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Thread: General Purpose 13th Age Thread
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2013-09-24, 02:27 AM (ISO 8601)
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General Purpose 13th Age Thread
This thread is for the discussion and promulgation of Rob Heinsoo and Jonathan Tweet's d20 masterpiece 13th Age.
Basically I know there are a few of us here who are into it, and I would like to be discussing it with them.
To start the conversation: Is anybody here starting to do any homebrew for it? I'm working on a warlock in the 3.5 vein. I'm also planning on writing my campaign world with it in mind. So yes, I am a fanboy. So come on in and gush with me!
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2013-09-24, 01:13 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: General Purpose 13th Age Thread
I'm loving this game. I had heard of it in passing while it was going through its beta phase and just kinda brushed it off. Now that its out, I'm quickly realizing just how awesome it is. It honestly feels like 4th Edition with all of the bothersome stuff taken out.
I've noticed that RPGs seem to be leaning towards a stronger narrative focus and 13th Age is definitely doing that. I love the amount of freedom that has been given to players with One Unique Things, Icon Relationships, and Backgrounds. And I love how those three things can really give you a solid vision of your character and who they are.
ARGH, I love 13th Age! It's soooo good!Amazing ponified avatar by Madcrafter!
Original avatar by the awesome Savannah:
Spoiler
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2013-09-24, 03:25 PM (ISO 8601)
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2013-09-24, 03:49 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: General Purpose 13th Age Thread
I've come up with several, though I think my favorite was for a Wizard who had "I accidentally created owlbears."
Amazing ponified avatar by Madcrafter!
Original avatar by the awesome Savannah:
Spoiler
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2013-09-24, 06:43 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: General Purpose 13th Age Thread
It's looking a lot like 13A may become our new main game, the GM is liking what he's reading. My group are burned out on 3.x and find 4e too combat-heavy for anything other than relatively short stints.
My GM is already coming up with his own classes to test things out. A more complex variant of the Barbarian: the Fury. Also working on a more complicated Fighter (with non-random maneuvers) called the Vanguard.
EDIT: It turns out the Vanguard has a bit of Tactical Warlord in it too. Which is neat.Last edited by Kiero; 2013-09-25 at 11:16 AM.
Wushu Open Reloaded
Actual Play: The Shadow of the Sun (Acrozatarim's WFRP campaign) as Pawel Hals and Mass: the Effecting - Transcendence as Russell Ortiz.
Now running: Tyche's Favourites, a historical ACKS campaign set around Massalia 300BC.
In Sanity We Trust Productions - our podcasting site where you can hear our dulcet tones, updated almost every week.
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2013-09-25, 11:43 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: General Purpose 13th Age Thread
When I played a Wood Elf Ranger (from the pregens list), I took "Part-Time Archaeologist" as a Background.
I then decided that my character was A Dwarf in an Elf's Body.
Then the dwarf in our party decided that they were An Elf in a Dwarf's Body.
Pity we didn't get to try that out in a full campaign.
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2013-09-26, 02:20 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: General Purpose 13th Age Thread
Spoiler: Just because I canI don't need to spoil anything I just wanted to use the new feature.
Anyway I'm getting my group together to play and my buddy wants to play a halfling paladin who has a bear as an animal companion/mount. Oh yeah his idea for a OUT? He wants to have a Napoleon Complex. Yes a halfling who is sensitive about his height...
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2013-10-03, 10:24 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: General Purpose 13th Age Thread
My book has just arrived, and I'm loving what I'm reading so far! This narrative focus is something that was sorely missed in d20 games, and it seems they have struck the perfect balance between roleplaying and rollplaying.
For the record, I haven't been able to come up with a good original OUT so far. I loved one I read the other day: "the only dwarf with a fully mechanical, clockwork heart". There be gold in thosehillsorgans!Metal Perfection - a template for creatures born on Mirrodin.
True Ferocity - a simple fix for Orcs and Half-Orcs.
