Frontier
Welcome, frontiersmen! You and your team, whom you've been training for over a year now, must embark on an adventure to find a new home! Our homeland, Irongrasp, has long been on the verge of anarchy. Overpopulation, food shortages, social inequality, these have plagued our once great kingdom. Your instructions are in the various manuals sent along with this scroll, along with a map. Your equipment will be waiting in the Gate.
This is a low-magic fantasy game where a party of four, each lending their abilities to help reclaim the continent of Krag. These four abilities are in the scope of Survival, Construction, Reclamation, and Exploration.
Survival is to ensure that the new town you have created can support itself. They must me able to grow their own crops, obtain their own resources, and defend themselves. A Survival Frontiersman must search for proper crops or livestock for the town to focus production.
Construction is to create homes and workplaces for the kingdoms citizens to be able to thrive in. They must be able to produce their own products, trade with other cities, and build further additions without the aid of the Frontier. A Construction Frontiersman must learn of the surrounding building materials and plan out the construction of the city to optimize efficiency.
Reclamation is to be able to fight back the vile creatures that have overtaken Krag. The Reclamation Frontiersman must be able to defend himself, his Frontiersmen comrades, and be able to find the surrounding enemy's weakness and relay it to the new city.
Exploration is to discover the natural (or, sometimes, unnatural) wonders that pock the surface of Krag. Including dungeons, hidden treasures, artifacts, and secrets to benefit the Frontiers and the Kingdom of Irongrasp.
Game mechanics will rely on the six-sided die. Standard table of 1-bad, 5-good, and 6-good=bad. Fighting will probably develop along the game but will mostly rely on the Chunky Salsa system. Basically, if you are designing a town, do it together, it won't be meta. The turns will generally assume you have discussed together at some point even if in the turn you are far away. Unless your character had no possible way of communicating.
Humans
The oldest and most powerful race. They do not vary much in form; most being generally the same height and all of them being generally recognizable. However, they are the most "potent". By that, they are able to divine or scry. Note that they still require years of training and even then it is almost certain to backfire fatally. Many humans are skilled in various skills.
The Humans are the leading race in the Iron Coalition. They contribute to nearly half of the population. Many are discriminative of the other near-human races. +1 to Divining, +1 to all diplomatic attempts with Humans, +1 to skill of choice.
Fae
Myth has it that the original Fae were orcs who had interbred with Humans. The result was half-human, half-orc hybrids who took on a humanoid form with the outward appearance of a generally docile animal, most often birds, domesticated animals, and forest herbivores. They are either loved or hated, depending on what animal they resemble.
Fae are jacks of all trades. Depending on the animal they appear to be, they have very different talents. +1 to Divining with Animals, +1 to a Skill associated with Animal, ability to Communicate with Wildlife.
Dwarves
Dwarves were once stone homunculi tasked with mining riches for Irongrasp. The Flesh-Techs experimented further and further with the Stoneculi and became so advanced that they developed sentience and after a long uprising earned citizenship. Since they are artificial, they have a lot of trouble with Divination
Dwarves are very strong and have an iron will. They have an ingrained knowledge of rocks and minerals and require very little to sustain themselves. +1 to Rocks and Mining, -1 to Divining Attacks (against and for them), requires ration every month instead of half a month.
Drow Outcasts
These are not regular Drow; they mostly resemble humans, having four limbs, a face, and the ability to verbally communicate. However, they retain their Drow heritage in that they have insect-like abilities, such as flight, spinning web, etc.
These Drow have a very low social standing; event the most tolerant, justice following citizens have second thoughts of letting these Drow in. The Drow have retained their ability to psychically communicate with one another, and are expert builders. +1 to Building, +1 to Divination, ability to Communicate telepathically.
These Races are either hostile, have no relation to the Coalition, or neutral.
Orcs
Orcs are as old as the Humans. It is said that Humans are the primal mental state opposed to the Orcs primal physical state. Orcs are very large humanoid creatures. Each varies in appearance; all taking the form of a predator or aggressive herbivore. Many have the appearance of bulls, lions, wolves, or alligators. They are all very aggressive and actively seek to pillage and hunt civilized towns. They travel in packs of 10-20, led by an Alpha.
Goblins
The smaller variant of the Orc. They resemble smaller animals, and are generally the height of a human child. Many of them resemble rats, badgers, and such. Though smaller, they are just as savage as Orcs. They mostly use cunning to compensate their size and physical potential. They travel in small groups of 5 or by themselves to work as thieves.
True Drow
These Drow have no resemblance to humanity at all. Some say they predate the oldest Humans. They take the form of gigantic insects, or an amalgam of insects. Many of them hide and prey on Humans, due to their psychic nature. They generally brainwash weak-willed individuals to do their work or act as free-lance agents who use natural stealth and savage power to assassinate targets.
Mer
Mer are aquatic Orcs. They prowl the oceans, raiding ships and dragging sailors to the bottom of the deep to feast on them. They take the shape of a humanoid sea-creature, and all of them are amazing swimmers. They are incredibly brutal, even for Orcs, and most have a fear of travelling far on a boat.
Treants
Treants are Orcs more attuned to plant-life. They take the form of large, humanoid trees and are very protective of their groves. While not actively hostile, they are still very dangerous and have been known to be extremely brutal if their peace is disturbed.
Many more Races have not been documented! You will face creatures you have never seen, so remember to take notes!
Name: Obvious
Sex: If you say "yes", I will send you to the bottom of the pit waitlist!
Age: 18-28
Race: Choose from the Playable Races
Skills: Add the skills and bonuses mentioned in the OP and the ones you choose.
Bio: Appearance, Personality, Backstory, etc.
Associated Department: Note: The party doesn't need to complete all four. They could all focus on one and I'll provide NPC's to the rest.
This is the supercontinent of Krag. A large landscape; it is full of varying biomes. To the North and South are the Icedeath, the polar caps. The outlying West and East are deserts known as the Demented Sands. The kingdom of Irongrasp is the last vestige of civilized humanity. They are located in the lush, central plains of Krag.
Many millenia ago, Irongrasp had the entire continent in its reach. Their walls were the height of mountains. Everything was in their power. Until the Orcs arrived. These Orcs were much more powerful; their height was of four men, their strength of forty. They fought with tooth and claw, and humanity's blades could not penetrate their scales. One city at a time, Irongrasp had to let go of Krag, until they were a small kingdom.
To this day, humanity had to survive from Orc attacks, but thankfully the Orcs have somehow become less savage, and that's saying something. Humanity finally poured it's resources into the Frontier. Their final hope at reclaiming Krag.
I'll choose the most appropriate or most interesting characters for the party. The rest will be on the waitlist until a PC drops out or is killed. They might also be added in if things are going to slowly.
Most of the game mechanics will be explained as you do it, such as starting the first town, combat, etc.
By the way, I've written a story about dwarves here:
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Topic: Frontier (Read 7904 times)