SULOS

Soup Nazi · May 08, 2006, 06:13:08 PM

Quote from: Epic_Meepo
Quote from: nastynateAh, that is the Serpentine Jungle, where the Yaun-Ti dwell. It has been mentioned in L'Landra, Ilsen, and if I'm not mistaken in Kesh as well.

It's been mentioned, but it is still teasing us with its mysteriousness.

And it shall continue to do so...I'm cruel like that.

SA · May 09, 2006, 03:44:11 AM

Sulos reminds me of the Elder Scrolls series. This is not to say that it is thematically similar to Bethesda's magnum opus; rather, when I begin to read your setting I get a feeling reminiscent of the feeling I associate with trekking through the lands of Morrowind or Cydoril. It's the sensation of walking down a forest path, wary of the poisonous fauna that may lurk unseen in the undergrowth, even though the designers made no mention of their inclusion in the game's design. Because of the detail and clarity of vision in what has been included, I extrapolate and begin to imagine the things that weren't included, simply because something so vibrant, vivid and enthralling must have more to it than what I can see.

That's how Sulos is for me. I read what is presented, and almost instinctively create an even more expressive world in my mind on the foundations of what you have presented. I suppose that for this very reason part of me wants you to stop detailing Sulos right now. It already has a life of its own, and has seized a part of my mind, propagating and expanding so that almost unbidden it becomes a very real place indeed.

Of course, you won't stop, and you shouldn't. Keep writing, I'll keep reading, and the beauty of your creation will endure. Keep up the fantastic work.

Soup Nazi · May 09, 2006, 08:36:27 AM

Quote from: Salacious AngelSulos reminds me of the Elder Scrolls series. This is not to say that it is thematically similar to Bethesda's magnum opus; rather, when I begin to read your setting I get a feeling reminiscent of the feeling I associate with trekking through the lands of Morrowind or Cydoril. It's the sensation of walking down a forest path, wary of the poisonous fauna that may lurk unseen in the undergrowth, even though the designers made no mention of their inclusion in the game's design. Because of the detail and clarity of vision in what has been included, I extrapolate and begin to imagine the things that weren't included, simply because something so vibrant, vivid and enthralling must have more to it than what I can see.

That's how Sulos is for me. I read what is presented, and almost instinctively create an even more expressive world in my mind on the foundations of what you have presented. I suppose that for this very reason part of me wants you to stop detailing Sulos right now. It already has a life of its own, and has seized a part of my mind, propagating and expanding so that almost unbidden it becomes a very real place indeed.

Of course, you won't stop, and you shouldn't. Keep writing, I'll keep reading, and the beauty of your creation will endure. Keep up the fantastic work.

Even though I never intended to to draw parallels between Sulos, and Morrowind, this comparison is flattering. I loved the elder scrolls, and in hindsight I can see what you mean. The things I want to work on next are some adventure seeds, and the planes. I have yet to come up with something I really like for the planes other than short blurbs here and there, like in the fonts of power, and the brief descriptions of demons and aberrations scattered throughout the setting.

Sulos is meant to be a setting, not a storyline. It is designed to give the reader (and myself) a good foundation upon which to build an adventure, or a story, and to provide enough interesting elements to accomodate many types of campaigns. If Sulos makes you wonder what else there is, then that is perfect; because that itself will be your adventure.

Thanks for the kind words.

-Peace-

Wix of Bel-Air · May 10, 2006, 02:54:16 PM

Hey nasty, did you draw that map yourself? (the map of Sulos that is)

Soup Nazi · May 10, 2006, 04:33:20 PM

Quote from: WixmanHey nasty, did you draw that map yourself? (the map of Sulos that is)

Oh yeah! I had five minutes, some phat crayons, and a couple pens at work, so I made a rough map. I hope to get a nice one up someday.

-Nasty-

Hibou · May 10, 2006, 07:55:17 PM

Great show!

So far I have only read up to where the individual nation rundowns begin, but I can say one thing: this setting is amazing. You've really got something special here, with the implementing of technology the way you have. It seems fairly realistic and reasonable, and it's fun to read.

A question: If Sulos's tech levels continue to increase, do you plan on slowly adding in more real-world technologies as they are developed by the people of the setting, or do you intend to try and go your own way with some unique contraptions and inventions?

Epic Meepo · May 10, 2006, 08:00:13 PM

I just noticed that dwarves gain a bonus to attack rolls against elves, and I like it. It's a marvelous break from the dwarf cliche.

Just out of curiousity, why did you decide that summer would be lawful and winter would be chaotic? My impression would have been that heat and fire are more chaotic than cold and ice. (Not that there's anything wrong with having it the other way around, of course.)

Soup Nazi · May 10, 2006, 08:06:56 PM

QuoteGreat show!

:afro:

QuoteSo far I have only read up to where the individual nation rundowns begin, but I can say one thing: this setting is amazing. You've really got something special here, with the implementing of technology the way you have. It seems fairly realistic and reasonable, and it's fun to read.

Thanks man. It was fun to write too.