Monastic Magus - a spiritual successor to the Unarmed Swordsage.
Pathfinder-ish Synthesist - a simple fix making Synthesist Summoners follow polymorph rules.
Sword & Sorcery for Sneaky Scoundrels - rogue archetypes/fixes that aim to turn the rogue into a warrior/caster.
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2013-10-03, 11:14 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: General Purpose 13th Age Thread
One tactic that worked for me: pick a slightly odd background or two, and use a One Unique Thing to explain why you have that background. Working your way up like that can help inspire you.
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2013-10-04, 05:06 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: General Purpose 13th Age Thread
Last and by no means least of my GM's custom classes, a Fighter/Sorceror combo, the Elemental Knight.
Wushu Open Reloaded
Actual Play: The Shadow of the Sun (Acrozatarim's WFRP campaign) as Pawel Hals and Mass: the Effecting - Transcendence as Russell Ortiz.
Now running: Tyche's Favourites, a historical ACKS campaign set around Massalia 300BC.
In Sanity We Trust Productions - our podcasting site where you can hear our dulcet tones, updated almost every week.
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2013-10-07, 10:55 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: General Purpose 13th Age Thread
My warlock concept is coming along but family obligations kind of derailed the project.
I'm trying to figure out how to incorporate invocations without just making them spells. I'm almost thinking a list of (minor) talents that get picked at the appropriate tiers.
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2013-10-07, 04:48 PM (ISO 8601)
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2013-10-07, 04:58 PM (ISO 8601)
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2013-10-08, 08:57 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: General Purpose 13th Age Thread
You could make them flexible attacks: each one represents a clause of your contract, and can be applied to a basic ranged attack with the correct attack roll.
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2013-10-09, 10:56 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: General Purpose 13th Age Thread
My OUT: Can speak to items made of metal as if they were sentient.
Playing a Dwarf whose clan was the chief architects of the Forgeborn.
Edit: Will be switching characters to a new campaign soon with same group.
Human Monk: Was gifted the long life of the Elves by The Black.Last edited by fendermallot; 2013-10-09 at 10:57 AM.
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2013-10-09, 12:02 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: General Purpose 13th Age Thread
This system has enough crunch to give me the rules based combat I prefer, with enough fluff to let me make a character I want. Like a fighter who's actually good at things that don't involve putting weapons into enemies.
I've yet to actually play it, but I plan on trying to talk some friends into a game of it. With any luck, it'll work out in my favor.
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2013-10-09, 04:19 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: General Purpose 13th Age Thread
Good luck, from our PbP game so far I'm enjoying the system. The way backgrounds work and the way combat is so much faster than 4e (my preferred system) which makes it amazing for PbP.
Speaking of, and somewhat random, but there's about to be an opportunity in the PbP for an NPC to join the PC's for a couple of combats. If anyone wants to test the waters of 13th age combat, feel free to check out the recruitment threadLast edited by DawnRaven; 2013-10-09 at 05:18 PM.
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2013-10-17, 05:05 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Oct 2013
Re: General Purpose 13th Age Thread
Hey guys, first post here.
My group I GM for is totally sold on 13th Age. We love the Icons, we love the OUT, we love the escalation die, and the combat is fast paced. I ran the adventure in the back of the book as a one shot in less than six hours, with us manning a grill while we played.
We have a long going DnD game I run (over a year now) that we converted over to the D&D Next rules to help with the playtest, and after running two one shot 13th Age sessions when our whole group couldn't make a game night, some of my players want to try to convert to 13th Age, and one of them told me he briefly considered causing a party wipe for our current game just so we could play the next campaign (13th Age) sooner, lol.
Anyway the game I am setting them up for is gonna be on roll20, but the gist is that the Orc Lord has been pushing a low grade invasion of the NW portion of the empire for a decade, about 7 years ago the Emperor, as described in the book, got shwacked with his half orc security detail by orcs, and his son took over. His son took over and the Imperials forced a retreat from the Orc Lord's hordes. In the 5 years since then the son has become a tyrant, and with the orcs out of sight and out of mind, thoughts of rebellion are beginning to blossom.
