Deciding What Should Be in Your World Part III

1) What is transportation like?  Are horses common or is walking on foot the norm?  Or is there some other transportation to fit in with a steam punk setting?  This is important because sometimes you don't want the characters to get somewhere quickly and if they have access to horseless carriages, that might be harder for you to do.

2) What do your races look like?  Are they just as the book says or are there important differences?  In my world, elves with red hair have a special legacy, they are descended from Veo Sunstar, and only that line can bare elves with red hair.  Things like this are not only fun to put in, but gives your world depth.

3) What groups can your characters inspire to be part of?  In my world there is the Wolf Warriors and the Society of the King.  In Forgotten Realms, there is the Harpers.  Little groups like this help give depth to your world and give your players some goal to reach.

Deciding What Should Be In Your World Part II

Here is a few more things to think about in your world when you are creating it.

1) Technology.  I mentioned magic, but what if you want some steam punk type objects in your fantasy world.  Think hard on this.  If you give it to your players, your bad guys need to have them too, and that may let things to get out of hand.  Another way to put tech in is simple things, like water flowing into houses, sewers, gas lights, but no weapons.

2) What classes do you want?  We always have the core classes, and with Pathfinder, a few newer ones.  But my husband and I have said no to prestige classes.  They are not balanced, no matter what the creators say, especially if you have your own "Brian" in the form of my husband.  If there is a loop hole, he'll exploit it.  If you do want prestige classes because one player really wants one, I suggest you have a bad guy, (or three) with the same class or one that can counter that class.  It may seem unfair to the player, but it really is the only way to balance out the prestige classes.

3) How does the hierarchy work?  Do you have Kings and Queens, Emperors, Democracy, village elders, clans?  Is there a mix in your world?  This is important so your characters have an idea where they are in the scheme of things.

Part III tomorrow

Deciding What Should Be In Your World

When taking on the project of being a GM, first you have to decide what setting and system you want to use.  Most of the time this is a group effort, because you want all your players to like the system you are using.  If you choose a genre and system, but make up your own world, (as I love to do), there are a few things you should consider:

1) Magic or no magic.  Depending on the system this may not even be a question.  You might want lots of magic, or no magic at all.  Maybe magic is hidden or hard to find or even frowned upon.

2) Treasure.  Will you hand out a lot or be stingy.  These are things to be determined before you start so you are consistent through out the campaign.

3) What races do you want?  Some people like lots of races, while other GMs don't like certain races at all.  Perhaps the elves are the bad guys in this world and you don't want your players to be elves.  In my world there are no gnomes or halflings.

4) Where do you adventure?  Is this a water world, sky world, or just a normal on the ground world.  It is good to establish this before you start so your players can take skills that will help in that world.

5)  What is the main evil?  This seems trivial, but every hero wants some huge darkness to fight.  Even if they don't get to that evil right away, they will work their way toward it.

Part II Tomorrow

Working with Your Players

So the point of playing roleplaying games is to have fun with the people who are playing with you.  The players and the GM need to remember a few things.  Here are a few things to keep in mind.

1) Your GM is taking time out of his or her schedule to make up a story world and story for your characters to follow.  Be nice.  If you have a criticism, take the GM aside, don't blow up in front of the group.  The GM is going to take the criticism better and won't feel so resentful toward you.

2) GMs need to remember that the players at the table with you are there to have fun.  If you make things too hard, (or even too easy), they are not going to have fun.

3) As a player, the point is for everyone to have fun.  Don't expect everything to be wrapped around you.  There are other players at the table.

4) As a GM remember there is more then one player, or your NPCs.  Make sure everyone at the table gets a little "shine" time.

Happy gaming!

The Tombs of Karoon Part III

Lord Varian of House Karoon was a beloved ruler by most.  He knew his subjects when he would go places, knew where his food came from, and addressed his servants with a smile and a laugh.  When he died at the ripe old age of eighty three he was dearly missed.  His tomb was simple, as he never really liked gaudy.  The swords and gear were simple, with simple embellishments, and the pictures painted on his walls were beautiful and elegant, but simple.  His sword, Thunder, was placed in the tomb with him, because his son couldn't bare to part his father from his sword even in death.

Possible adventure ideas for this tomb could be the following:
1) The House of Karoon would like the sword recovered from either a thief which stole it or from the tomb itself.

2) The tomb has been desecrated and the House wants the insult avenged.

