The Campaign Builder's Guild

The Kingdom

Across the world, the technological age is upon us. Scyscrapers rise high above the world, electric trains race along tracks of steel and jet planes scream through the air. But as we move across to the East, we find that all is not as other places. In the cities of a secluded eastern nation, long unaffected by the politics of the greater world around, all is as normal - but as we travel out into the vast steppe country of the Kingdom, this modern visage soon disappears...

The Kingdom is a land of beauty and gold, of silver and opium, of magic and industry.

 Seven Things You Need To Know

* The Kingdom is an ancient land, now industrialised and entering the technological age. Although mostly unaffected by the politics of the rest of the world, it is magical and dragons, spirits, and demons (among other creatures), as well as magic, are known to exist by most of the population and accepted.
* The state religion of the Kingdom is a complex and deep faith combining many different aspects of eastern religion - however, much of it is known to be true!
* Unlike similar states such as real-world China, the Kingdom has kept its emperor. The Diamond Emperor has maintained his power through draconic and magical abilities bestowed upon him by bloodline and office equally.
* Within the cities, the religion of the Kingdom is slowly going downhill, and many of the city population are skeptics about the nature of magic and dragons, believing it to be idiots' tales, despite the evidence of their own Most Holy Emperor.
* Magic - and magical creatures - find it harder to operate near centres of technology. This is why thousands of city-people can go their entire lives without ever seeing anything supernatural. This is one of the main causes of the skepticism surrounding magic.
* The Kingdom's parts are in great contrast to one another, and two people within its borders might gain horrible culture shock from meeting each other. Although the north is mostly industrialised, the south and various central areas remain locked in the old ages of paper and wood construction.

Please direct all comments to the discussion thread here (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?21700.last).

The Kingdom System

[spoiler=What is it?]
The Kingdom system is, essentially, an add-on to D20. It uses most of the normal rules, but it is classless, and characters within it are usually stronger than those within normal D20. With a little adaptation it could be used for any sword-and-sorcery game as well as the oriental games that it was designed for.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Abilities]
There are six abilities in the Kingdom System:

Strength

Constitution

Dexterity

Intelligence

Willpower

Control

Strength, Constitution and Dexterity work as normal, as does Intelligence (although some skills have different key abilities, see skills for more information). Willpower and Control, on the other hand, have different uses.

Willpower

Willpower determines your mental and personality strength and ability to resist and control things outside of yourself through mind alone.

You can add your willpower modifier to:
Checks to control Ki Chanelling
Will Saves

Control

Control measures your ability to control your own body through various techniques and skills. You can add your Control modifier to:
Checks to use mental techniques and internal spells
Checks to use certain physical techniques
[/spoiler]

[spoiler Skills]
[table=skills]
[tr][th]Skill Name[/th][th]Key Ability[/th][/tr]
[tr][td]Autohypnosis[/td][td]Control[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Balance[/td][td]Control[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Bluff[/td][td]Willpower[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Concentration[/td][td]Control[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Diplomacy[/td][td]Willpower[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Gather Information[/td][td]Willpower[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Handle Animal[/td][td]Willpower[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Heal[/td][td]Control[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Intimidate[/td][td]Willpower[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Listen[/td][td]Control[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Perform[/td][td]Willpower[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Profession[/td][td]Intelligence[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Sense Motive[/td][td]Control[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Speak Language[/td][td]Intelligence[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Spellcraft[/td][td]Control[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Spot[/td][td]Control[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Survival[/td][td]Willpower[/td][/tr]
[/table]

Speak Language (Int, Trained Only)

In the Kingdom System, you gain full proficiency with only a few languages - those you gain through your race and intelligence bonus. For these, you automatically understand the language - passing all speak language checks required of you. You can also use the Speak Language skill to gain extra languages - but Speak Language does have DCs, and you need ranks for decent proficiency.  
Like the Knowledge, Craft and Profession skills, Speak Language encompasses several different 'semiskills', in this case different languages. You can gain as many ranks as you want in any language. Example scenarios and DCs are below.

