn some of that shit you bought from the Good Humor man, crank up the volume and rock on- it's the end of the fucking world. Time to roll some dice.
The world is immusurably old. Civilizations without number have come and gone; glaciers have crawled across the land, dwindled and returned time and again. Continents have drifted, shifted, sunk, risen and reformed countless times. The sun is dim. The moon is shattered. This is the waning epoch, The Iron Time, this is...
The Metal Earth:
For best results put on AC/DC's Back in Black, or maybe the sound track to Conan....
I’ll start with this crappy map and the PC Primer (format stolen from Pseudo). After a very general overview of settlements and geography, I’ll do something a bit more in depth with a smaller region (also with a crappy map) suitable for beginning adventures.
Note on the Map: A word about place names- the names here may seem a bit corny, but that’s kind of what I’m aiming for. I don’t really expect players to read through pages of background and history, so I want them to get an idea of what things are like just from a glance at the map. That said, this is not the map players should see at the beginning of the game. It is actually a treasure map- but not in the traditional sense. It does not show the location of treasure, it is treasure, or rather the knowledge of the world one can glean from it is. I will eventually replace this map with a less crappy version if any one exhibits an interest, that is
(http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/5126/metalearthv1tc7.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
Races to be:
...first there came the humans, risen from the primordial muck in a time so distant that it is not even a memory. They made the others, some by accident, others by design. But the humans were wicked and red handed, as cruel to their servants as their foes. A day came when the other races banded together and threw down their masters. A terrible war ensued. human power was broken, but with it, so was the world...
-A fragment from The Wall of Loss at Ssaur.
A word about customizing the setting-
The Metal Earth is fucking huge, far larger in land area than our earth- how much larger? Nobody knows. Why is it larger? Fucked if I know; it just is. Now, fuck off and get over it. The races listed below are only suggestions, one could easily change them out for different races. That said, the list might prove useful for any GM who needs to fill a tavern or a city- or you can just use them as suggested. After all, it's your world. Bitch.
Mutants, Mongrels, Cyborgs and Freaks: these are perhaps the most common residents of the Metal Earth. Almost anything goes on the Metal Earth, all sorts of strange twisted creatures live and mingle among the more pure strain races. The social status of such creatures is variable- often completely dependent on how fucked up they look. Character generation for each of these would have to be dealt with on a case by case basis. For Savage worlds and True20 (revised or w the companion, this shouldn't be a real problem). For D&D 4e I suggest tapping into the back of the Monster Manual for ideas on racial abilities- and/or make some up yourself- it's stupid easy.
Humans: The most exotic and least common of the races. Human diversity and flexibility are legendary; this very real aspect of the race, coupled with their extreme rareness has made them an object of distrust. “As shifty and inconstant as a human,” is a common slur. Some myths suggest that the other races are descended from or were outright created by humans. As in times past, human customs and mores vary widely from group to group, however, humans of the Iron Time tend to avoid large racially diverse cities, and are more likely to be found in small, often hidden woodland settlements.
D&D Use humans
True20: Use High Man stats (pg 21 of companion).
Savage worlds: As in the core, with the Outsider Hinderance, and one additional edge.
Note: Mur Madlings (see below) are humans- with one notable difference; they can tap the Arcane power source without a visit to the fountain. If anything, they are even less trusted than run of the mill humans.
D&D: Humans with access to Arcane power source. At 1st level, all Mur Madlings begin the game as Sword Mages.
True20:Unlike other humans, Mur can be Adepts without visiting the fountain.
Savage Worlds: As above, but the additional edge slot is occupied by Arcane Background edge.
Human Option : Anachronism: this is a human from another time, perhaps the twentieth century, or the age of sail- or really any time at all- see post 54. These characters can be made by the standard rules in True20 and Savage worlds. The same goes for D&D, unless there is a desire to simulate a character from a non martial culture, such as the Urban Western Culture of the 20th century. In which case use the class below.
Untrained
Role: inept outsider
Power Source: none
Key Abilities: All
Armor proficiencies: none
Weapon Proficiencies: none
Bonus to defense: none
Hit points at first level: 0+ Constitution score
Hit points per level gained: N/A see below
Healing surges per day: 4
Trained skills: none
Build options: none
Class features: none
At will powers:
Melee Basic Attack
Ranged Basic Attack
Both are detailed on page 287 of the 4E PHB
The character will progress to level 1 of a (martial) class of his/her choice after earning 500 XP- theses XP don’t vanish, though, and the character will still progress on to level 2 after gaining 500 more XP for a total of 1000.
This is option might well lead to unbalanced parties- but the Metal Earth isn’t about balance, so piss off.
Grod: The second most common of the mammalian races, Grod are horned and tailed humanoids thought to be a hybrid of Humans and Minotaurs, or perhaps humanoid offspring of Devilgoats. Some scholars believe that Grod are a mixture of humanity and infernal sources. All this is, of course, mere conjecture.The truth is lost somewhere in the mist of time. Grod are largely urban and often dominate the political structure of multiracial settlements.
D&D: Use Tieflings.
True20:
Ability Adjustments: +2 Charisma, +2 Intelligence,
Bonus feats : Natural weapon (Gore +1 attack), Night Vision, Connected, rage
Savage Worlds:
Edges: Connection, Berserk, +2 charsima.
Minotaurs: The most common of the mammalian races. Minotaurs, along with Leafeaters (see below) make up the foundation of most large settlements. The last great empire, which was destroyed during the Wars of Unreason, (see below) was dominated by Minotaurs. Minotaurs along with Leafeaters make up most of the agricultural peasant class on the Metal Earth. Minotaurs have an odd fascintation with mazes and labarynths, so much so that even the home of simplest farmer is likely to feature twisty corridors, fake doors, and dead end passages.
D&D: Minotaur Pg 278 Monster Manual
True20: Minotaur Background:
Ability adjustments +2 Strength, +2 Endurance -2 Charisma -1 Intelligence
Bonus feats: Night Vision, Natural Weapon (Gore +3 attack), Toughx2
Savage Worlds:
D8 Strength
Size +2
Horns Strenght +2 damage.
Gore: (requires at least a 6” running start) +4 to damge total.
Edges: Fleet Footed, Beserk
Reptarch: The Reptarch are a saurian species that come in two varieties, Leafeater and Speartooth, of the two only the second is a suitable player character choice. All Reptarch are born as sexless herbivores, at the age of twelve they either sex or remain neuters, no one knows why. Sexed Reptarchs are known as Speartooth and unlike their unsexed counterparts, they eat meat- and if rumors are to be believed, sometimes it is the meat of Leafeaters. Speartooth are both more intelligent and more aggressive than Leafeaters, and they run Reptarch settlements. Although Reptarchs are occasionally found living in heterogeneous urban areas and villages, they more often keep to homogenous agricultural settlements.