QuoteA question: If Sulos's tech levels continue to increase, do you plan on slowly adding in more real-world technologies as they are developed by the people of the setting, or do you intend to try and go your own way with some unique contraptions and inventions?

I'd like to impliment new tech here and there in smaller quantities. It will most likely be a mix of real world examples and a handful of fantastic ideas. I have some thoughts about blimps and ironclads, and a few other conceptual visions rolling around in my head, but I figure it makes more sense to introduce things little by little, than to make sweeping technological advances.

I also have Rhoenheim building their own railroad, and firearms slowly spreading throughout the world at the moment. There are many places within the world of Sulos that have not caught up, as it is, with the advancement of their neighbors, like Sha'Irna, Kesh, and Ilsen. There are also quite a few places that have much wider spread tech than others. I will (if the meta-plot advances) probably update the places that are lagging behind before I go crazy with new stuff.

Thanks for the feedback.

-Peace-

Soup Nazi · May 10, 2006, 08:12:57 PM

QuoteI just noticed that dwarves gain a bonus to attack rolls against elves, and I like it. It's a marvelous break from the dwarf cliche.

It just made more sense that way, since the elves did try to destroy the dwarves way back during thr druidic wars.

QuoteJust out of curiousity, why did you decide that summer would be lawful and winter would be chaotic? My impression would have been that heat and fire are more chaotic than cold and ice. (Not that there's anything wrong with having it the other way around, of course.)

I just had an image or raging blizzards sweeping in unexpectedly and ships being swallowed by the stormy seas in cold raging waters. I didn't want the law/chaos axis to rotate monthly like the good/evil one does, so I figured an annual cycle would work best.

I could have just as easily gone with a chaotic summer and a lawful winter; I don't think it makes that huge a difference in the end, since alignment isn't going to play a huge role in Sulos. It's mainly flavor.

-Later-

Túrin · May 11, 2006, 06:18:14 AM

I like very much this interpretation of planar alignment. It can serve as an excellent example for anyone who wants to downplay the role of alignment without going through the trouble (as I did) of having to separate it from the game mechanics. Good job.
Túrin

Soup Nazi · May 11, 2006, 12:34:10 PM

Quote from: TúrinI like very much this interpretation of planar alignment. It can serve as an excellent example for anyone who wants to downplay the role of alignment without going through the trouble (as I did) of having to separate it from the game mechanics. Good job.
Túrin

Thanks Turin. It really doesn't change anything, unless you want it to. I'm looking at it more like the Zodiac, where people are born under a sign, but still have free will to act as they may. I will (of course) still encourage people to select an alignment that fits their character, but that's probably as far as I intend to go with alignment enforcement.

-Peace-

Captain Obvious · May 12, 2006, 12:36:19 AM

Core Ethos
I like the importance of compatability. That is an important thing to have in any setting. High tech levels are fun to play with, and i'll comment more once i read stuff about what there will be. The lack of tangible gods, and divine intervention, though, is i think one of the most needed elements in settings. This can help make it far more realistic, while still allowing to keep elements of high fantasy. The rest of this section (politics, intrigue, mounting tensions, etc) are all great but i beleive the god element to be a key one.

map
nice map. It looks really nice, and conveys all the info needed. I'm just wondering about how large the land is? Judging from the with of the ranges and nation sizes, i would guess about the rough area of europe? is that about right?

Races
humans
ah, humans. the centerpeices of so many campaigns, but so rarely developed much. I really like the idea of the scion feats. They do give more bonuses than a feat usually does, but since they are human only and 1st level only, they should be okay. The two i'd be worried about are l'landra (it depends on how powerful the rifle and pistol are, and whehter they normally count as martial or exotic), and rhoenheim (use magic device as a class skill could prove very powerful. kust something you may want to keep in mind).
Fluff-wise, i love all of the human stuff. it looks great.

the rest of the race stuff, looks cool but pretty close to the norm. not that there's anything bad about that, i just don't see the need to comment on it. I like the class sytem in the goblinoids nations. The demonborn looks like a great idea, but i'm not sure if they are an add-on to the elf traits, of a set of traits by themself. which one is it?

will work more on this review later since it's a long setting and i need sleep

Soup Nazi · May 12, 2006, 02:03:08 AM

QuoteCore Ethos
I like the importance of compatability. That is an important thing to have in any setting. High tech levels are fun to play with, and i'll comment more once i read stuff about what there will be. The lack of tangible gods, and divine intervention, though, is i think one of the most needed elements in settings. This can help make it far more realistic, while still allowing to keep elements of high fantasy. The rest of this section (politics, intrigue, mounting tensions, etc) are all great but i beleive the god element to be a key one.

Tangible gods are incredibly over-rated. Eberron doesn't have them and the setting works fine. Divine intervention takes the power out of the players hands, and puts it strictly in the DMs. When the players know that their patron deity can bail them out, they feel like they can get away with foolish risks; on top of that it makes the players feel less important, because the gods just jump in whenver things get messy. There is no way tangible gods ever makes a setting feel more realistic IMHO. Glad you like the rest though.

