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Post by insightfulhedgehog on May 13, 2016 18:08:31 GMT
Not really sure where to start so I'm just going to jump right in.
So, essentially I am thinking to make a steampunk dnd setting in which to play my next campaign. However, instead of oil, coal, or (for my fellow dishonored fans) whales, I want to use magic as the core energy source. I am planning to have magic extracted in various ways. For common people they can use machines or tools which extract the energy for them from magical gems and stones which are mined and extracted from the earth like coal. (So you end up with middle class citizens and merchants with fireball launching pistols and swords which send archs of electricity out of their blade when you flick a switch) There are also those who can use magic without as much mechanical help or in rare cases without any help. I should also mention that there are still those who can not use these machines for some reason or another(have yet to decide why this might be).
I am thinking to make or find some custom classes for my planers that fit this theme and have currently decided on a few which I will describe below:
~Elementalist- a mage of sorts who uses gems to power flamethrower like devices of various elements
~Doctor- the cleric's of this world(might just only do alchemists for this)
~Alchemist- make potions and rely on equal exchange
~Tinkerer- a trap master, a clockwork engineer etc.
~Marksman(name in the works)- use magical guns very proficiently
~Runeblader(not sure about this name)- use machine swords powered by special magic gems engraved with powerful runes
~Author- draw and combine ruins with magical significance to create spells, some use cards which they can quickly mark and throw as projectile spells
~Explorer- someone who uses planar travel to blink in and out as needed
Again just some ideas I've had which I'm happy to hear input about but am mainly including to give an idea of the kind of setting I am going for.
So all of that said I have come to a real block when it came to what I wanted to have my main campaign be. I've had a multitude of ideas but here are the ones that I've thought of and would like to get input on
~The Gods began to disappear from the world as the tech began to appear. And now they are needed for some reason. They are rumored to have settled into various places around the continent in secret forms
~New Technology has been discovered which allows people to travel through to other planes which had before not been accessible
~Elementals have been secretly used to power cities and ships and the player characters want to put this to a stop
~The man or men who create the most impressive machines and things have begun to disappear mysteriously(I really like this one because it seems to focus on the steam punk)
~Ancient machines are discovered from a lost kingdom that threaten the current balance of power and the lives of whole nations
It should be mentioned that my players are not the best at a fully open world game style and seem to thrive when then have a clear main goal from the start so any starting place ideas are welcome.
Basically, any input, ideas, criticism, or tips are welcome so post away. Also, for anyone who was around on the forums back when I was more active sorry it has been so long since my last post, I haven't had the ability to play dnd for some time so I'm pretty excited to get back into the DM saddle. Also apologies if this is the wrong sub-forum to post to but I think I'm good since really I want help picking a plot.
Thanks in advanced my fellow Dungeon Masters
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Post by Lexurium on May 16, 2016 16:17:01 GMT
As the development of technology caught on, secularism swept over the populace. Thinking at first that power came easier from technology than through strict devotion to a god, and slowly warping into thinking they themselves were as gods now. When the Gods lost their devotees, they slowly diminished in power and their realms started collapsing unto themselves. Some of the Gods found peace in this, choosing to settle into peaceful lives on the material plane. Others chose the path of destruction, seeking to subjugate the peoples of the material plane to once again gain followers and reestablish their power. This led to the Divine Wars were the power of technology and mortal ingenuity was proven to be superior to Divine Radiance and the Gods were destroyed. Years pass and technology develops further. The Divine Wars become legend, although the outer planes continue their slow collapse, emptying their denizens unto the material plane. The PCs are living in a major population zone close to one of the Shard-mines when lesser devils start appearing out of nowhere. They eventually find out that the planar decay has reached the Abyss and the Nine Hells, and that the Evil powers are not going down without a fight. Either make the PCs find the remaining Gods to reestablish churches and secure the health of the multiverse or make the technological weapons not so efficient against the demons as they were against celestials, forcing the PCs to seek out the celestials in order to gain blessed technology. Maybe the technological designs were originally from Asmodeus himself in his ongoing plot to kill everything? The Gods are not gone, they simply chose to no longer engage with the peoples of the material plane. Now that technology allows travel into the realms of these powerful beings, the insolence of these mortals must be quelled. Queu massive inter-planar wars. Have the PCs ally with some realms against other realms, play evil and good gods against each other, invade hell, try to conquer Mechanus and learn new technological secrets from an entirely mechanical plane. Planar travel is always weird, but it could be difficult to find a main goal... Slavery is wrong, pure