D&D: Use Dragonborn for Speartooth Reptarch.
True20: Speartooth background
Ability adjustments +2 strength, +2 Constitution +2 Toughness (tough hide)
Bonus Feats: Toughness, Elemental Blast (prerequisites not necessary).
Savage Worlds:
D6 Vigor +1 size
Edge: (arcane)Burst with 10 PPs using Shooting as the skill.
Autonm: Bipedal constructs of wood stone and metal, almost certainly created by humans for some forgotten war. Autonms are nearly as rare as their creators, and often travel in their company due to a special affinity the two groups have for one another. Unattached Autonms wander the world as mercenaries or adventurers.
D&D: use Warforged.
True20: Autonm Background:
Ability Adjustments: +2 Strength, +2 Constitution -2 Charisma
Bonus Feats: Diehard, nightvision
Savage worlds:
D6 Strength, D6 Vigor
Edge: Armor
Hinderence: Outsider
Shae: Thought to be only slightly less elder than the humans. Shae are sorceress being who tend to live in urban environments. They are often associated with magic and science both. Like a Mur Madlings, Shae can draw upon the arcane power source without a trip to the fountain. Appearence wise shae look very much like humans except they lack all body hair.
D&D : Use Eladrin.
True20: Shae Background
Ability Adjustments: +2 Intelligence, -2 Strength
Bonus Feat: Teleport (limit 10 Meters)
Savage Worlds:
D6 smarts
Edge: (Arcane) Teleport
Hindrance: small
Beastkin: another human hybrid, that occasionally even live among humans, and are often lumped in with them by the ignorant. Beastkin are more savage in appearance and more physical than humans in general. They are, however, more likely to live as a minority underclass in cities dominated by the other races.
D&D: use Shifters.
True20: Beastkin background
Ability adjustments +2 Strength OR +2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, -2 charisma
Bonus Feats: Rage, Regeneration (creature trait)
Savage Worlds:
D6 Vigor, D6 Strength or D6 Agility (player choice) -2 Charisma
Edge: Fast healer
Hindrance: Outsider
War Ape: Huge horned Simians from the tropical jungles of the sweltering southland, War apes sometimes travel in the settled lands working as mercenaries, bodyguards, or even just as wandering adventurers.
Note: The Hindrances listed in the Savage Worlds stat block should really come into play whichever system you are using.
D&D
Average Height: 10’ 6”-12’
Average weight 400-500 lb.
Ability Scores: +3 Strength, +2 Constituion, -3 Charisma
Size: Large
Vision: Darkvision
Languages: Common, Ape
Skill bonuses +2 nature, +2 perception,
Intimidate: You can release a earth shaking roar which grants you a +3 on all combat related bluff checks.
Racial Powers (Only one at a time):
Goring charge- same as Minotaur
Ferocious Charge- same as Gnoll
True20: War Ape Background:
Ability adjustments:
+3 Strength, +2 Constitution,
Bonus feats: Rage
Level Lag: 1
Savage Worlds:
Size +3
D6 Strength, D6 Vigor
Edge: Brawny
Hindrances:
Extreme Outsider: same as outsider, but many settlement will not even allow War Apes within their walls. Many people will think they are monsters and attack or flee on site.
Large: War apes require roughly twice as much food as other character races. They also have difficulty finding gear (such as armor) that fits them and they must spend up to twice as much on it.
So this is apparently a D&D setting. I'm not seeing much "Earth" in your map (that may be due to geographic unfamiliarity though on my part.)
What is your aim? What themes will your game address? (I.e what makes Metal Earth so METAL!)
I might try and work some real earth names in there mutated a bit (like Granbreton, of Hawkmoon fame)
Thanks for your questions :)-
So far the only metal showing is the fact that two of the pc races have horns, and another has a breath weapon. That said, I'm just getting started so cut me a bit of slack, and one person's metal is another person crap.
As far as the geography, I'm taking a page from Vance and Wolfe- it is so far in the future that the entire geography of the world has changed- not once, but many times, so I don't want any Earthly place names. now is so long ago that it is not even a memory. Beyond that the name is pun.
This is a setting designed to appeal to the inner 14 year old, if your not down with that (which is fine by me) than you're probably not going to be interested in it at all.
As to weather or not it's a D&D setting- see the note at the top of post 2 and for a disclaimer see the edited in note at the top of post 1.
The Mur The Mur are humanoids who live in the island group of the same name. All Mur are sexless clones grown in vats at Zil. Legend has it they were created by human sorcerer scientists to help fight some ancient, now forgotten, evil. According to the same legend they eventually destroyed their creators, although it is thought that Mur imitate their folkways. Mur travel in packs of three to ten individuals, known as Murders. Each pack is a hivemind, or rather a packmind, and its members are not so much individual actors, as they are appendages of the whole. The more appendages a Murder has, the more powerful and socially esteemed it is. All Mur are albinos. As far as appearance goes, think androgynous, albino sorcery wielding Vikings. Mur murders travel Ruingulf in longboats raiding villages and taking slaves to work their land.
Occasionally, one of the members of a Murder becomes gendered and develops an identity separate from the whole. Sometimes all but one member of a pack is killed, forcing the packs entire identity into one human brain- which will also trigger the gendering process. These beings have no choice but to flee their fellows. They are known as Madlings and are a PC option.
Classes-
D&D: All races have access to the martial and divine classes, although Clerics and Paladins are very rare, for reasons that will be explained as I go on. Arcane powered characters are available only to the Eladrin and Mur Madlings. Humans can gain access to the Arcane power source by visiting a mysterious place known as "The Fountain" and drinking of its waters. The location of the fountain is a closely guarded secret held only by a few, some believe it is on an uncharted island in the Ruingulf, others say it is somewhere in the Warwaste- hardly anyone knows for sure. Only a few humans have made the trip in living memory, and they aren't sharing the secret.
In the Metal Earth women go topless all the time.
Quote from: Silverlion;233677So this is apparently a D&D setting. I'm not seeing much "Earth" in your map (that may be due to geographic unfamiliarity though on my part.)
What is your aim? What themes will your game address? (I.e what makes Metal Earth so METAL!)
I might try and work some real earth names in there mutated a bit (like Granbreton, of Hawkmoon fame)
i've added some intro text to the first couple of posts. To be honest, i didn't actually expect anyone to read any of this, so I've had to rethink the presentation a bit.
Quote from: Aos;233709i've added some intro text to the first couple of posts. To be honest, i didn't actually expect anyone to read any of this, so I've had to rethink the presentation a bit.
