Airborne D&D

[Gwaihir Windlord]

I don't know about anyone else, but to me it seems like the best eras for land, sea and air technologies never overlap.  So I took up the challenge to build a game world where they do overlap.  Here's what I've got so far:

[spoiler=General Information]

There are only two nations of any respectable size left. While there are other countries, they are for the most part puppets of the two big ones. On one side we have the Republic of Zarintan, in the other corner The United Islands. The Aeronautical Guild is located on an island somewhere, no one really know where. The two nations are like England and France, almost perpetually at war. However, it is downright suicidal to attempt to cross open water in a ship, as if the kraken doesn't kill you, the water dragons, sea serpends, kuo-toa, or merfolk will. Everything is done via the air, and while dragons, griffins and rocs make for fine mounts, something a bit easier to control is generally appreciated. Enter the Guild. Lizardfolk inhabit most shallower areas, and they can guarantee safe passage over them... for a price.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Character Information]

Aircraft and creatures
Races, Feats, and One New Skill
Map of the region

No half-orcs, no paladins, no half-elves, no wizards, use above links for more information.

Level adjustment for planes is treated the same as level adjustment for monstrous races. If you choose to start with a plane, you cannot choose anything with a level adjustment of higher than +2.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Technology]

Ground:
Ground-pounders are still using swords and spears for the most part. Some gunpowder weapons have found there way onto the ground, but nothing even remotely approaching the sophistication of the Aeronautical Guild. Late medieval technology rules.

Naval:
The seas are treacherous, to say the least, so naval tech is similar to that of the ground. The cannons that the armies of the world are making have been fitted on ships as well, and broadsides are exchanged whenever ships meet. Napoleonic technology, except marines are armed with swords and bows instead of guns.

Air:
Lighter than air travel was developed centuries before it was on Earth, as sea trade was impossible and the islands were to small to hold the rapidly growing population. Once airborne, some brilliant aeronautical engineers spilt off and gathered together, developing more and more sophisticated aircraft and weapons for them. They jealously guard their secrets, and none who enter the guild headquarters leave. The Guild sells aircraft to any who have the money, without any discrimination. World War Two technology in the air.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=The United Islands]

The United Islands are very Japanese, except with the power between the sexes reversed. Women rule that nation, and do it well. The physical disparities between the sexes are more pronounced, with the women rarely topping four feet and the men regularly over six, however the mental capabilities of males are severely reduced. The men are very warlike, and because of this the nation has almost constantly been at war with someone. If they men didn't have foreigners to fight, they would fight each other which would be immensely self-destructive. A pantheonic religion rules in the United Islands, and the nation's fighter pilots are much better trained than their Republic counterparts. Fighter pilots are looked upon as samurai of the skies, and treated as such.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=The Republic]

The Republic is very Roman. Men and women are treated equally, both in theory and in practice. The vast majority of their airfields and dockyards are around the Bay of Zarintan, but any and all attempts by the United Islands to seal off that bay have been thwarted thus far. The Senate is composed of 99 senators, some of whom are corrupt but for the most part the government is clean. Economically inferior to the United Islands, the Republic makes the most of its scant natural resources. However, a vast silver mine has recently been discovered on one of the colonized islands, so the economic station of the Republic may change very soon. The most common religion of the Republic is di-theistic.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=The Guild]
The Aeronautical Guild was the original developer of heavier-than-air flight.  When the first heavier-than-air flying machine was invented, most brushed it off.  But a few visionaries saw the immense potential for the machine, along with a few businessmen.  The businessmen convinced the scientists that not only was there extreme technological potential here, but also a lot of money.  So the group, calling itself the Aeronautical Guild, secreted itself away on an uncharted island, and there they developed airplanes.  Every few years the Guild would release a new model to one nation or the other, selling them at unbelievable prices.  Engineers with both the Republic and United Islands reverse-engineered this machines, and so the Guild had to continue coming out with new and better models to stay profitable.  Then a genius amongst geniuses discovered that the oil that had been seeping out of the ground on their island could be used for power.  Within months the technology had been miniaturized enough to put on an airplanes frame, and powered flight was born.
For the most part, repeating crossbows had been mounted on the planes thus far.  Then one of the Guild members thought to compress the scrap metal lying about the island and propel it using a powdered form of the oil.  This worked, and soon the machine guns were mounted in place of repeating crossbows.  And so the modern plane was born, although a dragon would still tear the best plane in the skies to pieces.  The Guild considered that an insult, and took to making a plane capable of killing a dragon in a dogfight.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=General Economic Info]