and simple. Combine this with the chaotic nature of the elementals and you have a recipe for disaster. Maybe the government isn’t truthful about where the electricity is coming from, or how the pipes and plumbings are filled with water and the stoves just keep pouring out fire. As long as it works no one cares, but an elemental breaks lose and causes havoc, killing the PCs families. The government tries to cover up the accident and the PCs are doing their best to unravel the mystery of why this happened. What they find is highly ethically questionable and extremely dangerous, with raging elementals screaming in pain in the bowels of the cities, being tortured for profit. Is it alright to torture these sentient beings for the greater good? Is the danger to the citizens, living in ignorance above, truly justified? I’m just saying, an enraged elemental that has been enslaved for 100+ years is going to wreak some havoc when it can. The masterminds of the age are being kidnapped by an unknown force with the purpose of constructing a flying fortress town that cannot be defeated. One of the PCs Father/Brother/Grandad/Mother/Whatever is abducted and the PCs follow their trail. The need to stop this massive project soon becomes evident and the PCs are forced to do some questionable things to hinder the advancement of the project, like disrupting the flow of Magic-shards from a mine that also ships to a hospital or someone who creates medicine. As they fight the BBEG and his plans, the people around them are also suffering… Or just make an evil campaign out of that one. Who wants flying ships when you can have a FLYING FORTRESS TOWN! The Youtube channel TabletopTalk has a show they call “the City of Lir”, where they use a town that has been built on top of older versions of that town in absurdum. Using that type of logic and expanding on it, you could create a world that is basically a large city, maybe even world-wide, with a huge amount of tunnels underneath it. Suddenly a new gang of bandits rise to prominence in a corner of the city and the authorities are not able to deal with them. The entire status-quo is shifted because of this new player on the scene. Turns out these bandits managed to get their hands on some ancient artefacts and are using them to boost the power of the weapons they use. The bandits are actually fighting for peace and prosperity against a corrupt government, but the conflict claims the life of some of the PCs close family. Will the PCs side with the corrupt government in favour of vengeance or will they but aside their differences and join the rebels for a better life for all? Extremely cliché but classics are classics for a reason. As you can probably tell I really like your setting  Would you like to share a bit more about the classes you are constructing? |
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Post by insightfulhedgehog on May 17, 2016 2:46:49 GMT
Thanks so much for your in depth response. You've really got my creative juices flowing. As far as the classes I have not really done a whole lot for them yet because I am not sure what game system to use. I'm planning to play online using roll20 and am leaning around between 5e, pathfinder, or a more barebones rpg like Fate(Haven't ever tried it so idk). One of my players and I have been discussing maybe talking about what people would ideally want to play and then I could create those classes. However, either way the classes I mentioned will definitely be showing up somehow during the campaign.
This is more of a quick response so you know I've read your message until I have a minute to actually respond in full.
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Samuel Wise
Demigod
Ready to Help...
Posts: 989
Favorite D&D Class: Warlock
Favorite D&D Race: Mousefolk
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Post by Samuel Wise on May 17, 2016 3:34:31 GMT
I love it! I based a lot of my current Steampunk world (Heishmiil) off of this magic/technology combination and I think it can create some really cool stories. Probably go off on a Deus ex type of magic versus technology... or make them one and the same (probably interesting things to stick in a timeline). Lots of cool ideas, I might have to... steal...
And Welcome back insightfulhedgehog!
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Post by Lexurium on May 17, 2016 12:31:21 GMT
I was thinking about the limitations on use you wanted to implement in your world and the idea just hit me: Steampunk-psionics
Now this might not at all be where you are going with this, but hear me out.
So technology draws its power from magical gems, but the magical gems are entirely interchangeable, it is the machines that focus the power and cause the magical effect. The machines, however, cannot initiate the flow of magic, doing that requires sentience.
Most people can use these machines at the basic level but some have grown more savvy, being able to squeeze more power from each individual gem. This means that they can fire their contraptions more times before needing to “reload”, as it were, and some might even be able to twist the purpose of the machinery as they are using it, making fire-breathing pistols launch a gust of air, or maybe an arc of lightning instead.
Some have gone even further and use complex shard-powered focuses, like finely crafted gloves connected by wire to a circlet-like contraption on the wearer’s head, to more finely manipulate the energy fields. The gloves could have a revolving set of different-colored shards that have different base effects, red for fire, blue for lightning, yellow for wind, white for water, green for healing, black for ressurections, and so on. On a command from the wielder, the crystals rotate in the glove and a new skill becomes available. Some wielders, however chose to focus on mastery of a particular gem while other become jack-of-all-trades.
