Monday, February 25, 2013

CLASSES MASTERLIST (?)

This list will be updated as I find more classes that fit Jam. I'm also repeating some of the stuff from the Races page since they're racial classes.

WHAT CAN I PLAY IN JAMMER HEARTS.

Again, hypothetically anything, but here's some that I think fit particularly well:

MAGITEK ENGINEER -- The art of magitek originated with the mysterious Gnomes, who live on great hiveships out in the Lanes Between (e.g., space). They first brought this skill to the people of the kingdom of Radiant Garden centuries ago, whereupon the Gardens became the second greatest power in the galaxy, next to the Eared Empire. Some Imperial citizens have taken up the art, but the vast majority of Magitek Engineers are Human or Gnomish. Magitek Engineers make good livings as ship's mechanics.

MUSCLE WIZARD -- There's actually two flavors of Muscle Wizard -- Dark Knights, who were the secret police of the Kingdom of Radiant Garden, tended to wear a lot of black and are generally brooding fellows who manage their spells and the bonus hitpoints they get from them like the ebbing and flowing of their very souls, man. Dark Knights ALWAYS use knives to channel their spells.
Meanwhile, also in Radiant Garden, there was a pretty swag arcade with some fighting games like Street Fighter and also a magic 3D printing laser that could print anything (or digitize anything), and during the Fall some shit went wrong and now there's random fighting game characters wandering around Traverse.

BLUE MAGES -- Blue Magic is the pinnacle of Radiant magic, one of the truly unique spellcasting schools to come from that fallen place. Blue Mages are tougher, hardier wizards who learn their spells by being hit in the face by them, thus allowing them to learn enemy special abilities.

Other Final Fantasy Classes -- LAAAAAAAAATer

RACIAL CLASSES

These are better detailed on the Races page, but I'll list 'em here too since THEY ARE ALSO CLASSES

Gargoyles
Diving Belle (mermaid/merman)
Christmas Elf
Ghoulies (COMING SOON as I can transcribe Scrap's post)

Thursday, February 14, 2013

RACES


The universe of Jammer Hearts is a vast and diverse place, full of thousands of different races. Hypothetically, I could allow just about anything, since the universe is infinite. These are just some of the most common races, or the ones I've bothered to stat up, or that other people have statted up for me.

With the exception of the dwarves of the Enchanted Dominions, and the gnomes of the Lanes Between, the standard races do not exist, and have been replaced by other stuff.

MOST of these races are just races. Some races are actually classes. I'll note when that's the case, and it'll be a link and not a writeup then yee haw.

HUMANS

Are as they are in LL Advanced / 2nd Edition AD&D, except:
  • +1 to a single stat of your choice
Note that Apefolk of the Eared Empire are identical mechanically, because I am completely lazy. 

Humans are the most common race in the cosmos, seemingly native to thousands of disparate worlds, despite this making no sense. There are many theories as to the true origin of their race, but no one can agree on what the truth of the matter might be. In any case, humans are the most diverse and versatile of the races.

Radiant Garden was once the largest human empire, spanning several worlds. Now it is a ruined husk. Many refugees of its once proud remnants are scattered throughout the 'verse.

Other worlds where humans are common:
  • The Enchanted Dominions (fantasy... land)
  • The Land of Dragons (fantasy china)
  • The Olympus Foothills (fantasy greece)
  • The Boundless Blue (fantasy 18th century oceans / islands)
  • Agrabah (fantasy 1001 Arabian Nights... land; like did you ever watch the aladdin cartoon it's that)
  • Tumbleweed (fantasy old west)
  • England (is a planet)
  • Traverse 
  • Twilight
  • Destiny Islands 
AND MANY MOAR


RACES OF THE EARED EMPIRE

The Eared Empire is by far the largest empire in the cosmos, even before the Fall of Radiant Garden. It is full of animal folk. I will update this list as I stat people out. 

Apefolk

Mechanically identical to humans.

Apefolk are a diverse and adaptable lot. They seem as though they could be related to humans, perhaps a different branch on the same evolutionary tree. The common theory of the Empire is that millions of years ago, an ape colony broke off from the Empire and spread through the cosmos like insects, splitting into the clearly inferior human race. 

