A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

[SamBurke]

I'm asking, do you want someone like the Pharisees? *insert description here*

[Wyntonian]

I might. Are you offering to create them or what? I don't really know much about the history of them, but if you could sum it up I'd be grateful.

[SamBurke]

Ok. Basic history is very simple: They were religious leaders for Judiaism. They over-did the religion, nit-picking it to death, extrapolating dozens of rules (up to 613 at one point) from the rather simple original commands. Then, they set themselves up as judges for those rules, bearing down on their people. The people still thought of them as wise and right, and so just went along with it. They were uppity to all other religions, believing them to be false, and demanded conformity in all areas for its own people.

[Wyntonian]

That sounds almost exactly like what I'm looking for in my religion. Now I just need some fluff and some flavoring for it. I'm brick-walled on this, otherwise I'd just do it myself. Maybe a Shintoesque form of ancestor worship that suggests that ancestors don't like mages because they died fighting the First People who taught them magic?

[SamBurke]

Sounds good to me.

[Wyntonian]

So, current priorities include:

*creating the political structure of the church and the second country (sorta the same thing)

*Deciding the regional flavor of the Second Country (Nordic for first, Korean/Japanese for third, Catalan/Italian for fourth).

*Finishing the spell lists and magic system. Spoiler-There's no wizards!!! omfgwhat! and Sorcerers use the new cleric-based list!

*ummm..... more detail work on all the everythings, I guess? or whatever y'all want to see more of.

[SamBurke]

Um... no wizards? (Because of the backstory with the First People, I assume?)

[Wyntonian]

No, I simply don't think they fit. Magic will be a fairly natural, almost holistic practice, and I've pared down the spell lists substantially. I now have Bards, Druids (only past the river, and a couple with the urgals), Pallies/Rangers (all of whom have their regular lists, with some very, very minor adjustments) and my new bastardized clerics, with sorcerers using the same spell list. I'm still doing up my spell lists (thank god for the d20 srd), but I plan to make every cleric/whatevery-guy pick a specialty off a traditional Native American life wheel, with some adjustments made...

The wheel is essentially a circle in quarters, so these casters will choose from being a Red (summer, fire spells and sun stuff, a couple of visual illusions) Blue, (winter, cold and wind, and some sending-style things), Black (autumn, physical buffs, some earth and stone-themed spells) or Green (Plants and animals, Spring, poisons and the only summonings available in the class. Pretty much druids/rangers, but with a smaller list).
There's a central list that everyone can access which includes heals,

The idea is that magic in a very limited sense is actually fairly common and culturally accepted, but people find it so everyday that is almost unnoticed, like any other sort of trade. Yeah, that housewife can cast cure minor wounds, but that doesn't make her a witch or powerful enchantress (outside of the second country)

I'm thinking about also adding some sort of buff or special bonus to go along with each sort of caster, like Greens getting an animal companion, or Blacks getting martial weapon proficiency, or Blues getting...something else.

I'll put up the spell lists up when i finally finish them (I'm on level seven! yay!)

[BigDumbWeirdo]

I think I'll go with Vallheim for the first country, but those other ideas will probably become cities.

Just a note which might be worth an idea... "Val-heim" means "election home,"
if loosely translated. Maybe it could be a ruled by a Thing if you're not married to the king idea.

[Valley]

The idea is that magic in a very limited sense is actually fairly common and culturally accepted, but people find it so everyday that is almost unnoticed, like any other sort of trade. Yeah, that housewife can cast cure minor wounds, but that doesn't make her a witch or powerful enchantress (outside of the second country)

That is interesting because if magic is low-level, used in every household, then you will not have massive Guilds/Schools/Whatnot controlling it. You will find the equipment and materials you need next to the fruits and farming tools. Traveling vendors will sell herbs and magical spices along with iron knives and claywares. Would anybody be assigned to keep con artists from selling bad magic or spoiled material? Or is it buyer beware?