So how does this work mechanically? (thinking in 5e because that’s what I know)
Tie the inborn psionic ability to the intelligence ability. People with 10 intelligence can use normal instruments, like kitchen appliances and light-switches, but with an intelligence lower than 10, trying to activate anything becomes really difficult. With an intelligence of 5 it is impossible. People with intelligence 12 or higher can use the more complicated equipment, like fireball-guns and lightning-swords, but only [(Intelligence modifier + Proficiency) * Character level] times per day.
Casting classes, like healers and wizard equivalents, don’t use mundane equipment like that, but have a feat that allows them the use of the psionic glove, called something like “Advanced Psionics” or “Superior mechanical understanding” or some such. These characters have actual access to spell-equivalents, like illusions and healing spells. These characters do not have spell slots as such, they have a number of spell points [Ability mod * Character level] that they can use during the day. Casting a spell of 1st level would take 1 spell level, but casting it of higher levels, or casting a higher level spell, would consume more spell points (equal to the level of the spell. This means that a level 20 caster with 20 intelligence can cast 11 level 9 spells/day, so that might be a bit overpowered, but it’s a starting point.
Maybe increase the point cost per level? like a level 2 spell costs 3 points?
The advantage of this is that people who can’t use psionic equipment don’t become entirely obsolete, and hand to hand combat is still an important skill. Even those with access to a flame-pistol can only fire it maybe three or four times per day. Dodge those bullets and he is at the mercy of your sword. Maybe implement a longer effect-based use on some of the melee weapons, instead of swords firing an arc of lightning, have them do extra lightning-damage for 1 minute as an act of concentration, but the activation only costs one use. Casters are powerful, yes, but cut of the wired connection between the circlet and the glove and watch them struggle (Muhahahahahaaa).
Anyway, just an idea that struck. Maybe you can use some of this? I don’t know :/
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Post by insightfulhedgehog on May 17, 2016 19:35:28 GMT
So on the plot front I think I am going go go with the elementals thing. Imagine this: The party are all aboard the HCF (Harp Combined Fleet) Celest headed to the capitol of the country of Harp. As they go about the ship there is a massive explosion noise in the engine room. The party goes to investigate only to find that the engine room actually is holding a massive fire elemental as a source of fuel for the ship. The players watch as men with huge trident-like prongs are stabbed into the elemental as it writhes trying to escape it's bonds. Will the players take action or not? Perhaps they don't but a rouge group aboard the ship reveal them-selves to be part of an activist group trying to expose the mistreatment. Will the players help this group or perhaps work actively to oppose it. Just how I imagine it playing out. As far as class creation goes I am not sure if I want spells to be the way in which shards and their weapons are handled. Perhaps for more of caster type equipment but for like swords with a fire shard/gem they can be channeled so as to add fire damage to the blade, create a cloud of smoke, or something of the like that isn't necessarily a spell but more relies on the person's attunement and proficiency with their tool. I imagine so creative uses that would normally be outside a casters ability due to the specific nature of spells. I want to aim for more of a create your own spell environment that allows for more creative thinking in combat. Obviously if you want to use a fire sword to create a a giant torrent of flame it is going to be a hard roll but I think it'll be cool to see people try crazy stuff they don't have the skill to do and have it backfire giving them some kind of negative like spell failure effects or even exhaustion being applied. Again this is still in the works so I may decide something else as time goes on. However, for now this is the direction I'm probably going to go with it. Then again.... As unsure as I am about the magic system I am even more unsure about the class system. I've been looking at other homebrew classes and they all look pretty balanced which is something I think I am going to struggle with. Perhaps there is some way to apply a point system to class creation... I do know that classes will have proficiency with a type of weapon and then to maybe 2 types of shard. So like a rune-blader would choose a longsword and then fire and air shards. This would allow him to cast fire or air based effects on his sword. So like lighting it on fire and then using the air to stoke the fire creating a double burn damage effect or something... But now I'm back to the magic system again... I am not a huge fan of the spells per day mechanic cuz it is sometimes a bit immersion breaking to be like "actually lets take a rest in the middle of this room so that our wizards can cast more spells. Don't get me wrong I think there should be a limit but idk if I want to handle it with spell slots and spells per day. Maybe I could limit the energy in a shard and it recharges at a rate over time. This would make the shards more worth gathering as to increase the groups sustain in fights. As far as psion's go I haven't really ever played a game with them before so I am not sure where they fit in the world. I'm definitely interested in psions as an idea but idk if I want PC's playing psions. Bonus: Some Artwork that inspired me ~How I picture a channeling type magician might look4.bp.blogspot.com/-uVOMySZ3vxw/VLAL5DPJZaI/AAAAAAAAD2k/zk1hGkvlYlY/s1600/warlock_4_edit_4.png~How I imagine an Explorers-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/6d/74/de/6d74deb18939b2fe3be15a2b681af574.jpg~Perhaps shards are recharged with natural energy(Also check out the capsule mechanism on himmagic.wizards.com/sites/mtg/files/image_legacy_migration/images/magic/daily/features/feat214a_ral_zarek.jpg~I mean idk this one is just cool. something a high level tinkerer might make? An NPC?orig00.deviantart.net/2267/f/2013/317/6/3/beastiary_4___clockwork_mage_by_damie_m-d6u5w59.jpg~A man with a gun...img15.deviantart.net/7202/i/2015/014/0/6/red_hood_man_by_cynic_pavel-d8duqba.jpg
