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Pregame Letter considerations

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
00_whupass_dup
May 11, 2006 14:26:07 Hello everyone.

I'm currently working on my pregame letter for an upcoming darksun game, the pregame letter is something that I've started doing with my campaigns that lays out my house rules, character creation guidelines and any campaign specific considerations.

I've gotten to the part where I'm describing the character generation guidelines and I'm wondering which if any of the new base classes introduced in the complete series are appropriate for the burnt world. I feel the following classes would integrate easily into the setting: Spirit Shaman, Favored Soul, Swashbuckler, and Scout. I also feel the Spellthief fits the flavor of Darksun very well, but with the altered nature of magic I'm not sure how it would work mechanically. Any thoughts?

Also I usually use the 25 point buy method described in the DMG, this will be the first darksun campaign I've run in 8 years, and consequently the first using 3.5. In second edition more powerful stat generations were used, do you feel this means I should go with the highier powered 28 or 32 point options the DMG proposes for high powered campaigns?

I'm sure more concerns will come up as I continue to work on the Pregame letter and I will update this thread as they come to my attention.
#2
zombiegleemax
May 11, 2006 14:38:43 I use 25 one for one then i add a point which they can put anywhere they please. just a 25 standard point buy character is probably going to get killed right away in my opinion + 25 standard makes wussy characters.

I've been using a mix between d20 modern, dnd 3.5 and 2e, as well as seker's interesting magic and psionics system integrated with something called clasically modern (very interesting). So i'm not the hottest on the standard class system; however, i could see swashbuckler and scout working in fine. The spellthief could easily be switched over to psionics thief if you want it to be common, or it could be an elite sect of mage hunters working for a sorcerer-monarch or the vield alliance. The favored soul i could see in only the elemental aspects, and even then i would not suggest it because there is really nothing relating to a diety in Darksun (unless you wanna consider dregoth's megalomaniacal schemes). That is just me...and i'm sure there are people that have better ideas then me.
#3
Sysane
May 11, 2006 14:41:34 I'd allow a 32 point buy. Thats what I've done in my past for my DS games.
#4
00_whupass_dup
May 11, 2006 14:44:14 My thoughts on favored soul would be those favored by the elements. Individuals born with an innate connection to one of the elemental conduits which allows them to cast spells. For instance a child born in the caldara of a dormant volcano might be a favored soul of magma, just a thought.
#5
dirk00001
May 11, 2006 14:49:26 I allow Ardent, Lurk, Erudite, and Scout - the rest, although possible to integrate, don't fit the "classic Dark Sun" flavor enough for me. Of the above the Scout I really like as I think it better represents the "generic DS halfling" than the ranger class does, while the other 3 are just nice ways of further varying psionic characters which are, after all, the bread-and-butter of Athas.
#6
Sysane
May 11, 2006 15:15:18
My thoughts on favored soul would be those favored by the elements. Individuals born with an innate connection to one of the elemental conduits which allows them to cast spells. For instance a child born in the caldara of a dormant volcano might be a favored soul of magma, just a thought.

I had a similar theory for them. What I had in mind was that the favored soul could be a child of one of the female Sorcerer Monarchs. After being bonded to it's mother for a nine month period, the unborn child could possibly form a lose connection with the Sorcerer-Queen's Living Vortices while in the womb. This would be an extremely rare occurrence of course.
#7
zombiegleemax
May 11, 2006 16:06:57 i did overlook the sorcerer monarchs on the aspect of a favored soul...but i'd say bif it all and go clasically modern!
#8
radnovius
May 15, 2006 19:11:36
My thoughts on favored soul would be those favored by the elements. Individuals born with an innate connection to one of the elemental conduits which allows them to cast spells. For instance a child born in the caldara of a dormant volcano might be a favored soul of magma, just a thought.

This kind of sounds like the mul sun priest from the Prism Pentad. His mom had to let her belly get all sunburned so that the child would be favored by the sun.

