Anyone want some Ravnica?

[Zenogod]

Alright, so. Myself and a few friends have been toying with the idea of a Ravnica-based D&D campaign for a while, yet there is surprisingly little homebrew done for the setting, so I'm hoping to change that.

At the moment, there's alot left to do. Namely everything.

To-Do List at the moment includes:

Stating all the non-legendary creatures.
Stating all of the legendary creatures.
Creating and potentially re-creating a bunch of spells.
Converting the Artifacts from Ravnica, Guildpact, and Dissension into Magic Items.
Creating Prestige Classes for each of the Guilds. Potentially even just making them base-classes in some cases (Boros Legionnaire, for example, should probably be a base class).



People are welcomed to help with this as they wish. I'm going to be starting with doing The Boros Legion personally, and then continuing on from there.
I'll be posting things up here as I finish them.

Update: I'll be using the Color-Wheel Alignment system found here. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=136177&highlight=Phyrexia)
And also likely using the magic system and the magic system only from here. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=174163)

Guilds
The Izzet League
Symbol: The signet is a stylized, crowned dragon, modeled after Niv-Mizzet.
Background: While each Ravnican guild attempts to rule the plane - by money, force of arms, or magical skill - the Izzet are content with pure, unfettered research. As long as something exists, the Izzet will stop at nothing to identify, experiment, understand, and replicate it. Because of the Izzet, there are no natural disasters in the entire plane—they have long since discovered how to prevent them. The Izzet also run Ravnica's infrastructure, such as the heating and water supply systems.
Because of their obsessive passion for knowledge, however, the Izzet aren't methodical researchers. Excited to begin work on the Next Big Project and clouded by their inflated egos, Izzet mages will often take shortcuts in their work. This has led to all sorts of unnatural disasters.
Guild Hall: Nivix, Aerie of the Firemind. This impossibly tall spire is said to be protected by the most sophisticated sigils ever devised. Within its uppermost chamber, Niv-Mizzet holds court with his most intelligent magewrights, eating those who displease him.
Structure: The Izzet are an association of like-minded passionate philosophers, all of whom idolize Niv-Mizzet’s genius and caprice. Fiery competition and the drive for knowledge keep the guild’s alchemical labs and colleges humming.
Values: The Izzet believe in passionate study. Often this manifests in random experiments and strange revisions to reflect their ever-changing minds. They combine blue's need to learn more about the world with red's impulses, making a guild which learns through emotion. When an Izzet scholar finds something that it wants to study, he or she will start studying it with unbridled relentlessness, until something new is discovered, usually a very short time afterwards, in which case the current research is abandoned in favor of a newer, more interesting line of study. This tendency to be easily distracted is the reason many Izzet experiments are left uncompleted, but those that happen to achieve completion tend to be grandiose and bombastic.
Goal: To learn and understand everything they desire to know.
Enemies and Allies:
{table=head]Criterion|Guild Score Modification
Character Level| +1/2 level
Wizard, Sorcerer, or Artificer| +2
10 or more ranks in Spellcraft| +2
10 or more ranks in Use Magic Device| +2
Possesses a Mizzium Transreliquat| +3
Furthers the research of a member with 21 guild score or higher| +3[/table]

{table=head]Guild Score|Ttile: Benefits and Duties
3 or lower| Not affiliated junior member with no benefits.
4-14| Izzet Researcher: +2 on all Knowledge (Arcana) checks. The character has access to all spells within the Izzet Archive of 3rd level and lower.
15-22| Izzet Guildmage: The character gains Replicate and access to the Izzet laboratories, reducing the material cost of all Magic Items they craft by 10% while working in the labs..
23-29| Izzet Chronarch: The character gains Repeat Spell as a bonus feat if they meet the prerequisites (usable 1/day for spontaneous casters) and access to spells in the Izzet Archive of up to 7th level.
30 or higher| Confidant of the Firemind: The Character becomes connected to The Firemind by Niv-Mizzet himself. They recieve a +4 bonus on all caster level checks, as well as unrestricted access to the Izzet Archive. Also, the character may telepathically communicate with Niv-Mizzet from any distance so long as they are on the same plane.[/table]
Executive Powers: Craft, Research, Gift

[Zenogod]

Bump so non-nocturnals can view this.