'¢ Both nations use paper money, as well as coinage, although the currency differs from nation to nation.
'¢ Silver is the most valuable precious metal, followed by gold.
'¢ No adamantine.
'¢ Mithral is LotR style.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Sea Creatures]

There are three different kinds of monsters in the oceans of Aarseth. Krakens, sea serpents and water dragons.
There are only three krakens in all the world; and they are beings of immense power. Only very rarely do they come up to the surface, but when they do come up the whole world know.
Sea serpents are very much like lesser krakens; in fact that is their official name. The sea serpents can be counted on to attack any ship foolish enough to venture out into open water, and most that are attacked by a sea serpent don't live to tell the tale.
Water dragons are the least threat of the three monsters, but only just. They have no breath weapon, but possess far more magic than their airborne counterparts. Brilliant and ruthless, water dragons dwell near the surface but only in deep water.

Aside from the monsters, lizardfolk, kuo-toa, and merfolk inhabit the seas.
Lizardfolk are amphibious, but they spend most of their time in the water. Peaceful traders, it is from the underwater farms of the lizardfolk that the Republic gets a vast portion of its food.
Merfolk are tribal, and inhabit all the waters. Some tribes are warlike and will attack ships regardless of where they sail, while others are more peaceful. The population of merfolk at least equals that of humans, so they cannot be stereotyped (although that doesn't stop land dwellers from trying).
Kuo-toa are deep sea dwellers. Very little is known of them.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Species]

Humans are as they always were, not the best at anything, but then not the worst at anything either. Humans pioneered lighter-than-air travel, although since the Guild has done everything since it is unknown whether humans kept it up. {as PHB}

Dwarves are the bankers of the world. An impeccable sense of money, along with inherent honesty allow dwarves to run the best banks. {+2 INT/-2 STR}

If dwarves control the banks, then elves control trade. Elvish trading companies control 76% of the trade that goes on in the world, and that number grows almost daily. Elves in general are rather snobbish and hold themselves above all other races. But when shown that they are not on top of the world, elves can become some of the most humble beings on Aarseth. {+2 WIS/-2 CHA}

Halflings and gnomes fill similar roles in society, they are the handymen, the entertainers, the chimney sweeps. Very few halflings or gnome move up very far in the world, but those who do are truly gifted. Many of the larger species look down upon gnomes and halflings and in fact often confuse the two, something the gnome or halfling will be quick to point out, generally with some form of violence attached. {Halflings as PHB, gnomes +2 DEX/+2 INT/-2 STR; no spell like abilities}

Orcs, while not looked down upon the way halflings and gnomes are, are still unfairly held back (at least when they aren't looking). Orcs are more often then not manual laborers, where their strength and intelligence (or lack thereof) are 'best put to use.' A better reason would be that the other "higher" species want to keep the orcs in their place. {as MM}[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Random Information]

Aarseth (the planet this game is set on) is much larger than Earth. As such, the gravity is higher. Everyone is a good foot shorter than they would be normally.
Magic is an inborn talent. While magic can be learned, it is rather pointless (no wizards).[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Special Thanks]
Mithridates for the idea that the Guild holds a monopoly on oil, and for shooting my idea full of holes that I had to plug
Epic Meepo for defending my stance when no one else did, and a multitude of reasons why this is theoretically plausible.
[/spoiler]

[Xeviat]

Should I post responses here? Since you haven't said otherwise, I'll assume it's fine; if not, a mod can move the post.

I like the idea of the setting. I'm curious, though; if you're using WW2 air technology, then why hasn't the metal-working of the air been applied to ships and land vehicles. To me, it seems that if the high technology was explained more through magic, it would be easier to make things internally consistent.

But I like what you're trying to do here, allowing for the best land, sea, and air combat of all the eras. I too don't think gunpowder battles can be as epic as melee focused battles.

I am curious as to why you changed the racial ability adjustments of the races. Also, you mention that the United Island males differ from females, yet you don't mention this in the species entries.

How big is the rest of the world, or are you not worrying about it? If you're still dealing with small fuel tanks for aircraft, you might not need to worry too much, and with ocean travel being what it is, you won't have much in the way of exploration.

I do think blimps should be quite common, since they're relatively easy to make, all things considered.

