ENWorld Blog

I have created a blog on ENWorld and I may, given some thought, do all of my blogging for Esaene over there.

http://www.enworld.org/forum/blog.php?u=34405

Making adjustments to the setting

Now that I've had a chance to run the game and (finally) play (thanks to Galen at Origins for the great session), I'm starting to make the setting adjustments to fit the world as it is.

The first question is a bit of a hot topic on ENWorld and other forums. What to do with Dragonborn and Tieflings. The change to Dragonborn is really just a backstory one - the Dragonborn are the result of a magical experiment, the mortals emulating the Gods (in that the aberrations were designed to be weapons); the dragonborn were created and bred to be weapons, turned into slaves, and eventually freed by their own power in a revolt that toppled an empire. They never rose to power, splitting up into various tribes and factions.

The Tieflings, on the other hand, actual have some minor mechanical changes to go along with their massive story changes. The infernal thing is something I generally reserve for bad guys or a major storyline, not your run of the mill warlord. Instead, the Tiefling are out and "Cealdara" (Key-al-dara) are in. Cealdara are elves with abilities relating to cold. The Cealdara will be cousins to the Eladrin and Elves. Outsiders won't know the difference.

Setting

I'm still running my PBEM game at the moment (although participation has lagged in the last two weeks). Things are going pretty well and I've had some time to brainstorm, mostly because I haven't had time to write due to "real work" concerns.

Still, I have had some time to sit down with Brant and go over setting issues. I have a good scheme for areas that should help in multiple ways (both in-game/story and out-of-game/writing).

The biggest issues facing me are as such:
1. Time - I'm working about 50+hours a week, am a hockey season ticket holder, and have two children. You do the math.
2. Philosophy - I dislike the Arcane/Divine divide concerning magic and I'm still working on separating them from D&D Canon.
3. Mapping the known world - this one I solved with some brain-storming. The "known world" is fragmented and small, so maps will exist for individual areas. This has to do with the integration of the faerie-lands into the material plane. In other words, civilization will exist in pockets of faerie; traveling between them will be difficult at best.

Esaene outline (working)

I'm still brainstorming this and it is subject to much change...
I think each release should be focused on an adventure and have it include the supplementary information along with it. Have an adventure in the Riverlands, the Pellinans, the heart of Amara or the highlands of Rone.

Esaene primer

1. Introduction


2. Races
   
   1. All characters are human
      
   2. Certain feats represent bloodlines (half-elves, etc.)
      
   3. Regional benefits are granted to different groups of people (cultures, etc.)
      
   4. Many cultural groups will be detailed in separate regional books.
   
   
3. Classes
   
   1. Fighter
      
   2. Mageknight
      
   3. Ranger
      
   4. Rogue
      
   5. Sorcerer
      
   6. Wanderer
      
   7. Wizard
   
   
4. Skills
   
   1. Skill updates
      
      1. Language
         
      2. Profession
         
      3. Spellcraft
      
      
   2. Changes
      
      1. Remove Use Magic Device
         
      2. Remove Magical Skills from EoM - Dispel Magic, Divination, Scry
   
   
5. Feats
   
   1. Magical feat changes
      
   2. Magical traditions
      
   3. Combat style trees
      
   4. General changes
   
   
6. Magic
   
   1. Elements of Magic revised
      
   2. Changes to base system
   
   
7. Starting region for base game

Regional Book

1. Introduction
   
   1. Overview
      
   2. Map
      
   3. Politics
      
   4. Religion
      
   5. History
      
   6. Organizations
      
   7. Adventure hooks/seeds
   
   
2. Races
   
   1. Regional Feats
      
   2. Languages available
      
   3. Physical characteristics
      
   4. Religion/Faith
      
   5. Benefits/Drawbacks
      
   6. Magical Traditions
      
   7. Standard and exotic weapons/equipment
      
   8. Preferred and restricted classes/traditions
   
   
3. Focal point write up
   
   1. Location description & statistics
      
   2. Important characters
      
   3. Full adventure in setting

What is the world of Esaene?

Esaene is a world in turmoil. The people of the land are just starting to see the light at the end of a thousand years of darkness. A long and costly war with mythical beings brought ruin to the land, shattering mighty cultures and laying waste to everything it touched. The fey races have retreated to the darkest corners of the land and new cultures have risen from the ashes of old.

Still, old enmities and fears linger beneath the surface. Old religions are beginning to chafe at a new sect, the Prelacy of Light, who seek to spread their gospel to all living beings. Feuds dating hundreds of years or longer still simmer, waiting for an opportune chance to strike back.

Themes, too

Continuing on Chris's idea of underlying themes, there are some things I was always big on with the original conception of Esaene.

1. History - there are a few 'big' stories that underlie the world and much of them are considered to be 'folk legends'. However, there are elements of truth in every fairy tale and legend, and separating fact from fiction can unlock some powerful secrets.

2. History, 2 - Everything has a story. That "longsword +1" in the pile of treasure is really the finely-crafted 9th blade of Ythifir the Black, one of the dozen he created for the Guardians of Perisis. It is distinguishable by it's off-center hilt, balanced for left-handed users (which all Guardians were) and the Illusin engraving on the blade. Such a finely-balanced blade moves with the wielder, giving him or her an edge in combat. Usually, stories like that are reserved for the Vorpal Bastard Sword +4/+6 vs Nocturnal Lycanthropes.

3. Motivations - No grand good vs evil story here. Everyone has a reason to do what they do, and people with perfectly legitimate reasons for pursuing their life's goals may often find themselves at cross-purposes. Chris highlighted that alignment is not a major factor. More important to me, people have to have a reason for doing what they're doing, instead of the wishy-washy "that's what my alignment would have me do."

4. Magic - A strange and wondrous thing. Even hedge wizards are treated with great reverence, once the crowd believes that it's not a sleight-of-hand trick.

5. Separation - There's no 'line in the sand' at the edge of the king's lands. But the distance from this land to that land is pretty vast when you have to spend 4 nights in "Injun country" to get there. Adventurers are treated in high regard but are very rare; merchants bringing wares from another land are also treated with great reverence for having travelled beyond the next two hills.

As Chris had previously noted - comments are welcome & encouraged.

Theme

Brant and I have been discussing story and theme for the Esaene setting lately. He has already published Esaene under his own rules several years back, but if I'm writing this thing I wanted a bit more creative control. We've decided that, instead of making everything in the world of Esaene, we're going to start with a specific place and work out from there.

Anyway, the themes are not well defined in the game as is. Brant's original idea was exploration and political struggle. I have a lot of ideas, but they need to be fully developed.

Themes

• Boundaries - the area between civilization and the wild is a thin line and one that should be examined. Where does civilization stop and nature begin? What are the problems encountered when they come into conflict?


• Consequences - There is no alignment in this game. There are plenty of sides and factions who believe they are right. Sometimes they both are. Each action has consequences and no one lives in a vacuum.


• Struggle - Conflict is always a theme and should always remain - Religious and political ideologies, mercantile wars, limited resources. Everyone is at odds for one reason or another, with the players inevitably in the middle. Peace is boring.


• Fantasy - Magic and wonder are still important parts to the game, but they come with their dangers. Fairy tales, tragedies, and myths should all have parts. The fantastic should not overshadow the characters though.

Those are the overriding themes as I see it. Anyone have any suggestions or critique?

Design Blog

I've started this blog to keep track of the various design changes as Esaene 2nd edition is in development. I'll post more information when I get a chance.