No worries. I like your take on the concept. (I like the Mur) but I'd ditch the D&D "races" (unless your explicitly using D&D, which if you are it makes sense) that or I'd change them to be nigh unrecognizable.
Like Dragon men who are really mutant alligator stock who spray acidic phlegm as a "breath weapon", Shifters are human with already obscene physiques that pack too many teeth in a human mouth--until they "shapeshift" to bestial form (which may not be a LOT different but I think I'd give them more animal like heads and of course clothes would rip and fall off.)
Plus you need cyborgs, yes must have cyborgs, even if they are cyborg zombies.
I am using D&D, but the setting is an adaption of my old True20 setting of the same name. Shifters and Dragonborn- as Beastmen and Reptarch were already there, the breath weapon is new, though. I used the D&D names because I thought it would be more easily understood by more people- but i think in the end you are right. I think i'll use my own names and tag the end of the entry with the D&D name. Thanks for the interest!
Quote from: Aos;233701In the Metal Earth women go topless all the time.
You're just trying to get Koltar to reply, aren't you. ;)
Koltar will probably tell us his female players go topless all the time.
Regards,
David R
Hey! Do I gum your threads with meaningless chatter- er, I mean, yeah... how about that Koltar?
Quote from: Silverlion;233717No worries. I like your take on the concept. (I like the Mur) but I'd ditch the D&D "races" (unless your explicitly using D&D, which if you are it makes sense) that or I'd change them to be nigh unrecognizable.
Like Dragon men who are really mutant alligator stock who spray acidic phlegm as a "breath weapon", Shifters are human with already obscene physiques that pack too many teeth in a human mouth--until they "shapeshift" to bestial form (which may not be a LOT different but I think I'd give them more animal like heads and of course clothes would rip and fall off.)
Plus you need cyborgs, yes must have cyborgs, even if they are cyborg zombies.
I've gone ahead and done a bit of name changing. In my notes I have a PC race called the Halfdead, I may add them as well. It's funny you mention cyborg zombies, because they are on the way too. As well as Vulture mounted ratmen calvary, roadwarrior orcs, Devilgoats and a whole bunch of other crazy shit.
Thanks for your input.
I've edited PC races again and the intro post:
The Changers: Sometimes science goes wrong- or worse yet, as in the case of the Changers, scientists go wrong. The changers are a mysterious group of scientists who delight in capturing other creatures and performing strange experiments on them. Sometimes they change out hands for flippers, or give a beautiful maiden the head of an ant. Other times they release someone with virtually no physical changes, but with new and unwholesome apatites or manias. Although they are based on the island that bears their name (Southern Ruingulf) the Changers have access to large areas of the ME, because they understand the mostly unused network of Teleportation Pools and are accomplished at avoiding or negating the many dangers of the Between Sea. they delight in exploring new territory and collecting unique "specimens". No one can say what a Changer is likely to look like, because they have altered themselves as well.
Teleportation Pools Once, long ago, the far flung regions of the Metal earth were connected by a network of teleportation pools. Traders and travellers used the pool system, utilizing submersable barges to move through what was known then as The Between Sea. The trip was so short, though, that in most cases, teams of swimmers, usually comprised of Reptarch Longfin (now thought to be extinct), could tow all but the largest items from place to place. Able bodied humanoids of every race had no trouble making the trip. Like so much else, this golden time is all but lost to memory- today, most people don't even know the pools exist.
During the current time period The Between Sea is tainted and unsafe for travel. Huge undead angler fish, known as ghostfins prowl the waters, as well as a host of other evil and undead creatures. Distances seem longer as well. what once took but a few moments now requires hours- or longer. The pools are still usable, but the passage is very dangerous, and few who enter the water came out.
Pools range from about the size of bathtub to slightly larger than an olympic swimming pool. Many cities have them, but few residents- even those in charge, know they exist. Evil creatures such as the Changers and the Slavers of Gear make use of them to further their vile and twisted schemes.
Aside from the large scale pool network many large sites featured closed networks of pools. These may or not share the taint of the open Between Sea.
Quote from: Aos;233743Hey! Do I gum your threads with meaningless chatter- er, I mean, yeah... how about that Koltar?
Hey, at least you know some people are reading your thread.
As more on-topic comments, I don't like the humans are rare and exotic thing. It seems to be trying too hard to go against the norm.
I do like the map, including the place names. Very cool.
Actually, I wasn't trying to so much go against the norm as I was trying to make Humans cool. I was thinking to the Tarna sequence in Heavy Metal actually. I do see your point, though, but I've got this idea in my head...
Edit- Also, I usually play humans and I thought it would be neat to be play a human and have everyone think you were dangerous trash.
Quote from: Aos;233803Teleportation Pools Once, long ago, the far flung regions of the Metal earth were connected by a network of teleportation pools. Traders and travellers used the pool system, utilizing submersable barges to move through what was known then as The Between Sea. The trip was so short, though, that in most cases, teams of swimmers, usually comprised of Reptarch Longfin (now thought to be extinct), could tow all but the largest items from place to place. Able bodied humanoids of every race had no trouble making the trip. Like so much else, this golden time is all but lost to memory- today, most people don't even know the pools exist.
Stolen sucker ! Or rather Whirlpools in my setting.
Regards,
David R
I'm glad you like it!
This is ten kinds of awesome. Keep it up.
Thanks, man! Now, however, I must sleep.
Quote from: Aos;233809Actually, I wasn't trying to so much go against the norm as I was trying to make Humans cool. I was thinking to the Tarna sequence in Heavy Metal actually.
But Tarna wasn't the only human. She was simply the only Taarakian. The humans were divided up into different peoples but they were still human. The role humans serve in many fantasy settings is to be the race that people can play when they don't want to be exotic. It's the safe choice. I'm not sure that leaving out a safe and familiar choice in order to make every choice cool is a good idea. It's sort of like the point about making fighters cool in D&D 4E at the expense of having them be simple and safe to play. I don't know about your audience but I do know that there is one player in my group who likes to play basic humans and gets a bit annoyed when that option isn't available to him.
Well, I can meet you halfway John- The Island of Xal is where i started my last campaign and it is totally human dominated- so if someone wanted to run a campaign where humans were the norm- they could start there, it's big enough for a whole campaign (I'll post maps when I unearth them, I just moved last week). this is so much the case that when the Human ranger left the island and found out about the difference between there the other islands and the continent he was totally shocked- which was actually really cool.
Quote from: Aos;233843this is so much the case that when the Human ranger left the island and found out about the difference between there the other islands and the continent he was totally shocked- which was actually really cool.
OK. That sounds interesting and pretty cool. Carry on.
Quote from: AosIn the Metal Earth women go topless all the time.
Even while wearing heavy plate armor...?
Quote from: Fritzs;233868Even while wearing heavy plate armor...?