Birdfolk

Birdfolk were mostly hacked from the basic elf, with some modifications.
  • Stats: +1 intelligence, -1 constitution
  • Classes: cleric, fighter, wizard, thief, ranger, fighter/mage, fighter/thief, fighter/mage/thief, or mage/thief
  • Half damage from all falls
  • 1 in 3 chance to “know” a new language they’ve just encountered (as opposed to 1 in 6) 
  • 1 in 6 chance to notice secret doors if in good lighting conditions; 1 in 3 chance if actively searching (due to keen eyesight)
  • +1 bonus to attack rolls with bows and crossbows
Birdfolk are quite intelligent, and have a natural aptitude for magic, but their hollow bones can make them quite frail. Though they’ve lost the ability to fly (trading their wings for hands), they still retain long feathers on their arms and plumed tails, such that by flailing around in the air they can reduce the damage they take from falls. Their keen eyes make it so no detail is lost on them, and make them deadly with ranged weapons. Finally, birdfolk intelligence combined with their ability to mimic the voices of others make them brilliant linguists. 

Bearfolk

Bearfolk are mechanically identical to the half-orc race from Advanced Labyrinth Lord. In addition to the listed classes, if you've got a favorite Barbarian style class, they can go up to level 15 in that.

Bearfolk are tall, gruff creatures known for their short tempers as well as their fiercely protective nature.

Catfolk

Catfolk were hacked from the Rakasta race from Savage Coast, and are basically identical but without the messiness of kits. 
  • Stats: +2 dex, -2 wis
  • Classes: Fighter 15, Ranger 11, Wizard 15, Cleric 12, Druid 13, Thief 15, Bard Unlimited
  • Catfolk can only take the following wizard variants: Mage, conjurer, enchanter, illusionist, transmuter
  • Infravision 60’
  • Half damage from falls
  • +4 bonus to detect invisible/ethereal creatures; gets an automatic save when an invisible/ethereal creature is within 10 ft and every round that creature is within 10ft. Knows difference between invisible/ethereal, but gets no special bonuses to locating said creatures, or attacking them.
  • Catfolk take no penalties to fight while blinded, but they still take any penalties to movement and any other actions.
  • All catfolk have Hear Noise as a thief at 20%, even if they are not of the thief class. 
  • -1 penalty against sound-based attacks
  • Racial Thief/Specialist Skill Adjustments: Move Silently +5%, Hide in Shadows +5%, Detect Noise +5% (on top of their racial 20%; so a total of 25%), Climb Walls +5%
Catfolk tend to be both sly and arrogant, and adopt a haughty dignity. Of course, those that spend time with them know that they can be somewhat, shall we say, quirky. Though quite dexterous, catfolk are often a bit lacking in common sense.
Catfolk are varied and wide, ranging from big cats like lionfolk to hairless sphinx cats. Note that foxfolk, for game purposes, have the same stats as catfolk given their smaller size and craftier natures. 

Catfolk get along poorly with just about every other race. Many of them find dogfolk intimidating (and dogfolk find them untrustworthy), while almost everyone else exists to be duped or preyed upon. Cowfolk they have no opinion on, and nobody messes with bearfolk. 


Dogfolk

Dogfolk are identical to the lupine race from Savage Coast, but without the kit bullshit.
  • Stats: +1 Str, +1 Con, -1 Int, -1 Wis
  • Classes: Fighter (13), Ranger (Unlimited), Wizard* (12), Cleric (15), Druid (13), Thief (13), Bard (9)
    • Dogfolk can only take the following Wizard variants: Mage, diviner, abjurer, invoker, necromancer
  • Infravision: 60’
  • Recognize Werewolves: 99% chance
  • Recognize Transformed Dogfolk: 15% chance
  • +4 bonus to detect invisible/ethereal creatures; gets an automatic save when an invisible/ethereal creature is within 10 ft and every round that creature is within 10ft. Knows difference between invisible/ethereal, but gets no special bonuses to locating said creatures, or attacking them.
  • Dogfolk take no penalties to fight while blinded, but they still take any penalties to movement and any other actions. 
  • Dogfolk can track scents by rolling under 2+ their Wisdom score; note that rolling a 20 is an automatic failure. 
  • Dogfolk can recognize people by scent by rolling under their Intelligence; they get a -1-4 penalty if that person has taken extra precautions to mask their scent.
  • Dogfolk get a -2 penalty to saves against odor and sound based attacks (eg, stinking cloud, wail of the banshee) 
  • Wolfsbane is deadly to dogfolk. Wolfsbane ingested by dogfolk acts as Type J poison (a failed saving throw indicates death, while success indicates a loss of 20 hit points). Fortunately, the keen senses of dogfolk nearly always alert it in time to avoid ingesting the substance. If wolfsbane is somehow injected into a dogfolk's bloodstream, it acts as Type P poison (a failed saving throw causes a 50% drop in all ability scores for 1d3 days).
  • Racial Thief/Specialist Skill Adjustments: Find/Remove Traps +5%, Detect Noise 20%, Climb Walls -5%

Dogfolk are generally friendly and easygoing types, but not always the brightest bulbs in the box. Once their friendship is won, they are unshakably loyal. They are also excellent trackers and hunters, able to follow individuals for miles. Their sense of smell is nigh supernatural.