~Shard Prospectordigital-art-gallery.com/oid/17/r169_430x241_4767_Mystic_gunslinger_2d_fantasy_gun_magic_steampunk_picture_image_digital_art.jpgThere are more but I'll add them later if people are interested |
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Post by Lexurium on May 17, 2016 20:14:49 GMT
Sounds like a kick-ass way to start of the campaign, and I love the art! I love the portable elemental as a ship-engine! Never actually thought of that, just saw huge dungeons and pipe-systems... Yeah, I never really used psions myself and have heard a lot of people being negative about them, so I completely understand. It was really just a thought I had to get in writing I kinda like the spells/day, because it puts a limit on casters who might otherwise feel overpowered. Right now I'm DMing an group that has three casters and one rouge. All are new players with low level PCs, so the damage of the rouge really isn't ramping up yet. Have only been dungeon-crawling with them so far and it's much easier to narrate the other characters awesomeness than the rouges, so a flaming sword capable of incinerating a room sounds like a godsend but I digress. The feat system sounds rather solid, but would you consider having focus shards and power shards? Like, hoarding power shards that recharge slowly and just changing them out instead of having to find a shard of the specific color/element that you need? Or maybe that's just overly complicated again :/ Please post the other artwork you got bottled up, those were totally awesome |
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Post by insightfulhedgehog on May 17, 2016 22:11:32 GMT
I am thinking maybe a point system that is called complexity. So it would be like the magnitude of the attack times the aspects involved. So lighting a sword aflame would be a complexity of 1 because it is low magnitude and only flames are involved. Shooting a bolt of lightning out of a sword would be much higher complexity(due to it being ranged the magnitude must be higher for a non-ranged weapon and would therefore require 2 magnitude x 1 attribute for a total of 2 complexity. If you want to create a tornado of fire that engulfs a 3x3 are this would be a magnitude of 3 due to the size being 3 long and the attributes would be 2 air and fire. This would mean it has a complexity of 6.
Classes would have a set complexity cap plus the int mod of the caster(or whatever they cast with). They would gain a higher cap as they level up. Also they would have an energy pool that refuels by a certain amount per hour which they subtract the complexity of each cast spell from.
Again still in the works...
Also the number of attributes they can use and their maximum magnitude would be things possibly
I want the players to feel creative with their use of magic and not have to worry to much about the spells effects and just try to out smart the enemies while I worry more about the outcomes. I can't stand waiting for some of my players flipping through their spells trying to remember how they work(some of my players are very forgetful). Plus I just think it will be fun.
On my end it will be something like fire adds 1d6 fire damage but idk about air and other things.
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Post by insightfulhedgehog on May 17, 2016 23:45:26 GMT
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Post by joatmoniac on May 18, 2016 2:50:20 GMT
Can't argue with being spoon fed amazing art! Sounds like you are off to a great start. I'm just bummed the clockwork pirate one didn't work, haha.
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Post by insightfulhedgehog on May 18, 2016 2:54:27 GMT
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Post by insightfulhedgehog on May 19, 2016 3:13:51 GMT
Asked one of my players which class he wanted to play and he said he just wants to be a cobbler going through a midlife crises where he has decided to become an adventure whilst trying to get a loafer style shoe he has created to catch on.
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Post by Lexurium on May 19, 2016 14:36:42 GMT
Elemental trapper. Using his knowledge of elemental technology to create and place booby-traps that ruins the enemies footware. Catchphrase "try this on for size!"
Basically a twist of the alchemist/tinkerer type that creates bombs and traps and the such.
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nightninja
Commoner
Posts: 9 
Favorite D&D Class: Rogue
Favorite D&D Race: Dwarf
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Post by nightninja on Jun 9, 2016 18:15:35 GMT
Sir, may I just say I love this premise. And may steal it for a future campaign. Magipunk is awesome. On that note, have you checked out the middlefingerofvecna blog? They have two Magitech updates that may provide what you're looking for with classes. If not they will certainly give you some ideas. www.middlefingerofvecna.com/2015/06/magitech-update.html |
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Would you like to share a bit more about the classes you are constructing?