I have a couple of cool plot twists thought out, but still waiting to flesh it out more until I get a feel for all my players' characters.
To the person asking about homebrew. I can't WAIT to get a homebrew going for this. I plan on doing some world building on the side while I run this next game going. I'm thinking about doing something involving a wintery climate similar to the setting in Skyrim. Originally I had planned on my next game being in a high magic desert setting, but now I think something very nature based in a snowy climate might be more fun.
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2013-10-17, 05:29 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: General Purpose 13th Age Thread
Dude, those are both pretty cool. Especially the first one. As a GM I would totally use that as an opportunity for exposition. I may even give each different major metal a certain personality or manner of speaking if the player used it frequently enough. I would only let a mature player have it though, since I could see people abusing it.
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2013-10-17, 07:59 PM (ISO 8601)
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2013-10-18, 09:10 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: General Purpose 13th Age Thread
Icons are the absolutely most awesome way to define a setting, I think. I bet that once you get the Icons right, the rest of the setting should just fall into place.
Last edited by CarpeGuitarrem; 2013-10-18 at 09:10 AM.
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2013-10-19, 02:27 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: General Purpose 13th Age Thread
Here is my upcoming setting, using the Dragon Empire in the book, but given my own spin.
Spoiler15 years ago the Orc Lord began a push south into the Dragon Empire's lands. The attack took the Barbarian tribes in the north by surprise when they swept out of The Frost Range. The Dwarves, Elves, and the Empire allied to stop them near the Northern Colossus, which, during a particularly gruesome day of fighting, suddenly animated and began laying waste to soldiers on both sides of the battle until sunset, and has not moved since.
10 years ago the previous Emperor was assassinated in an ambush by a party of Orcs on a return trip from Forge. He was succeeded by his son, who was a recalled from the battlefield. Rumors began around the Empire that the unit, all half-orcs, sold the Emperor out. The Orcs pushed out as far as Forge, where the Dwarves held them. A large number of the half-orcs in the Empire went out and helped fill the gaps determined to redeem their race from the unfounded prejudices that swept through the Empire. As winter approached the Dwarves settled in for a siege.
The siege was in favor of the Dwarves. On their own mountain, and stocked with provisions and a clear route to Anvil via the Underforge, they weathered the winter much better than the orcs. Come the following spring the allied defenders drove the weakened orc horde back into the Frost Range. The Orcs have driven out the barbarians that dwelled there previously and are massing for another attempt to push against the Empire. The area between the foothills of the Range and Northern Colossus have become the site of numerous border skirmishes between the Empire, including the Dwarves, and the Orcs.
In the 8 years since then the Emperor's son has revealed himself as a tyrant. His rule is orderly and disciplined, and decidedly lawful evil. His empire is overtaxed both financially and in terms of men who were killed in the Orc War, which has also resulted in fewer workers to farm and harvest – leading to a few years of lean harvests. Noble parentage has always granted favorable treatment, but the distance between the classes has expanded in the past 8 years. About 3 years ago rumors began of a growing rebellion against the Emperor. The growing unrest blossomed into a riot in Axis. The Emperor swiftly sent in one of his legions and efficiently and mercilessly put an end to the riot, and setting fire to the rebellion.
With the rebellion growing in popularity the Emperor began arresting people accused of seditious or treasonous actions. Around this time The Rebel appeared. The first public appearance of the Rebel was against a platoon of Legionaries NW of Drakkenhall. The platoon was shaking down a farming village and at one point things got out of hand. According to the popular account a farmer resisted being overtaxed and the Legion responded by burning his farm and killing him and his family. The rest of the town complied and paid up. On their way out of the town a man wearing a red headband and a stip of red cloth tied around his left bicep appeared in the road. He demanded that the money be returned and justice for the farmer who was slain. The Legion laughed. The Rebel drew his sword and gave a shout that kicked up a cloud of dust and knocked down the front ranks of the platoon. When the dust settled the platoon was dead, The Rebel vanished, and the money laying on the ground.