The Dogfolk race covers a wide range of types, from those that seem like domestic dogs to coyotes and wolves. 



Mousefolk (and Rat and Rabbitfolk)

Mousefolk are mechanically identical to Advanced Labyrinth Lord Halflings, save where noted:


  • City Mouse / Country Mouse: At the player's option, the 90% chance to hide in wilderness can be dropped for a 90% chance to hide in an urban environment, such as a loud bustling crowd or down an alley filled with trashcans. This must be decided at character creation and cannot be changed. Rabbitfolk ONLY have wilderness hiding, while Ratfolk ONLY have City hiding. 
  • Use the level limitations from 2nd Edition rather than LL; that is, Mousefolk and Rabbitfolk can also take the Cleric class. 

Mousefolk are fond of basic comforts, free time, good food, and good drink. They're curious and friendly, though prone to being startled.
Ratfolk, though mechanically identical, are reviled and despised by the larger populace of the Empire.


Dwarves

Dwarves use the racial class as described in Labyrinth Lord Core Rules. 

Dwarves hail exclusively from the Enchanted Dominions. They are the dying remnants of a once ancient and proud race; the ruins of their once great halls can be found throughout the Enchanted Dominions. Only a few are populated. For this reason, few dwarves ever leave their homeland, and those that do tend to be a certain type of fellow. Dwarven society is very close knit and based on ties of kinship and family; they have very rigid laws and rules. Recently, a group called the Seven, the last seven remnants of a dying clan, have befriended the princess and ruler of one of the larger kingdoms, Princess Snow White. They saved her life from the previous ruler, a corrupt and evil queen, and in turn she keeps them on as advisers and confidantes. The other dwarven clans have mixed feelings on this: some see it as an opportunity to revive their dying race, while others see the Seven as kowtowing traitors. 

Elves

All elves are Christmas Elves. Those are the only elves that exist. There's some people who claim that once there were elves in the Enchanted Dominions, but they're all dead now. Whatever. Christmas Elves.

They're exactly as described in that link, and their homeland is Christmas Town, a ball of snow and ice in the Holiday Cluster. Their ruler, Saint Nick, has developed a reality warping device that -- you know how santa works jeeze the point is that he can get places fast. Also he's a total badass

Mermaids


Mermaids hail from the Boundless Blue, a planet composed mostly of water and tiny islands. They rule the seas, while humans have a fairly separate existence on land. Mermaids almost never leave the safety of their ocean, but, well, strange times. 

Gargoyles


Ghoulies

Scrap Princess helped make these guys and I'll post them later. Basically:

Halloween Town is one of the Holiday Worlds, a dark and foreboding place of graveyards and eternal night. Despite this creepy atmosphere, the inhabitants are friendly and fond of partying. This is where vampires, skeletors, ghouls, ghosts, werewolves, etc hangout, except most of them are neutral or even good. Ghoulies are the class these guys take, an undead class focused on being entertaining singing and dancing dudes. 

Gnomes

All Gnomes use the Tinker Gnome variant. I will link to that later (if someone has a good link to ones that have the tinkering ability please do link me to it). They also look more like the Asura from Guild Wars 2 as I like that design better. Also, in addition to their normal class restrictions, they can take the Magitek Engineer class, and advance as far as they please in said class. 

Gnomes have no homeland. While some can be found on Traverse, most sail the galaxy in huge hiveships, which are almost living worlds in and of themselves. Few gnomes remember having a homeworld, though it's said that the very oldest, in their lucid moments, can recall something about a colossal clockwork marvel built in the stone heart of a steamy jungle world. 

Gnomes are magiteknical geniuses, with the wonders they create rivaling even what Radiant Garden was capable of. Much of their old tech was lost. It's said that you can find actual gnomish ruins on distant asteroids at the edge of the galaxy, and that there are ancient gnomish ruins in the heart of the tangle that is Traverse. 

Gnomes have a very tense relationship with the illithids that seems to go far beyond the expected rivalry between two nomadic trading cultures. Neither side, however, can remember why that is. 

