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The Fleshforge Legacy (Community World Building Project)
The Rules: With the aid of the playground homebrew community, to create a world for the ground up. Everything from nations, cultures, and customs, to species and geography. Active discussion and debate of ideas is encouraged, practically required if this is to turn out well. I hold authority, but my decisions are not final until I specifically say so. I am not an evil overlord, my decisions may be questioned without getting you sent to the camps. The most important part, though, is to have fun and make something awesome, so go a little crazy. We don't mind. We're all mad here.
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The Concept: Long, long ago, there was a race of ultimately powerful creatures with incredibly powerful magic that came to the material plane. They saw potential in this place, and began to work. Their magic warped flesh, fused bones, and stretched skin. They used their magic to shape generations of man and beast to suit their desires, to fill their needs. The almost perfect systems they created still work to this day. But the creators are long gone. Or, perhaps, hiding.
Map:
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Geography:
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The main continent is vaguely oval-shaped, longer north-south. The eastern edge is slightly concave, but there's a wide spread of small to mid-sized islands, the largest about the size of texas, spreading off the coast. There are two mountain ranges, a curved one separating the north-most quarter or so from the remainder, and a stright one separating the southern quarter of the landmass and ringing around the edges. The portion walled off by mountains is elevated, with several-hundred-foot cliffs that plunge directly into the sea and continue straight down. The center of the continent is marked by the crop-ring, which is about 300 miles across from outer rim and extends inward a good fifty miles. The planet's equator runs straight across the southern, mountained-off quarter and some of the southernmost islands.
The landmass carries a variety of terrain. The Western side is heavily forested, running the gamut from an everglades-style swamp that butts against the south mountains. Heading north, it progresses through climates. A sort of mangrove forest at first, then it dries up and evolves into a full rainforest. As it goes north, the tropical trees become less so, shifting out for a more temperate jungle, which eventually fades into pine as they press into the north mountains. The northern mountains are cold and solid, stable behemoths capped in snow as they hold back a frozen tundra. Along the northmost coast, ice shelves expand some 50+ miles into the frozen sea. Rounding the northern corner and heading south once more, we begin with scrublands that fill out the foothills of the mountains. Then, down into rolling grasslands that grow from white-green in the north to rolling fields of green and eventually shifting to golden Savannah against the south mountains. the south mountains continue all along the cliff-lined shore, but they contain a black-sand desert within them. It's sands are igneous, powdered stone ejected from the mountains. The mountain's along the shore aren't really mountains in a proper sense, rather a ring of mostly-dormant volcanoes that periodically bathe the searing sands with clouds of burning ash. The further south you go, the higher the actual elevation is, as volcanic action has actually pushed the southernmost tip of the peninsula upward, creating the towering cliffs that the seas pound against constantly. In the very center of the continent, within the crop ring, the land is almost completely obscured by the remnants of shaper society, which grow larger and more complex as you approach the central capital.
Political Geography:
Spoiler
North: the north is a two-part nation. Most 'civilization' is in the mountains that surround the tundra, which have been so riddled by tunnels with millennia of mining that they are quite easily able to support a country's worth of people. The dwarves were the first workers created to mine these mineral-rich mountains, then the kobolds, and finally the warforged. The dwarves, with each successive takeover of their tasks, took on a more intellectual role as architects, crafters, and engineers. they remained in control of the mines as the kobolds dig them, and they manage the warforged working on the building projects. The shapers view the tundra itself as a sort of 'proving ground'. The harsh terrain has many needs, and they must creatively engineer solutions in their beasts, which makes creatures like the rhemoraz and the frost worm.
South: The mountains that separate them from the rest of the world make this remote location somewhat mysterious. The sun-baked black sands make the temperature soar to 200+ degrees, making most life impossible on the surface. The shapers of this nation moved underground, where the heat would not follow. They did, however, build some of their larger, more impressive fleshforges on the surface to avoid the collapsing and magma-flooding that could happen at any time in the tunnels. The tunnels became the home to bizzare creatures created by the eccentric, desert-dwelling shapers. Their main trade route, rather than face the volcanic mountains of the northern border, is south, through tunnels on the cliffs.
West: The west's lush forests are abundant with life. The shapers of the west view the art of shaping as an actual art. Elegant changes that subvert the creature's own tendancies and biology are the most appreciated. It is here that almost all non-grain vegetable matter is grown, tended by elves. Swarms of bats go throughout the undercanopy, feasting on insects that may harm the fruits, while gliding, insectivore squirrels patrol the trunks of them, rooting out termites and anything else that crawls. Dire bats and giant eagles are harnessed above the canopy to tow lifting kites that bear loads of fruit and nutritious leaves. Even Rocs are used at times to deliver massive loads to distant lands. Living plants saw their birth in these lands, and the swamps of the south edge were where trolls originated, before they were modified for mass production.
East: The east has one thing in abundance: Space. While the west believes that the true art of shaping is subtlety, the east has no such illusions. The shapers have a long-standing unspoken competition to create the largest and most impressive, original creatures. Here is where dinosaurs saw their birth, and their perfection in judatitan and battletitan. 'Everything is bigger in the east', after all. Dire beasts became horrid beasts beneath the hands of the shapers here, and giants were created with their megascale flesh-forges for orders in all nations.
Center: The center is without a doubt, the mecca of shapers. This nation held the greatest, most innovative minds all collaborating to create creatures that had NO precedents, crafted wholly from the minds of these geniuses. Abberations, dragons, the mass production trolls... The cshapers used a form of minor illithid as organic computers to design their creations. The elder brains began as nonentient, organic data storage, only growing a consciousness as the information stored passed a sort of 'critical mass'.
Sea: The islands of the far east are used more as staging areas and trading posts, the vast majority of this nation being submerged. Aquatic beings of all description saw their creations here. Visitors could don symbionts that served as living gills to view the sunken splendor, transported in the transparent pouches of whale-like creatures. Where the east is all about size, and the west is about subtlety, the Sea is about art. Majesty, beauty, and awe are their calling cards. Massive star-whales, inspired architecture, and the infinity of strange and beautiful corals and fish are their legacy.
__________________ My Homebrew
Five-time champion of the GITP monster competition!
Epic Avatar and Sigitar by AlterForm
Spoiler
Last edited by Admiral Squish : 08-09-2010 at 03:50 PM.
Re: The Fleshforge Legacy (Community World Building Project)
Races:
Humans:
Spoiler
These were the basis, the template. They were easy to change, and their short lifespans and high birth rate allowed the master race to experiment with them the most. Humans were everywhere, but never were 'properly' specialized.
Elves:
Spoiler
Elves are tree-tenders. They maintain the tall trees and the gardens of their masters, including the mobile plants that they create. The elves were most plentiful in the western forests and swamps, though some oversaw the order in the crop rings.
Dwarves:
Spoiler
Dwarves are miners and builders, they made everything the master race couldn't grow. Eventually, they became more intellectual and disciplinarian as the warforged took over building and the kobolds became the miners. When the shapers left, they were architects and foremen, directing the kobolds and warforged that became their labor force.
Warforged:
Spoiler
The warforged were made from the ore the dwarven mines churned out, but proved themselves an extremely competent replacement for the stocky ones, able to work without breaks and even in the harshest of conditions. They soon became the main workforce of the entire continent, though the humans were still cheaper due to their prodigious reproduction rate.
Gnomes:
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Gnomes were the fine detail the dwarves missed. They were fine crafters and fixits. They also revealed an unexpected competence in alchemy and one in medical and surgical tasks, which could prove valuable to those interested into extending the use of their meat-machines. Their ability to speak with animals often made them extremely useful in the crop rings and on most other meatmachine operations.