Quotemap
nice map. It looks really nice, and conveys all the info needed. I'm just wondering about how large the land is? Judging from the with of the ranges and nation sizes, i would guess about the rough area of europe? is that about right?

Heh...forgot the scale. It's much bigger than europe. Closer to the size of North America. Hazra'Ghalduur is about 1,500 miles across.

QuoteRaces
humans, ah humans. the centerpeices of so many campaigns, but so rarely developed much. I really like the idea of the scion feats. They do give more bonuses than a feat usually does, but since they are human only and 1st level only, they should be okay. The two i'd be worried about are l'landra (it depends on how powerful the rifle and pistol are, and whehter they normally count as martial or exotic), and rhoenheim (use magic device as a class skill could prove very powerful. kust something you may want to keep in mind).
Fluff-wise, i love all of the human stuff. it looks great.

Yep the scion feats are quite powerful, but limited in the ways you mentioned. UMD is very useful as a class skill, but keep in mind everybody else gets exotic weapon proficiencies from their scion feats. It was a calculated decision to even the playing field between Rhoenheim and the other human scion feats. I like to think of Sulos as having four human sub-races, and the scion feats represent the mechanical differences between them.

Quotethe rest of the race stuff, looks cool but pretty close to the norm. not that there's anything bad about that, i just don't see the need to comment on it. I like the class system in the goblinoids nations. The demonborn looks like a great idea, but i'm not sure if they are an add-on to the elf traits, of a set of traits by themself. which one is it?

The goblinoids actually have quite a few mechincal tweaks other than the goblinoid racial class. They also have substitution levels that help them significantly by off-setting level adjustments.

The demonborn template is only something tacked onto elves thus far. It is an aquired template cause by being born near the tainted circles in Sha'Irna. Since 95% of the population of Sha'Irna is elven there is little chance of any other race aquiring the template...but it's not impossible.

Thanks for the feedback Supadupaman. feel free to ask questions if anything catches your eye.

-Peace-

Captain Obvious · May 12, 2006, 08:52:00 AM

Quote from: nastynate
QuoteCore Ethos
I like the importance of compatability. That is an important thing to have in any setting. High tech levels are fun to play with, and i'll comment more once i read stuff about what there will be. The lack of tangible gods, and divine intervention, though, is i think one of the most needed elements in settings. This can help make it far more realistic, while still allowing to keep elements of high fantasy. The rest of this section (politics, intrigue, mounting tensions, etc) are all great but i beleive the god element to be a key one.

Tangible gods are incredibly over-rated. Eberron doesn't have them and the setting works fine. Divine intervention takes the power out of the players hands, and puts it strictly in the DMs. When the players know that their patron deity can bail them out, they feel like they can get away with foolish risks; on top of that it makes the players feel less important, because the gods just jump in whenver things get messy. There is no way tangible gods ever makes a setting feel more realistic IMHO. Glad you like the rest though.

You may have misinterpreted what i meant (and looking at it now the wording is a bit confusing). What i meant to say is that NOT having tangible gods is important, and that divine intervention makes the setting unrealistic. I agree with you 100% about that.

i didn't actually notice the link to the goblinoid racial class on my first read through, but just read it now. The way it works is that you only get about half of the class feature written on the class table, right? (SA or feats), if so then this class looks immemsly underpowered (unless it is meant as solely and NPC class. compared to the fighter it gets lower HD and BAB. compared to the rogue, it gets more HD but no extra special abbilities and 1/4 the skill points with less options. If this is meant to be balanced with the warrior, adept and noble class, then maybe, but in no way is this a balanced PC class.

More later

Soup Nazi · May 12, 2006, 01:31:22 PM

QuoteYou may have misinterpreted what i meant (and looking at it now the wording is a bit confusing). What i meant to say is that NOT having tangible gods is important, and that divine intervention makes the setting unrealistic. I agree with you 100% about that.

I thought you were stating something completely the opposite. My mistake. Glad we're in agreement.

Quotei didn't actually notice the link to the goblinoid racial class on my first read through, but just read it now. The way it works is that you only get about half of the class feature written on the class table, right? (SA or feats), if so then this class looks immemsly underpowered (unless it is meant as solely and NPC class. compared to the fighter it gets lower HD and BAB. compared to the rogue, it gets more HD but no extra special abbilities and 1/4 the skill points with less options. If this is meant to be balanced with the warrior, adept and noble class, then maybe, but in no way is this a balanced PC class.

The goblinoid racial class is an npc class. However it has uses for PCs too, because it replaces the monstrous humanoid levels normally required by bugbears...which are actually weaker than than those of the goblinoid racial class. It is like a generic warrior (or rogue) class for goblinoid NPCs, which fits the whole goblinoid species quite well.

On another note, it also enables a bugbear to spring directly from his goblinoid class into the assassin PrC. That is an important aspect of their culture, which was previously quite difficult to work in mechanically. Most bugbears begin play as goblinoids, and around 5th level they switch over to the assassin class.

-Later-

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SULOS

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Captain Obvious

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