Per Dethand's recommendation in the Ninja Problem post, here's what I've thrown together IMC. Some of this can definitely be contradicted by Canon sources, but maybe it'll help somebody figure out a reason why Warlocks weren't in the Grayhawk Wars, or the Illumarians don't have any "home" in the Flanaess.
FirePower's Orders: Take with a grain of salt.
Classes
Monks were the domain of the Scarlet Brotherhood alone until about 190 years ago, when the Ruined Land(1) refugees brought their culture to the Far West of the continent. It is possible that the Ancient Suel acquired this class from Shin-Tao lands, but that leaves many unanswerable questions.
Ninja are rarely heard of, and are usually viewed as assassins or spies. The Asati Clan(2) has had ninjas since its inception nearly 190 years ago, and they existed prior to that only in Shin-Tao lands.
Scouts are a fairly new concept, and have only developed after the Greyhawk Wars brought skirmishers into the forefront of warfare 15 years ago. They tend to be from Nyrond, drawing inspiration from an Almorian commander’s legendary charge.
Spellthief is a totally new development in Greyhawk, and their growth may somehow be connected to the arch-mage assassinations(3) of last year. Whether the cause or an effect of the assassinations has yet to be determined.
Warlock is another new development, possibly tied in with the arch-mage assassinations.
Warmage, like the Scout, developed during the Greyhawk Wars, though none graduated before the Pact was signed.
Wu Jen are found only in the most remote areas of the Far West, though there is talk of great cabals of Wu Jen that may have survived the destruction of Shin-Tao.
Favored Souls have been found across the continent for centuries, but are often recorded in histories as clerics.
Spirit Shamans strangely disappeared about 190 years ago, roughly coinciding with the destruction of Shin-Tao.
Shugenja are found in a few temples in the Far West, though their influence is slowly fading and being replaced by clerics and favored souls.
Hexblades are ancient, but only recently have non-elves discovered their secret and spread their existence across the continent. Since about the time the Pact was signed 15 years ago, the Hexblade has been ascending.
Swashbucklers have existed on the seas of the continent for centuries, but many more have appeared inland since the Greyhawk Wars. History usually records them as rogues, pirates, and bandits.
Samurai are exceptionally rare anywhere but the Far West. There were few liege lords among the Shin refugees, and the Samurai class is dying out.
Psions have existed across the continent for centuries, though they have always seemed to be concentrated in the largest cities of the East and Central nations. Determining their numbers is nearly impossible.
Psychic Warriors were present during the Greyhawk Wars, and have earned a measure of respect, but are even less frequently seen than Psions.
Soul Knife is a new, barely-even-hinted-at class supposedly developed by the Scarlet Brotherhood. Rumors of them appeared around a year ago, but the existence of this class cannot be confirmed.
Wilders appeared as suddenly as the Spirit Shamans disappeared, prompting some to search for a connection between the two events.
Races
Whisper Gnomes are exclusive to the area in and around the Valley of the Mage.
Goliaths are very reclusive, only found in the highest mountain ranges of the continent.
Humans are broken into seven, not six, cultures. The seventh, the Shin, are descendants of refugees that arrived on the shores of the Dramij Ocean nearly 190 years ago from Shin-Tao, what is now called the Ruined Lands. Shin are common in Baklunish lands, and are almost unknown of in the East. Shin tend to be slightly shorter than their Baklunish neighbors, and have bronze skin, almond-shaped eyes, and black hair.
Illumarian explorers made contact with the Sea Barons last year, but have not been very forthcoming about themselves. They come from a land to the east, but little else is known.
Notes specific to my campaign:
(1)The Ruined Lands, formerly known as Shin-Tao, are west of Zief across the ocean. They suffered horrific destruction from the skies about 190 years ago, and over 100,000 refugees arrived in the Baklunish lands of the Far West.
(2)Shortly after the Shin refugees arrived, a clan of half-elves (Asati) banded togher and founded a clan based on traditional Shin-Tao culture. Other half-elves plagurized this concept, and developed their own clans. Today there are six major and roughly 35 minor half-elf clans across the continent.
