PDA

View Full Version : (3.5 Campaign Preview) Steel Gray Dawn



TooManySecrets
2010-06-18, 10:34 PM
STEEL GRAY DAWN
http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/8491/steelgraydawn.png

These are a couple of things from a magic item-heavy campaign I'm working on. It's all still very much a work in progress, but I'd like some feedback on what I have so far. Any input would be appreciated.


War Wands
{table=head]Simple Weapons | Cost | Dmg (M) | Critical | Range Increment | Weight | Type
War Wand, Light | 100gp | 1d6 | x2 | 60ft | 1 lb | Force
War Wand, Heavy | 300gp | 1d10 | x2 | 120ft | 3 lb | Force
War Wand Gauntlet | 200gp | 1d6 | x2 | 20ft | 1 lb | Force
[/table]

Though derived from the etherblade weapons used by the ethergaunts [see Fiend Folio] during their invasion of the Material World thirty years ago, the modern war wand bares very little resemblance to an etherblade. While the etherblade relied on technology even now poorly understood, war wands use principles well known the magic community. Still too expensive for the common man, war wands are in use by many armies and explorers.

War Wands come in three distinct forms. Light and heavy war wands bare superficial resemblance to a crossbow, though without the eponymous cross and with a much shorter length. Light war wands are one-handed weapons while heavy war wands are two-handed weapons. The much more-uncommon war wand gauntlets resembles a slightly oversized gauntlet.

War wands use small, inscribed cases that store magical energy. These cases are put into a small rectangular hole in the War Wand and removed when they run out of energy. All war wands can fire 10 times without reloading. It takes a move action to reload a new case.

When the trigger mechanism is pulled, the war wand fires a blast of force. While this is resolved as a normal ranged attack, for purposes of spells and abilities it is treated as a ranged touch attack.

War wand gauntlets can be used in a grapple and the user can't be disarmed of them.

War Wand Ammo
{table=head]Ammo Type | Cost
Basic | 1gp
Penetrating Force | 100gp
Solid Force | 3gp
Soul-Seeking | +500gp
Spell Inscribed, 1st | +200gp
Spell Inscribed, 2nd | +1200gp
Spell Inscribed, 3rd | +3000gp
[/table]

Basic: The basic ammo for war wands. About the size of a pinky.

Penetrating Force: This ammo case has it's inscriptions inlaid with silver or gold and are far more intricate than the basic inscriptions. War wands using this ammo are treated as ranged touch attacks.

Solid Force: Slightly more complicated than basic ammo, when fired with a war wand the blast of force is far more solid. War wands using this ammo are treated as normal ranged attacks.

Soul-Seeking: This ammo case has it's inscriptions inlaid with ivory or bone. When fired from a war wand, the blast seeks out souls. War wands using this ammo ignore cover and can fire through total cover at a -4 penalty if there is a viable path (DM's discretion), but only against living creatures or Outsiders. In addition, since an Outsider's soul and body are on, the ammo provides a +2 bonus to attack Outsiders (this might not be effective against powerful Outsiders at the DM's discretion)

Spell Inscribed: This ammo is intricately inscribed with words of magic and power. Each shot from a war wand using this ammo casts the inscribed spell on the target if hit (spells which require a touch attack automatically hit, otherwise resolve normally). Normal rules governing use-activated spells on weapons are in effect. (see below).


New and Modified Feats

Salvage [General]
Where others see trash, you see treasure waiting to be used. You can dissemble magic items to craft new ones at reduced cost.
Prerequisites: Any magic item creation feat
Benefits: By taking 10 minutes you can break a magic item down into it's component pieces, gaining an amount of crafting material equal to 75% of the item's market price. For example, if you were to Salvage a Potion of Cure Light Wounds, you would gain 37gp and 5sp worth of crafting material. Exceptionally large magic items may take more than 10 minutes to dissemble, at DM's discretion.
Normal: You cannot re-use magic items (though you can add additional abilities).
Special: If the character has the retain essence class feature, they can use that ability and Salavge on the same item.

Redirect Fire [General]
Anyone foolish enough to try hitting you with a ranged weapon at melee range is going to hit something they wish they hadn't.
Prerequisites: Dex 15, Improved Unarmed Strike, Deflect Arrows
Benefits: If a character uses a projectile-firing ranged weapon (such as any type of bow, crossbow, or war wand) at you while they are within reach and miss, you may instead force them to fire at any other target they could hit normally. Use the original roll to determine whether they hit the new target.
Special: A monk with Deflect Arrows may select Redirect Fire even if they don't meet the prerequisites.

Rapid Reload [General]
Choose war wands or crossbows. You can reload either more rapidly.
Prerequisites: Weapon Proficiency (chosen type of weapon)
Benefits: The time required for you to reload a crossbow is reduced to a free action (for a hand or light crossbow or war wand) or a move action (for a heavy crossbow). Reloading a crossbow or war wand still provokes an attack of opportunity.

If you have selected this feat for hand crossbow or light crossbow, you may fire that weapon as many times in a full attack action as you could attack if you were using a bow.
Normal: A character without this feat needs a move action to reload a hand or light crossbow or war wand, or a full-round action to reload a heavy crossbow.
Special: You may select this feat another time and choose crossbows or war wands if they haven't been chosen before. Note: this feat replaces the normal Rapid Reload and removes the necessity of choosing which type of crossbow. Rapid Reload (Crossbow) now works for all crossbows.

Sniper [General]
You are skilled in using war wands and crossbows to deadly effect.
Prerequisites: Proficiency with hand, heavy, light crossbow, or any type of war wand, Weapon Focus with hand, heavy, light crossbow, or any type of war wand
Benefits: [Same as Crossbow Sniper, except with the addition of war wands. Check PHBII, which is Closed Content]
Special: A fighter can select Sniper as one of his fighter bonus feats.


Compendia of Miscellania
This is just some stuff about the campaign that you might want to know in order to better critique.


STYLE GUIDE: Species names are always lowercase (unless at the beginning of a sentence). So, it's ethergaunt and orc, not Ethergaunt and Orc. This isn't all that important, but I'd just thought I'd throw it in.
Steel Gray Dawn has a much more liberal policy guiding magic items. The biggest change is in the use of use-activated weapons, mainly in that they're allowed and, to some extent, expected. However, the spells they cast are less effective. This usually means for damaging effects that they only deal 1/4 the amount of damage and for non-damaging effects their save DC is at a -5 penalty.
HP in Steel Gray Dawn follows 4e's style i.e. Base + Constitution Score.