[Wyntonian]

Ok, first off the bit about Vallheim being an actual word was complete coincidence, but I like it. My idea was that the grandfather of the current king, Bjarni the Strong, reinstated the prewar political structure after he ended the civil war that had separated the clans for about forty years. What this implies is that when a ruler abdicates the throne, is voted off by at least eight of the other eleven clan chiefs, or dies, a successor is chosen from the ranks of the chiefs of the Twelve Clans that make up the population of Vallheim. Those who were not elected serve as advisers, ambassadors, judges, Generals, etc. according to their abilities, as well as representing their clans to the King. This is sorta like a Thing, but not exactly.

Also, about the magic system. The First People were able to draw their power directly from the land, but the newcomers (who have been around more than a thousand years by now) were never quite able to do that. Instead, they use magic found in everyday materials in concert with their own willpower and focus to create the effects of a spell, along with a few barely-understood alchemical processes (think for fire spells). By preparing spells, a caster (I need a name for this class, too) meditates on which spells to prepare, and works their own energy, which is limited by level (manifests as spells per day), into the components to be released later. Other types of magic, like Nature's Ally, or speak to animals, comes from a budding understanding of the natural world as well as an willingness to listen, which is fairly rare.

There really isn't any sort of wizard school, but particularly talented casters may have been trained by the older caster of their village, who would probably work as a storyteller/teacher/Old Wise Dude.

I hope this clears stuff up, and please keep asking questions, it helps me flesh ideas out much better.

[Arathnos]

As others have said, basing things off of real cultures, especially names, is a great start. I like to use this page for generating names.

http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~pound/

It has a huge collection of words from various different languages, including several fantasy works like Tolkien and Lovecraft. You can use it to generate the names for each region and help you to establish a distinct and unified theme for each country.

[Wyntonian]

Thanks Arathnoid

Finally, I have my spell lists for the new casting class. Feedback is what makes this work, so don't be shy to diss it. Each caster would choose a color/spec at creation and have the base list plus their color-specific list. they would get spells per day as a cleric, as well as the cleric attack progression and armor proficiency through medium, although they can only cast in light armor without a chance of failure.

NOTE: Spells followed by a * are found in the Spell Compendium.

Level 0

Spoiler

Show

All:
*Cure Minor Wounds
*Call Water-As create water, comes out of the ground.
*Purify Food and Drink
*Virtue
*Longstrider
*Know Direction
*Dancing Lights

Red:
*Light
*Flare

Blue:
*Ghost Sound
*Message
*Ray of Frost

Black:
*Resistance
*Inflict Minor Wounds
*Concuss-as daze, but on touch, works on animals+ humanoids

Level 1:

Spoiler

Show

*Cure Light Wounds
*Move w/o Trace
*Hearten-As remove fear
*Bless
*Bane
*Command-used only after Hypnotism
*Hypnotism
*Calm Animals
*Lock-As Hold Portal
*Grease
*Goodberry
*Cure Light Wounds
*Disguise Self

Red:
*Faerie Fire
*Endure Elements-Fire only
*Burning Hands
*Produce Flame
*Animate Fire*

Blue:
*Feather Fall
*Entropic Shield-Caused by swirling winds
*Obscuring Mist
*Shocking Grasp
*Amplify
*Animate Water*

Black:
*Magic Stone
*Resist Energy
*Enlarge Person
*Shillelagh
*Shield
*Backbiter*

Green:
*Charm Animals
*Speak w/ Animals
*Entangle
*Nature's Ally I
*Detect Animals/Plants
*Animate Wood*

Level 2

Spoiler

Show

All:
*Calm Emotions
*Cure Moderate Wounds
*Hold Person
*Glitterdust-Using Short range
*Mighty Cry-as Sound Burst
*Heroism
*Rage
*Scare
*Spider Climb
*Augment Familiar* (works on animal companions
*Bite of the Wererat (Fox clan of Vallheim only, appears as a fox)

Red:
*Heat Metal
*Fire Trap
*Continual Flame
*Pyrotechnics
*Eagle's Splendor

Blue:
*Owl's Wisdom
*Resist Energy-Cold Only
*Wind Wall
*Fog Cloud
*Whispering Wind
*Chill Metal
*Gust of Wind
*Binding Winds*

