User:Bill/In the Vale of the Beast People
Contents
Setting[edit]
In the Vale of the Beast People would revolve around a hidden valley populated by monsterous races, such as Gnolls, Ibixians, Catfolk and others, that have been living peacefully for a thousand years. The magical protection that has hidden their valley is collapsing and invading adventurers have laid waste to a couple villages following the standard operating procedure of killing the "evil" monsters and taking their stuff. The players will be hand chosen by their tribal leaders for the task of journeying into the outside world and finding the means to restore the magical curtain that protected their valley for so long or to make overtures to the rulers of the surrounding nations that will establish peacable relationships and halt the senseless violence.
Characters[edit]
Stat Block[edit]
As an example of how variable a single stat block can be, all characters will be generated from the same set of numbers. You may allocate the numbers to whatever attributes you like, adjusting them with the racial bonuses/penalties and the level 4 stat bonus that all characters will have. 18, 15, 13, 10, 10, 8
Approved Races[edit]
Due to the nature of the campaign idea, primitive beast people venturing into a world that they don’t understand, the standard fantasy races are not appropriate. This should be considered an opportunity to stretch your legs and play something unusual. Very little is written on the culture and history of these peoples so you will have a fair amount of latitude in your characterization of the individual races. However, if you and another player find yourselves playing the same race you will want to compromise on what is consider acceptable behavior within that particular culture.
- Catfolk (LA +1) RotW p.92 Humanoid Felines
- Gnoll (LA +1 +2HD = Base ECL+3) MM p.130 Humanoid Hyenas
- Grippli (LA +0) DR324 p.87 Humanoid Tree Frogs
- Ibixian (LA +1 +3HD = Base ECL +4) MMIII p.63 Humanoid Goats
- Lizardfolk (LA +1 +2HD = Base ECL +3) MM p.169 Humanoid Reptiles
- Lupin (LA +0) DR325 p.85 Humanoid Canines
All characters will start at ECL 5 allowing any of the above races. Please note that racial hit dice do count towards ECL. When figuring out how many feats and skill points that your character has at its disposal remember that level adjustments do not count as levels but racial hit dice do. Also do not request a minotaur. They have a base ECL of +8 and are well outside of the range I would like to start this campaign. I will not be using the racial level progression from Savage Species under any circumstances.
Approved Classes[edit]
Only a couple classes, those that are intrinsically involved with high degrees of civilization, will be restricted. If you can come up with a good reason for playing that class, I will gladly let you play it.
- Barbarian
- Bard
- Druid
- Fighter
- Psychic Warrior (XPH p.24)
- Ranger
- Rogue
- Scout (CAdv p.10)
- Sorcerer
- Soul Knife (XPH p.26)
- Spirit Shaman (CDiv p.14)
- Wilder (XPH p.29)
All other base classes are restricted by the setting. If you are concerned about healing, I strongly suggest loading up on potions and looking into alternate divine casters such as the druid. While these characters certainly worship they don't do so in a conventional organized fashion. Consider the Spirit Shaman option if you are interested in playing a religious icon.
Approved Feats and Prestige Classes[edit]
Due to the voluminous number of feats and prestige classes in print, these will be approved on a case by case basis. Please consider the primitive origins of the characters when looking at both and don't hesitate to ask if you are unsure if the feat or PrC you're considering will be appropriate.
Equipment and Magical Items[edit]
Characters will begin play with 9,000 gold pieces in cash and valuables. No single magical or psionic item may have a market price over 2,250 gold pieces. However, metal will be very unusual in the vale and most if not all weapons and armor should do without it. As the group ventures outside of the vale they will be able to upgrade their equipment, but until then consider stone maces, stone axes and obsidian knives over swords and other weapons that rely on large quantities of metal. The same goes for armor. Stone and bone weapons are -2 to hit and damage per p.144 of the DMG. As a house rule, a masterwork stone or bone weapon will have no penalties or bonuses to hit or damage.
Alignment and other Considerations[edit]
It is important that any character constructed for this game be motivated to complete at least one of their mission objectives. As long as that motivation is present any alignment will be acceptable. However, be aware that I prefer to reward heroism and if you’re dead set to play a chaotic evil character it may be more difficult for you to advance. In addition it will be to your advantage to create characters with some social skills. There will be combat, but it will not often be the central focus of the game.
Rules[edit]
D&D 3.5 was on my mind when I originally wrote this. It wouldn't be challenging to adapt to any setting that features many anthropomorphic animal races though.