Friday, February 1, 2013

THE MOVEMENT OF THE SPHERES


THE MOVEMENT OF THE SPHERES

Here’s what the average person knows of the larger motions of the universe at present, if they pay a lick of attention to the news and don't live on a total backwater world. 

For the past hundred years, there had been peace, a practical golden age—at least, that’s what the Empire’s propagandists would want you to believe. For five hundred years prior the Eared Empire had spread using their candy-ships and ability to use magic to phase through the previously impenetrable Crystal Spheres protecting worlds into the astral sea beyond, and they had begun to conquer worlds. Usually they did so peacefully, offering trade and technology in exchange for loyalty. Sometimes there was violence, but this was always covered up later, the historians re-writing it to make the Empire seem peaceful.

There were dissidents, of course; the tiny outpost of Traverse Town, a mere asteroid, was a haven for criminal scum seeking a way to avoid the Empire.

A hundred years ago, a second power arrived on the scene—Radiant Garden. The Garden had a vastly different kind of technology, based on charged crystal cores and ships with mithiril hulls. At first, they fought mightily with the Empire, a bloody conflict that even Imperial propagandists could not cover up, but eventually they came to an uneasy peace The Garden spread throughout its own space, conquering much as the Empire had, and eventually the two nations came to an understanding, even trading with each other.

Ten years ago, everything changed.

The Garden had reached a peak of unprecedented prosperity and glory, with their scientist-king, Ansem the Wise, ruling over it all with a gentle hand and wise heart. The truce between the Empire and the Garden had gone from uneasy to truly friendly alliance, thanks to a budding friendship between King Mortimer of the Empire and King Ansem. The Empire under Mortimer’s hand had even begun to slow its colonization efforts.

Then, on one horrific, bloody day, the Garden ceased to exist.

The survivors of the destruction tell it this way: they were uneasy for the whole year before. People had been disappearing at an alarming rate, first criminals, then servants, then many people. Ansem had vowed to find the source of these vanishings, but nothing ever came of it. Then on that day the ground split, the sky darkened, and a huge black dragon’s wings blotted out the sky. From the cracks in the earth poured black shadowy creatures the likes of which had never been seen. They set upon the people of Radiant Garden and tore out their hearts, and grew stronger, while more black beasts poured from the hole in their corpses and those corpses turned to white ash. Far out in the fleet, pilots reported more of the beasts chewing away at the Crystal Sphere, previously thought to be indestructible. Though the military of the Garden fought bravely, they were not enough to stop the Garden from falling into darkness. Eventually, the whole planet shook itself to pieces, whole shards falling into black portals, and the castle which dominated the skyline of the capital city became twisted and misshapen, a mere shell of what it once was—a Hollow Bastion. The corruption spread to the colony worlds, with thousands more dying on that awful day. Ansem the Wise was dead; his heart devoured by the beasts.

Different parties were blamed. Some said it was the Empire, finally eliminating their only true rival; others pointed to the black dragon, it had to have been Maleficent’s doing. Others said that it was divine punishment for hubris. Whatever the cause, the Garden was gone… and then things got worse.

The Heartless plague spread like wildfire. Countless worlds were destroyed, billions died, before roaming Gnomish wizards found protective spells and barriers that could hold the beasts off for a time. King Mortimer vanished, leaving his queen behind; she was discredited when she continued to defend Mortimer’s actions, saying that he had gone in search of a powerful magic to save them all. Now the Empire itself is divided into two factions: Queen Millicent, who believes that Mortimer will return to save them all, and Reagent Percy, who sits on the Eared Throne in Mortimer’s stead, who holds that the King has abandoned his people, and that brutal and swift action is what is needed to end the Heartless threat.
Meanwhile, Traverse Town has become instead simply Traverse, as it was discovered that when a world dies, fragments of it appear in the area, fusing into each other into a strange and twisted city of nonsensical proportions. It is a refugee shantytown free of all laws, where businessmen can operate without the eyes of the Empire upon them… or where heroes can rise to the task of saving us all.

There are rumors that the Enchanted Three--that is, the three Princesses of the Enchanted Dominions, an autonomous colony world affiliated with the Empire—may hold part of the key to saving the world, that they may be three of the fabled Seven Princesses of Purest Heart. But that’s only a legend…

Just as the Keyblade Masters, ancient warriors of a lost order, are surely mere myth. There are no ancient weapons which were held against the Darkness in the past, and they will not appear again. Surely…