I'm looking to build up a 3.5e Greyhawk Player's Guide, and I want your opinion/thought/comments/help for this project. Here's what I thought the sourcebook should look like:
Introduction to the World of Greyhawk
In this section I intend to present the World of Greyhawk setting to new players. A brief presentation of Oerth(oceans and continent), then a presentation of Oerik(mythical nation, geography etc.) finaly focusing on the Flanaess(geography, climate, calander, races, history...)
Geopolitical information and common knowledge
I want to present nations by their geographic division (old ferrond, baklunish west...) with a little description then present each nation with geopolitical info(average pop., pop. composition, rulers, general alignment, principal economy, history, allies and enemies), all within the reach of what is common knowledge (ie: Celene features a majority of elves, Belvor IV is king of Furyondy, Pale trades ore for food...)
Organisation and important people
I want to put a description of various organisation which are of common knowledga as well as description of important npc (no stats, only background info)
that's for the fluffy part, here's the crunchy stuff:
Character options
optional rules for human racial skill bonus
optional rules for regional skill bonus
stats for race not in the PHB common enough to be played in Greyhawk
optional rules for races from other settings and how they could fit into WoG (warforged as sentient construct from the time of the Mighty Servant of Leuk-O...)
Feats: Regional feats from Dragon mags, if we can get the right o publish them as well as new ones
Classes: how each class fits within WoG (including the classes from the complete series and other setting)
Prestige classes: Presenting prestiges classes, official, semi-official and fan made, available and how they fit into WoG
Deities: Presenting deities (much like the living greyhawk deities sourcebook, but more condensed)
The main idea is to provide new players enough material to feel confortable with the setting without screwing up the DM and offering them charaters options with descriptions on how to play them accordingly to the WoG feel.
I've been thinking about this, with the various discussions here, on WotC, and elsewhere... It sounds like a major project but a worthy one.
However, since it would be such a major project, might it not be better to get things set up and ready to go for 4th edition (which from some rumors I've heard is being introduced at GENCON Indy 07). That way we could have everything ready and go with the new edition rather than just getting started and then loosing a ton of the player support as people convert to the new materials.
still we can do the first part which is background information on the setting, as for game mechanics, I don't see the problems converting them when 4e hit the store since most of the character options includes are optional rules or description how to fit classes and PrCs into the setting.
What is the scope of this project?
How do you suggest that this would be distinct existing Living Greyhawk Gazeteer?
Since its publication, there have been good things and bad here and in print that have come out about GH. The regional feats from Dragon was awesome. Not in power, but that definite GH feel of the world could be better defined.
I came across something that would be interesting to use in a new GH Gazeteer. I got the Player's Guide to Eberron, and for each of the sections they have these sidebars of "What does your character know?". The sidebar has a Knowlege skill listed, a DC, and information that a character would know based on the skill and achieving the DC. This would be great for better defining what characters know vs. what players know.
...might it not be better to get things set up and ready to go for 4th edition (which from some rumors I've heard is being introduced at GENCON Indy 07).
I don't know what you've seen, but I don't see that happening at all. IIRC, there was the "tell us what you want" phase that lasted a year or so, the build-up that lasted at least 6 months, then the launch. Maybe '08 at the earliest, but I see '09 as more promising.
As for a GH Player's Guide, it'd be near-impossible to pull off without permission, and there'd be too many toes stepped on for it to be feasible. Do you include the Dragon Magazine feats (property of Paizo)? What about iconic critters (property of WotC)? Copyrighted names (WotC again)? How does it mesh with the LGG and the progression of the history of Oerth (RPGA, LGG, WotC, and who knows what else)?
Not that I don't want to see this; I would love it and buy one for each of my players. But the only way I see this happening is as a fan project, solely for private use.
Telas the Naysayer, Pooper of Parties, Rain-on-er of Parades
Reading Faerun and Eberron's PHB, I am interested in starting something about Race-Region-Languages-Skills-Feats, probably mostly based on GH Player's Guide (Anne Brown, 1998) and GH Regional Feats article from Dungeon #315 (Eric Mona, 2004). I will refer to older sources though (GH boxed sets, Folio and GH adventures hardbook).
Let me know if you have started on that part. I will try to post a list of regions from which characters may originate to start with for your comments and review.
Yes it is packed with background info (forgot to mention this book in my lis of source). But does not present recap of Languages, main subraces and obviously regional feats as per Faerun Player's Guide.
Let me get back with something. I even think of using FR regional feats.
Some fans posted many related infos that I'll try to incorporate when relevant from my point of view (and mention sources).
No, I specificaly mean the "D&D Gazetteer". The goal of the project was to provide players new to Greyhawk with enough information to get a feel for the campaign setting. Players certainly don't need to know everything however, which is why I specifially suggested the D&D Gazetteer instead of the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer(which has much more information).
It is true that the D&D Gazetteer doesn't have much(if any) information of the various Greyhawk races or languages, but that only comprises a small section of the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer which can be easily provided by the DM.
Still I'd provide even less information than contained in the D&D Gazetteer to most new players so as to represent what their characters actaully know. So, maybe some info about their homeland and perhaps the immediate surrounding lands, plus info on people/areas of note within those lands. If players want to know about other areas, they can either have their characters talk to characters(PCs or NPCs) from other lands, or seek out the information elsewhere.
As to Regional Feats, the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer has no information on them either. The Greyhawk Regional Feats may be found in issues #315 and #319 of Dragon Magazine. I'd provide only those Feats that would be available to each character based on where they came from, not provide the whole list and let the players metagame to decide where their characters would be from.
Thks for the heads up on Dragon#319 for the second part of GH feats. Had forgotten about that one too.
Some of the fans here have expressed their dislike for human sub-races differences (on caracs for PCs). I think I agree on that one.
I did list down the regions/races as per Mona article. I have some doubts about the automatic language given for a few of them. Also, many races could be added. As soon as I get some satisfying draft for a proposal version, I will propose it.
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