For one of my projects, I intend to create a setting with a stone age level of technology. The main challenge would be survival, and gaining power would be the most common goal. The problem with running a game like this is that it upsets many of the "standards" of D&D. I have a few ideas on how to fix these issues, but a little help wold be nice too.
In the stone age, metal armor was unheard of, so suits of bone and hide, and primitive wooden shields were probably the most advanced modes of physical protection. I'm debating using the variant from UA where each class gets an inherent AC bonus for each level, and armor counts as DR. Any thoughts on this, or possible modifictions thereof?
Weapons and armor would be more primitive, and made of different materials than the norm. Any suggestions on how to create stats for the weapons and armor of this era?
I'll probably be using the wealth check system from d20 modern in this camapaign, as it allows a more abstract view of wealth, which I can base upon reputation and contribution to the community. Since stone age heroes are unlikely to cary around gold coins, barter and status will most likely be the common forms of currency. Any thoughts on this, or suggestions on how to implement this properly?
Another big issue will be monsters, as they are designed to face opponents wielding fine steel and advanced magic. I know I'll have to increase CR in the case of damage reduction and other circumstances, but is there anything else I should know, specific monsters I should be using perhaps?
Classes in the setting are already sorted out, as I simply will be removing the few classes that clash with the campaigns image, and keeping the rest of the Core classes.
Hmmm... Oh yeah, and Help! please?
Here is a link you might find useful. http://www.trussel.com/f_prehis.htm
You might also want to take a look at Joseph Campbell's "Primitive Mythology" for some ideas.
You might want to include altogether different weapon ideas, for example things like blowguns, spear throwers, slings, axes and clubs are more likely to be weapons used than swords for instance; bows might exist depending on what era you set it in but might rely on poisoned arrows rather than depth of penetration.
As for armor: hide, leather, fur and such are I think more likely to be used.
It could be very interesting; I've been interested in such a campaign myself.
Simple Weapons shouldn't change too much when made of inferior materials; the reduction in hardness and hitpoints for stone, bone, and wood weapons will be more than enough of a penalty. The DMG does have rules for inferior weapons (attack and damage penalty, depending on if it's bronze or stone/bone). I think using armor as DR would probably be best, since hide and bone armors are really going to be your best bet.
You might want to stick to animals and NPCs as your foes. Perhaps some of the more beastial magical beasts, but I wouldn't go so far as to use too many magical monsters; it depends on the game.
I've been intending on doing this myself eventually. It seems like a lot of fun.
Thanks for the feedback. Now, one of the main foes in this campaign will be lycanthropes, so ideas on alternate methods to overcome DR would be useful.
Any thoughts on reworking d20 modern's wealth bonus system? Or should I just use gp? It's OGC, and probly in an srd somewhere...
Direct trade seemed to be the main thing durring the Stone Age, but rare materials (shells, beads, herbs, etc.) could work for currency.
[spoiler=From the d20 Modern SRD]This material is Open Game Content, and is licensed for public use under the terms of the Open Game License v1.0a.
WEALTH
Every character has a Wealth bonus that reflects his or her buying powerâ,¬'a composite of income, credit rating, and savings. A characterâ,¬,,¢s Wealth bonus serves as the basis of the characterâ,¬,,¢s Wealth check, which is used to purchase equipment and services for the character.
Wealth Bonus
To determine a characterâ,¬,,¢s starting Wealth bonus, roll 2d4 and add the wealth bonus for the characterâ,¬,,¢s starting occupation, plus (if appropriate) the bonus from the Windfall feat, plus 1 if the character has ranks in Profession.
Over the course of play, the heroâ,¬,,¢s Wealth bonus will decrease as the hero purchases expensive items and increase as the hero gains levels.
A characterâ,¬,,¢s Wealth bonus can never fall below +0, and there is no limit to how high the Wealth bonus can climb.
Since Wealth is an abstract concept, itâ,¬,,¢s sometimes difficult to determine how financially well off a character is. To get a general sense of how financially solvent a character is at any given time, check the table below.
|
[th]
Wealth Bonus[/th][th] Financial Condition[/th][/tr]
| +0 | Impoverished or in debt |
| +1 to +4 | Struggling |
| +5 to +10 | Middle class |
| +11 to +15 | Affluent |
| +16 to +20 | Wealthy |
| +21 to +30 | Rich |
| +31 or higher | Very rich |
Purchasing Equipment
Wealth checks are used to determine what characters can afford and what gear they might reasonably have access to. Every character has a Wealth bonus that reflects his or her buying power. Every object and service has a purchase DC. To purchase an object, make a Wealth check against the purchase DC.
The Wealth Check
A Wealth check is a 1d20 roll plus a characterâ,¬,,¢s current Wealth bonus. The Wealth bonus is fluid. It in-creases as a character gains Wealth and decreases as the character makes purchases.
If the character succeeds on the Wealth check, the character gains the object. If the character fails, he or she canâ,¬,,¢t afford the object at the time.
If the characterâ,¬,,¢s current Wealth bonus is equal to or greater than the DC, the character automatically succeeds.
If the character successfully purchases an object or service with a purchase DC thatâ,¬,,¢s higher than his or her current Wealth bonus, the characterâ,¬,,¢s Wealth bonus decreases.
Wealth and the Starting Hero
A newly created 1st-level characterâ,¬,,¢s Wealth bonus is +0 plus:
â,¬Â¢ Wealth provided by the characterâ,¬,,¢s starting occupation.
â,¬Â¢ Bonus from the Windfall feat, if taken.
â,¬Â¢ 2d4 die roll.
â,¬Â¢ +1 for having 1 to 4 ranks in the Profession skill.