Halflings:
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Halflings served a double function. They were merchants, first, traveling far and wide to sell the latest beasts and designs. In addition, they served as spies, though they were mostly neutral. Halflings were the only race that could have been considered 'independent' in the reign of the master race.
Orcs:
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Orcs were the enforcers. They were proud to serve the master race directly, and swiftly reprimanded any man or beast that stepped out of line.
Lesser Illithid:
Spoiler
These intellectuals served in the central cities as organic computers. The elder brains were originally nonsentient, organic data storage, which developed intellect later.
Shapertouched:
Spoiler
The shapertouched were the most trusted by the shapers, given a merest fraction of their power and able to use their symbionts and grafts without struggle or strain. They were nearly hunted to extinction by the other races once the shapers left.
Raptorans:
Spoiler
Raptorans were the races of the crop-ring. They have, and continue to, serve the shapers by maintaining the crop rings. They gather the piles of grain and make sure nothing interferes with the function of the rings. They roost on the inner-most walls, and they gather the grain with the use of cargo-kites, soaring out each day to survey the land.
Changelings:
Spoiler
The changelings were the perfect guniea pigs. The shapers made them to practice their lifeshaping magic on living creatures. Why make humans or elves when a single creature could serve as any of them? The changelings could become any of them, mimicking them so perfectly that even magic would effect them as it would their mask. The escaped changelings became 'becomers', hiding among other humanoid slaves.
Shifters:
Spoiler
Shifters, originally, were a powerful race that could choose their trait each time they changed. The western nation used them as multi-tools to serve them. the elves were simply... forgotten. Unlike the dwarves and the warforged, the shifters took over the roles of the elves in all things, driving them from their honorable posts. The elves, deposed, realized they had been little more than tools to the shapers, tools to be discarded when the next came along. The shifters became targets, as well as the shaper installations. The elves did all they could to disrupt the west until the shapers left. Then the shifters began to realize that their bloodlines began to fray. The shifters grouped and their children became less and less able to access all the the traits.
__________________ My Homebrew
Five-time champion of the GITP monster competition!
Epic Avatar and Sigitar by AlterForm
Spoiler
Last edited by Admiral Squish : 08-09-2010 at 04:35 PM.
“Not a promise, not an oath, or a malediction or a curse,” I said, sounding calm, probably inaudible in the midst of the screaming. “Inevitable. Wasn’t that how she put it? I told them. Warned them.”
-Taylor Hebert. Yes, I'm a proud Skittle.
Re: The Fleshforge Legacy (Community World Building Project)
After thinking about this a little more, a few ideas I came up with:
Races: I would include several races which are shapeshifting in one way or the other. Eberron's Changelings and Shifters come to mind. Another idea going around in my head currently are Mistborn's Kandra (For those who don't know the books (spoilers, obviously) Kandra are a species lacking any bones (probably non-mindless ooze or aberration type), but able to devour another living creature and then use it's bones to form a body around it, taking it's shape. Similar to doppelgangers, but cooler.) and finally, an idea coming from the thread's title:
The Fleshforged. Obviously, the name is taken from the warforged, and they would be similar in concept, but not mechanical, but organic. The special thing here is that they can use grafts, similar to a warforged's ability to graft magical items to it's body: their special ability is to use the various flesh grafts and symbionts around in the different books (fiendish, aboleth, daelkyr). Instead of grafting them to their body permanently, they can attach and detach them as move actions. Not really strong, but I think a nice basis to work on.
And now I'll go in my "weird creatures" files and find more organs to craft on creatures.
“Not a promise, not an oath, or a malediction or a curse,” I said, sounding calm, probably inaudible in the midst of the screaming. “Inevitable. Wasn’t that how she put it? I told them. Warned them.”
-Taylor Hebert. Yes, I'm a proud Skittle.
Re: The Fleshforge Legacy (Community World Building Project)
Maybe the fleshforged are like Prometheans; they all have this life-long, spiritual quest to find humanity and a soul? The ones who get lost dive straight into the body-horror-monster category; human centipedes, leviathan giants, blobs of flesh, etc.
Obviously, the only vampires for this world are the Tzimisce. If you can't tell, I've kind of got a WoD them going through here.
Re: The Fleshforge Legacy (Community World Building Project)
What i think this really needs is the possibility for player mutation. Having one's species warped seems like it would make ones genetics somewhat malleable. Seeing as i have a penchant for culture development (I like writing fluff) and religion I believe ill brainstorm some feats, religions and cultures up and return later.
Re: The Fleshforge Legacy (Community World Building Project)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eldan
but able to devour another living creature and then use it's bones to form a body around it, taking it's shape. Similar to doppelgangers, but cooler.
That sounds a lot more like a traditional ghoul than a doppelgänger.
Owrtho
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My Homebrew
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[class]Wisp fire guide: Follow me. I have such sights to show you.
[class]Ozodrin: A class to play as an eldritch horror. other hombrew
Re: The Fleshforge Legacy (Community World Building Project)
Quote:
Races: I would include several races which are shapeshifting in one way or the other. Eberron's Changelings and Shifters come to mind. Another idea going around in my head currently are Mistborn's Kandra (For those who don't know the books (spoilers, obviously) Kandra are a species lacking any bones (probably non-mindless ooze or aberration type), but able to devour another living creature and then use it's bones to form a body around it, taking it's shape. Similar to doppelgangers, but cooler.) and finally, an idea coming from the thread's title
Well if we go the mistborn route we could always rip off the Koloss as well. Hordemonsters that continue growing as they age, but their skin dosent, causing them to look like several different creatures through their life cycle. Mistborn has the coolest creatures.
__________________
"One saving throw at a time."
Last edited by Ponderthought : 07-27-2010 at 10:41 AM.
Re: The Fleshforge Legacy (Community World Building Project)
A few thoughts occurred to me just now, on the place of aberrations in this world:
The Fleshforgers Tools of War: Aberrations are the custom crafted weapons the forgers created for use against some terrible enemy. they were hasily crafted, for soon after the forgers arrived, their ancient enemies pursued them to this new colony-world. The lack of care in their creation led to their instability and alien outlooks. They now terrorize the surface races from their subterranean lairs.
The Enemy Forces: Aberrations are the soldiers of a terrible enemy that assaulted the fleshforgers in the distant past. They were few in number but mighty and horrifying. The forges superior numbers eventually overwhelmed them, but the survivors of the alien forces now fester deep in the earth, nursing their resentment for the forgers and all their creations
Distant In Time: The aberrations are time travellers from the distant future, from a time in witch the offspring of the forgers have become so twisted and warped as to be barely recognizable. They hope to steal this world from their ancestors, as their own has become uninhabitable, even for their alien form of life.
Just some thoughts i had while looking through Lords of Madness for inspiration.
Re: The Fleshforge Legacy (Community World Building Project)
Well, here is what I have on tap (light on stats, but these things don't have a strong need for stats I don't think). The is copy-paste from the previous thread.
It sounds like something up my alley, and I would probably end up contributing to it (I like to avoid promising anything).
I would recommend making the trolls naturally shed their weapons etc like a cat's claw layers are shed, or giving them a modified pain response under certain circumstances. Agonized creatures means you have to pay for shackles and then oil the shackles regularly so the blood doesn't rust them... not efficient in the long run.
I have several things to offer, some of which I have been itching to post for months, if not years, but could never figure out the right way to say. I think I started to post them in a "Work in progress, ignore" type thread, but never was able to get further than that.