[Rapidghoul]

I'm actually in the process of designing a level 13 Cityscape based campaign that is largely inspired by Ravnica. I'd love to help out designing things like that.

[boomwolf]

Ravnica is indeed a great world to work with, but a few suggestions to simplify and make sense of the project:

1-Consider what can use exsisting material, for example there is no reason your Boros Legionnaire cant be a regular fighter.
In general note, I don't see a reason to mess with anything must except monsters (and a few races like vedlkan and such) and new magic system/items.

2-rework the magic system of the planeswalker a bit, its "specialization" really hurt the enemy guilds from being a good idea (if you want to be glogary for example, you must waste your level 1 on a red mana and spell, despite not necessarily wanting it.) maybe have somebody choose 2 mana types at level one and he can only use these two ever? (or as alternative to THAT, choose a single mana he can only use, but he gets some bonus as compensation)
Also, the 2/day plane walking at level 7 is really over-the-top, in DnD power levels that should be a high level spell. (if at all existing that is)
On another note, colorless spells? more hybrid spells? SURLY more multicolored spells? you might also want to remove the spells with heavy mirrodin influence (saw a few) and focus more on ravnican ones (lorywn/shadowmoor can also give great idea, as they got a semi color-pair theme going on as well)

3-remember that while artifacts that grant mana in the card may be usually medicore, in DnD might be overwhelming. you are no longer limited by "cards", only casting time and mana available, in fact the power of many things change under these conditions, take that into consideration while converting-powerful in one place can be useless in another, and vice versa.

Other then that, I might have jumped in to assist you, but I recently released from military service and I thought to use my time to finally finalize my own setting from half-baked ideas and partially made classes into a playable one...

[gkathellar]

It's possible you may want the new, revised Color Wheel. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=174163)

[Zenogod]

@Rapidghoul: Anything in particular you'd like to help with? One of my friends is currently statting creatures for the Orzhov Syndicate.

@boomwolf: Aye, I was thinking Fighter for the Legionnaires. And as for the Planeswalker class, I was intending to only use the magic system- Not the class itself. As for the mana restrictions, I was considering allowing players to simply choose any color of mana whenever they acquire additional mana to their pool.

@gkathellar: Ah. Yes, danke shoen.

[Rapidghoul]

Well, in my campaign I'm writing up Affiliations from PHB2 for the city. Reworking them towards the 10 guilds would be easy enough. That's what I was doing rather than classes or prestige classes. The affiliation scores and powers reflect the guilds, and giving bonuses for appropriate classes (fighter or paladins for Boros, clerics and druids for Selesnya, etc.) would work out the flavor.

Either way, I think one of the most important things to do for the guilds would be to d&d-ize each guild's mechanic (Boros Radiance, Dimir Transmute, etc.).

[Zenogod]

Hmmm . . . I'm going to have to read through those rules instead of giving them a glance, it seems.

And, aye. I actually like the way it was handled by jokey665, for the most part.
Giving summons a negative level for Convoke, radiance can have a direct translation with the alignment system, with the mana system Replicate is also easily done.
For Haunt I was thinking it'd be a special quality unique to some creatures, varying in exact effect depending on the creature.
Transmute, hmm . . . Transmute . . . That one will be a bit tricky.
Hellbent could apply to summoned creatures if the caster is out of Mana. Not sure how it would work on non-summoned creatures.
Forecast I think could just be a special effect of certain spells for less mana, usable a set number of times per day.
I like how jokey665 handled Dredge. A lot.
Graft . . . Mmm Graft. Perhaps when you summon a with Graft you can shift over Str and Con from a previous summon to the current one?

[Waddacku]

I wouldn't make everything revolve around summon spells like that, unless you're just making a repository of Ravnica-themed summoned creatures. It's a lot of work for mechanics that will only see play in a tiny, tiny subset of cases. In addition, the constant summoning of creatures in the MtG game isn't something the creatures are doing, but what happens in duels between planeswalkers. Well, more mundane wizards do that, too, but still. And likely not as frequently.

Hellbent is some sort of benefit under some adverse condition. Something like having lost a certain fraction of your max HP could do it, but it doesn't feel quite right to me. Some sort of resource should be depleted or mostly depleted to trigger it, though...