Keep it coming, I'll be keeping my eye on you.

[Stargate525]

Well my first main point is that I disagree with you on where the golden age of fighters were. I'd say WWI.

[Xeviat]

WWI air tech would probably be easier to incorporate alongside cannons and wooden ships.

[Polycarp]

I guess this just doesn't feel organic to me.  For one, thing, how have we gotten to a place where the internal combustion engine has been mastered, but people still fight with swords?  Sure, the Guild conspiracy to keep the knowledge from the people and all, but that's an incredible leap of the imagination.  One invention - gunpowder for instance, or Greek Fire, or the printing press - I can see that being invented secretly and being kept that way.  We're not just talking about that here, however.  You are asking your players to believe that the internal combustion engine, aluminum processing, hydrogen synthesis, high explosive ordnance, machine guns, and the simple aerodynamics of flight are all present, as well as the myriad technologies that these technologies depend on - modern steel production, machine tools, replaceable and standardized parts, chemistry, physics - were all not only invented by this guild, but kept secretly.  These are products of an industrial revolution that took societies of millions of people hundreds of years to develop; I just can't wrap my head around a guild that does all these things and still keeps them a secret even when the technology is in common use.


You're going to run into problems with players, too, who will see the glaring and tremendous gap between the Guild and society and wonder, quite reasonably, if it wouldn't be too difficult to cross it.  Would the MGs on the planes simply stop working if taken off the planes?  If not, why is everyone still fighting with swords and spears when there are machine guns?  Sure, Guild property, but planes crash and people blab, especially in a d20 world where a high level adventurer who fancied a machine gun could conk some serious heads to get one. Couldn't the players just strip a Pratt&Whitney out of a plane, make a metal chassis, throw a few MGs in and invent the first tank?  Would stealing a single plane really be that hard?

Maybe some players wouldn't be bothered by all this, but it's a bit too much for me to swallow.  Call me a history purist, but I need my anachronisms to be at least borderline plausible.  It's not that I don't like the idea of Stukas dive-bombing formations of pikemen, but it takes all the fun out of it when there's no plausible rhyme or reason behind it.

Edit: For example, what if the Guild had a total monopoly on oil?  This doesn't really solve the whole machine gun problem, but it creates a reasonable explanation for why they have planes and nobody else can.  It's entirely reasonable that if only one remote area of the globe has oil, the people who live there will be significantly more advanced than others.  That's a far more plausible way to approach the technology gap than to use the idea of an incredibly massive conspiracy.

[Stargate525]

Mith posted the thing that was rubbing me wrong better than I ever could have. If you make the flying machines magical in nature, this may help lower the gap, but I agree that WWII and sword+board don't mix.

Seriously, there's no reason that the guild shouldn't be controlling the world right now, as they've got weapons that have no counter whatsoever.

[Gwaihir Windlord]

Ok, lemme try to defend this.  First off, I'm not going to change the WW2 part, but if you guys argue me down to point where I have to say "It's magic let it be!" so be it.

Ok, I like the idea about the oil.  I think I'll use that, thanks Mithridates for that.

The Guild hasn't taken over the world yet because they simply don't have the manpower.  They've got a few hundred engineers and a few thousand workers, but that pales in comparison to the military of the two other nations.

As for the rest of the world, I'm leaving that alone for now.  Maybe I'll get to it later, but as of right now any other civilizations are more than 3,000 miles away.

The planes are somewhat magical in nature.  The mechanics of it are all mundane, but there are serious magical enchantments on the aircraft.  If two parts of a plane are separated by an inch or more, the smaller piece is destroyed (as if touched by a Sphere of Annihilation).

The Guild doesn't control all air travel.  Lighter than air travel is open, although non guild airships tend to be powered magically instead of mechanically.

Thanks for the criticism, anything else?

[Polycarp]

The Guild hasn't taken over the world yet because they simply don't have the manpower.  They've got a few hundred engineers and a few thousand workers, but that pales in comparison to the military of the two other nations.