Of course not. Then they just have metal bra's. With a smattering of dangerous spikes.
AOS, keep up the fun stuff :D
Anyway, this kind of setting bore me... it has been done before and there is nothing interesting (except topless chicks, but Tekumel did this better I think)...
...but I can be made interesting and more METAL, my first sugestion is to cut all the wierd races and let there be only humans (clones, cyborgs, mutants everything count as being human, they recieve different staring equipment and ability modifiers)... the races are both wierd (which is not flaw) and boring (which is BIG flaw), so it will IMO work better without them...
Quote from: Silverlion;233919Of course not. Then they just have metal bra's. With a smattering of dangerous spikes.
Chainmail bikinis, ' nuff said.
The Slavers of GearThe slavers are mysterious humanoids. slavery is common in the regions around the Ruingulf and the Slavers of Gear have a virtual monopoly on trade. Their slave taking steamships are the scourge of southern Ruingulf and the Archipelago of Nom.
The slavers seem to be impervious to heat- or perpetually cold, they are always bundled up in thick furs despite the weather. They do not shor their faces either; each wears a loose, eyeless hood. It is also said that they smell of rotten meat and orchids.
Quote from: Fritzs;233939Anyway, this kind of setting bore me... it has been done before and there is nothing interesting (except topless chicks, but Tekumel did this better I think)...
...but I can be made interesting and more METAL, my first sugestion is to cut all the wierd races and let there be only humans (clones, cyborgs, mutants everything count as being human, they recieve different staring equipment and ability modifiers)... the races are both wierd (which is not flaw) and boring (which is BIG flaw), so it will IMO work better without them...
The topless chicks line was a joke Fritzs. As for your other concerns, please see the bolded note at the top of post 1, and keep in mind that I am editing all the time. And really, all but two of the races ARE human variants. I'm sorry to bore you.
Beyond that, if this kind of setting bores you, I don't see what I can do about that. Your taste are your tastes, and I have neither the power nor the desire to change them.
Furthermore, how good or bad Tekumel is ( I have no opinion, having never read or looked at it) has nothing to do with what I'm doing here.
In a previous incarnation of this setting, I did make it Humans only, I found THAT to be boring. And for what it's worth, I think constructs and Minotaurs are really cool- period. That is an unassailable matter of taste. Perhaps it is poor taste, or juvenile but, honestly, I'm perfectly happy to like what I like.
As a point of information, In my work life I'm very much involved in the study of evolution, human evolution in particular. Therefore, it is probably not much of a surprise that I'm interested in extinction, which is a problem the humans of this setting face. It doesn't really work for me without the other races.
Again, thank you for taking the time to read the thread and for your input; please accept my apology for accidentally wasting your time. I assure you, such was not my intent.
Tekumel's a really serious exercise in exploratory anthropology. This isn't. The comparison is bizarre.
Quote from: AosAs for your other concerns, please see the bolded note at the top of post 1
I just wanted to help to made it into awesome...
Anyway, cuting the races and having everything be highly costomizable "human" would fit this setting better IMO and i could produce all of mentioned races without much trouble and prosduce many more variants... variety is made fo win...
Quote from: Fritzs;233954I just wanted to help to made it into awesome...
Anyway, cuting the races and having everything be highly costomizable "human" would fit this setting better IMO and i could produce all of mentioned races without much trouble and prosduce many more variants... variety is made fo win...
Hey, that's cool, really. I think we have a bit of a language issue, going too. So I'm sorry if i misuderstood your perspective. I guess I was put off by your first line- about being bored. What I got from that was that the setting bored you and was , in your opinion unoriginal and unsalvagable . It seemed futile to try to please someone who feels that way. and if you look at the last entry in the races post (it may well have been edited in after the last time you looked at it) I actually address the issue of customization. I will touch upon it again though in my next edit, because I think you may have a point.
Thanks.
I have made edits to the first two posts, addressing some of the concerns expressed by Fritzs.
Cool stuff Aos, if I hadn't put hours of work into by 4e setting, I'd so be ripping this off, even then I'm sorely tempted. Anyway enjoying the read.
Thanks. I'm going to post some stuff about setting assumptions and geography a bit later. Sorry everyone about the disorganized way this is put together, it's a mirror of my life.
I'm a little busy today, and I need to recharge (I'm going to read People of the Black Cirlce).
In the meantime, here is a sort of "Previously on the Metal Earth..." page I did at one point during the True20 game earlier this year-
(http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/8719/me2na8.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
Originally, there was a nipple visible in panel one, but I cropped it in the interest of not being banned- although, it was hardly pornographic. I still suck but, I'm a slightly better cartoonist than this now, and I'm working on some more drawings for this thread. Sadly, I don't have a scanner so I'm using the Digital Camera for these shots.
this is the most metal thing i have seen in ages. i'm seriously tempted to swipe it, file off the sci-fi bits, and use it for my 4e game. thank you!
p.s. don't change the map. the map is wicked hardcore.
I love what I've seen so far, Aos. Keep it up!
Wow. Thanks everyone.
I'm working on a huge update right now, complete with additional text on the races, racial stat stuff for True20 and Savage Worlds. It will also include a small Beastary (stat free at first) notes on geography and weather. It may take a few days, but since people are actually reading this crap I want to take the extra time to make it worth your time.
Thanks
Aos.
oh yeah- here's another shit drawing-
Just make sure you post more cartoons, if you have them. The first one was great!
Edit: THAT'S what I'm talking about! Gun toting minotaur riding a dinosaur!
See above-
I'm going to concentrate on critters and such for a while, the Metal Earth has a lot of Critters.
Apes and monkeys:
Man has split into several different subspecies over the millennia; other primates have proved no less adaptable.
Cave apes-
Semi-sentient and brutal, Cave Apes have developed hunting techniques and technologies such as fire control, clothing, and simple tool manufacture to such a degree that they have spread into every type of ecosystem- except for perhaps extremely arid deserts. Cave apes are omnivorous, but they will take as much meat, of virtually any type, as they can get. The only thing they crave more than meat is sex. If it moves they will fuck it. Aside from each other (for the most part) they tend to eat everything they fuck. In appearance Cave Apes look like giant mangy chimpanzees. Sexual dimorphism is minimal, and only a trained observer can tell the difference between a male and female, unless, of course they get to close- in which case the difference will be made horrifically apparent.
Snow apes live in small bands of 10-20. Hunting groups are somewhat smaller, though, usually comprised of 3-5 individuals of either or both sexes.
For reasons unknown, Cave Apes harbor an unquenchable hatred for Snow Apes and will attack them on sight, no matter what.