I don't think graft necessarily needs to be an ability of many creatures (though some certainly could have it!). In those cases, I'd imagine them simply having an ability to transfer something from themselves to other creatures. Retaining the "enters the battlefield" clause for the recipient only makes it awkward.
It doesn't necessarily have to be the same kind of benefit for all of them, either. I think expanding the scope of it is perfectly fair.
In addition, of course, grafting parts of one creature to another creature is what the Simics actually do. It's not just represented in a special ability/quality of some creatures, it's part of the workings of the guild.

What I'm trying to say, I guess, is they ought to be fairly broad, and focus on adhering to flavor over exact MtG implementation.



EDIT: Ooh, right. Ravnica has a bunch of special creatures/types/subtypes, too, which should be interesting to stat...
I'm not sure how thrulls would work, but they're too varied to be just one kind of creature. Probably a subtype, but I don't know if they have any special features worth mentioning.
Weirds are elementals with two normally opposed subtypes, I'd say.

[Deepbluediver]

Here's a thought. some thoughts.

What about assigning one or two classes to each guild as the template for that entire guild, and anyone who wants to play that class is automatically associated with said guild. Conflict is much less about good/evil so much as it is about guild warfare. Your guild is "good". Other guilds are "bad", and some are "very bad". Rather than worry about your alignment, you worry if your actions will get you kicked out of/assassinated by your guild.
I think that gives you a fair amount of potential for roleplay and conflict that your players will need to deal with.
Multiclassing should probably be limited to things that are thematically aligned with your guild. Prestige classes might overlap a little bit more.

Since there are conveniently 11 base classes in the PHB, I'll try to stick with as many of them as I can.

Boros Legion (red/white): Fighter/Paladin

The Golgari Swarm (green/black): Dread Necromancer (And right off the bat I'm breaking my own rule. This is a base class, right? correct me if I'm wrong)

The Selesnya Conclave (green/white): Monk

House Dimir (blue/black): Rogue

The Orzhov Syndicate (white/black): Cleric

The Izzet League (blue/red): Wizard/Sorcerer

The Gruul Clans (red/green): Barbarian

The Azorius Senate (white/blue): (no idea, help me out here)

The Cult of Rakdos (black/red): Warlock

The Simic Combine (green/blue): Druid/Ranger


If there are other good base classes from non-core material, please feel free to add suggestions; these are just the things that I know best.

If we start statting up the legendaries, what CR/ECL should we aim for? Is 15 high enough or do you want to jump right to 20?

Also, maybe we can cap all leveling at 20, and beyond that for any "epic" play everyone gets ranks in a special planewalker class.

[Zenogod]

@Waddacku: Mmm. Alternatively Hellbent could be a limited per-day ability triggered by several conditions, for example, losing 1/4th of their total HP from one attack, a certain percentage of their allies dying, etc, and after the effect ends they're fatigued much like a Barbarian's rage?
As for Graft, aye, I feel like it could be a special ability acquired by Wizards/Sorcerers that allows them to transfer extraordinary abilities, and eventually supernatural abilities from one creature to another . . . Still could use some thinking, though.

@Deepbluediver: Hmmmm. I like the classes you have listed, for the most part. I'd probably modify it to something more like:

Boros Legion (red/white): Fighter/Paladin

The Golgari Swarm (green/black): Dread Necromancer/Cleric

The Selesnya Conclave (green/white): Ranger/Druid

House Dimir (blue/black): Rogue/Sorcerer/Wizard

The Orzhov Syndicate (white/black): Cleric/Rogue

The Izzet League (blue/red): Wizard/Sorcerer

The Gruul Clans (red/green): Barbarian/Ranger

The Azorius Senate (white/blue): Wizard/Cleric

The Cult of Rakdos (black/red): Warlock/Paladin of Slaughter

The Simic Combine (green/blue): Wizard/(No clue what a secondary class would be, here.)

As for the Legendaries, I'd have the non-guild leader Legendaries at around CR 10-16, and the Guild Leaders anywhere from 18-23. Niv-Mizzet, for example, is rather obviously an epic-level spellcaster. And I doubt Razia is below CR 20.