Black:
*Bear's Endurance
*Bull's Strength
*Soften Earth+Stone
*Spiritual Weapon
*Remove Paralysis

Green:
*Animal Messenger
*Cat's Grace
*Nature's Ally II
*Tree Shape
*Delay Poison
*Barkskin
*Snare

Level 3

Spoiler

Show

All:
*Clairvoyance/Clairaudience
*Cure Serious Wounds
*Fear
*Remove Curse
*Dispel Magic
*Crushing Despair
*Good Hope
*Bestow Curse
*Prayer

Red:
*Daylight
*Searing Light
*Protection from energy-Heat Only
*Flame Arrow

Blue:
*Call Lightning
*Sleet Storm
*Water Breathing
*Quench
*Protection from energy-Cold Only

Black:
*Haste
*Slow
*Magic Vestement
*Stone Shape
*Meld into Stone
*Absorb Weapon*

Green:
*Plant Growth/Diminish Plants
*Dominate Animal
*Greater Magic Fang
*Neutralize Poison
*Nature's Ally III
*Tree Shape
*Leech Strike-as Vampiric Touch

Level 4

Spoiler

Show

*Cure Crit Wounds
*Shout
*Freedom of Movement
*Discern Lies
*Reincarnate
*Rainbow Pattern
*Dominate Person
*Modify Memories
*Bite of the Wereboar* (Boar Clan of Vallheim only)

Red:
*Wall of Fire
*Fire Shield-Hot Only


Blue:
*Sending
*Control Water
*Ice Storm
*Solid Fog
*Wall of Ice

Black:
*Rusting Grasp
*Spike Stones
*Divine Power
*Greater Magic Weapon

Green:
*Nature's Ally IV
*Speak to Plants
*Repel Vermin
*Blight
*Command Plants

Level 5

Spoiler

Show

All:
*Mass Cure Light Wounds
*Dream
*Greater Heroism
*True Seeing
*Privacy-As private sanctum, but without non-scrying visual effects
*Break Enchantment

Red:
*False Vision
*Flame Strike
*Burning Symbol-As symbol of pain

Blue:
*Cone of Cold
*Call Lightning Storm
*Control Winds
*Overland Flight-players can only fly 5' above ground

Black:
*Passwall
*Righteous might
*Wall of Stone
*Stoneskin

Level 6

Spoiler

Show

All:
*Mass Cure Mod. Wounds
*Eyebite
*Greater Shout
*Find the Path
*Spellstaff-Works on any weapon

Red:
*Mass Eagle's Splendor
*Fire Seeds
*Smoke Walk-As wind walk, must have an open flame to cast.
*Anger of the Noonday Sun

Blue:
*Mass Owl's Wisdom
*Wind Walk
*Chain Lightning
*Freezing Sphere
*Animate Snow*

Black:
*Mass Bear's Endurance
*Mass Bull's Strength
*Wall of Iron
*Flesh to Stone
*Transformation

Green:
*Nature's Ally VI
*Mass Cat's Grace
*Liveoak
*Ironwood
*Repel Wood

Level 7

Spoiler

Show

All:
*Mass Cure Crit Wounds
*Regenerate
*Heal
*Project Image
*Waves of Exhaustion
*Vision

Red:
*Firestorm
*Sunbeam
*Prismatic Spray-ignore effects 7/8, use a d6 instead

Blue
*Acid Storm
*Control Weather
*Screen-Scrying only
*Legend Lore

Black:
*Mage's Sword
*Statue
*Transmute Metal to Wood
*Repulsion

Green:
*Changestaff
*Animate Plants
*Nature's Ally VII
*Transmute Metal to Wood

Level 8

Spoiler

Show

All:
*Mass Cure Crit Wounds
*Swirling Cloak-As cloak of Chaos, ignores alignment
*Mind Blank
*Demand
*Discern Location
*Mass Charm Monster

Red:
*Incendiary Cloud
*Sunburst
*Scintillating Pattern

Blue:
*Whirlwind
*Polar Ray
*Horrid Wilting

Black:
*Irresistible Dance
*Moment of Prescience
*Iron Body
*Earthquake
*Repel Metal or Stone

Green:
*Nature's Ally VII
*Control Plants
*Animal Shapes
*Mass Awaken*

[Arathnos]

I'll give the list a more in-depth look when I have more time, but at first glance it seems a tiny bit small. I understand that you are trying to limit magic, but I feel like your list encourages casters to spam the same spell over and over again.