Existing work of mine that might (or might not) work out: Wing Dragons: A general that does his own scouting? Their BW isn't very friendly to combined arms, but if you have the advantage in melee (especially having trained your soldiers in Blind-fighting) they can be good for countering massed ranged attacks, especially if they go for the "Fog Cloud" level of opacity, rather than "optic black".
Mepholk: Some fleshforger towards the end decided that humans were out of date, but since they were so numerous, he released a "patch" instead of a "delete and re-install" solution. If deities exist in this setting you can keep Allurehn and her curse just the same as always (although the Mepholk wouldn't be as picky about who they had children with in this case since their mortal masters wouldn't like that). If not, you can call it a bug that didn't get corrected before the fleshforger's left.
New stuff (here is where I have a lot of ideas stored up) : Massage Squirrels: Based on flying squirrel stock, these creatures have a highly modified biochemistry that allows them to sport lead-laced bones. They are virtually unable to survive in the wild. Normally very lethargic, the only time they show "squirrelly energy" is when they are on a warm horizontal surface of at least 3 feet by 1 foot. In such cases they scamper around on top of said object, dragging their patagium(sp?) and tail heavily until very tired (by which time they will have gradually slowed down noticably), at which point they curl up on top of the object and go to sleep. Literally used by the fleshforgers to give themselves relaxing massages. Shared with the slaves because once they existed, there wasn't any reason not to spread them around?
Ioun Rodents: They don't provide any magical benefits to their wearer, but walking around with 3 mice and a rat orbiting your head is a fashion craze that comes and goes, never completely dying out. Can't fly when not placed into orbit. Very vocal about when they are hungry, thirsty, or need to eliminate. Sleep, on the other hand, they will gladly do in mid-air, regardless of noise levels or temperature.
Parasitic pets: (the best detail, and creates a very interesting dicohtomy of the Alien and the Familiar when one considers what such a creature says about the fleshforger's. "They like pets!"..."Some of the pets are squicky!".)
Pre-spell information: The males of these species are useful only as normal pets and as breeders. The females are the valiable ones. Species include mice, gerbils, hamsters, ferrets, guinea pigs, sugar-gliders, rats, and (for size large and larger hosts only) weasels. Some dragons are rumored to wear dire-weasels.
Spell Transformation: The females are sensitive to a specially designed spell which induces a false pregnancy, then a X days to Y weeks later (need to look up rodent and ferret gestation times, then divide by 4 or something) the resulting placental material is transmuted by the second stage of the spell (which is probably around 2nd or 3rd level for a single pet), effectively spaying the pet. The results of this transmutation are tendrils on the belly that are strongly linked into the pet's nervous and circulatory systems. If a tiny amount of metal is included as a material component in the transformative spell, that metal is transmuted into the tips of the tendrils, this allows the parasitic pet to bypass metal-based damage reduction. I think that for especially hard-bodied creatures (such as dragons) the inclusion of adamintine as necessary would make sense.
Attachment: If pressed against a living creature the tendrils will burrow in, connecting to the capillaries and sensory nerves in the area. The capillary connections handle hydration, nutrition, respiration, and waste removal for the pet just as if the pet were in its mother's womb. The neurological connections mean that any sensation (heat, cold, pressure, pain, etc) felt by the parasite's skin is mapped onto the patch of skin that the tendrils penetrate. This prevents accidental injury to the pet. The host has the "Share Spells" ability with the parasite(s) just as a sorcerer or wizard has with their familiar, except that this also applies to any spell cast on either of them by a third party (always the host's choice, never the parasite's) Any affection shown by the master/host (the same thing as far as the parasitic pet is concerned) is reciprocated in a fluffy of squirming (remember the chest is free to move, just not the belly), licking and happy vocalizations (which may be rather faint due to the disused state of the lungs). An attached parasitic pet is fearless, since they can't run away or fight very well anyway and the design is based on the assumption that the master/host will protect them. A parasitic pet can be induced to eat with treats, but has no appetite really, and most hosts prefer to avoid being excreted on, and thus do not feed them. Note that Heal, Remove Curse, Remove Disease, etc can NOT be used to remove a parasitic pet except in cases where a host has enough that it actually has a mechanical effect on their constitution.
Removal: A level 0 spell (on any spell list that includes either arcane transmutation spells, or curative spells... 1st level for spell lists without a 0th level) is known to remove a LIVING pet touched. If the pet has been attached for an extended period of time (which is often the case) the pet begins to suffocate (as if drowning), and if it is not attached to a new host quickly (as determined by the usual fortitude saves) it will die. A parasitic pet dying of old age also detaches (this is a precaution to avoid gangrene of the tendril-penetrated site). In the case of the violent death of a parasitic pet, Heal checks to remove the tendrils are indicated, and even then a Remove Disease is generally a wise precaution.
Temporary Pets: The "Temporary Tattoo" version of Parasitic pets, these creatures merely secrete a sticky substance from their hairless bellies, allowing them to be placed on, or peeled off. They give the same warning vocalizations about their needs as Ioun Pets, and, if in familiar surroundings will even use their limbs to peel themselves off if the matter becomes serious enough.
Note: Should most or all of these come in unusual colors, or are fur-dyes sufficient for those purposes?
EDIT: Added in Ioun Rodents, temporary pets, and kept working on the parasitic pets. I THINK the parasitic pets are done now.
Re: The Fleshforge Legacy (Community World Building Project)
I've had a few ideas while taking the train home today (one hour of doing nothing since I forgot my books at home). I've been typing this for over an hour now, so apologies when someone else had the same or a contradicting idea first.
So let me share some:
The Progenitors: In the Dawn of time (or more recent, see current time ideas) a race of almost godlike beings came upon the material world and it's fledgling races. They shaped and reshaped them, each according to their own ideas.
For a long time, they did so in peace, and they did many strange and wondrous things to the material creatures, but eventually, war broke out between them, for their philosophies were very different. They fell on each other with their flesh-forged armies. Many of them were defeated quickly, but in the end, five remained:
(Here I have to admit that I'm horrible with names, so I'm using Placeholders) Progenitor Law: The progenitor of lawful races believed in strength through unity, and therefore, his creatures were specialized to a degree that, in the end, none of them could survive without the other. He created hive minds, and insectile creatures. Among them were the Formians, symbionts and grafts and many of the fast-breeding horde-creatures he used as cannonfodder. Progenitor Chaos: The progenitor of chaotic races preached adaptability, believing that no single form of creature could wholly encompass all that was necessary to survive on a battlefield. From his fleshforges came the lycanthropes, the doppelgangers and other shapeshifters. Progenitor Evil: The progenitor of evil races bred his creatures for strength, creating orcs and giants, believing that the strongest soldiers was the best soldier. Progenitor Neutral: The neutral progenitor believed in the power of the mind, creating creatures adapt at rational and quick thinking, and eventually discovering psychic powers. Progenitor good: I must admit, here I'm stumped.
Fleshforges: one of the strongest tools of the progenitors, and one most fought over, where the fleshforges. These were gigantic creatures, hundreds of feet in diameter. Inside their membranous, liquid-filled bodies, these living factories not only changed one creature into another, but also created new creatures from whole cloth when fed enough organic materials. Many of these fleshy creatures became so large, they could no longer suspend themselves and had to be kept under water, or in other environments supporting their enormous bulk.
