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gareth
2009-02-28, 03:26 AM
Playing around with the Monster Manual, I've come up with an idea for a campaign setting: limit all characters and monsters to Small or Tiny size. PCs can be Halflings, Gnomes, Goblins, or Kobolds. As well as those races, the PCs can fight 17 other kinds of monsters, from level 1 to 24. Everything from vastly powerful mages (Great Flameskulls) to cunning fey (Quicklings) to humans twisted by the Far Realm (Foulspawn Grues) to sinister denizens of the Nine Hells themselves (Imps) is represented. All templates can be applied to small humanoids, so there's a lot of scope for filling in the gaps.
PC classes pose a bit of a challenge. Gnome Wizards and Halfling Rogues are fine. Defenders are a bit worse, but you could always go for a Charisma-based Paladin and have three races to choose from. Clerics are hopeless - nothing has a Wisdom increase. So an Inspiring Warlord from one of the Charisma races is about the best you can do for a Leader.
Any other thoughts?

Keld Denar
2009-02-28, 03:33 AM
Tiny Heros! Saving the world before breakfast, except that they can't reach the cereal in the top cupboard.

Wah wah wah......

kamuishirou
2009-02-28, 05:38 AM
Well, for a Leader, the Halfling can go Bard with the Cha bonus. Though imho you can always use point buy for Cleric or Warlord to get an 18 in your primary stat. You could also play a fighter using a longsword to have a +7 to attack at first level with a 16 in Str. (This is all off the top of my head, so I'm not sure how right I am. I'm currently at work and not at my computer with the Character Builder.) (*NOTE: Reason I'm using Character Builder is because I'm deployed at the moment and only brought one book with me :).)

I do like the idea. Always a fan of the little guys. I'm having a blast with my Halfling Ranger, using twin-blade style and only having a 16 Str isn't bad. edit: It's nice to have a 16 in Str and Dex.

AgentPaper
2009-02-28, 05:45 AM
Aww, and here I was hoping for a dungeon based on the "It's a Small World" ride.

But that would probably just be too terrifying for words...:smalleek:

NPCMook
2009-02-28, 05:57 AM
Technically you can go up to level 29, without having to really increase the number of monsters per encounter just use the guide on page 174 of the DMG.

Kobolds can make a good based for Battlevigor Rager Fighters, though through the whole campaign Halflings will have the upper hand since they have Racial feats, Gnomes will gain an upper hand also since they are getting a write-up in PHB2.

Damn it WotC where's the love for my Kobolds :smallfrown: Give them a write-up already :furious:

Kobold...

kamuishirou
2009-02-28, 06:59 AM
But that would probably just be too terrifying for words...:smalleek:

Ditto! I still remember the time I went to Disneyland with my gf and she really wanted to go on It's a Small World. I asked her numerous times, "Are you sure?" She realized the mistake a few moments after we were stuck on the small wooden boat. My friends and I avoided it like the plague this past summer. Then we found out it was closed because of the boats sinking due to large passengers.

I apologize for the off topic rant. But that could be one heck of a dungeon. Stuck on a small boat and fighting small wooden puppets/golems...hmmmm....

BobVosh
2009-02-28, 07:39 AM
Don't dwarves get a bonus to wisdom? Just knock off 6 or so inches and they barely squeeze into small.

Asbestos
2009-02-28, 11:45 AM
Halflings make decent Tempest Fighters and a Kobold might not be bad in this role either. A Gnome could make a passable Swordmage (he'd probably want to grab a rapier so he can one-hand it and then maybe multiclass into Rogue since he now has a light blade) or a Tactical Warlord (they get an Int bonus too), though Resourceful Warlord might be best. Goblins and Halflings both make great Wildsoul Sorcerers and anything with a Con or Dex bonus would work fine as a Druid since those are secondary stats for them. Cleric is probably the hardest since no small race so far has a bonus to Str or Wis. Basically anything else might work thanks to having boosts in secondary stats.

kamuishirou
2009-02-28, 12:53 PM
Cleric is probably the hardest since no small race so far has a bonus to Str or Wis. Basically anything else might work thanks to having boosts in secondary stats.

I feel challenged now. I think my next character may be a Halfling Cleric :).

Artanis
2009-02-28, 01:04 PM
You could also use Changelings/Doppelgangers and restrict them to small forms (including making their "natural" form small).

Rumplestiltskin
2009-03-01, 09:11 AM
I think there is room in there for Halfling, Gnome, or Goblin clerics, since all of those gain a Cha bonus, which can be used with a throw-together lazor build. In addition, if you use point buy to focus on Wisdom, then you could use your extra Cha/Int/or Dex to MC for an interesting twist on the cleric build. In addition, each of these classes makes for a mighty hard to pin down leader. If you focused on utilities and Effects that heal or provide saves, then your party will almost always get the full benefit of everything the little guy can dish out.

Man, too bad too! This world would be great for unveiling my all gnome party! Warlord, Paladin, Warlock, Rogue, and Wizard. The Warlord focuses on powers that moves your guys around. The paladin on healing and survival powers. The Warlock and Rogue focus on stealth, movement, and teleportation. The wizard focuses on zones and invisibility spells (and illusion rituals). Ta-da, the most annoying party to find and hit ever. I haven't tested it, but at epic levels, it may be easily possible to go entire combats without your strikers (and possibly your controller or leader) ever being seen.

Saintjebus
2009-03-01, 10:12 AM
Halflings can make decent fighters. I made a halfling fighter that focused on battlefield control. If I remember correctly, every time he hit someone, he shifted them up to 3 squares, and once per encounter could increase it to 6. He was actually pretty effective.

Shadow_Elf
2009-03-01, 02:45 PM
I made a rather effective Halfling Tempest Fighter - at level 17, everything he marked granted CA to every other member of his party. His damage out put was good, but he had low defences for a Defender.

MC Rogue for SA 1/encounter, then take Swashbuckler for ridiculous Combat Advantage Combos.

serok42
2009-03-02, 07:18 AM
Ditto! I still remember the time I went to Disneyland with my gf and she really wanted to go on It's a Small World. I asked her numerous times, "Are you sure?" She realized the mistake a few moments after we were stuck on the small wooden boat. My friends and I avoided it like the plague this past summer. Then we found out it was closed because of the boats sinking due to large passengers.


Sorry for more off topic-ness
Yep my Girlfriend and I went to Disneyworld and she had never ridden It's a small world. I asked her if she was sure she wanted to ride it. After it was over she said that we never had to do that again...Ever!

On topic this is a great idea. In 3.5 days I played in the RPGA and there was a group of all gnomes i got to tag along with them for a few sessions and it was great fun.

KIDS
2009-03-02, 07:44 AM
A cool idea, but if everyone is small/tiny, won't then it be relatively the same as a normal game? Perhaps it would be better to limit just the players to the "short crew"?

Regarding your concerns about lack of wisdom bonuses I have to say, does that really matter so much? A Wisdom score 2 more or less will not have a noticeable effect (and getting an unmodified 16 isn't that costly anyways).