Are we on for next Monday (11 February)? Shall we say from about 6:30pm to 10 or 11pm depending on player preference and/or energy?

Let me know what you think. 

I'm effecting some major changes to the campaign setting. Most of it is naming conventions and a little bit is concerned with the governmental structure. I won't go into the details until after the first session, just to keep a good chunk of the setting novel and mysterious. However, you needn't worry about revising any of your characters--they will still fit in just fine. I'm not rebuilding the entire world or any of the functional details about magic or classes or anything of that sort. I am reworking some major issues and bugs, so bear with me on that.

Not only are there issues with mechanics, but there were just a few things that I wasn't happy with as far as potential stories go, and that just doesn't work well for me.

Trust me, it's nothing ground-breaking, but I've taken down a couple of the older entries so that they can be revised. Once the information is up-to-speed, I'll repost the entries and you'll be able to see them all. However, as mentioned before, that may not be until after the first session of the campaign. Nevertheless, the information will be posted.

Also, I've decided to take down the map. Originally, I thought it would be a beneficial tool for you as players, but then I realized it would be more fun if you are unfamiliar with your surroundings. It should be relatively easy for your characters to acquire a map, but until then, you'll be kept in the dark. Most of the people of Lhythia lack an intimate understanding of the world around them, mostly due to the pressures from the state.


One last note, I really want to get that first session underway. I want to set something up for either next Sunday (early afternoon) or the Wednesday evening following that (circa 7pm). Let me know how that sits with everybody. I actually haven't heard from many people about their standings on this matter, which is odd considering how crucial it is to the existence of the game. Write now, Alena, Ian, Jason and Ryan are the only people that have actually managed to even say much of anything, so I'm most willing to work with you guys as far as scheduling is concerned. Nobody else has even checked out this site....so I don't know how they would have even figured out what to do with their characters.

Eh, we'll figure something out. I hope.

Whenever you have the time, I would really like to hear what kinds of characters you all are interested in playing. If you could please post your ideas, it would be quite helpful to me in the planning phases of the game. Also, if you've already rolled your scores, feel free to post them as well.

As always, feel free to fire off any questions you may have.


-Adam

I'd like to begin by apologizing for any vagaries in the following entry. This is a public entry solely for the reason that the basic information is readily available to any potential players upon first visit to the site, lest they be forced to wait for me to add them to my friends list. That would be an unfortunate waste of anyone's time. However, as it is a public entry, specifics will not be mentioned. Once you are added to my friends list, you will be able to view the additional entries. In the meantime, this will have to suffice.

Feel free to leave any questions. I'll answer as soon as I can.

-Adam

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Non-Playable Classes

Here is the list of classes that are prohibited from player use:

• Cleric: Magical energy has no divine or supernatural origin in this particular world. In fact, it is quite natural. As such, clerics do not exist in a magical capacity. This is not to say that priests do not exist in the world, because they do.
• Bard: magical energy is so rare that those few that can use it are individuals that exist in secluded circles. A bard would simply not run in the appropriate circles to possess magical skill.
• Paladin: A paladin is not an open class for much the same reason that clerics are not open. Magical energy is not divine, thus there is nothing to distinguish a paladin from an overly zealous fighter.
  

There are also some rather severe restrictions on the uses of wizards, sorcerers and druids. Any player that's interested in being one of said classes should advise me of such an intent. With that in mind, an appropriate background can be developed. Information pertaining to the mechanisms of magic use and the restrictions spellcasters face will be revealed in confidence to the players that wish to play such a character. The reason for this is that such information is relevant to the plot and must be divulged carefully.

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Races

Humans are the only playable race in this campaign. There are certainly some surprises in store, but at this time, humans are the only option for potential players. I apologize if this dashes anyone's hopes or dreams. If someone is dead set on playing a non-human race, it may be possible to work something in, but there will have to be some very solid reasoning and thought put into it. For now, humans are it. Standard 3e rules apply.

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Other Miscellaneous Rules and Details

• Literacy. The society at hand is a rather oppressive one, where many of the opportunities for human creativity and innovation have been staunched out. As such, reading and writing are highly uncommon skills, even among PC adventurers. For this reason, every character (should they so choose) must spend two skill points in order to become literate.
  
• Instant kill variant. If a player rolls three natural twenties in a row when attacking an enemy, that enemy is instantly killed. Bear in mind, this also applies when enemies attack the players (or even if players attack players, should such an event manage to occur).
• Rangers and Barbarians. The ranger and barbarian classes will use the rules from the revised 3.5e PHB, seeing as how the chinks were finally worked out.
• Currency. Gold is a very precious metal in this particular setting, and as such it is hoarded by the ruling government. Gold outside of governmental control is ridiculously rare, and possession of gold is a potentially criminal act. As far as currency goes, gold is not the mainstay of the economy. Rather, the core currency is platinum, a much more common metal (indeed, many dense, transition metals are quite common on this planet) than gold. There are also monies fashioned from Osmium, Palladium and Iridium, corresponding to 10 platinum pieces, 100 platinum pieces and 1000 platinum pieces respectively. Platinum coins are colloquially referred to as Tears, Osmium pieces as Crowns, Palladium Pieces as Wings and Iridium pieces as Saints.
• Starting money: 2d6+8 tears. Money and equipment will be difficult to come by at the beginning of the campaign for players that aren't somehow connected to more affluent parts of society. Such financial outlets exist in the nobility and with the guilds and tradesmen. If a player has a craft or profession skill modifier of +7 or higher they belong to either a guild that encompasses that particular vocation, or they are an apprentice to a master tradesman in that field (or a relevant firm that practices such a vocation). The other option is if a player belongs to the ruling government (which is a mysterious, fascist regime), they have access to such resources. A player must first run such a decision by me. It is very unlikely that I will consent to allow them to be a part of the government without a very interesting story (or opportunities for one to arise as a result of choosing such a background) to accompany the decision. If a player does start in this fashion, their resources are essentially limitless. If a player has attachment to any of the courtiers of the government (ie. a paige, squire or servant of some kind) they have access to 4 times their rolled amount. If the player is part of a guild or otherwise an apprentice to a tradesmen, they have access to 3 times the rolled amount.
  
• Starting Character Level = 1
• Equipment: Everything listed in the standard equipment section of the 3e PHB is fair game. Everything is in terms of Tears, regardless of whether or not it was priced in terms of gold, silver or copper originally. All weapons and armor are now at double cost, whereas commonplace items remain at their normal pricing.
• Ability Scores Generation. Roll two sets of scores using the following method of generation: 4d6 for each ability, discard the lowest die for each roll. After both sets are generated, choose the set you prefer most, and discard the other. Assign the rolls to whichever abilities you prefer.
• Hit Dice. Give yourself maximum Hit Points at Level 1 (for example, a Fighter with a Constitution score of 14 would have 12 hit points).
• Magical Items are unavailable (not that anyone would be able to afford them anyway).
• The books used are as follows (any other 3e source or rulebook or specific feature from such a rulebook must be run by me before being introduced into the game): The 3 Core 3e rulebooks (PHB, DMG, MM), Sword & Fist, Masters of the Wild, Tome & Blood, Defenders of the Faith and Song & Silence.

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At this time, I can think of no other specific rules to mention. If there are any questions you have about the house rules, please feel free to ask. Also, as a favor to me, if you could please leave a reply (or e-mail me) letting me know what kind of character (class, personality and other traits) you would most like to play. I would greatly appreciate it.

Make sure that I can identify you in your reply.