If that is the theme you are going for, then by all means shut me up, because that is a valid approach I suppose. However, if not, consider throwing in just one or two more spells for each color per level.

Like I said, I don't have time to really examine it right now, so maybe it actually works out fine, I just don't know, this was just my first impression.

I do like the colors and themes though. Do you plan on doing a full fluff write-up on each of the colors or leaving it fairly vague?

[Wyntonian]

To be entirely honest, there weren't really enough spells at higher levels to give each specialization more than one or two without totally wrecking the themes.

and yes, there's a substantial bit of fluff surrounding each color. The idea is that one surviving idea of the First People that is still around when the world is currently set is a Wheel of Life, which is a circle divided in quarters, each of which represent a season, age, etc. Green is Spring, childhood, and is themed to plants, animals, etc. Red is Summer, Youth/young adulthood, and is themed to fire, sun and light. Black is Fall, Middle age, and is themed to physical buffs and earth-type spells. Lastly, Blue is Winter, old age and death, and is themed cold and wind and communication/sending type spells.

When a caster is first trained in the art of magic (is created/rolled up), they are drawn to a particular quarter of the wheel. They generally have a more intuitive grasp of this section of magic, and tend to pursue it more deeply than others, hence the division/flavoring.

[Valley]

Green is Spring, childhood, and is themed to plants, animals, etc. Red is Summer, Youth/young adulthood, and is themed to fire, sun and light. Black is Fall, Middle age, and is themed to physical buffs and earth-type spells. Lastly, Blue is Winter, old age and death, and is themed cold and wind and communication/sending type spells.

The whole time of the year thing makes me think of Shamans and the Zodiac.

Zodiac Shamans?

[Wyntonian]

The zodiac thing is quite a bit of a stretch, but modern shamanism and this system/class have very similar origins. Is there any other class called Shamans? i feel like there is, but i think i might use that name anyway.

[Wyntonian]

Does anyone know where i can find the table people use for explaining classes? thanks.

[Arathnos]

Edit: Whoops, hit enter on accident, will edit in a minute.
Edit 2: Alright, just quote this post and copy out the code and edit the entries to your heart's content.

{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|0lvl|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th|6th|7th|8th|9th

1st|

+0

|

+0

|

+0

|

+2

|FEATURES HERE|5|3

2nd|

+1

|

+0

|

+0

|

+3

|FEATURES HERE|6|4

3rd|

+1

|

+1

|

+1

|

+3

|FEATURES HERE|6|5

4th|

+2

|

+1

|

+1

|

+4

|FEATURES HERE|6|6|3

5th|

+2

|

+1

|

+1

|

+4

|FEATURES HERE|6|6|4

6th|

+3

|

+2

|

+2

|

+5

|FEATURES HERE|6|6|5|3

7th|

+3

|

+2

|

+2

|

+5

|FEATURES HERE|6|6|6|4

8th|

+4

|

+2

|

+2

|

+6

|FEATURES HERE|6|6|6|5|3

9th|

+4

|

+3

|

+3

|

+6

|FEATURES HERE|6|6|6|6|4

10th|

+5

|

+3

|

+3

|

+7

|FEATURES HERE|6|6|6|6|5|3

11th|

+5

|

+3

|

+3

|

+7

|FEATURES HERE|6|6|6|6|6|4

12th|

+6/+1

|

+4

|

+4

|

+8

|FEATURES HERE|6|6|6|6|6|5|3

13th|

+6/+1

|

+4

|

+4

|

+8

|FEATURES HERE|6|6|6|6|6|6|4

14th|

+7/+2

|

+4

|

+4

|

+9

|FEATURES HERE|6|6|6|6|6|6|5|3

15th|

+7/+2

|

+5

|

+5

|

+9

|FEATURES HERE|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|4

16th|

+8/+3

|

+5

|

+5

|

+10

|FEATURES HERE|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|5|3

17th|

+8/+3

|

+5

|

+5

|

+10

|FEATURES HERE|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|4

18th|

+9/+4

|

+6

|

+6

|

+11

|FEATURES HERE|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|5|3

19th|

+9/+4

|

+6

|

+6

|

+11

|FEATURES HERE|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|4

20th|

+10/+5

|

+6

|

+6

|

+12

|FEATURES HERE|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|5[/table]

[Wyntonian]

Thanks. I feel like this class is incredibly light of features though, any suggestions?