[table Scenarios and DCs]
[tr][th]Scenario[/th][th]DC [/th][/tr]
[tr][td]Understand/speak a few words[/td][td]12[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Understand/Speak Sentence[/td][td]  15 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Understand Native Sentence[/td][td] 18 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Understand/Hold Conversation[/td] [td]26[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Understand Native Conversation [/td] [td]28[/td][/tr]
[/table]

You have trained your mind to gain mastery over your body and the mindâ,¬,,¢s own deepest capabilities.

Check: The DC and the effect of a successful check depend on the task you attempt.

[table Scenarios and DCs]
[tr][th]Task[/th][th]DC[/th][/tr]
[tr][td]Mind Over Memory[/td][td]15[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Focus Beyond Death[/td][td]20[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Resist the Fear[/td][td]DC of fear effect[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Poison as Nothing[/td][td]DC of poison effect[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Forget the Body[/td][td]20[/td][/tr]
[/table]

Mind Over Memory: You can attempt to memorize a long string of numbers, a long passage of verse, or some other particularly difficult piece of information (but you canâ,¬,,¢t memorize magical writing or similarly exotic scripts). Each successful check allows you to memorize a single page of text (up to 800 words), numbers, diagrams, or sigils (even if you donâ,¬,,¢t recognize their meaning). If a document is longer than one page, you can make additional checks for each additional page. You always retain this information; however, you can recall it only with another successful Autohypnosis check.

Focus Beyond Death: You can attempt to subconsciously prevent yourself from dying. If you have negative hit points and are losing hit points (at 1 per round, 1 per hour), you can substitute a DC 20 Autohypnosis check for your d% roll to see if you become stable. If the check is successful, you stop losing hit points (you do not gain any hit points, however, as a result of the check). You can substitute this check for the d% roll in later rounds if you are initially unsuccessful.

Resist the Fear: In response to any fear effect, you make a saving throw normally. If you fail the saving throw, you can make an Autohypnosis check on your next round even while overcome by fear. If your autohypnosis check meets or beats the DC for the fear effect, you shrug off the fear. On a failed check, the fear affects you normally, and you gain no further attempts to shrug off that particular fear effect.

Poison as Nothing: You can choose to substitute an Autohypnosis check for a saving throw against any standard poisonâ,¬,,¢s secondary damage or effect. This skill has no effect on the initial saving throw against poison.

Forget the Body: If reduced to 0 hit points (disabled), you can make an Autohypnosis check. If successful, you can take a normal action while at 0 hit points without taking 1 point of damage. You must make a check for each strenuous action you want to take. A failed Autohypnosis check in this circumstance carries no direct penalty - you can choose not to take the strenuous action and thus avoid the hit point loss. If you do so anyway, you drop to -1 hit points, as normal when disabled.

[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Levels]
Although classless, the Kingdom System still has levels. The rules for gaining levels, what amount of experience points you need to gain each level, and the points at which you gain feats are identical to normal D20. The maximum ranks you can have in each skill are similarly identical. However, the following rules apply:

At first level: You must choose 2 good save progressions. You cannot change these after character creation, they are fixed until you create a new character.
You can gain EITHER:
One technique and two spells
Two techniques
Three spells
----
You gain 2+Int Modifier x4's worth of skill points and two feats.
+1 BAB.

At further levels: You gain 2+Int Modifier's worth of skill points every level.
You can learn one technique or two spells at each additional level.
You gain +1 BAB at each level.
You gain one feat every four levels.

[/spoiler]

(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l60/Golem011/TheKingdom.jpg)

This map of the Kingdom shows the major rail routes (red) and airship routes (purple) across the kingdom between the major cities, also shown. You will notice also that within the Great Forest and magical areas there are no railways.

Races and Languages

There is (as has been hinted already) only one player race in the Kingdom - humans. Humans do not gain any specific bonuses or penalties - they have only a few statistics, base speed, size, and of course automatic languages. Apart from automatic languages, these are as normal - however, in the case of languages, they can pick from a choice of three: Ahntonese, Northern Shegese and Togunese. These three languages are the main ones spoken throughout the nation, however you may also come across Arahbic, Syamhese, Mojudi and Vathese among others along your travels.

