World War II and High Fantasy

[Gnomemaster]

Elf Characters

Elven heroes are often skilled soldiers who lead squads of fiends across the battlefields. They are the officers, spies, and veterans of the Elven army. Most elven characters served in the Last Great War long ago, or at least were alive then.
Adventuring Elves: Elves are very loyal to their king, however, that does not mean there are not malcontents looking for freedom; often elf refugees seek asylum with other armies, or defect to the enemy when they are tired of the company of fiends. However rare that is, usually one will find elves leading small groups. Common Elven ranks are: Private, Squad Leader, Group Leader, Captain, Colonel, and General.

Roleplaying Elves: Often times the elves are stereotyped as haughty play this up to the extreme. Most elves refuse to refer to other races by name, instead calling of referring to Jozan call him 'the human with the healing' or Tordek as 'The dirty thing that kills stuff'. Feel free to refer to other players of other races as servants or your retinue. Use racial slurs (mind, not real ones, just the fake ones provided below) remember that an elf is the perfect being and sees him as such. The world is your oyster, shuck it, eat it, and move on.

Elven Racial Slurs and Relations:

'¢   On Humans: Round ears, buffoon, clumsy, hairy, or child. Elves see humans as boorish or stupid. To an elf, the only thing worse than the smell of wet dog is human, they also think of them as quickly breeding vermin.
'¢   On Half-Elves: half-breed, half-blood, half-human, or usurper. Half-Elves were given a portion of Throribas at the end of the Last Great War, elves see them as thieves.
'¢   On Dwarves: Hair-face, big nose, shorty, or varmint. Elves have always been natural enemies of the dwarves. Ever since the bearded-folk came into existence, they have been at odds with the elves.
'¢   On Orcs: green skin, pig face, squinty, or scum. Elves have never been big fans of the orcs and consider their alliance one of common interests. When the orcs outlive their usefulness the Elves will most likely desert them.  
'¢   On Gnomes: little ones, small folk, pipsqueak, or rodent. Elves work well with the gnomes; however they are keenly wary of their allies. The Steamblack is a nation of inventors, they create wondrous works of warfare and the elves fear what may happen if the gnomes switch sides.
'¢   On Minotaurs: cow-man, horny, barn animal, or animal. Elves employ minotaur mercenaries just like anyone else, but are distrustful of their loyalty to the contract and not the employer.

[Wensleydale]

This does look extremely awesome. I've been trying to connect the nations up to their real-world counterparts, and then I realised that you're NOT just being boring and adding fantasy to RL countries with a change of name. Rather, there're some distinct WW2 parallels, but no one country draws ALL the parallels to a nation in WW2 apart from, in a way, Elves.

[Epic Meepo]

Elven Racial Slurs and Relations

Best renaming of the "Race Relations" section of the race description block EVER!

[Gnomemaster]

Shucks thanks guys. I liked making the racial slurs, they were fun, especially hair-face, which someone once called me (because I have a beard). Right now I'm beginning work on the Totalitarian Gnomish State, then I will probably move on to another country like the humans. I heard the idea of riding behemoths instead of tanks, and I plan on doing something similar, does anyone have any suggestions of what they would like to see?

[Gnomemaster]

Gnomes
'I would gladly give a thousand soldiers for one hundred fully armed gnomes.'
-Major General Heratio Kerinald of the  

Thundering steam powered tanks and the earth shattering cannons strike fear in soldiers across the world. Gnomes take pride in the fact that despite their small stature and physical strength, they are still a world power. Gnomes tend to avoid magic; instead they prefer to rely on technological power that in their mind is a constant power rather than being in constant flux like magic.

Gnomes are logical and inquisitive. Some of their most famous inventions include rifles, pistols, grenades, and steam powered tanks. Gnomes tend to be very protective of their creations, never allowing their allies and enemies to get a hold of the plans of their mightiest inventions. Some machines even have self-destruct actions to keep others from reverse engineering their technology.

Steamblack is a peninsula near Throribas with beautiful shipyards and factory cities pumping black smoke into the air with enough weaponry to feed the gnome juggernaut as it marches toward victory. Steamblack has always been a land of innovation; its cities are designed by some of the greatest architects in the world. Gnomes feel a connection with metal, physics, and design, feeling that these things are constants in a world in flux. Magic on the other hand is too unpredictable, and frankly is looked down upon by most.

Once a beacon of democracy, Steamblack has come under the control of General Daezrig, a war veteran from the Last Great War, he quickly rose to power and put an end to the Senates. Now, Steamblack is a totalitarian state that controls all aspects of gnomish life. From production in factories, to books, to the number of children allowed in a gnome family. Daezrig and his Black Party control the gnomes and destroy all opposition.

That is not to say there is none, while most gnomes enjoy the safety and prosperity provided by the Black Party, there are some who feel that freedom is more important. These revolutionaries work in cells so that should the Black Party find and destroy one the resistance still moves on. Revolutionaries are deemed traitors to the state and are executed or assigned to working in the coal mines. Either way the end is the same.

Daezrig is a paranoid despot, fearing that he will soon lose his seat of power; he looks behind for daggers all the time, and often has aides who over step their bounds killed. He is close personal friends with Beren having spent months together in a military hospital.

