Kaliir (W.I.P)

[Ghostman]

Is there any reason why runectar couldn't be turned to gas/plasma? It would be interesting to have that as a rare but possible scenario, especially if it made the substance dangerously volatile.

[Stryker25B]

That's a good question. Originally I'd envisioned runectar being inert until it was shaped into something. That idea made no sense, though, when I decided that it seeps into the surrounding environment and alters it. There will be consequenses for long term exposure to unrefined runectar, and it is extremely volatile when hit with a charge of magic, say a lighting bolt or other spell from a wand. This is a mechanic I will definitely explore in-depth because it is such a big part of the world.

[Stryker25B]

In an effort to start organizing everything, I came up with the base map for Kaliir over the weekend. I guess this marks the point where I should start building the wiki. The map was created via a tutorial from cartographer's guild- one that I attempted to follow a few years ago and fell flat due to ignoring the good advice "save early, save often!" Things went MUCH better this time around and I have a HUGE map to work with, making it easier to break down into regional maps to add to.

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B61o9u3jT-9oMDJhMTVkODctYTU5MS00ZGRiLTg4NWYtZDk0YjY5ZWJlZjlm

Many fantasy writers, I've noticed, begin with a map. I've ready a lot of the same advice when it comes to campaign building. So I spent all day making a nice big canvas to start filling with details!

*edit* Changed the link so that it can be viewed through google docs.

[Cheomesh]

That looks pretty good!  I think I know the tutorial you're talking about.  I followed it to make this:  http://s9.photobucket.com/albums/a54/comnder09/?action=view&current=NWContinentNatural.jpg

Yours is pretty generally better, though - you must be more patient or perhaps more photoshop educated than I.

And I'm of the opinion that it's always a good idea to begin with a map - much going-on in reality (and fantasy) relates simply to where people are physically located.

M.

[Stryker25B]

Definitely the same tutorial. I've got a lot of experience with Photoshop so I was able to figure out what the author meant when he used shortcut keys that did not translate to CS3 on Windows 7. It was still a 6-hour undertaking to get to the final map of the continent; mainly because the main image is 12500x6250 and the .psd files are over a gigabyte in size.

I'd already created a map in Fractal Terrains 8 and Campaign Cartographer, but they aren't the quality I wanted for this project. I figured I'd put in the time and effort on the Photoshop map and use it as the base for any other maps I need to make.

I'm going to start on the wiki entries today and *hopefully* not mess anything up. Having never done a wiki before, I'll be taking it slow to ensure I figure out how to tag everything properly.

[Nomadic]

Nice the colors and style say that you've been giving Ascension's stuff a look. He's a pretty talented fellow.

[Stryker25B]

The wiki page for Kaliir is up. Hopefully I followed the instructions in setting it up properly.

[Superfluous Crow]

It is definitely a good idea to start with a map! My lack of the same is probably why my setting is so slow-going. It provides some much needed structure for the wealth of details you probably have buzzing around in your brain.

I must say it is also one of the cooler semi-realist maps I have seen in a long while! I'm usually of the map-is-a-map school (i.e. more parchment, less satellite), but this looks pretty damn good. Lovely colors and mountains and just looks... real, even if the geography is decidedly fantastic (if not in a bad way) with the massive ur-continent.

[Stryker25B]

It is definitely a good idea to start with a map! My lack of the same is probably why my setting is so slow-going. It provides some much needed structure for the wealth of details you probably have buzzing around in your brain.

I must say it is also one of the cooler semi-realist maps I have seen in a long while! I'm usually of the map-is-a-map school (i.e. more parchment, less satellite), but this looks pretty damn good. Lovely colors and mountains and just looks... real, even if the geography is decidedly fantastic (if not in a bad way) with the massive ur-continent.

It does help my thoughts flow better, and I figured if I just focused and put the time into it, any other maps I make could be derived from this one very easily since the original file has masks of the landmasses saved. I do love my fantastical geography  :P

Nice the colors and style say that you've been giving Ascension's stuff a look. He's a pretty talented fellow.

It was his tutorial I followed, very in-depth. I adjusted a part here or there in favor of a more fantastical look, but I most definitely could not have come up with the series of events that Ascension laid out on my own without weeks to mess with Photoshop, especially with no 3rd-party filters!

[LD]

Ah, this is amusing. Your runenectar is similar in some fashion to the magic in Gloria (see signature), Shimmer-which only gain magical properties when it is shaped. Shimmer was modeled after oil and cooking. It's a good idea and something I hadn't seen in print, so that's why I went with it. Amusing to see another independently arriving at a similar idea :)

Once again, good luck.

[Stryker25B]

Thanks LD! I was certain I wasn't the only one who had ridden the same train of thought!

[Stryker25B]

So while I flesh out my campaign setting slowly but surely, I'm beginning to wonder about classes. Since runectar does away with magic in the traditional sense, I either need a way to readily convert Pathfinder's magic system into an item-based system or make all of my classes from scratch. I'm thinking of a hybrid between the two where I rewrite core classes that have magical abilities to fit the world. This isn't my major decision point, however...

I'm at the point where I am writing down my classes and I begin to wonder, should I go with few main classes and a lot of prestige options or a lot of core classes with fewer prestige options? I want the player to have plenty of options and use the classes as a core building block that gives them the freedom to branch out without having to worry as much about choosing skills for the sake of maximizing that specific role. Maybe this is more a function of feats and skills and I don't need a lot of prestige classes if any?

[Superfluous Crow]

Prestige classes should be tied directly to the factions/roles present in your setting. So their number should depend directly on which power groups you come up with for your world.

A slapdash solution would be to remove all casters, keep all the magic items and use the Use Magic Device skill to represent casters and people with a working understanding of runectar-powered devices.

[Stryker25B]

Ok, that makes good sense since most of the prestige classes I was thinking of were specific to certain peoples and factions. I'm still working out how the mechanics of the runectar system work, but I do know  want it to be unique and compelling because it is the centerpiece of the setting. The idea of using the Use Magic Device skill like you described is how we played bits and pieces of this setting years ago and is perfectly viable but it lacks the "this is awesome!" component I'm searching for.