-Radnovius

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 00_whupass_dup May 11, 2006 14:26:07	Hello everyone. I'm currently working on my pregame letter for an upcoming darksun game, the pregame letter is something that I've started doing with my campaigns that lays out my house rules, character creation guidelines and any campaign specific considerations. I've gotten to the part where I'm describing the character generation guidelines and I'm wondering which if any of the new base classes introduced in the complete series are appropriate for the burnt world. I feel the following classes would integrate easily into the setting: Spirit Shaman, Favored Soul, Swashbuckler, and Scout. I also feel the Spellthief fits the flavor of Darksun very well, but with the altered nature of magic I'm not sure how it would work mechanically. Any thoughts? Also I usually use the 25 point buy method described in the DMG, this will be the first darksun campaign I've run in 8 years, and consequently the first using 3.5. In second edition more powerful stat generations were used, do you feel this means I should go with the highier powered 28 or 32 point options the DMG proposes for high powered campaigns? I'm sure more concerns will come up as I continue to work on the Pregame letter and I will update this thread as they come to my attention.
#2 zombiegleemax May 11, 2006 14:38:43	I use 25 one for one then i add a point which they can put anywhere they please. just a 25 standard point buy character is probably going to get killed right away in my opinion + 25 standard makes wussy characters. I've been using a mix between d20 modern, dnd 3.5 and 2e, as well as seker's interesting magic and psionics system integrated with something called clasically modern (very interesting). So i'm not the hottest on the standard class system; however, i could see swashbuckler and scout working in fine. The spellthief could easily be switched over to psionics thief if you want it to be common, or it could be an elite sect of mage hunters working for a sorcerer-monarch or the vield alliance. The favored soul i could see in only the elemental aspects, and even then i would not suggest it because there is really nothing relating to a diety in Darksun (unless you wanna consider dregoth's megalomaniacal schemes). That is just me...and i'm sure there are people that have better ideas then me.
#3 Sysane May 11, 2006 14:41:34	I'd allow a 32 point buy. Thats what I've done in my past for my DS games.
#4 00_whupass_dup May 11, 2006 14:44:14	My thoughts on favored soul would be those favored by the elements. Individuals born with an innate connection to one of the elemental conduits which allows them to cast spells. For instance a child born in the caldara of a dormant volcano might be a favored soul of magma, just a thought.
#5 dirk00001 May 11, 2006 14:49:26	I allow Ardent, Lurk, Erudite, and Scout - the rest, although possible to integrate, don't fit the "classic Dark Sun" flavor enough for me. Of the above the Scout I really like as I think it better represents the "generic DS halfling" than the ranger class does, while the other 3 are just nice ways of further varying psionic characters which are, after all, the bread-and-butter of Athas.
#6 Sysane May 11, 2006 15:15:18	My thoughts on favored soul would be those favored by the elements. Individuals born with an innate connection to one of the elemental conduits which allows them to cast spells. For instance a child born in the caldara of a dormant volcano might be a favored soul of magma, just a thought. I had a similar theory for them. What I had in mind was that the favored soul could be a child of one of the female Sorcerer Monarchs. After being bonded to it's mother for a nine month period, the unborn child could possibly form a lose connection with the Sorcerer-Queen's Living Vortices while in the womb. This would be an extremely rare occurrence of course.
#7 zombiegleemax May 11, 2006 16:06:57	i did overlook the sorcerer monarchs on the aspect of a favored soul...but i'd say bif it all and go clasically modern!
#8 radnovius May 15, 2006 19:11:36	My thoughts on favored soul would be those favored by the elements. Individuals born with an innate connection to one of the elemental conduits which allows them to cast spells. For instance a child born in the caldara of a dormant volcano might be a favored soul of magma, just a thought. This kind of sounds like the mul sun priest from the Prism Pentad. His mom had to let her belly get all sunburned so that the child would be favored by the sun. -Radnovius