(3)About 18 months ago, famous arch-magi across the continent were assassinated in quick succession. Only the most obscure survived this purge, but then anyone casting 9th level arcane spells was targeted. There may still be an arch-mage or two, but they are hidden and (justifiably) paranoid. The power behind these assassinations is not known, but divine magics are being used to unmask the culprit behind this sinister plot.
How's that grain of salt working for you? _________________ There is no problem that cannot be resolved with the application of more firepower.
While I am sure there is room for debate and discussion this does seem like a great start! Not only the 'new' classes but the races as well are about as I thought them to be when reading them. While not all of these will fit in every game the thing to keep in mind is that for those who want to use these new classes and races there is room in GH to include them in their ongoing GH games.
Apply too taste! _________________ Canonfire Community Supporter and Forum Justicar
Scouts are a fairly new concept, and have only developed after the Greyhawk Wars brought skirmishers into the forefront of warfare 15 years ago. They tend to be from Nyrond, drawing inspiration from an Almorian commander’s legendary charge.
Heres another thought on that line..scouts as Knights of Dispatch, since they also practice scouting and guerilla raids against the non-humans and westerlings.
FirePower wrote:
Quote:
About 18 months ago, famous arch-magi across the continent were assassinated in quick succession. Only the most obscure survived this purge, but then anyone casting 9th level arcane spells was targeted. There may still be an arch-mage or two, but they are hidden and (justifiably) paranoid. The power behind these assassinations is not known, but divine magics are being used to unmask the culprit behind this sinister plot.
I would like to hear more of this sounds interesting since I have an archmage in the group that has foiled assassins from Iuz, Lolth, drow and Scarlet Brotherhood, adding another one wouldnt hurt. _________________ Canonfire Community Supporter and Forum Justicar
I would like to hear more of this sounds interesting since I have an archmage in the group that has foiled assassins from Iuz, Lolth, drow and Scarlet Brotherhood, adding another one wouldnt hurt.
Well, its remnants of a broken campaign really.
Back in my youth, the PHB had no level limits. The DMG had references to "cross over" AD&D and Gamma World. Throw in some really horrible Monty Haul DMs who shared my folio and map. Really bad, really broken D&D game.
I grew up (well, kinda). I worked up a history to "correct" what had happened. Many players had fun. My "corrections" were to the timeline, effectively compressing it.
So now I've got this history with severely over powered characters in the past. We're talking hundreds of levels here. Sick stuff. I could just pretend they never existed, but they shaped much of my GH. Scrapping that history would mean starting my GH over. And my players like the history that I've written.
Anyhow, super-powered-dead-guy gets brought back to GH by typical evil power-seekers. So the first thing Super BBEG does is make sure that no one knows he's back. The second thing Super BBEG does is find a way to track potential threats (i.e. Epic spellcasters). Then Super BBEG eliminates those threats, usually setting up a patsy to take the fall.
There are lots of leads, and lots of red herrings, but the net effect is that it's just not safe to be an arch-mage in GH right now. Are the arch-mages all dead? Certainly not. Clones activated, True Ressurections were cast. But the arch-mages, being smarter than your average bear, bugged out to regroup. Will they return? You bet! Right now though, to the average Joe on the street, they're dead.
Oh, I did tone down Super BBEG by about 90%. Still epic. But an awesome, defeatable plot device. Not the over-used Tharizdun, not the "not dead yet" Iuz, but somone tangible and (more importantly) beatable. _________________ There is no problem that cannot be resolved with the application of more firepower.
Hmmm, got distracted there. Getting asked about my campaign can do that I guess.
I forgot to mention another race, in addition to the Whisper Gnomes, Goliaths, and Illumians... Changelings.
Now before I get beat up about Changelings being Eberron, realize that I do know that. But they also appeared in the MM3. And most importantly, they are a 3.5 solution to the question I've always had about dopplegangers fulfilling their double's "marital duties". They're half-dopplegangers, which I believe were introduced in a Dragon I don't have.
So, Changelings are rare, but they're no less fantastic than half-dragons or half-fiends. And they're not so goofy that they don't warrant a place in Greyhawk. _________________ There is no problem that cannot be resolved with the application of more firepower.
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