Neth, the Living Plane (I love Neth, and I use it in pretty much all campaign settings in some way):
When the Progenitors went away, they took their factories, the Fleshforges, with them, hidden or dead, no one knows. All but one: Neth, a creation of Neutral, is the only Fleshforge that was made truly sapient by it's intelligence-focused creator. It was the largest of all Fleshforges, so huge that an entirely new demiplane was made for it, on the ethereal. In a way, Neth is the demiplane, and the demiplane is Neth.
These days, Neth is no longer active as a factory, instead only sending out small creatures, the Nethlings, instead of the battle titans it built in earlier ages. They scout the planes, bringing back information to still Neth's endless inbuilt hunger for Knowledge.
Neth can be useful, however, to those who can satiate it's hunger: in exchange for rare knowledge in a form it can understand, it can lend it's services. Neth can only truly comprehend knowledge presented in biological form. It appreciates the brains of the greatest sages and artists, or the bodies of rare and exotic creatures, if they are well preserved. It will, rarely, be content with knowledge read to it from books, but that is just as likely to anger it.
In exchange, Neth can perform a variety of services: it can dissolve bodies, or rebuild them in a new fashion, adding muscles and body parts, curing diseases or recreating crippled body parts. It can also synthesize body parts of rare creatures, a service appreciated by mages looking for extremely rare spell components.
Few, however, know Neth, for it leads a secretive life on the ethereal, and if a visitor is too knowledgeable and special, it might devour him for his mind.
Edit: comments on the above:
Re: Parasitic pets
Why mammals only? People always focus on mammals so much. I mean, I might be one of the few people who thinks bees are cute (at least outside my research group), but I keep thinking that parasitic creatures, like tapeworms, would be much easier to graft to a living host.
And to extend on this: why not make, say, bat grafts for sonar-vision? You could graft a pet-shark to your arm for a bite attack! Get some magically- enhanced chameleon-skin to fuse with your back, and never again pay for a tattoo you don't want anymore a week later!
“Not a promise, not an oath, or a malediction or a curse,” I said, sounding calm, probably inaudible in the midst of the screaming. “Inevitable. Wasn’t that how she put it? I told them. Warned them.”
-Taylor Hebert. Yes, I'm a proud Skittle.
Re: The Fleshforge Legacy (Community World Building Project)
Here a I present the mutation feats I alluded too earlier. Most are modified from other sources, some are my own.
Spoiler
Mutant [Mutation]
The legacy of the Fleshforger's has altered your body.
Prerequisite: Humanoid.
Benefit: You gain a physical feature that grants you a racial
bonus on one type of check; once you select the check to which
this bonus applies (as well as the corresponding feature) you
cannot change it later. The bonus must be chosen from the
following list:
Mutation Feature Benefit
Bulging eyes +3 bonus on Search checks
Flexible limbs +2 bonus on Grapple checks
Segmented eyes +2 bonus on Spot checks
Slimy skin +4 bonus on Escape Artist checks
Sticky fingers +3 bonus on Climb checks
Tail +4 bonus on Balance checks
Webbed hands +4 bonus on Swim checks
Special: You can select this feat more than once. Each time
you select this feat, choose a different mutant feature and gain
the bonus associated with it.
Thick Hide [Mutation]
Your skin is thicker, scalier, or furrier than normal.
Prerequisite: Mutant
Benefi t: Your natural armor bonus to AC improves
by 1 for every two mutation feats you possess.
DURABLE FORM [Mutation]
Your mutable form has become toughened.
Prerequisite: Mutant
Benefi t: You gain 2 hit points for each Mutation feat you
have.
INHUMAN REACH [Mutation]
Your arms elongate, allowing you to touch the floor with your
hands. In addition, you can bend them in strange and unnatural
ways. The arms may vary in appearance, perhaps seeming
scaly and snakelike, or slimy like tentacles; conversely, they
may resemble normal but longer arms with a second elbow
joint. Unless you wear a large cloak to conceal these deformities,
you are disturbing to behold.
Prerequisite: Mutant
Benefit: You gain an additional 5 feet of reach. For most
Small and Medium creatures, this benefit increases natural
reach to 10 feet. If you already have a reach of more than 5
feet for some reason, this feat extends your reach by another 5
feet. As described on page 112 of the Player’s Handbook, a reach
weapon doubles your normal reach; for example, if you have
this feat and you wield a longspear, you can attack targets 15
or 20 feet away. Your elongated arms also grant you a +2 bonus
on Climb checks.
Special: Due to the disfigured nature of your new limbs,
you take a –1 penalty on all melee attack rolls.
INHUMAN VISION [Mutation]
You possess the inhuman eyes of some strange creature. They
might look segmented or larger or without pupils. You might
even have eyestalks.
Prerequisite: Mutant
Benefit: You gain a racial bonus on Spot checks equal to the
number of aberrant feats you possess.
The range of your darkvision improves by 5 feet for every
Mutation feat that you possess.
If you do not already have darkvision, you gain darkvision
out to 5 feet for each mutation feat you possess
SCAVENGING GULLET [Mutation]
The mutation of your digestive system has gifted you with
the ability to gain nourishment from things that others would
never consider as food.
Prerequisite: Mutant
Benefi t: You gain nourishment from eating any organic
material, despite its freshness or source.
You gain a +4 racial bonus on Fortitude saves to resist the
effect of ingested poisons, as well as on Fortitude saves to
resist diseases caused by ingested substances (such as spoiled
food).
Patagia [Mutation]
The abnormality of your mutated body has become more pronounced.
You grow thin membranes of skin between your arms and legs, allowing you to glide.
Prerequisites: Mutant, one other Mutation feat.
Benefit: You gain a fly speed (with average maneuverability)
equal to one-half your base land speed (round down to the
nearest 5-foot increment).
Special: You can only glide from a higher surface to a lower one with this feat. For every 15 feet you fly with this feat, you descend 5 feet. You cannot ascend except in the presence of an updraft.
Waterborn [Mutation]
The abnormality of your mutated body has become more pronounced.
You have developed webbed fingers and toes, and gills.
Prerequisites: Mutant, one other Mutation feat.
Benefit: You gain a Swim speed equal to your land speed.
This also grants you a +8 racial bonus on Swim checks, the
ability to take 10 on any Swim check, and the ability to use
the run action while swimming.
You can breathe air and water
with equal ease
Razormaw [Mutation]
Your teeth have grown sharp and jagged, allowing you a bite attack
Prerequisite: Mutation
Benefit: You gain a natural bite attack that deals 1d4+ your strength modifier.
In addition, you gain a +1 bonus on intimidate checks.
Sensitive Tongue [Mutation]
Your tongue is rough and odd to behold, but oddly sensitive to your environment.
Prerequisite: Mutant, one other Mutation feat.
Benefit: You gain the ability to sense your surroundings by taste, much like a serpent can. You gain blindsense out to 15 feet.
__________________
"One saving throw at a time."
Last edited by Ponderthought : 07-27-2010 at 03:27 PM.
Re: The Fleshforge Legacy (Community World Building Project)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ponderthought
Here a I present the mutation feats I alluded too earlier. Most are modified from other sources, some are my own.
Spoiler
Mutant [Mutation]
The legacy of the Fleshforger's has altered your body.
Prerequisite: Humanoid.
Benefit: You gain a physical feature that grants you a racial
bonus on one type of check; once you select the check to which
this bonus applies (as well as the corresponding feature) you
cannot change it later. The bonus must be chosen from the
following list:
Mutation Feature Benefit
Bulging eyes +2 bonus on Spot checks
Flexible limbs +2 bonus on Grapple checks
Segmented eyes +3 bonus on Search checks
Slimy skin +4 bonus on Escape Artist checks
Sticky fingers +3 bonus on Climb checks
Tail +4 bonus on Balance checks
Webbed hands +4 bonus on Swim checks
Special: You can select this feat more than once. Each time
you select this feat, choose a different aberrant feature and gain
the bonus associated with it.