[Eclipse]

varmint
horny

Best racial slurs ever?

Best racial slurs ever.

...of course, that is applying an appelate like "best" to racial slurs, so...

Totalitarian Gnomish State sounds like it's full of awesome and win. I love casting Gnomes as villians - the Gnomish mafia in Eberron is one of my favorite things ever. I look forward to your wicked little bastards.

[Eclipse]

Gnomes
'I would gladly give a thousand soldiers for one hundred fully armed gnomes.'
-Major General Heratio Kerinald of the  

[spoiler=Condensing post without cutting less bulky]Thundering steam powered tanks and the earth shattering cannons strike fear in soldiers across the world. Gnomes take pride in the fact that despite their small stature and physical strength, they are still a world power. Gnomes tend to avoid magic; instead they prefer to rely on technological power that in their mind is a constant power rather than being in constant flux like magic.

Gnomes are logical and inquisitive. Some of their most famous inventions include rifles, pistols, grenades, and steam powered tanks. Gnomes tend to be very protective of their creations, never allowing their allies and enemies to get a hold of the plans of their mightiest inventions. Some machines even have self-destruct actions to keep others from reverse engineering their technology.

Steamblack is a peninsula near Throribas with beautiful shipyards and factory cities pumping black smoke into the air with enough weaponry to feed the gnome juggernaut as it marches toward victory. Steamblack has always been a land of innovation; its cities are designed by some of the greatest architects in the world. Gnomes feel a connection with metal, physics, and design, feeling that these things are constants in a world in flux. Magic on the other hand is too unpredictable, and frankly is looked down upon by most.

Once a beacon of democracy, Steamblack has come under the control of General Daezrig, a war veteran from the Last Great War, he quickly rose to power and put an end to the Senates. Now, Steamblack is a totalitarian state that controls all aspects of gnomish life. From production in factories, to books, to the number of children allowed in a gnome family. Daezrig and his Black Party control the gnomes and destroy all opposition.

That is not to say there is none, while most gnomes enjoy the safety and prosperity provided by the Black Party, there are some who feel that freedom is more important. These revolutionaries work in cells so that should the Black Party find and destroy one the resistance still moves on. Revolutionaries are deemed traitors to the state and are executed or assigned to working in the coal mines. Either way the end is the same.

Daezrig is a paranoid despot, fearing that he will soon lose his seat of power; he looks behind for daggers all the time, and often has aides who over step their bounds killed. He is close personal friends with Beren having spent months together in a military hospital.[/spoiler]

I was right - awesome plus win.

The idea of Gnomish steam takes rocks my world. Question - could a medium sized creature hijack one of those tanks, or are they all built to Gnomish size, so only small races can us them? Also, alot of problems arrive with guns and DnD - how do you plan on handling them? (Characters with bombs or guns, especially at low levels, can be very unbalacning.) Are you going to have special classes for this new tech?

I'd recommend reading the Dragonmech setting, something I forgot about until just now. They have some pretty fair mechanics for steam weaponry, and include some fun idea for steam-powered cyborgs. Plus, you could even have gnomes in steam-powered battlesuits or some other absurdities.

In World War II, Germany was working on a tank called the Landkreuser P. 1000 Ratte. Well, tank is not a proper term. It was actually called a Landcruiser - a tank built to handle naval armaments. (for an idea of its dimensions - it would have been 35 meters long, "as tall as some churhc steeples, and so wide that manuvering in an urban area would have been either impossible or apocalpytic" (Parsons 13) In the real would, it would have been a huge waste of resources and crippled german war efforts. In a fantasy universe, you're much less restricted.

Question - will the gnomes possess actual flying machines, or will they be reliant on animals for aerial transport? Also, what kind of naval technology does your setting have?  

[Gnomemaster]

the Gnome tanks are built to fit more than one gnome, the machinery used to drive the tanks looks like two handles, a human with the right training could technically take control of a tank. But most tanks are armed with acid self-destruct sequences. When the pilot dies or something similar, several vials of avid rupture and revert the tank to a pile of melted rubble in a matter of minutes.

To me, the guns and bombs will balance out because gnomes don't really use magic. They use technology, it's just another way of doing a lot of the things magic does. I like the idea of the tank, I saw a cool artist representation of the tank, it looked huge! I'm really excited for the Apocolypse Warhammer 40k expansion, and after getting to watch an apocolypse game, I've decided that this campaign setting will be a lot like that. Huge battlefields with millions of soldiers fighting on each side.

Gnomes use dirigibles, they look like blimps and they are pulled by several aerial beasts of burden (like bullgryphons, half bull half eagle) They also make use of air chariots.

[Gnomemaster]

Dream Time: What I would write if I was getting published.

If this were really getting published, I would probably include a book called Regiments of Renown,all about being apart of one of the many different regiments and what kind of bonuses you can get. Like if you were apart of the Penal Legion, or apart of the Rough Riders.

Famous Battlefields would be full of scenarios based upon the most famous of battles in the game's history. most adventures on the battlefield run like flow charts, and scenarios are the encounters that fall into that flow chart.