[Arathnos]

Well, it would involve a slight re-configuration of the class in general, but are you familiar with the Spirit Shaman from Complete Divine? You could blend in some of the abilities of that class, maybe shifting the focus from animal spirit guides to elementals. Or some other spirit designed to embody the different colors of your magic spectrum.

This would serve to further differentiate the class from the standard cleric or specialist wizard, and strengthen a character's bond to his chosen color.

[Wyntonian]

I'm not familiar with anything from the Complete (insert whatever here), sorry. And I'd somewhat prefer to use animals over elementals. The idea is that this is exclusively natural magic, drawn from the land, which simply can be expressed and understood as colors. I'm not even going to mention any other planes in my campaign, so elementals are somewhat out of place. If you could link me something about that class or just explain it, I'd be very grateful.

[Arathnos]

That actually makes things easier, less tweaking from the flavor of that class.

The class is essentially a mix between cleric and druid, serving as a sort of 'barbarian' priest. Each spirit shaman has an animal guide that serves them much like a familiar, bringing them in touch with the spirit world. I sent you a PM with greater detail if you're interested.

[Wyntonian]

that sounds a lot like what I want this class to be like. Even the courtly mages who help safeguard Sunshani nobles derive their power from this natural, primal source, although they might not see it that way. I'll use some aspect from this class to help spec out the....Still working on finding a name. Shaman, maybe? but that one's already been used.... Oh well.

New Priorities:
*Details on the Dwarven Clans and Urgal Tribes,
*Detailing the Eleven Clans of the Vallheim.
*Creating an internal political structure for the Dotze Affariata.
*Finishing up the aforementioned class.
*Deciding on the wildlife of this new Amurica- Regular old critters? Magical Beasts? If so, what kinds? Undead? Fey? (I like these last two)
*Maybe writing up some adventures based on each region?

Suggestions on all of these are great.

[SamBurke]

Hm... Viking Elves... how would being a Viking change them...

They're each individualistic, and animalistic, worshipping the animals they see. Each tribe is known by its flag, which has its chosen animal of worship. Each clan guards their flag as the most important representation of their deity, protecting it with their lives. In fact, when you first enter any of the settlements of the Vallaheim, you can always see its temple, as it is usually in the top of a tree or at least a tall building.

Despite the apparent celebration of fracturedness, they can all be summoned by the current leader of the Vallaheim to fight for up to three months. After that, it's up in the air. However, due to the fact that they move quickly, most people dread those three months like nothing else.

[Valley]

Despite the apparent celebration of fracturedness, they can all be summoned by the current leader of the Vallaheim to fight for up to three months. After that, it's up in the air. However, due to the fact that they move quickly, most people dread those three months like nothing else.

Would they have Berserkers?

[Wyntonian]

Well, because they're a surviving fragment of a greater human empire, they're humans themselves. They do have the friendliest negotiations and relations with the dwarves, but they're almost exclusively human. I do plan for each Clan to have a patron animal totem, and to be identified by this totem (Bear Clan, Elk Clan, Hawk Clan, etc.) I think I'll use the variant barbarian rules to separate their barbarian warriors somewhat, but they will also have non-barbarian fighters, rangers, etc. Rangers might have a predilection towards having their own totem as an animal companion. I'll work out the Clans details this week, and probably more on the Dotze Affariata.

[Wyntonian]

I've decided that the Vallheimers need a little more fluffy love, so here's what I have on them. This covers each clan's character, role in government, and their leader.