News of the event spread quickly and more and more sightings of The Rebel began to sprout up. The red strip of cloth, tied around weapons, worn on the left bicep, as a headband, or flying as a streamer from windows became a symbol for support for the rebellion. The Emperor cracked down, but as is usually the case, the harder he tried to stamp out the insurgency, the more it thrived. The rebellion gained traction and The Rebel began to lead it into something more than random riots and attacks.
The Empire lays fractured. Old enemies lie forgotten and age old loyalties become stressed, is this the end of the 13th Age, and will the falling of the Dragon Empire herald it?
Icons:
Spoiler
The Archmage:
The Archmage is concerned about the instability that the rebellion represents, but is still unfailing in his support of the Emperor, if not particularly a fan of the current resident of the throne he has lived long enough to see several Dragon Emperors come and go. His concern lies more in preserving the stability he has worked for centuries to create and keeping an eye on the High Druid and Orc Lord.
The Crusader:
His priority remains slaying any of the demons that plague the land and exterminating the Diabolists' cults.
The Diabolist:
In uncertain times people become desperate, desperate people are easier to corrupt. She is having a field day.
The Dwarf King:
The late Emperor and the King were friends throughout most of the Emperor's lifetime. Many look at the current Emperor and see a tyrant. The Dwarf King sees the son of his old friend making poor decisions while desperately trying to hold The Empire together. Of course, even if he did see the Emperor as a tyrant, he is more concerned about the Orcs amassing in the Frost Range anyway.
The Elf Queen:
The elves have received no small amount of suspicion of supporting The Rebel, due in part to the fact that most of the early rebellion sprang from the northern portion of the empire near the Elf Queen's domain, although there is a credible argument that violent excesses from the Three in Drakkenhall may be more to blame. The Elf Queen is being very careful to control her borders and not get involved in the civil unrest of the Empire, but a number of elves have taken it upon themselves to fight alongside The Rebel despite her wishes. It probably doesn't help that The Rebel is a half-elf.
The Emperor:
The Emperor is a cold child grown into a hard man. The civilization that his family has protected for centuries is threatened from within and without. Without the stability that the Empire provides anarchy would reign supreme and there would be nothing to keep the Orc Lord at bay, the Sea Wall manned, and the inner sea tamed. The Emperor will do whatever it takes to preserve this, whether the Empire wants him to or not.
The Great Gold Wyrm:
The Gold Wyrm, along with the Priestess, is in an awkward position. He is not comfortable with the descendants of his dragons being used to quell a rebellion, which thankfully the Emperor has not resorted to, nor is he happy with the current Emperor. That said he is a bit pre-occupied with the Abyss an also has an agreement to help support the Empire. So far he still thinks the best way to support the Empire is to support the Emperor.
The High Druid:
The time is ripe for change, and balances are shifting. In the wake of the instability in the Empire the Wild Woods' borders have expanded and there is talk that the High Druid may be to blame for increasing unrest in the Midland Sea and erratic weather along its coasts.
The Lich King:
When people are concerned about a growing police state and a growing food shortage other things start to be viewed as less important are get forgotten about in the bustle. Some of those things involve maintaining the graveyards, burial rites, and wards that keep his power at arm's length.
The Orc Lord:
Since his defeat after the failed siege of Forge he has been building his army to prepare for another push on the Empire and skirmishing with the Dwarves and Elves. Some scholars speculate that he is probably ready, but is waiting for the Empire to fracture more before he attempts another invasion. Others say that he is looking for a powerful artifact that will tip the scales in his next struggle. Either way, everybody who is paying attention is concerned about the massive increase in the size of his army, and nobody is sure how he is managing it.