3) The tomb has been cursed by someone who did not like Varian and the House of Karoon wants him laid to rest.

The Tombs of House Karoon Part III

The contents of tomb will vary from age to age, and person to person.  Most will have a small horde of jewelry and wealth, if the tomb hasn't been plundered.  The wine, if any, might still be good or vinegar. The dead will be decked out in finery and beautiful weapons.  But this all hinges on whether the tomb has been plundered or the weather and time haven't opened the tombs to the air above.

The most common monsters to find are mummies, skeletons, guardian skeletons, golems and wights.  One can always scale the undead to their group.  It might even be fun to have a curse put on anyone who opens a tomb, (magical which can be dispelled in the normal means, but you might add in a hard way to get it done).

The Tombs of House Karoon Part II

The general layout of a tomb is fairly simple.   There are stairs which lead down from a secret door, (though not really that secret), from the decorations above ground.  The stair length can vary, but isn't usually longer then sixty feet.  These stairs lead to a large, open area meant as a greeting area with pictures and statues of the deceased.   From this room there are three doors.  The side doors lead to storage rooms.  One room usually holds weapons and armor, along with any hobbies the deceased may have had.  The other holds food and cloth.  The room which is straight across from the stairs is the tomb itself, holding the highly decorated stone sarcophagus.  The walls are decorated with stone sconces, murals, and/or tapestries.  Sometimes married couples are interned together, and both of their portraits and hobbies are present.

The Tombs of House Karoon

House Karoon was sundered in the time of the Chosen, but even before it fell, Karoon had huge tombs with beautiful decorations which were the talk of all Tridon.  They usually have an above ground component with underground components as well.  They are usually made of stone, (since wood is so rare out in Karoon), and carved with fanciful animals and scenes.  By the time of the High King's Sword, (about 3000 years after Karoon's fall), the outer parts of the tombs are destroyed by wind or looters, but most of the underground tombs remain intact.

Tomorrow: Details of plans for underground parts of the tombs.

Dungeon at Small Creek Part XXVI

The Goblin lair is very disorganized compared to the village of Darkstone and his people.  Crude huts are everywhere, pigs and chickens run around, and giant spiders have their run of the place.  The smell hits the party before they ever reach the lair and those who have a sensitive stomach it is quite a chore to carry on.  Most of the goblins have only crude spears, though the goblins have clearly looted pieces of human armor and metal weapons.

If the party attacks, the goblins only fight in mobs and if they are whittled down to a few goblins, those goblins will try to run away.  The number of goblins are up the GM.  Really it depends on how many your party can handle.

There are also the giant spiders.  These are standard monster manual giant spiders.  The number is also up to the GM, but there should be quite a few.

Treasure is also up to the GM.  These goblins have been raiding not only Darkston'e village, but surface villages as well, so they could have some good treasure.

Dungeon at Small Creek Part XXV

If the party takes Darkstone's offer, they are led to a tunnel that heads downward, (opposed to most of the other tunnels which lead up to the surface).  The tunnels winds on for quite some time with small off shoots here and there.  If the party side treks to these side tunnels, most of them are empty, hold bats, or have mushrooms growing in neat rows.  One side tunnel is bright, though.  This small tunnel runs into a small cavern and had giant crystals growing everywhere. In the ceiling there is a tube like structure which is bringing light in from the outside world.

Eventually the tunnel leads to a large cavern filled with stalactites and stalagmites, along with small little hovels, goblins and spiders.

Tomorrow: The Goblin Lair

Dungeon at Small Creek Part XXIV

If the party is found they will be escorted, (at sword point), to Darkstone to decide what needs to be done with them.  Depending on answers from the party and the attitude of the party, there are several things that could happen.

1) Obviously, if Darkstone doesn't like their tone or answers he will ordered them killed.  There are fifty adults and around ten children in the village.  Around a quarter would prove to be a challenge to the party.  (These people should be considered fighters of the same if not a few levels lower then the players.)  They could fight their way out, but it would be bloody.

2) Darkstone takes their answers at face value and turns them around and sends them back to the surface, thinking they are not a threat. He will, however, require a payment for the freedom.  The GM can come up with what that is.

3) Darkstone may really like their answers and ask them to do something for him in exchange for their freedom.  This small task might be to go further into the tunnels and take out a batch of large spiders and their goblin keepers that keep attacking the village.