Elk: The Chiefs of Elk Clan have a strong tendency towards leadership. Brenyn the Protector (Fighter 15/Bard 4), King of Vallheim, is the Chief of Elk Clan, as was his grandfather, Bjarni the Strong. The clan is fairly well-respected as a whole, and the people are fairly well-off compared to others. Their favored weapon is the Longsword.

Wolf:The Chiefs of Wolf Clan are usually strong, loyal supporters of the King, although they rarely take the role themselves. Their people tend towards hunting and the outdoors, and are frequently wilderness guides. They are led by Soren Ostvekson (Green Mage 5/Ranger 11) , Chancellor of Vallheim. (Essentially a Vice President). His grandfather was Bjarni's first and most loyal follower when he reunited the clans of the Vallheim. Their favored weapon is the Battleaxe.

Bear: The Chiefs of Bear Clan tend towards generalship, but are rarely deeply involved in politics beyond that regarding war. Their people likewise are frequently soldiers, mercenaries, and guards of towns and caravans, and have a reputation of being honest but fearsome warriors. They are led by Sigurd Marensdottir (Fighter 13/Black Mage 3) , who is the Host-Lady of the Vallheim, (Head Commander), as well as Brenyn's closest military adviser. Their favored weapon is the Greataxe.

Hawk: The Chiefs of Hawk Clan tend to focus more on what is happening outside the borders of Vallheim than who's arguing with who within. Their people include some of the best spies that Vallheim has, and are distributed from the Greywash (St. Lawrence River) to the furthest outpost of the Dotze Affariata. Their chief is Adrian Gunnarson (Rogue 8/ Ranger 6/ Assassin 1), Brenyn's Spymaster. Their favored weapon is the Light Crossbow.

Beaver: The Chiefs of Beaver Clan are a stark contrast to the Hawk Chiefs. Their focus is solely on building and maintaining the Vallheim lands, which is what they do best. Their people are frequently builders and architects, and they are responsible for the majority of the construction that goes on in Vallheim, and as they would put it, all of the good stuff. Their Chief is Lief Rolfson (Black Mage 10/ Fighter 5), who is very minor player in Vallheim politics. His role as Interior Consul is essentially to take care of the little stuff in the Kingdom, roads, buildings, etc. Their favored weapons are the Handaxe and Throwing Axe.

Horse: The Chiefs of Horse Clan are somewhat minor compared to the immense political clout of the Elk, but they hold an important role none the less. As one could expect from their name, they are, almost exclusively, the cavalry and horse breeders of Vallheim. Their people are skilled in working with animals of all types, and are considered the elite cavalry of the region, despite their lack of competition. Their chief is Alric Rangvaldson(Fighter 10/Green Mage 5), who is Sigurd Marensdottir's second in command and Horse-Lord of the Vallheim. Technically, this is not a hereditary position, but nobody but a Horse Chief has ever held it. Their favored weapon is the Lance.

Dove: The Chiefs of Dove Clan tend to work to undo the damage that Bear Clan does, in their opinion. They and their people work as mediators, healers and medics throughout Vallheim. They are responsible for the health of the Kingdom, and frequently work as medics when the time comes for war. They are led by Annika Ragnasdottir (Blue Mage 12/Aristocrat 3) , who serves Brenyn as a close confidant informally, although she has no official position in government aside from Clan Chief. Their favored weapon is the Dagger.

Owl:The Chiefs of Owl Clan are easily the most respected Chiefs, after those of Elk. Their Clan is famous for their role as teachers, historians and scribes, and have the highest literacy rate in Vallheim. One of their most important responsibilities, however, is to teach prospective students about magic, although this is done on a very small scale, almost always one teacher to one student. Their Chief is Lared Vilmarson (Red Mage 11/ Bard 6), who is Battle-Sage of the Vallheim. He is responsible for applying whatever limited use of magic is possible to warfare as well as being a historian and councilor. Their favored weapon is the Rapier.