Snow Apes-
Like Cave apes, Snow Apes are large, often reaching 3.5 meters or more in height. The resemblance ends there, however. Snow apes are graceful creatures despite their bulk. Shaggy, but nearly always well-groomed white fur covers them from head to toe. Their cultures are usually refined and complex and they are masters of technology and science. Other than this little is known of them for sure, although there are rumors that they are in League with the Changers, no one know for certain.
What is known is that they view all other sentient races as inferior suitable only for food and servitude; subsequently, they are perhaps the most valued customers for the Slavers of Gear.
Snow apes are not numerous, but they do have a large population at their city of UX, a formidable brooding conglomeration of white granite and steel located at the Southeastern Tip of The Dragon's Foot peninsula.
For the last fifty years the Snow apes of Ux have been in a near perpetual state of war with the Mur. Neither group has ever gained the upper hand over the other. Both groups wish to control Ruingulf. As it is, each hinders the other from gaining a larger sphere of influence.
War Apes:
War apes are even larger than their kin, often reaching up to 4 meters in height. War Ape fur is blue or red and they often, but not always, have horns. War Ape cultures are more heterogeneous than those of their cousins, although they do as a rule keep to the jungles of the south, and tend to live in clan oriented tribal groups. True to their name War apes like to fight, and they are very good at it. They can often be found outside their homelands, either alone or in small groups working as mercenaries and/or bodyguards (should they be a PC option?). In their jungle fastness, War apes are as a rule extremely territorial, but, despite their name and fearsome appearance they are not universally hostile to outsider- sometimes they are even friendly, and they will often, if given the opportunity, engage in trade.
Blood Monkeys:
But for a slight increase in size, these red furred primates resemble their more harmless cousins, baboons. Unlike baboons, blood monkeys are not omnivores, they are bloodsuckers. They travel in hunting bands of 20-100 individuals. They are extremely aggressive hunters and will attack any being or group of beings unless the odds are obviously overwhelmingly against them- and once the blood has been spilled, there is absolutely no getting rid of them short of killing the entire band.
Typically Blood Monkeys will remain out of sight, stalking their prey from the relative safety of the upper canopy. When the time is right- or when they can no longer contain themselves, they will drop enmass onto their intended target(s) creating terror and confusion.
Once a blood monkey scores a hit, it latches onto the victim and does ongoing damage each round thereafter until it is killed or dislodged.
The dessiccated remains of Blood Monkey kills that are less than a few days old are easily identifiable by an individual with jungle experience or the proper education.
War Apes and other jungle dwelling races spend enormous amounts of effort keeping blood monkey populations in check. Sometimes rival groups will even band together in temporary alliances merely to facilitate this end.
Quote from: Aos(should they be a PC option?).
Yes!
Treesquid-
Treeesquid are a horrible hybrid of primate and cephalopod, almost certainly created and inflicted upon the world by the Changers. Treesquid have a body covering of short green fur, eight prehensile tentacles, and a horrible beaked mouth. They are ambush predators, as a rule, but are extremely mobile at need. Usually they are found dwelling alone, but Treesquid sometimes form groups of 2-3 individuals. Treesquid can go days without eating and are extremely patient, and due to the color of their fur and their ability to remain motionless for long periods of time, they are able to make themselves nearly invisible while in trees. Treesquid will use this capacity to strike at just the right time. One common tactic is to select a single target from within a group and wait for the other members of the group become distracted or have their attention otherwise engaged.At that moment, using its tentacles to both silence and capture this prey, the Treesquid will draw the hapless creature up into the trees undetected and devour it in short order.
Cleptomonkeys-
Small monkeys that have an uncanny, unnatural ability to steal whatever a person values most. Cleptomonkeys often work for other more potent creatures, either acquiring valuable items for them, or baiting traps. A common tactic involves a Cleptomonkey stealing an item and leading its previous owner on a merry chase, which as often as not ends in the lair of large and dangerous monster or monsters. Cave Apes often keep and train cleptomonkeys for just this task.
Quote from: Fritzs;234320Yes!
Consider it done.
Glad to see you're still reading along :).
I'm done for today- here's a preview things to come, though:
That's right, Warworms!
(http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/7336/dscf0001da0.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
And yeah, the Freudian implications ARE a little disturbing.
BTW, I've done some stat work on the pc races and i'll likely start editing that post tomorrow.
The art will improve, at least a little bit, when I get a proper bottle of ink. Right now I can either ink with a pen ( like the minotaur above) or leave everything in pencil and wait ( I usually ink with a sable brush, it is a much better way to go.)
That's wicked dude. I can't draw for shit, and I don't have a scanner at all.
The apes remind me of that Book of the New Sun business by Gene Wolfe? Ever read it? He's got a somewhat similar idea - it starts so far in the future that the sun is dimming, in a vast city called Nessus that takes days to walk across, and Earth is nearly unrecognisable. The protagonist of the book fights these ape-men who live in a cave at one point.
I own three different copies of it :). In turn, it was inspired by Jack Vance's Dying Earth (The Book of Gold that Severian carries around and reads from time to time throughout The Book of the New Sun) I own four copies of that- including a signed first edition. The tradition stretches back a bit further as well with authors like Clark Aston Smith, and even HG Wells, really.
I'm using a fairly good digital camera for the images, i badly need a scanner. I'm thinking of starting a webcomic, actually.
Worms
Iceworms:
Haunting the glacial expanses of the far north, Iceworms are huge white furred creatures that prey on animals and adventurers as they travel across the frozen waste. Often 30 meters or more in length, Iceworms require vast amounts of food to survive. Considering their environment meals large enough to interest them are often few and far between. Iceworms compensate for this by spending most of their time in hibernation beneath the ice, waking only occasionally to hunt and feed. Vibration on the ice will attract their attention.
Smaller (younger) Iceworms will hunt in groups of three, often coming up through the ice and surrounding their intended prey. The larger ancient worms are solitary creatures and are large enough that they can often come up beneath their inteded prey and swallow them whole before they even perceive the threat.
Sewer Worms:
Sewer worms are putrid white creatures that infest the water of most of the larger sewer systems on the Metal Earth. Sewer worms hunt and live in small schools of 5-15 indviduals. They eat just about anything from garbage to rats to corpses to living beings unlucky enough to find themselves in the sewers.
War Worms:
War Worms came to the Metal Earth thousands of years ago as part of a failed invasion from beyond the Dark Boundary (see below). The invasion was broken, but many War Worms were trapped on the Metal Earth as aresult. In the Iron Time, most War Worms serve as mercenaries for evil sorcerers or live as bandits and pirates. Although, they do at times maintain their own settlements, these usually occupy ruins or other villages they have overrun. War Worms make nothing but war. Like the other Worms of the Metal Earth, they eat anything they can get. War Worms are sadistic and cruel; they are also thought to have twisted sexual apatites, but this may be mere myth inspired by their shape.