Shopping and Time
Buying less common objects generally takes a number of hours equal to the purchase DC of the object or service, reflecting the time needed to locate the wanted materials and close the deal. Getting a license or buying an object with a restriction rating increases the time needed to make purchases.
Taking 10 and Taking 20
A character can usually take 10 or take 20 when making a Wealth check. Taking 20 requires 20 times as long as normal.
Also, there is a penalty for spending beyond a characterâ,¬,,¢s means. Whenever a character buys an object that has a purchase DC higher than his or her current Wealth bonus, the characterâ,¬,,¢s Wealth bonus decreases (see below).
Try Again?
A character can try again if he or she fails a Wealth check, but not until the character has spent an additional number of hours shopping equal to the purchase DC of the object or service.
Aid Another
One other character can make an aid another attempt to help a character purchase an object or service. If the attempt is successful, that character provides the purchaser with a +2 bonus on his or her Wealth check. The character who provides the aid reduces his or her Wealth bonus by +1.
Losing Wealth
Any time a character purchases an object or service with a purchase DC higher than his or her current Wealth bonus, or one with a purchase DC of 15 or higher, the characterâ,¬,,¢s Wealth bonus goes down. How much the Wealth bonus is reduced depends on how expensive the object is.
|
[th]Object or Service Purchase DC[/th][th] Wealth Bonus Decrease[/th][/tr]
15 or higher | +1 point1 |
| 1â,¬'10 points higher than current Wealth bonus | 1 point |
| 11â,¬'15 points higher than current Wealth bonus | 1d6 points |
| 16 or more points higher than current Wealth Bonus | 2d6 points |
[th]1 This stacks with the loss from a Purchase DC above the characterâ,¬,,¢s current wealth bonus.[/th]
Along with this loss, any time a character buys an object or service with a purchase DC of 15 or higher, the character reduces his or her current Wealth bonus by an additional 1 point.
A characterâ,¬,,¢s Wealth bonus only goes down if he or she successfully buys an object or service. If the character attempts to buy something and the check fails, his or her Wealth bonus is unaffected.
Wealth Bonus of +0
A characterâ,¬,,¢s Wealth bonus can never decrease to less than +0. If a characterâ,¬,,¢s Wealth bonus is +0, the character doesnâ,¬,,¢t have the buying power to purchase any object or service that has a purchase DC of 10 or higher, and canâ,¬,,¢t take 10 or take 20. Also, it always takes a number of hours equal to the purchase DC of the object or service.
Regaining Wealth
A characterâ,¬,,¢s Wealth bonus recovers as the character advances.
Every time a character gains a new level, make a Profession check. (If the character has no ranks in the skill, this check is a Wisdom check.) The DC is equal to the characterâ,¬,,¢s current Wealth bonus. If the character succeeds, his or her current Wealth bonus increases by +1. For every 5 points by which the character exceeds the DC, he or she gains an additional +1 to his or her Wealth bonus.
Wealth Awards
Adventuring may result in characters finding valuable items. In such cases, the benefit translates into a Wealth award.
Selling Stuff
To sell something, a character first needs to determine its sale value. Assuming the object is undamaged and in working condition, the sale value is equal to the objectâ,¬,,¢s purchase DC (as if purchased new) minus 3.
Selling an object can provide an increase to a characterâ,¬,,¢s Wealth bonus. The increase is the same amount as the Wealth bonus loss the character would experience if the character purchased an object with a purchase DC equal to the sale value.
Regardless of the characterâ,¬,,¢s current Wealth bonus, he or she gains a Wealth bonus increase of 1 whenever the character sells an object with a sale value of 15 or higher. If A character sells an object with a sale value less than or equal to his or her current Wealth bonus, and that sale value is 14 or lower, the character gains nothing.
A character cannot legally sell restricted objects unless the character is licensed to own them. A character also cannot legally sell objects that have been reported as stolen. Selling objects illegally usually requires that the character have contacts in the black market, and reduces the sale value by an additional 3. Selling takes a number of hours equal to the normal purchase DC of the item.[/spoiler]
For those of you unfamiliar with what I was suggesting. I debate modifying the above system to be based upon contributions and reputation for use instead of gp in this campaign.
I think adapting the d20 wealth system might prove difficult with D&D; so much of a character's power depends on their wealth in D&D.
Perhaps if you're not going to use anything above masterwork weapons, but I wouldn't recomend removing magical equipment. Obsidian weapons would probably be the best around; they're sharper than steel, but brittle.
I might try something insead like the Trade Units from d20 Apocalypse - they seem like they would fit better than the Wealth system. If you want help converting it to DnD, I can do that: it's something I've been meaning to do for awhile, and it would fit well in my Fantasy Progress Level system. :)
Or, like Phaedoras, assign a value (probably the original gp) to all things and have trade occur with barter of like-valued items. I'll give you a link when I get my monetary system up on Raelifin.com.
Armor is also interesting because so much of it has already been balanced out. Phaedoras uses renamed armor instead of trying to re-balance it, but without metal it might be hard (Phae is bronze-age).
Damage reduction is easy if you take one or two drastic steps:
1) Greatly increase the CR of lycans. Such that a whole tribe might be needed to defeat one. This will make them just like monsters that can kill everyone in various stories and it plays well into stone-age fiction but it will shake the world with it's ramifications. This option basically gives them DR 10/-
2) Change the DR to Reneration 3-5. This will allow lycans to be defeated and possibly killed, but it will be hard. CR will increase slightly, but they'll be more dangerous from a returning villain standpoint.
3) Change the DR to fire or wolfsbane. The problem here is that they cease to be core lycans. And with several time periods...