Ahntonese is spoken by the majority of the 'civilised' sections of the Kingdom, especially to the north and west of the industrialised areas, whilst Northern Shegese is spoken by the few peoples of the northern forest and quite a few families to the east of the civilised lands. Finally, Togunese is spoken by almost all of the people in the south of the nation, the 'uncivilised' lands, and is the ancestor tongue of Ahntonese.

Arahbic is a language from outside the nation, generally uncommonly found, from the far east of the nation. It is spoken by travellers from lands the Kingdom wants nothing to do with.

Syamhese is spoken by most of the peoples of the nations to the direct east of the Kingdom, scattered and split after the Syamhese civil war. It is also spoken by many refugees fleeing into the surrounding lands - thus, the Kingdom sees quite a lot of this tongue used.

Mojudi is the language of the more southerly mountains and steppes above the Kingdom's borders. Those travelling in the north of the Great Forest would be wise to have a translator for this tongue along - language difficulties are frequently answered by violence by the war criminals seeking refuge in the Kingdom's mountains.

Vathese is the language spoken by the people to the direct south of the Kingdom. Here the land tepers out into islands, and many violent wars, made worse by far-western intervention, have occured. Now in a state of peace (for now), the Vath-ni story serves only to make the Kingdom more insular to outside intervention.

The Kingdom

[spoiler=The Kingdom at a Glance]
Capital: Imperial City
Government: Monarchy.
State Religion: Daoism
Population: 100,000,000
[/spoiler]

The Kingdom stretches from the Steppe country of Fredda in the North all the way down to richer lands in the Southeast. It is the connection between cold and warm, and although mostly insular, it still has hundreds of immigrants entering the country every month to seek homes and jobs in its cities. It has remained mostly uninvolved in the wars of nearby nations such as Syam, and directly blocks any involvement from the stretching capitalists of the west. Its emperors were at one time so paranoid they constructed a huge wall stretching from the borders of the Great Forest in the north to the edges of the mainland parts of Vath. Although this wall is now in heavy disrepair and was never truely completed anyway, it remains as a testimony to the introvert nature of the Kingdom.

[spoiler=Government and Politics]The Kingdom has avoided joining any international organisation, and most western nations would prefer it to stay this way, pretending the Kingdom doesn't exist. This is quite difficult, considering its colossal nature. Still, within the kingdom the emperor's word is law - he is possibly, neglecting dragons (who are mostly withdrawn from political affairs anyway) one of the most powerful beings in the entire world. He rules by tradition, intelligence and power all.
Beneath the Emperor are hundreds of civil servants and Internal Ministers, each ruling over departments. These are appointed by the Emperor and his underlings. There are many different departments, all of which are important, but the most famous are the Departments of External and Internal affairs, both of which control highly adept spy networks, one within the Kingdom and one across the globe. The latter employs most of government-recognised sorcerors, although they are seldom spoke of as such. Government code for 'sorceror' is 'special agent'.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Economy and Currency]Jade beads and silver coins, depending on their size and markings, are worth different amounts within the Kingdom and serve as its currency within the less civilised areas. In the cities, notes are generally used and coins are made from copper.
The Kingdom trades little with outer nations, and doesn't need to. It has large amounts of mineral resources and all the food it needs from rice and other crops, and little else is required. [/spoiler]

[spoiler=Religion]The state religion of the Kingdom is Dioism, a faith developed within the Kingdom for the Kingdom and practiced almost nowhere else. Guides of Dioism are respected everywhere as men of wisdom and learning, even within the cities and by those who don't believe in their teachings. Many train in the southern monasteries to use Internal Spells which grant them wisdom and insight.[/spoiler]

The World Beyond the Kingdom

Enclosed here is a map of the western parts of the contintents of Egiptos and Asya, the direct nations around the Kingdom itself.  

(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l60/Golem011/WorldoftheKingdom.jpg)

It should be noted this is only a map of 'the east' as it is known, not the entire world.