The Priestess:
Like the Great Wyrm, she is in an awkward place. She is loyal to the Empire and wants good for its citizens, but it unsure about whether or not that good will come from the Emperor or The Rebel. The guidance she has given her followers is to follow the law and continue to do good. A very NG position.
The Prince of Shadows:
For a time there were those who proposed that The Prince was actually the Rebel. Certainly many of The Rebels followers also have ties to the Prince, and they both have a chaotic bent. But the flashiness and public appearances of The Rebel run in stark contrast to The Prince. Not to mention that he still seems to be up to his old tricks as evidenced by his recent theft of an object of great significance to the Emperor, who has upped the bounty on his head.
The Rebel:
Nobody is sure where this half-elf man came from, but he seems to be part general, part warrior, and part scholar. In less than two years he has taken the coals of a rebellion and nursed it into a roaring fire. He will not tolerate injustice and chaos follows in his footsteps. No one need guess his motives either: The Rebel thinks the Emperor needs to go, and not just the current one – the throne altogether, though there are those who say he just wants to be the one who sits on it.
The Three:
The Green remains trapped firmly by the Elf Queen, but the Blue is hoping that in the confusion of all that is going on it may be able to slip its geas. There also seems to be an inordinate amount of activity from the Black in the northwest...
Curious what you guys think!
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2013-10-20, 11:49 PM (ISO 8601)
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2013-10-21, 01:43 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: General Purpose 13th Age Thread
So I am curious what kind of house rules any of you all have added to the rest and full heal up mechanics.
Some ideas I have had are:
Expend a recovery during a long rest for a roll to recover a power - in order to do this they must be someplace they can REALLY rest, with no watchstanding, comfortable, and truly relaxing. So like, an inn or a home. Not a wilderness campsite. This kind of rest also grants a free recovery worth of healing.
- Pros: They can recover key abilities before a full heal up, with a sacrifice. Also kind of represents the trope of a caster becoming exhausted with repeated exertion.
- Cons: Caster may burn through his store of recoveries entirely too quickly.
3 or more days between conflicts represent a full heal up. Good rest would still give a free healing, but not the power recovery.
- Pros: Makes more sense practically. Makes recoveries even.
- Cons: Realistically, 3 days of a a forced march, standing firewatch, and sleeping on the ground is NOT restful.
Thoughts? I don't like the idea that the only way you get aa daily power back is from a full heal-up after is 3-4 encounters, but want it to be codified for my players and try to avoid the 5MWD while keeping the feel of pressing on.Last edited by Garimeth; 2013-10-21 at 05:07 PM.
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2013-10-24, 04:51 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: General Purpose 13th Age Thread
Just like to post up here two things!
1) The Official SRD for 13th age is now out
And 2) I'm currently recruiting for my second 13th age game here on GITP
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2013-10-24, 05:11 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: General Purpose 13th Age Thread
Been following your PbP games while at work. Theron and Duvan gave me ideas for some recurring NPCs in my own upcoming 13th Age game, as did Falgrim's betrayal!
Not sure I could stand the slow pace of PbP games though myself, but I bet its great for people that have a hard time getting together or finding the time IRL.Last edited by Garimeth; 2013-10-24 at 05:19 PM.
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2013-10-24, 05:21 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: General Purpose 13th Age Thread
With how often my IRL group gets together (playing in a friend's Pathfinder game), we actually progress faster in the PbP! Then again, since we all have jobs and one of us (me :D) has a wife, we only get together every 3 weeks or so.
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2013-10-24, 05:30 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: General Purpose 13th Age Thread
Yeah I got pretty lucky, I have a pretty consistent group that usually gets in 4-5 hours a week. We are all military though, so when we aren't in the field we get alot of long weekends.
13th Age related -
I'm surprised at how few people have commented on it here. Have any of you participated in any of the organized play? I'm usually more of a homebrew with a group of friends guy.
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2013-10-25, 12:07 AM (ISO 8601)
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2013-10-25, 10:07 AM (ISO 8601)
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