Thick Hide [Mutation]
Your skin is thicker, scalier, or furrier than normal.
Prerequisite: Mutant
Benefi t: Your natural armor bonus to AC improves
by 1 for every two mutation feats you possess.
DURABLE FORM [Mutation]
Your mutable form has become toughened.
Prerequisite: Mutant
Benefi t: You gain 2 hit points for each Mutation feat you
have.
INHUMAN REACH [Mutation]
Your arms elongate, allowing you to touch the floor with your
hands. In addition, you can bend them in strange and unnatural
ways. The arms may vary in appearance, perhaps seeming
scaly and snakelike, or slimy like tentacles; conversely, they
may resemble normal but longer arms with a second elbow
joint. Unless you wear a large cloak to conceal these deformities,
you are disturbing to behold.
Prerequisite: Mutant
Benefi t: You gain an additional 5 feet of reach. For most
Small and Medium creatures, this benefi t increases natural
reach to 10 feet. If you already have a reach of more than 5
feet for some reason, this feat extends your reach by another 5
feet. As described on page 112 of the Player’s Handbook, a reach
weapon doubles your normal reach; for example, if you have
this feat and you wield a longspear, you can attack targets 15
or 20 feet away. Your elongated arms also grant you a +2 bonus
on Climb checks.
Special: Due to the disfigured nature of your new limbs,
you take a –1 penalty on all melee attack rolls.
INHUMAN VISION [Mutation]
You possess the inhuman eyes of some strange creature. They
might look segmented or larger or without pupils. You might
even have eyestalks.
Prerequisite: Mutant
Benefit: You gain a racial bonus on Spot checks equal to the
number of aberrant feats you possess.
The range of your darkvision improves by 5 feet for every
Mutation feat that you possess.
If you do not already have darkvision, you gain darkvision
out to 5 feet for each aberrant feat you possess
SCAVENGING GULLET [Mutation]
The mutation of your digestive system has gifted you with
the ability to gain nourishment from things that others would
never consider as food.
Prerequisite: Mutant
Benefi t: You gain nourishment from eating any organic
material, despite its freshness or source.
You gain a +4 racial bonus on Fortitude saves to resist the
effect of ingested poisons, as well as on Fortitude saves to
resist diseases caused by ingested substances (such as spoiled
food).
Patagia [Mutation]
The abnormality of your mutated body has become more pronounced.
You grow thin membranes of skin between your arms and legs, allowing you to glide.
Prerequisites: Mutant, one other Mutation feat.
Benefit: You gain a fly speed (with average maneuverability)
equal to one-half your base land speed (round down to the
nearest 5-foot increment).
Special: You can only glide from a higher surface to a lower one with this feat. For every 15 feet you fly with this feat, you decend 5 feet. You cannot acend except in the presence of an updraft.
Waterborn [Mutation]
The abnormality of your mutated body has become more pronounced.
You have developed webbed fingers and toes, and gills.
Prerequisites: Mutant, one other Mutation feat.
Benefi t: You gain a Swim speed equal to your land speed.
This also grants you a +8 racial bonus on Swim checks, the
ability to take 10 on any Swim check, and the ability to use
the run action while swimming.
You can breathe air and water
with equal ease
Razormaw [Mutation]
Your teeth have grown sharp and jagged, allowing you a bite attack
Prerequisite: Mutation
Benefit: You gain a natural bite attack that deals 1d4+ your strength modifier.
In addition, you gain a +1 bonus on intimidate checks.
Sensitive Tongue [Mutation]
Your tounge is rough and odd to behold, but oddly sensitive to your enviroment.
Prerequisite: Mutant, one other Mutation feat.
Benefit: You gain the ability to sense your surroundings by taste, much like a serpent can. You gain blindsense out to thirty feet.
Re: The Fleshforge Legacy (Community World Building Project)
indeed, most are modified from the feats in lords of madness. Im working on more original ones, but I figured id put those up to see if everyone agreed it was a productive area of work.
Re: The Fleshforge Legacy (Community World Building Project)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eldan
Progenitor good: I must admit, here I'm stumped.
Let me take a crack at it... (off of the top of my head pretty much, strays onto the subject of dragons)
Progenitor Good was the only one who identified on a personal level with his subjects. He focused his species-creation efforts on the slower, but safer, method of modifying embryonic creatures rather than fully formed creatures. In the case of intelligent creatures he would only work with couples who gave their informed consent to the specific project they would be involved in. Even the most mis-shapen of his learning experiences were given his care, even if they were never intended to be more than brute beasts in the first place. In fact, he spear-headed the creation of the dragons, simply because his methods were the only ones capable of making so great a leap beyond the capabilities of other creatures. These creatures were only in their more primitive stages (an initial generation of proto-dragons only 1 in 20 of which had survived long enough to reach breeding age) when the war broke out, and thus it was that Neutral, Law, and Chaos all helped at various stages of the project as alliances were formed and broken between The Five. Evil made an especial point of devoting a large portion of his resources towards the theft of tissue samples, wyrmlings, and the modification there-of.
One of Progenator Good's last experiments was to take the adaptability of the draconic form that allowed the existence of the widely varied half-dragons and isolate it. His one foray into applying this knowledge was the Mepholk.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eldan
Edit: comments on the above:
Re: Parasitic pets
Why mammals only?
Because only placental mammals have placentas. A placenta is required for the specific technique I described. Other, competing, techniques might exist, but for this technique, only a placental mammal is worth the trouble of modifying.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eldan
People always focus on mammals so much. I mean, I might be one of the few people who thinks bees are cute (at least outside my research group),
This has nothing to do with my reasoning.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eldan
but I keep thinking that parasitic creatures, like tapeworms, would be much easier to graft to a living host.
Pre-existing parasites aren't cute and hybridizing them with cute animals would, I would argue, be more difficult from the species-making POV than what I described.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eldan
And to extend on this: why not make, say, bat grafts for sonar-vision? You could graft a pet-shark to your arm for a bite attack! Get some magically- enhanced chameleon-skin to fuse with your back, and never again pay for a tattoo you don't want anymore a week later!
That would be more like the traditional symbiotes, and while such things are probably good things to write up, they are a separate area of endeavor from what I was presenting.
Ponderthought: I might reverse the effects of Bulging and Segmented eyes, but I am really not sure.
Also, unless it already exists, you might want one for Scent.
Despite the lack of a bonus to Spot, I think that Sensitive tongue makes the darkvision granting feat basically pointless... I would knock the tongue down to 5 feet.
Re: The Fleshforge Legacy (Community World Building Project)
Quote:
Ponderthought: I might reverse the effects of Bulging and Segmented eyes, but I am really not sure.
Also, unless it already exists, you might want one for Scent.
Despite the lack of a bonus to Spot, I think that Sensitive tongue makes the other blind-sight granting feat basically pointless... maybe make the first one grant scaling dark-vision instead, and the tongue a flat 5 foot blindsight?
That sounds right actually. ill switch them.
Theres already a Scent feat, I suppose it could easily be considered a a Mutation feat.
Also, what other blind sight feat? I only count one, unless ive finally gone completely senile.
Re: The Fleshforge Legacy (Community World Building Project)
Quote:
...Pre-existing parasites aren't cute...
I disagree. But to each their own, and that's not the subject here.