Then I would have my own Monster Manual, maybe a book all about Weaponry used in the war, including battle magic.  

Then Army books about each army.

Yea, that sounds right.

[Ivar]

Just as an aside, keep in mind that one problem with a setting based entirely around war is that it will be, by default, roleplaying light and encourage min-maxing.  Most settings try to be flexible enough to allow both playstyles (or a mixture of both), but a setting like this just seems completely tailored towards hack-n-slash style games.

Also, with a setting like this, you run the risk of the setting and story becoming the star instead of the PCs.  In a war where millions of combatants are on each side, what possible influence could a party of 5 PCs have?  It'd be a very overwhelming setting if you aren't careful as a DM.

I'm not trying to be Negative Nancy, but those are two "obstacles" that immediately jump out at me.  Otherwise, a very interesting and novel concept.

[AllWillFall2Me]

Just as an aside, keep in mind that one problem with a setting based entirely around war is that it will be, by default, roleplaying light and encourage min-maxing.  Most settings try to be flexible enough to allow both playstyles (or a mixture of both), but a setting like this just seems completely tailored towards hack-n-slash style games.

Also, with a setting like this, you run the risk of the setting and story becoming the star instead of the PCs.  In a war where millions of combatants are on each side, what possible influence could a party of 5 PCs have?  It'd be a very overwhelming setting if you aren't careful as a DM.

I'm not trying to be Negative Nancy, but those are two "obstacles" that immediately jump out at me.  Otherwise, a very interesting and novel concept.

Well, some ideas on how to balance role-playing with hack-and-slash.
-Envoys, between the warring sides. Have you ever seen Joyeux Noel? (I apologize to the French Language) It's set in WW1, when the Germans, Scottish, and French declared a week-long cessation of hostilities because it was Christmas. Setting up such a deal, and making sure everyone abides by it, could be quite the RP experience.
-Sabotage. C'mon, every army needs a plausibly deniable team to handle enemy installations.
-Heroic unit, a la Saving private Ryan or others.

[Gnomemaster]

I agree with AllWillFall2Me, a war setting, even a fantastic war setting like the one I am creating, does not have to be all about the killing. Personally, those are the kinds of games I love, games full of action, so of course the World at War is all about that, but for every "hack and slash" (you call it hack and slash, I call it adventurous) adventure idea, you can create a character who does not have to hurt others. Your mission could be to make your way to the general who is on the front lines away from healing and grievously wounded. My hope is that the Players are the officers of a squad or a group of squads made up of low level warriors and fighters. For roleplaying, you can give each one unique personalities (such as a squad medic who experiments on his patients) and then, it seems that every ambush, every attack is thwarted, because there is a mole inside, who just so happens to be the favorite NPC in the squad.

It's not all about Hack n Slash, only if you make it that way. As for your comment on a war of millions of combatants on each side, what possible influence could a part of 5 PCs have, you're absolutely right. They probably won't make a difference, they probably are just wasting your time. You can tell my grandfather that's how you feel about his time in WW II. I'm just kidding, that's way too harsh as I re-read it, but we hear all the time about those mighty individuals who do something spectacular in combat. The player's have a destiny to become war heroes.

I had an idea about the game, a tank, it will have 3 sections that you can damage. The two sides and the back, if the players lower the HP of one side to 0 then the tank can only move at 1/2 speed (or something similar) if they lower the HP of the back to 0 then the engine ruptures and explodes. This way I feel that players can be a little more tactically minded when facing off against a tank. I don't want the tank to be just another monster.

[Gnomemaster]

No feedback on the tank? too bad. I really haven't done a lot of crunch writing, and I suppose that's why people may think that this story is the star. That's not true, the problem is that I'm not sure if I want to spend hours writing 3.5 work only to find that it's all for not. I want to make my own system but that is just piling more work on top. I want to stick to 3.5 but I want to publish it too someday. it's hard.

I could use some suggestions, the writing has fallen to the back burner as other things come forward (like school and work)

[Spirit Hawkfellow]

Gnome I really like what you've got going on here.  Don't think to much about what system to use, lay it all on 3.5 and transfer it later the core writing is the key then the mechanics you shift about all you want.  If you need some help on the illustrations give me a shout, I would love to see what the characters drawn out would look like for this setting, even a short story even.  

[sparkletwist]

Here's my  :2cents: on the whole "do the PCs matter?" issue.

To me, it depends on the type of campaign you want to run. If you want the players to be able to fully appreciate the epic scope of the war that is unfolding, and be instrumental in the direction that it goes-- well, then, you're in for a tough job.

However, my view is, they don't have to. It's background. It's going on around them, they're part of it, but they're not instrumental in it. The setting doesn't necessarily become the star, because it's everpresent, but the focus still remains on the characters. Things happen, but the main focus is on how the characters are trying to just get through it. There will be opportunities for heroism, of course. Not on a grand scale, but the sort of deeds that anyone who was there would never actually forget, even if it was just one of many in the broader conflict. In this case, even if there is a lot of action and violence, there are good opportunities for roleplaying, too, as each character realizes how the horrors they are forced to confront affects them personally.