Physically they are about five meters in length with putrid gray boil ridden hide. They fight with any available weapon, but prefer firearms and energy weapons; however their jagged teeth will do in a pinch.
Edit: I added another monkey to the monkey post.
Weather and related climatic hazards:
Climate varies a good deal across the breadth of the Metal Earth, but for millennia prior to the War of Races, there was a worldwide network of weather control stations. Powered by a combination of atomic and arcane energy, these stations worked to homogenize climate conditions across the face of the entire world. The system was broken during the War of Races, but normal patterns did not reassert themselves. Quite the opposite, in fact- weather went wild- breaking and reshaping the world all at once. Efforts were made by sorcerers and scientists stop this from happening- but if they had any impact, it was only to make things worse. Eventually, an ice age commenced, which brought with it a modicum of climatic stability. This ice age has never really ended since that time, although there have been some slightly warmer periods. The time of the shattering is long over but extreme weather is more the norm than the exception. You are far more likely to get a blizzard than a light snowfall or a torrential downpour than a light rain, although mild weather is not completely uncommon in some microclimatic areas.
Beyond the extremity of most storms, the breaking of the weather control network and the resultant release of ungoverned arcane and atomic energies into the world's climate system resulted in at least two other ongoing effects, as well: Curse Squalls and Timestorms.
Timestorms:
Timestorms are not common, but they do occur with some frequency. Fortunately, most of them occur over water and are relatively, if not always, harmless.
Timestorms are usually preceded by the formation of dark cloud funnels, crisscrossed with purple cloud-to-cloud lightning; as the storm grows in intensity, so to does the electrical activity. It is at the peak of the electrical activity that the storm really gets underway. Time vortexes open up- sometimes one, sometimes one hundred or more, depending on the intensity of the storm.
There are two kinds of Timestorms, takers and givers:
Takers: During a taker storm, things are sucked into the time vortexes and moved to a distant temporal location, past or future- it can go either way.
Givers: during a giver storm, things emerge from the time holes. What kinds of things? Just about fucking anything really, from dinosaurs to toasters to people.
Note: it is entirely possible to whisk a party of adventurers off into time during a taker storm; it is also possible to bring in a new PC (say a 20th century human into the Metal Earth with a giver storm.)
Curse Squalls are far more common than Timestorms, and usually more dangerous. Curse storms look like normal rainstorms (albeit of an extremely violent nature, even for the Metal Earth) except the raindrops have faint green luminescence.
Anywhere curse rain falls horrible shit happens. Sometimes, the dead rise from their graves hungry for living flesh (corpse burning is a near world wide custom due to this). Other times, simple field crops mutate into horrible carnivorous plants. Good men caught out in the curse rain sometime turn completely evil. Other times the rain is like acid burning and destroying all it touches. Nobody can say what will happen for certain when the Curse Rain falls, but whatever it is, it wont be good. Often these effects last only until the rain dries, or until sunrise of the next day- other times, they last forever.
The magical element Arcanum can help protect crops and many other things from the curse rain. Farmers often sprinkle small amounts onto their crops as they plant them, and it is also an integral ingredient in brick making and construction in general. Arcanum is naturally occurring in many rock formations and can be mined. It isn't debilitating expensive, but it isn't cheap either. Because of this, despite the dangers, sometimes corners are cut- with predictably disastrous results, such as buildings turning into huge carnivorous stone monsters.
Arcanum Mining
Although Arcanum is relatively easy to find, it is dangerous to mine- due to the dangers of mining in general, cave ins, bad air, ect. and the added hazards of Manalung (horrible magic cancer) and the ever present threat of subteranian monsters. It is work most often performed by slaves and convicts. The largest such mines are located in the southeastern peaks of the Crumbled Mountains, just north of the Singing Cliffs; these mines are controlled by the government of Shards.
Apparently (according the the number of views) people are looking at this. I just wanted to let you all know that I haven't lost interst. I've been figuring out PC race stats for True20 and Savage Worlds, the latter of which I'm just becoming familiar with.
I'm not aiming for straight up conversions though. I'm dealing with each case as if the others didn't exist, because otherwise, I'll go nuts.
Also I have a bunch more critters and hazards, and my geopolitical/cultural ideas are evolving, but I'm going camping with my family this wekend so it will be a a few days until the next major update.
Huge update, revision of PC races entry in post #2, complete with game stats for Savage Worlds, True20 and D&D. includes O level Anachronism rules for D&D, and War Apes for all three games.
And we're back...
Regional breakdown: The Shadelands
(http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/1881/me1mg3.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
The Haunted Wood:
Environment: Topologically varied landscape covered by closed woodland. Fed by several small rivers, and a large underground aquifer. One section of the haunted wood is a cold water salt marshland.
Climate: Arid and cold. Heavy snowfall in winter months.
Fauna: Full range of forest creatures. Most common macro fauna: black deer, moose, Megatherium, tree sloth, snow monkey, cave bear, Smilodon, boar dire boar, rats, several dozen species of bird, goblins, cave apes, boar, dire boar. the top of the conventional food chain is occupied by different creatures in different parts of the forest, but owlbears tend to dominate in the regions nearest to the Wurm. Despite the general stability of the ecosystem, the forest is full of hazards and monsters, undead being particular problem.
General facts: The Haunted Wood covers what was once a great Megalopolis the real name of the city is long lost in time, and it is known today only as Shade. Whole regions of Shade are rumored to remain intact, or nearly so, buried under ground.
Adventure Hooks:
Protection: The Necromancer Zonboar has lived deep within the forest, residing at Blackbone Tower one hundred fifty leagues north of Shards. Zonboar controls a large horde of undead, and he demands a huge tribute in slaves and Arcanum every year from Shards. The Circle Council has at last grown tired of paying protection money, and is looking for someone to take Zonbar down.
The Hierloom: one of the characters receives a mysterious gift from a recently dead relative. It is a riddle* map of an area of the forest that has an entrance to an intact, subterranean section of Shade.
• *Reading the map involves some kind of trick to make it visible- for example, it has to be soaked in (human/dragon/whatever) blood, held out in the moonlight, travel in the girdle of a virgin for a month, or some sort of magic word has to be said- ECT… Anyway, whatever, it should be a bit of a challenge to read the map.
Nose Job: A Sorcerer from Ssaur is paying good money (how much is up to the GM) to collect the beak of a huge semi legendary owlbear known as Blackbeak.
• Blackbeak is about twice as powerful as a normal owlbear, and is intelligent and capable of using magic. He may actually be a forest god of sorts.
• Complication: several goblin tribes worship Blackbeak as their God. They will attempt to prevent/ avenge it’s death by any means necessary.