Anyway, I'll work on a few more grafts, then. I would also include cosmetic grafts, like:
Photophores: Called "phot" in the youth slang of [large city that seems to show up in every setting], Photophores are small bulbs full of light-emitting bacteria which are implanted under the skin. While not bright enough to provide any amount of useful light for reading or navigating in the dark, they are seen as very fashionable and are available in a variety of colours. Those rich enough to afford them (or willing to visit back-alley grafters) often implant whirls and stripes in contrasting colours under their skin.
Crest: Similar to photophores, a variety of colourful and weirdly shaped crests and ridges have taken over the position of hats or diadems in the fashion of some of the more enhancement-happy societies.
As for blindsense: what about sensory hairs, like on insects? They could also provide tremorsense.
“Not a promise, not an oath, or a malediction or a curse,” I said, sounding calm, probably inaudible in the midst of the screaming. “Inevitable. Wasn’t that how she put it? I told them. Warned them.”
-Taylor Hebert. Yes, I'm a proud Skittle.
Re: The Fleshforge Legacy (Community World Building Project)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ponderthought
Also, what other blind sight feat? I only count one, unless ive finally gone completely senile.
Nah, I got blindsight and darkvision temporarily mixed up... see my edits into my longer post above (since I also collapsed my double-post into it).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eldan
Anyway, I'll work on a few more grafts, then. I would also include cosmetic grafts, like:
Photophores: Called "phot" in the youth slang of [large city that seems to show up in every setting], Photophores are small bulbs full of light-emitting bacteria which are implanted under the skin. While not bright enough to provide any amount of useful light for reading or navigating in the dark, they are seen as very fashionable and are available in a variety of colours. Those rich enough to afford them (or willing to visit back-alley grafters) often implant whirls and stripes in contrasting colours under their skin.
Crest: Similar to photophores, a variety of colourful and weirdly shaped crests and ridges have taken over the position of hats or diadems in the fashion of some of the more enhancement-happy societies.
Those look fine, and if I am glad I seem to have inspired you.
Note for later:
Spoiler
Of course, sooner or later we are going to need prices for this stuff... if the parasitic pets end up being too cheap to justify the spell-casting, we can always say that each casting transforms a number of pets equal to the caster level. Then again, we can always hand-wave it, since D&D already makes economists cry.
Re: The Fleshforge Legacy (Community World Building Project)
Quote:
Originally Posted by DracoDei
Nah, I got blindsight and darkvision temporarily mixed up... see my edits into my longer post above (since I also collapsed my double-post into it).
aha, I see. I will consider modifications to those two, but i was also thinking of building some short feat trees for improving each in various ways, like giving the eye one tre bonuses to spot invisible foes and the tongue tree abilities to detect poisoned food or drink, or something similar. It would help differentiate the two and give both meaning.
i ill probably cut down the blindsense abit anyway though.
Edit: The mutation feats gave me an idea for a prestige class,Something based around seizing control of ones own form, but ive never really created one. Any idea?
__________________
"One saving throw at a time."
Last edited by Ponderthought : 07-27-2010 at 03:35 PM.
Re: The Fleshforge Legacy (Community World Building Project)
Progenitor good might have made more utilitarian races that were skilled in rendering aid to others. These races would be the craftsmen, the healers, etc. that could do things that would be of benefit to others.
If you notice the traits the other progenitors perused didn't do this. In a hive, everyone works for the good of the hive, and not the good of its members (and while some things may be able to help others, they would only be used for the hive). Shapeshifters are able to benefit, hide, and protect themselves with their powers, but they don't extend to others (not that they couldn't be used to aid others but they don't directly do so). Evil made beings that were strong on their own and thus had little need to make things or help others. Neutral perused rationality and reasoning, which while able to give advice, do little for the more immediate material needs. It also requires action on the part of those receiving the advice to actually make use of it.
Craftsmen and healers would be able to give their work to those that need it and directly aid them through their work. Also, I'd suggest changing it from evil and good to selfish and selfless. The ideas of what they did would work just as well, but wouldn't make the strong solitary races automatically seem like they need to be evil due to their maker, and the craftsmen good due to theirs.
Also, I'd suggest looking at the ozodrin class in my sig for an in progress class that may fit due to its variable nature.
Owrtho
__________________
My Homebrew
[creature]Shiny: Monster Competition XXXVI entry.
[class]Wisp fire guide: Follow me. I have such sights to show you.
[class]Ozodrin: A class to play as an eldritch horror. other hombrew
Re: The Fleshforge Legacy (Community World Building Project)
Hey! Sorry I abandoned this with so little this morning. I did a lot of awesome stuff while I was off at class, brainstorming.
Firstly, however, some of the stuff from the old thread that may or may not have been read:
Agriculture:
Spoiler
The basic form of agriculture is a genetically enhanced form of rice that grows massive quantities of edible food. They grow from large, tangled nodes of roots, specially made to taste bitter (You'll see why), and they can continue to regrow almost indefinitely. The paddies are arranged in concentric loops hundreds of miles across that are staggered so one field will ripen within days of the previous one.
The system requires five animals.
Scytheboars (think Razor Boar, but slightly less crazy, and predatory)
Paddy Eels (Basically eels, but they nest in the root-tangles of the rice and have a lemming-like instinct described below)
Plowtusk (It looks vaguely like an elephant, but with an elongated lower jaw with a pair of flat tusks on the tip and a second set that goes down and curls forward like a hook, coming off the upper jaw)
Seedbeard (Sorta like an anteater/sloth thing. Very shaggy fur.)
Cropguard Lizards (Basically, mini-iguana that live in the rice fields and jump from stalk to stalk)
The process begins with the scytheboar. These boars come to a paddy and rampage through it, their tusks swinging back and forth, cleaving stalks. Their rampage stirs the paddy eels into a terror-fueled rush that culminates with them leaping, lemming-esque, on the paddy's banks to die out of water. The scytheboar eat the dead eels and continue back and forth through the paddy to scare up more of their meal, leaving the fallen stalks laying about. The eels have already laid their eggs by the time they scytheboar comes around, so the next generation remains assured. those that escape the scytheboar die soon afterward, of age, and rot to nourish the soil. Once a scytheboar is finished, he sleeps off the meal, periodically mating with the scytheboars of the other nearby rings. and proceeds to the next paddy. Once the scytheboar is finished, along comes the plowtusk. The plowtusk eats plants, tubers and roots specifically, that may grow in the paddies, but the rice's bitter roots make them unappetizing. The process of plowing it's lower jaw through the muck on the bottom is made difficult by the stalks laying around. So, the plowtusk's instincts tell it to first scoop up the stalks and deposit them onto the banks of the paddies. Then it gets one with it's meal, stirring up the soil for the next year's crop and weeding the field. Then the seedbeard follows the plowtusk, once the root-bundles have put up flowers. The seedbeard eats the eggs of the paddy eel, but it's appetite is low enough that only a fraction of the eggs are consumed. While feeding, It's shaggy body drags through the flowers and carries pollen from one to another, influencing the next year's seeds. Thereafter, the flower falls away and the true stalk arises. The Cropguard Lizards then move in. They eat insects and birds, anything that would feed off the crops, and live leaping from one to another for most of the year, gliding from one paddy to the next every few days. Their instinct prompts them to move along rather than fight when a new group of cropguard lizards moves into their paddy, causing a chain reaction. Every time a scytheboar gets a paddy, the lizards move on, and then the ones in that paddy move on, and so on and so forth.
A perfect cycle. All the intelligent creatures have to do is gather the piles of grain on the shores of the paddies.