Raven: The Chiefs of Raven Clan are not generally considered among the powerful Vallheim Chiefs. However, they do have a surprising level of influence. Their Clan, while they do not fight, heal or build, creates. Their people are the artists, musicians, troubadours, bards and messengers of the Vallheim. They also provide battlefield communication to the armies of Vallheim. They are led by Brynhild Hjorasdottir (Bard 12/ Duelist 4), who is the Wight-Speaker of the Vallheim. (Somewhat of a religious leader, it is her responsibility to speak to the Land- and Hall-Wights to ask their support of the King, as well as ask them questions on behalf of the Vallheim). Their favored weapon is the Short Sword

Boar: The Chiefs of Boar Clan are little-loved by their colleagues, mostly because of their role in government. They are the Judge of the Vallheim, and appoint people to subordinate positions throughout the Kingdom. They have a tendency to take their role somewhat seriously, and have been known to occasionally exercise their authority to their gain, whether or not it supports the Vallheim. Their people are the police, lawyers, judges and sheriffs of the Vallheim. Their Chief is Ragnar Hinrikson (Fighter 10/ Black Mage 3/ Monk 3), Judge of the Vallheim. (Essentially a one-man Supreme Court.) Their favored weapon is the Whip.

Fox: The Chiefs of Fox Clan have a level of unwilling respect from the other Chiefs. Their clan is primarily made up of traders, merchants and caravaneers, both domestically and internationally. They have a somewhat gypsylike reputation. When someone's daughter comes up pregnant without a known father? Probably that Fox caravan from last month. However, without them, most people's standard of living would decrease sharply, as well as their supplies of little fancy things. They are led by Henreik Hollson (Rogue 8/Ranger 8), Trade Consul to Brenyn. Their favored weapon is the Quarterstaff.


I finally got these done, it took way longer than I'd expected. It's mostly fluff, but it's decent fluff at least. If anyone wants to think up some adventure prompts from these, PM me about it.

EDIT: Changed Cougar Clan to Dove Clan, added Favored Weapons. Any Vallheim character who chooses a clan gets proficiency with their clan's favored weapon.
Another Edit: Added levels to each Clan Chief.

[SamBurke]

Hm, some goood stuff here. I do agree, the Cougar clan seems a slight bit out of place. Perhaps change it to the Dove clan, and add in that they get some flak for being peaceful clerics, etc?

Also, note: Horses are non-wild. To most people they just aren't. They also aren't native to America.

Hm. What about Mockingbirds or something like that, a natural bardic type clan-esque thing. Bards were a big part of ancient culture, taking the place of TV, radio, newspapers, phones, and many other things. They taught, entertained, recorded history, carried news, letters, information, ideas, and much more. Perhaps they're the only clan that doesn't have a leader/specific place to congregate, but instead serve everywhere as bad-ass singers?

[Wyntonian]

Hm, some goood stuff here. I do agree, the Cougar clan seems a slight bit out of place. Perhaps change it to the Dove clan, and add in that they get some flak for being peaceful clerics, etc?

Also, note: Horses are non-wild. To most people they just aren't. They also aren't native to America.

Hm. What about Mockingbirds or something like that, a natural bardic type clan-esque thing. Bards were a big part of ancient culture, taking the place of TV, radio, newspapers, phones, and many other things. They taught, entertained, recorded history, carried news, letters, information, ideas, and much more. Perhaps they're the only clan that doesn't have a leader/specific place to congregate, but instead serve everywhere as bad-ass singers?

Yeah, I'll edit the cougars in a second.
And yes, i know horses aren't native, but I like having just a touch of cavalry anyway. Hell, I'll say they're native to the great plains and slowly spread east.
And I have Raven Clan, which does pretty much that same thing you described, as bardic messengers and entertainers. Owl Clan does that other historian-type stuff.

Thanks for the feedback, I'll let you guys know what's going down in the west in a while, I have a bored friend drawing anthropological doodles all over it, so it might take a while. Expect centaurs, that's all I have to say. Oh, and afro-carribbean swashbucklers and their voodoo priests in the Carribbean. I'll also finish up the new casting class. and cure the common cold. and knit a spaceship. But seriously, I'd like to make some adventure prompts for this world, so if I ever do run a game I can have some stuff already figured out. And I'll see what I can do about making a map or three.