[Rapidghoul]

I did something like this myself, though I used a lot of non-core classes too. Let me add a few thoughts:

Boros Legion (red/white): Fighter / Paladin / Favored Soul / Knight / Marshall
The Golgari Swarm (green/black): Dread Necromancer / Cleric / Druid / Wizard (Necromancer)
The Selesnya Conclave (green/white): Ranger / Druid / Monk / Scout / Spirit Shaman / Healer / Wizard (Abjurer / Diviner)
House Dimir (blue/black): Rogue /Sorcerer / Wizard (Illusionist / Enchanter) / Bard / Spellthief / Ninja / Beguiler / Factotum
The Orzhov Syndicate (white/black): Cleric / Rogue/ Evil Spirit Shaman / Dread Necromancer / Warlock / Wizard (Diviner / Necromancer)
The Izzet League (blue/red): Wizard / Sorcerer / Artificer / Archivist / Bard / Warmage / Factotum / Dragonfire Adept / Dragon Shaman (maybe no Wizards, just Sorcerers? Or maybe just Evokers / Conjurers)
The Gruul Clans (red/green): Barbarian / Ranger / (Chaos)Monk / Fighter / Sorcerer / Wizard (Evoker / Transmuter)
The Azorius Senate (white/blue): Wizard / Cleric / Favored Soul / Paladin / Archivist
The Cult of Rakdos (black/red): Warlock / Paladin of Slaughter / Barbarian / Hexblade / Wizard (Conjurer / Evoker)
The Simic Combine (green/blue): Wizard (Transmuter) / Druid / Archivist / Factotum

[boomwolf]

I would place fighter as generic non-guild related class and give Boros warmages instead (complete arcane?), or even celestial-flavored warlocks, as they ARE similar to Rakdos in tactics at times.

For Dimir I would drop sorcerer, rouge/wizard is enough, and they believe in the power of knowledge, not natural power.

Rakdos strikes me more as warlock/barbarian as paladins of slaughter is a silly class that does not really make any sense.

Simic secondary could be druid, they DO work with nature, in their own eyes they do nothing then accelerate what nature would have done by himself anyway.

[Zenogod]

Fighter as a generic class generally works, but for flavor I'd rather keep it as a militaristic class. I'll probably use the generic classes in unearthed arcana for generic classes, when needed (If needed at all, really, most stuff in the block is fairly specialized).

[Zenogod]

Alright, so, as far as Mechanics go-

Forecast (Ex): A spellcaster with Forecast can spend 1 standard action and 1 colorless mana to ready a spell ahead of time. The caster designates a single spell which they can cast, and on their next turn they may cast that spell for 1 colorless mana less than it's normal mana cost. In addition, the caster gains a +10 bonus on Spellcraft checks to resist the spell being countered. If the caster doesn't cast the forecasted spell on their next turn, they are unable to forecast for 1d4 rounds.

Bloodthirst (Ex): Whenever a creature with Bloodthirst deals damage with a melee attack, they receive a +2 bonus on all melee damage rolls, and a -1 penalty on all attack rolls. This stacks until the bonus from Bloodthirst is equal to 2x the creature's hit dice. If a creature with bloodthirst goes a full round without dealing damage in melee, all bonuses and penalties from Bloodthirst are lost.

Dredge (Ex): A spellcaster with Dredge may spend 2 and 1 of either black or green mana to raise a fallen creature. A creature raised in this way becomes an undead, and the caster may apply templates to this creature as they choose (+1 colorless and 1 black mana for each +1 to the creature's CR that the template applies in this way). Creatures raised in this way posses 1 negative level. Creatures may be raised in this way multiple times, each time adding 1 more negative level. A creature reduced to level 0 in this way cannot be raised. A caster with Dredge must pay the mana for each template which was applied to the creature by Dredge in addition to the normal Dredge cost when raising such a creature.

Replicate (Ex): A spellcaster with Replicate may pay the mana cost of a spell any number of times, each time adding 1 colorless to the cost of the spell. For each time a spell's mana cost is paid in this way, copy it. The caster can choose new targets or areas of effect for the copies. Replicating a spell increases it's casting time by 1 step (Immediate to Swift, Standard to Full-Round). A spell which takes a full-round action to cast cannot be replicated by this ability.

Radiance: When a spell or ability with Radiance targets a creature, copy it for each creature who shares part of that creature's Alignment within 30ft of the original target. The spell or ability effects all creatures for whom it was copied.