Warfare:
Spoiler
Giant vermin, dire animals, and dinosaurs are all bred for battle. Where tanks and helicopters on a modern battlefield would be, there are dire bats or t-rexes in the fleshforged battlefield.
Dinosaurs are basically top-of-the-line models. Sturdier, with greater destructive capacity, they were designed from the ground up as opposed to dire beasts, which used the naturally-occurring animals and made them bigger and stronger. Battletitan and Judatitan (New idea, don't start looking for it, it's not there) dinosaurs are the greatest of them all, secrets of their creation as well-guarded as the creation of the stealth bomber.
Giant vermin are about a step below the dinosaurs in newness. While still working on the basis of a natural creature, the scaling problems were immense, but well worth it for the finished product. Some modified versions were made, including scorpion-based catapults and exploding giant bees, but they never saw widespread use.
Horrid and dire animals are the easiest to mass-produce, and so, make up the bulk of the forces.
These creatures are all directed by the 'common races' as riders, of course. It's infinitely simpler to simply give them riding instincts than to instill true intellect, and the common races can hardly rebel in the presence of the generals.
The generals of these amalgamated riding forces were the dragons. Strong, intelligent, resilient, mobile, and able to deliver concentrated blasts of devastation wherever it was needed most, these massive war-machines stuck terror into enemy forces. Each nation came up with their own versions, with their own themes on the dragon, but most remained true to the original design.
Common Races:
Spoiler
There are tasks for unskilled labor that simply cannot be simplified into animal minds without training. For these, the common races were created.
Humans: These were the basis, the template. They were easy to change, and their short lifespans and high birth rate allowed the master race to experiment with them the most. Humans were everywhere, but never were 'properly' specialized.
Elves: Elves are tree-tenders. They maintain the tall trees and the gardens of their masters, including the mobile plants that they create. The elves were most plentiful in the western forests and swamps, though some oversaw the order in the crop rings.
Dwarves: Dwarves are miners and builders, they made everything the master race couldn't grow. Eventually they were replaced in all but their mining efforts by the warforged. They were mostly in the northern mountains and tundra, more widespread when they were still used for building.
Warforged: The warforged were made from the ore the dwarven mines churned out, but proved themselves an extremely competent replacement for the stocky ones, able to work without breaks and even in the harshest of conditions. They edged out dwarves almost completely, and the humans were the competition. Warforged couldn't birth more, though, so their price tag was a tad steep for many.
Gnomes: Gnomes were the fine detail the dwarves missed. They were fine crafters and fixits. They also revealed an unexpected competence in alchemy and one in medical and surgical tasks, which could prove valuable to those interested into extending the use of their meat-machines. Their ability to speak with animals often made them extremely useful in the crop rings and on most other meatmachine operations.
Halflings: Halflings served a double function. They were merchants, first, traveling far and wide to sell the latest beasts and designs. In addition, they served as spies, though they were mostly neutral. Halflings were the only race that could have been considered 'independent' in the reign of the master race.
Orcs: Orcs were the enforcers. They were proud to serve the master race directly, and swiftly reprimanded any man or beast that stepped out of line.
Minor Illithid (Also a new idea): These thinkers served in the central cities as thinking computers. The elder brains were originally nonsentient, organic data storage, which developed intellect later.
Mass Production
Spoiler
Simple Explanation: Trolls.
More complex explanation: Seeking a easy way to arm their forces for battle,the master race made the trolls. May varieties with different purposes arose, but three were the most present and most widely-used.
Shellskin: These bone-plated trolls were covered in a layer of thick bony armor, which they could shed like an insect, leaving it mostly intact. Normally, these shells become brittle and useless quickly without the troll's natural oils moistening it, but if treated quickly with a special oil, it would seal perfectly and become a sturdy suit of bone fullplate.
Boneforge: These trolls bore a pair of bone-spurred 'wings' that could be torn off and treated to become lances. On one arm, the fingers formed into swords, while the other forearm was grotesquely elongated with a snakelike flexibility, able to be removed to form a deadly trollclaw whip. Finally, between their 'wings' they grew bony plate that could be removed and formed into a heavy shield.
Flesh-harvest: These bloated trolls were used to harvest meat, able to regrow it nearly instantly as long as they were fed. They could also be used to harvest trollskin leather which could be made into either clothing or armor.
Second, some other, new ideas that occurred to me, mostly focusing on geography and the associated features.
Geography:
Spoiler
The main continent is vaguely oval-shaped, longer north-south. The eastern edge is slightly concave, but there's a wide spread of small to mid-sized islands, the largest about the size of texas, spreading off the coast. There are two mountain ranges, a curved one separating the north-most quarter or so from the remainder, and a stright one separating the southern quarter of the landmass and ringing around the edges. The portion walled off by mountains is elevated, with several-hundred-foot cliffs that plunge directly into the sea and continue straight down. The center of the continent is marked by the crop-ring, which is about 300 miles across from outer rim and extends inward a good fifty miles. The planet's equator runs straight across the southern, mountained-off quarter and some of the southernmost islands.
The landmass carries a variety of terrain. The Western side is heavily forested, running the gamut from an everglades-style swamp that butts against the south mountains. Heading north, it progresses through climates. A sort of mangrove forest at first, then it dries up and evolves into a full rainforest. As it goes north, the tropical trees become less so, shifting out for a more temperate jungle, which eventually fades into pine as they press into the north mountains. The northern mountains are cold and solid, stable behemoths capped in snow as they hold back a frozen tundra. Along the northmost coast, ice shelves expand some 50+ miles into the frozen sea. Rounding the northern corner and heading south once more, we begin with scrublands that fill out the foothills of the mountains. Then, down into rolling grasslands that grow from white-green in the north to rolling fields of green and eventually shifting to golden Savannah against the south mountains. the south mountains continue all along the cliff-lined shore, but they contain a black-sand desert within them. It's sands are igneous, powdered stone ejected from the mountains. The mountain's along the shore aren't really mountains in a proper sense, rather a ring of mostly-dormant volcanoes that periodically bathe the searing sands with clouds of burning ash. The further south you go, the higher the actual elevation is, as volcanic action has actually pushed the southernmost tip of the peninsula upward, creating the towering cliffs that the seas pound against constantly. In the very center of the continent, within the crop ring, the land is almost completely obscured by the remnants of shaper society, which grow larger and more complex as you approach the central capital.