• Blackbeak’s territory lies over ground once occupied by a vast necropolis. Who knows how the death of such a puissant creature will effect the restless dead interred in the earth below?
Good to see you're back mate.
Here's a set of questions to riff on:
Why would I want to set a campaign or an adventure in the Haunted Woods, as opposed to anywhere else on Metal Earth? What distinguishes it from the rest of Metal Earth, and what makes it a particularly interesting location to adventure in?
Glad to see this is back on track.
How are you organising your notes, only on here or are you collating into a document too?
Do you have any idea what you're going to do with ME when it's done?
Still looking good, Aos.
I've a lightly houseruled C&C homebrew that your setting would be perfect for. So yeah, like Rob said, when do we see the pdf?
Sorry guys I'm on the road right now, so I'll be out for a few more days. I've got a word notebook doc with everything broken into its proper sections. I'm not sure what I'll do with it when I'm done.
Psuedo, I'll get to you question when I get home next week.
You might find the default setting of Encounter Critical interesting.
Quote from: Pseudoephedrine;274841Good to see you're back mate.
Here's a set of questions to riff on:
Why would I want to set a campaign or an adventure in the Haunted Woods, as opposed to anywhere else on Metal Earth? What distinguishes it from the rest of Metal Earth, and what makes it a particularly interesting location to adventure in?
(Hooray for spring break!)
The remnant of the city Shade located underneath the wood provides the GM with an instant dungeon local, no matter where the characters are in the wood. PCs can find an entrance virtually anywhere, or if things are slow and you need to crank things up- they can fall in through a hole, or fissure (possibly during an earthquake). The city itself is, from an exploration POV, essentially limitless. Isolated sections may or may not be cut off from the rest, or linked via teleportation pools. Other sections may provide living space for horrible monsters/undead/giant insects/robots/hidden colonies of warworms or goblins or whatever. The city is loaded with loot, but the woods and the ruins themselves are so dangerous that few people are willing to venture into them. Hazards in the forest and the city are more likely to be natural stuff like, bad weather (which is only semi natural in the ME, really) rockfalls, giant ant swarms, earthquakes, forest fires (stampeding owlbears suck). However, given the forest also is inhabitated by many intelligent creatures (and is a favorite refuge of fugitives) you could have the full range of unnatural hazards too. Also the woods crawls with the undead. The Circle council of Ssaur pays a small premium for zombie heads- a good way for a group of new adventures to earn a rep and a little coin, too.
Furthermore, the City of Ux (located on the tip of the Dragon's Foot has been silent for at least fifty years; due to the Mur, a seaward approach is virtually impossible, but the powers that be in both Ssaur and Shards are eager to know what is happening there. a party of PCs capable of making the dangerous overland trek could well name their own price. Information is the most valuable sort of treasure in the ME.
Jesus, ~1300 views? Who the fuck is reading this? Don't you guys know there's free porn on the internet? Free! Porn!
(http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/8358/ssaur1.jpg) (http://img18.imageshack.us/my.php?image=ssaur1.jpg)
Ssaur is one of the oldest extant cities on Xurk (the north continent) It is, and has always been the main home of the Shae. the city is divided into four districts, and can only be entered from the outside from the eastern most district, The Horn. Movement between districts is highly regulated. Only Shae, Speartooth, and Grod (see post #2) are allowed to venture outside of the Horn. Humans, Beastkin and War Apes are not allowed into the city at all except for in very special circumstances. The island upon which the city is built is generally very hilly; altitude increases sharply as one moves to the west; Stairs are as common as streets in the two lower most districts. streets and stairs are absent from The Arbors and the High city both- these districts are restricted to higher caste Shae and their servants (mostly lower caste Shae). Teleportation is the main method of conveyance in these areas.
Details:
Population: 25k
20% Shae
10% Speartooth
10% Grod
10% Leafeater
40% Minotaur
10% other
Sumptuary Laws: non Shae are prohibited from living in round structures, owning magic/tech items, anything green (or made from jade), using wheeled carts, congregating in groups of twelve or more and eating Hron (see below) meat. Religion is not completely outlawed, but it is generally frowned upon by most of the city's residents from high to low- as is common all over the ME.
Districts:
The Horn
The lowermost area of the city is rundown and extremely over crowded. It contains both entrances to the cities Agricultural caverns (referred to as the Greenshaft), and most of the residents are employed in food production. Hron (similar to mantee, but domesticated) are raised in pools located on the lowermost levels of the Greenshaft. Crime is rife here, and injustice is the norm. A huge Tyrannical Minotaur named Braxis manages the Greenshaft for his Shae masters, and subsequently rules the Horn itself.
The streets of the horn are barely more than muddy alleys winding between closely packed ramshackle building of wood. The stink is so bad the locals have given it a name: The Waft. characters who hole up in the horn for any length of time will carry the smell of it (one part bovine, one part rancid vegetable, three parts rotten fish, four parts unknown) for 3-8 days (1d6+2). Furthermore characters who have been there for over a week, will have to make perception (or equivalent) to even know that they smell that bad. entering other districts of the city smelling of the waft is against the law and will lead to a Level One reprimand (see below). entering the Haunted wood stinking of the Waft is the equivalent to offering a dinner invitation to every hungry predator within several leagues.
Market Town: Market Town is where most of the city's business takes place. Higher class. Artisans and merchants (Mostly Grod and low caste Shae) live here. The granite cobbled streets are patrolled by squads of Shae guards (try outrunning a group of guards that can perform a synchronized teleport). Market Town is an exponentially more pleasant place than the Horn. Indoor pluming is the norms and there are several (racially segregated) public baths. That said, it is far, far easier to get arrested in Market Town. The Circle (the city's ruling oligarchy) has a much firmer grip on Market Town than it foes on the Horn, and their wishes are largely carried out by the Speartooth Guard commander and high judge, Korid Firescale. However there is a thriving black market in Hron meat (especially the bacon-like Glisglis), magic/tech items and green lingerie.
There is a working Teleportation pool in a disused temple. It leads to similar pool in Shards. Some trade is carried out between the two cities utilizing the pool, but the tariff is so high that many merchants prefer the risks of using one of the thrce yearly caravans to convey their goods.
The Arbors: The Arbors is a lovely wooded residential area filled with circular clusters of Shae roundhouses. Magically Tame animals and monsters roam at will- and enforce the peace. Shae belonging to the highest seven castes (there are 24 total) live here. There are roughly thirty families total. The members of the so called "Overcaste" are selected from these families- this designation is usually based on Magical ability. Entering the Arbors without special permission will result in an instant Level three punishment.