As for the rest of the world, I'm leaving that alone for now.  Maybe I'll get to it later, but as of right now any other civilizations are more than 3,000 miles away.[/quote]The planes are somewhat magical in nature.  The mechanics of it are all mundane, but there are serious magical enchantments on the aircraft.  If two parts of a plane are separated by an inch or more, the smaller piece is destroyed (as if touched by a Sphere of Annihilation).[/quote]fireballs[/i] are much, much better and already discovered?  Most fantasy settlings deal with this by making magic very scarce - the common people can't shoot fireballs, so they use guns.  P-51 Mustangs, however, are not an item of the "common people," which makes one wonder why a few hundred engineers would seclude themselves on an island and spend hundreds of years single-mindedly pursuing technologies they knew nothing about when magic to accomplish roughly the same thing was already available.  Or did magic develop alongside technology?  If so, why didn't technologies spread more widely before the "sphere of annihilation self-destruct mechanism" was invented?

[Epic Meepo]

[spoiler=This post and further debate can be found on the Planes and Guns thread.]

Planes and Guns[/url]

[Stargate525]

In fairness, you previously claimed that any society with a monopoly on planes and guns could conquer the entire world. Now you're saying that existing magic is already better than both planes and guns. So which is it: planes and guns conquer all, or planes and guns accomplish nothing?

No, he's saying existing magic already exists. If humans had the innate ability to fly, do you honestly think we'd have built airplanes? You need the progression, you're comparing two end-products and removing the chain of events.

What he's saying is that without the desire to build a wright flier, you've got no reason to assume the progression up to Mustangs.

[Polycarp]

Simple demographics. Assume each island contains the same number of monsters that need killing. XP earned divided by one thousand is much greater than XP earned divided by one million. So those thousand people on the Guild island are much higher level than those million people on the other islands. :D

In fairness, you previously claimed that any society with a monopoly on planes and guns could conquer the entire world. Now you're saying that existing magic is already better than both planes and guns. So which is it: planes and guns conquer all, or planes and guns accomplish nothing?[/quote]contingency[/i] sphere of annihilation effect.  Also, if magic is really that advanced, surely the non-Guild people could replicate any resource they were lacking, including oil, through magic, or dispel the self-destruct effect on planes, right?  Or just wish for a machine gun, or the schematics for one?

[Polycarp]

What he's saying is that without the desire to build a wright flier, you've got no reason to assume the progression up to Mustangs.

Exactly.  It's not as if the Engineers would have known what a Mustang was back when they were inventing the steam engine.  If they could already fly with magic long before they had even conceived of the idea of an airplane, why would they devote so much time to "re-inventing the wheel," as it were?  As they say, "necessity is the mother of invention," so if there's no necessity, why the invention?

[Epic Meepo]

[spoiler=This post and further debate can be found on the Planes and Guns thread.]

You need the progression, you're comparing two end-products and removing the chain of events.

Planes and Guns[/url]

[Stargate525]

Yes. We have the innate ability to walk, yet we still have Segue scooters. Name almost any human faculty, and I'm willing to bet there's a product that does the exact same thing, with no added efficiently, for those who are too lazy to do it themselves.

The thing is, the segways are faster than a walking pace. If I came up to you and said, 'look! it's a thing that lets you grab, you stick it on your hand and it slows it down, but five hundred years in the future, people using something based on this will be able to crush titanium!' You'd think I was a nutcase. The invention, in order to catch on, must be superior in its first incarnation than that which already exists.

Plus, flying warrior = less armor than flying warrior surrounded by flying hunk of the heaviest material you can make fly.

I could point out that that is still, by definition, armor...

In a world with divination magic, why not compare end-products? If I can commune with God and He says, "If you build that musket, your grandchildren will have more firepower than an army of warmages in a fort made of fireball scrolls," I'd be apt to listen.

The thing is, that's not true. It's saying 'if you build this musket, and make everyone else use it, then if the mages don't kill you, your offspring will be powerful.'

[Polycarp]

The thing is, the technology to build a Segway already existed when what's-his-name invented it.  Electric motors, plastics, metallurgy, gyroscopes, computers - these were already available, and he just threw them together in a novel way.  We're talking about a 500 year jump with a really significant investment of time - even if the original Guild engineers could cast commune to figure out what a P-51 Mustang was, they would have to work in the knowledge that not their children, or their grandchildren, or their great-grandchildren would see the fruits of their labor.  They and their children could spend their lives in drudgery, awaiting a future weapons advantage to come hundreds of years down the line - or they could just hop on board the magic train and be powerful now.  What would you choose?

Additionally, if you're going to let people get the P-51 from communing with the gods, it still begs the question as to why the other cultures haven't done the same thing.  Do the gods only answer the questions of the Guildsmen?