Convoke: Whenever a spell or ability with convoke is used, any willing creature within 30ft may take 1 negative level to reduce the mana cost of the spell or ability by 1 colorless mana.

Graft (Ex): A creature with Graft has something augmented about their physiology. For each point of Graft a creature has, they recieve a specific bonus from the following:

{table=head]Graft Bonuses
+2 to Str, Dex, or Con.
An additional Extraordinary ability (at the GM's discretion)
+2 to the save DC of an extraordinary or supernatural ability.
An extra limb or body part (This may also occur automatically as part of a new Extraordinary ability)[/table]

A spellcaster with Graft may spend a full-round action and 1 colorless + 2 mana of either green or blue to shift 1 point of Graft from 1 creature they can touch to another creature they can touch, or to themself. Whenever a point of graft is shifted, both creatures involved must make a Fortitude save. The DC for this save begins at 15 and is influenced by a number of conditions.

{table=head]Condition|Modifier
The creatures are of different size catagories| +5 (per catagory)
Either creature doesn't already have Graft| +5
The creature has 10 or more Hit Dice| -5
The spellcaster has been in combat within the past minute| +5
The creature being grafted onto was summoned within 1 round| -5
The creatures are of different types (I.E. Humanoid to Monstrous Humanoid)| +5
A Counter attempt is made on the caster| +5
[/table]

A Graft attempt fails if it is interrupted or if either creature fails their Fortitude save. If a Graft attempt fails, both creatures involved have their Constitution scores reduced by 1 and take 1 Constitution damage. A creature's maximum Graft score is equal to 1/2 their Constitution modifier. Whenever a point of Graft is shifted, the creature it is shifted to recieves the exact same bonus as the creature whom had it previously.
Grafting provokes an attack of opportunity. If the spellcaster is dealt damage while grafting, the graft attempt fails. Shifting Graft is, in all functions, a spell and may be countered as such. For the purposes of countering it is a Transmutation spell.

Haunt (Su): Whenever a spell with Haunt is cast, or whenever a creature with Haunt enters combat, an effect specific to the creature or spell triggers. After a spell with haunt is cast or when a creature with haunt dies, target creature within 30ft must make a will save (DC standard for the spell cast, or as a supernatural ability for the creature), if they fail this save they are Haunted. When the Haunted creature dies, the effect which triggered when the spell was cast or creature entered combat triggers again.

Hellbent (Su): A creature with Hellbent recieves a +6 bonus to Strength and Constitution, and -2 to AC if an attack reduces them by 1/4 of their total hit points or more. Specific creatures may have further abilities upon triggering Hellbent. A creature with Hellbent may spend a full-round action to trigger Hellbent instead of waiting for it to trigger. A Spell with Hellbent has additional effects if it's caster has no mana in their mana pool after casting the spell.

Transmute: A spellcaster with Transmute may spend 1, 1 Black and 1 Blue mana to unlearn a spell they currently know, and replace it with a spell of the same cost from the list of spells they can cast, as long as both spells have the same mana cost. The caster must have access to the spell they are switching out, such as by a spellbook or scroll. Spellcasters who prepare spells ahead of time may use Transmute to shift a readied spell to a different spell of the same mana cost. A spellcaster may use this ability a number of times per day equal to their primary casting statistic's modifier.

[Zenogod]

Say, world at large, how would you all suggest I go about statting the following creatures:
Szadek, Lord of Secrets (http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=247390)
Chorus of the Conclave (http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=247374)
Savra, Queen of the Golgari (http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=89113)
and
Rakdos, the Defiler (http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=107438)

[Zaydos]

Well my up till 5:30 in the morning top of my head answer for Savra is an Arcane Hierophant (Races of the Wild) with a special ability to damage a willing creature to hurt a target (if the creature is an undead, humanoid, or outsider) or to heal herself (if the creature is an animal, magical beast, or plant); she can kill them instead for greater effect (summons are useful for this).

Szadek would be a vampire wizard with the ability to drain Int from targets to buff his CL and regain spell-slots.

Rakdos: Balor :P I mean look at that picture it looks just like one. Make it a balor which causes explosions when it attacks.

[Zenogod]

Hmmm . . . All great ideas. Thanks.

[thewhitewolf]

what if Szadek was a vampire sorcerer? maybe with a larger focus in boosts and div?