The High City: Similar in many ways to the Arbors, The high city is the home of the Overcaste, or the Circle, the city's ruling elite. Members of this "non-caste" and their immediate families are considered to have transcended caste distinction. They display their unconcern for such things by eschewing green and living in elaborate rectilinear houses, some of which even have scandalous and decadent features such as stairs and windows. Members of the Circle are almost all powerful Magic users of one sort or another.
A huge Ziggarut juts above all the other structures in the High City. It is rumored to be older than the city itself. No one, not even members of the Circle ever talks about it.
The Law: The Horn is ruled by the law of the jungle, but in the other sections of the city it is really easy to get arrested; guard captains are authorized to pronounce sentence on the spot, and the punishments are harsh to say the least. These punishments come in three varieties:
Level 1: (social impropriety censure). If you talk to loud, smell bad, commit an act of rudeness against a Shae (or sometimes a speartooth) or are found in Market Town when you shouldn't be there you receive a level one punishment. This consists of 10 lashes, six months of penal servitude in the Greenshaft (usually involving the most dangerous work, and branding with a fool's mark (on the ass).
Level 2: (petty theft, murder of a non-Shae, unauthorized possession of contraband) Same as above, except it's a year in the Greenshaft, the brand goes on the accused's forehead, and the criminal is expelled into the wilderness at the close of the sentence, forbidden to return to Ssaur.
Level 3: (Grand theft, public drunkeness, murder or assault of a Shae or any of their agents, wearing green in public) Simply put they drop you down into the so called bottomless pit on the Isle of Solitude. No one has ever returned, so they don't bother with branding or flogging.
MORE!
Lots more.
Anyway, I may not be a bad ass artist, but I can do some stuff if you like..may be lame, but just ask :D
Consider yourself asked :). And as poorly as i draw; you won't find me knocking anyone else's work.
And I will do more- a little every day this week, but after that it will likely to be May before I can work on it again.
Thanks for showing an interest.
And sorry, to you, and everyone else that is reading it, not being able to make the time to work on it more often.
E-mail me some descriptions (silverlion at gmail.com merge as logic would dictate) I'll do what I can. I'm vastly better at still poses of people, robots, and the like. (Guns I can do too..for the most part.) Nowhere brilliant or anything but stuff like this:
(http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/9828/gundragonvn0.th.jpg) (http://img294.imageshack.us/my.php?image=gundragonvn0.jpg)
(http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/8563/legioncommandaz2.th.jpg) (http://img164.imageshack.us/my.php?image=legioncommandaz2.jpg)
(http://img370.imageshack.us/img370/3606/countcortexsmallxz2.th.jpg) (http://img370.imageshack.us/my.php?image=countcortexsmallxz2.jpg)
(http://imageshack.us/thumbnmail.png) (http://img244.imageshack.us/my.php?image=lionmechav2jc0.jpg)
Awesome, let me think about it for a couple of days.
Quote from: Aos;289541(Hooray for spring break!)
The remnant of the city Shade located underneath the wood provides the GM with an instant dungeon local, no matter where the characters are in the wood. PCs can find an entrance virtually anywhere, or if things are slow and you need to crank things up- they can fall in through a hole, or fissure (possibly during an earthquake). The city itself is, from an exploration POV, essentially limitless. Isolated sections may or may not be cut off from the rest, or linked via teleportation pools. Other sections may provide living space for horrible monsters/undead/giant insects/robots/hidden colonies of warworms or goblins or whatever. The city is loaded with loot, but the woods and the ruins themselves are so dangerous that few people are willing to venture into them. Hazards in the forest and the city are more likely to be natural stuff like, bad weather (which is only semi natural in the ME, really) rockfalls, giant ant swarms, earthquakes, forest fires (stampeding owlbears suck). However, given the forest also is inhabitated by many intelligent creatures (and is a favorite refuge of fugitives) you could have the full range of unnatural hazards too. Also the woods crawls with the undead. The Circle council of Ssaur pays a small premium for zombie heads- a good way for a group of new adventures to earn a rep and a little coin, too.
Furthermore, the City of Ux (located on the tip of the Dragon's Foot has been silent for at least fifty years; due to the Mur, a seaward approach is virtually impossible, but the powers that be in both Ssaur and Shards are eager to know what is happening there. a party of PCs capable of making the dangerous overland trek could well name their own price. Information is the most valuable sort of treasure in the ME.
So it's a big dungeon that the PCs can either go adventure in, or travel through, and there's all sorts of way to get them into the dungeon even if they don't want to go in?
Handy.
Keep it up mate.
Just when I thought I didn't know where to set my next fantasy game.... Thanks Aos.
My pleasure.
I'm completely flattered, by the way.
Once again, sorry to everyone for the slow updates... maybe this weekend.
er. anyway:
http://themetalearth.blogspot.com/
I'm adapting the setting to 0e. I've started at the url above. A lot of what gets posted will be repetition of what is here and at the haven for a while.
1pg wilderness:
http://www.mediafire.com/?dkmgmmdzkoj
also available via the blog (in my sig).
Ooh. Any updates? :D
It will be a year at least before things slow down enough for me to invest any time in putting the whole thing together. Until then, I'll likely concentrate on little projects like this one when I get a window.
make that two years.
Graduate students, they're not bad people, they just have made horrible life choices. Like bums, but with less money and time.
Ah well keep working on it.
Quote from: Aos;233809Actually, I wasn't trying to so much go against the norm as I was trying to make Humans cool. I was thinking to the Tarna sequence in Heavy Metal actually. I do see your point, though, but I've got this idea in my head...
Edit- Also, I usually play humans and I thought it would be neat to be play a human and have everyone think you were dangerous trash.
Dude Heavy Metal is exactly the vibe I was getting from this. Always wondered why it never became an RPG setting. Cool stuff so far. Just remember the locnar's mine. It's my locnar.
Excellent work Aos. I'd love to run or play in this setting. One of the things I've been wanting to see more of in the OSR is stuff that has an anything goes Arduin vibe. This has it in spades without being derivative. Nice work.
By the way you mentiond that the 'Mutants, Mongrels, Cyborgs and Freaks' where anything goes and should be made on a case by case basis; well you should totally throw together a bunch of tables for completly random Mutant, Mongrel, Cyborg and Freak character generation.
Thanks guys. I'm not working on this as much as I'd like these days because grad school is eating me alive right now, but it's still alive, and I'm going to post another adventure thing pretty soon.
I'm actually astounded that two people discovered this thread in the same day.Maybe if I finish with my reading a little early I'll get some more stuff posted here and at the blog.
Mod question: is it okay to regularly post stuff here that I post in my echo chamber?
One page dungeon for the Metal Earth, also there are some new S&W house rules and shit, and some of the stuff that is here is cleaned up and expanded over there. And there is a lot more of my 'art.'
http://themetalearth.blogspot.com/
Yay! More stuff.