Political Effects:
Spoiler
The continent had six 'nations' when the shapers lived. North, south, east, west, center, and sea. North: the north is a two-part nation. Most 'civilization' is in the mountains that surround the tundra, which have been so riddled by tunnels with milennia of mining that they are quite easily able to support a country's worth of people. The dwarves were the first workers created to mine these mineral-rich mountains, then the kobolds, and finally the warforged. The dwarves, with each successive takeover of their tasks, took on a more intellectual role as architects, crafters, and engineers. they remained in control of the mines as the kobolds dig them, and they manage the warforged working on the building projects. The shapers view the tundra itself as a sort of 'proving ground'. The harsh terrain has many needs, and they must creatively engineer solutions in their beasts, which makes creatures like the rhemoraz and the frost worm. South: The mountains that separate them from the rest of the world make this remote location somewhat mysterious. The sun-baked black sands make the temperature soar to 200+ degrees, making most life impossible on the surface. The shapers of this nation moved underground, where the heat would not follow. They did, however, build some of their larger, more impressive fleshforges on the surface to avoid the collapsing and magma-flooding that could happen at any time in the tunnels. The tunnels became the home to bizzare creatures created by the eccentric, desert-dwelling shapers. Their main trade route, rather than face the volcanic mountains of the northern border, is south, through tunnels on the cliffs. West: The west's lush forests are abundant with life. The shapers of the west view the art of shaping as an actual art. Elegant changes that subvert the creature's own tendancies and biology are the most appreciated. It is here that almost all non-grain vegetable matter is grown, tended by elves. Swarms of bats go throughout the undercanopy, feasting on insects that may harm the fruits, while gliding, insectivore squirrels patrol the trunks of them, rooting out termites and anything else that crawls. Dire bats and giant eagles are harnessed above the canopy to tow lifting kites that bear loads of fruit and nutritious leaves. Even Rocs are used at times to deliver massive loads to distant lands. Living plants saw their birth in these lands, and the swamps of the south edge were where trolls originated, before they were modified for mass production. East: The east has one thing in abundance: Space. While the west believes that the true art of shaping is subtlety, the east has no such illusions. The shapers have a long-standing unspoken competition to create the largest and most impressive, original creatures. Here is where dinosaurs saw their birth, and their perfection in judatitan and battletitan. 'Everything is bigger in the east', after all. Dire beasts became horrid beasts beneath the hands of the shapers here, and giants were created with their megascale flesh-forges for orders in all nations. Center: The center is without a doubt, the mecca of shapers. This nation held the greatest, most innovative minds all collaborating to create creatures that had NO precedents, crafted wholly from the minds of these geniuses. Abberations, dragons, the mass production trolls... The cshapers used a form of minor illithid as organic computers to design their creations. The elder brains began as nonentient, organic data storage, only growing a consciousness as the information stored passed a sort of 'critical mass'. Sea: The islands of the far east are used more as staging areas and trading posts, the vast majority of this nation being submerged. Aquatic beings of all description saw their creations here. Visitors could don symbionts that served as living gills to view the sunken splendor, transported in the transparent pouches of whale-like creatures.
Also: Shapers were originally going to be based out of Daelkyr, but less insane. Perhaps lawful creatures that emerged from a plane of chaos?
As for the rest of your awesome replies, I'll attempt to respond to each in turn.
Volthawk: Yes, symbionts and grafts will have a HUGE part in this.
As for races, I could make a modular race, but I think the current races, with a little modification, would serve quite well.
Eldan: Shifting races=YES. Did NOT think of that. I do like the bonetheifs, though. Sounds awesome.
As for fleshforged, I could see them, but the world I'd imagined had proper warforged already. Perhaps turn the half-daelkyr into a pregenitor-touched race that allows for the free attaching/detaching of symbionts.
Tygre: I've only read a few pages out of promethian while I was browsing in a game store, but sounds fun.
No idea what the vamp-things are.
Ponderthought: Player mutation sounds like a very solid possibility. I'll have to come up with some kind of system.
Not sure what this mist-thingie is you;re discussing is, but I'll wiki it when I get a chance.
Also interesting ideas. I thought abberations would be more a 'creativity ideal'. Created for no purpose but to show they COULD be created. In the downfall of the shapers, they escape and begin multiplication. You do the math.
Draco: Interesting ideas.
Wing dragon: Might be awesome.
Mepholk: Not sure what those are, and I don't have time at the moment to go look. Brief rundown?
Massage squirrels: Awesome, that sounds pretty fun. Not sure if it'd actually happen, but...
Parasitic pets: I'll get back to these, a little rushed.
Eldan again: Progenitors are more 'ultrapowerful, amoral mages' than godlike beings. Admittably, godlike, but not 'divine' as your idea sounds.
Neth could be fun. I'll need to look it over later...
Ponder again: Looks awesome! Basically abberation blood + a few extras? Also, how about just scent instead of blindsight/sense?
Volt again: Also need to be examined!
Eldand once more: Photophores and crests sound awesome.
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Last edited by Admiral Squish : 07-27-2010 at 06:15 PM.
Re: The Fleshforge Legacy (Community World Building Project)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Admiral Squish
Draco: Interesting ideas.
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Originally Posted by Admiral Squish
Wing dragon: Might be awesome.
Yeah, I was mostly just going to giving you perfunctory permission to use them, but then I realized that there were some things about them that would seem to make them not very good as a commander of a large battle.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Admiral Squish
Mepholk: Not sure what those are, and I don't have time at the moment to go look. Brief rundown?
Skunk people... Ok, I can hear you yawning from here. That isn't the point (although I really fleshed them out). The point is that the child of a Mepholk and a human is ALWAYS a Mepholk. Also, their cultural ideals manage to combine Neutral Good with eugenics in what I felt was a believable way. Seemed like the sort of thing that would fit this world.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Admiral Squish
Massage squirrels: Awesome, that sounds pretty fun. Not sure if it'd actually happen, but...
Ok, why not?
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Originally Posted by Admiral Squish
Parasitic pets: I'll get back to these, a little rushed.
Ok, but unless you call them prototypes for something actually USEFUL, rather than just decorative, I think that if you leave out the massage squirrels you will probably leave out these for the same reason(s), whatever those might be.
Don't forget about the Temporary Pets and the Ioun Pets when you get some time.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Admiral Squish
Eldan again: Progenitors are more 'ultrapowerful, amoral mages' than godlike beings. Admittably, godlike, but not 'divine' as your idea sounds.
Ok, but the attitudes and accomplishments could be the same, you are just replacing an individual with a group (probably intermingled with the other groups) and removing the Divine Rank/dropping the CRs (if those ever matter). Point is, that work may not go to waste.
Re: The Fleshforge Legacy (Community World Building Project)
Wing dragons: Still haven't looked too close at then, but I assure there will be lookings soon.
Mepholk: So, skunk people are a patch for humans? Why skunk? What quality does humanity lack that making them skunky would fix?
Massage squirrels: Well, they could work. I could see the shapers making them. But they also don't seem like the sort to treat slave races any better than, well, slaves. And since, by your own admission, the squirrels are unsurvivable in the wild, I believe that in the repetitive conquerings of the capital they would either be exterminated or been driven into the crop rings where either they'd drown, the scytheboars would get them, or the lizards would.
Ioun pets: Maybe. I could see like, little Ioun cages that you could put tiny animals in and maybe gain familiar benefits. Or maybe eyes! Get two, and you have all-around vision, but have to make a save or be nauseated for one minute and sickened for 24 hours or until they're removed,due to the spinnin'!
Parasitic pet: I think it could be cool, but I'd make a specific race of shoulder-dwelling things. Ones that give you something in return, too. Like decorative/semi-useless symbionts. Same applies to temporary pets.
As for divinity/non divinity, did you read my take on it? I think mine's more realistic in dealing with preferences and creativity. Sure, there'd be wars, but they wouldn't be clashes of good and evil, they'd be clashes of evil on evil using thousands of creatures bred specifically to live and die by their whims.
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Re: The Fleshforge Legacy (Community World Building Project)
Quote:
As for divinity/non divinity, did you read my take on it? I think mine's more realistic in dealing with preferences and creativity. Sure, there'd be wars, but they wouldn't be clashes of good and evil, they'd be clashes of evil on evil using thousands of creatures bred specifically to live and die by their whims
.
ithilid armies on the march. God i love lovecraft. A though occurs to me about aberrations, in addition to the ones i posted above. What if they were the mistakes?
Oh and more mutation feats to come, soon as i can focus. Ive a damnable headache.
Edit: Also, I think maybe legendary forgers along the lines of the earlier statement could be cool, but with less focus on alignment and more on the medium they preferred. Say for instance there was a forger who favored creating sea creatures, who was at odd with the forger favored of plants, and so on.
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Last edited by Ponderthought : 07-27-2010 at 08:58 PM.
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