PHANTOM STATS are attributes which creatures and characters have, which are not represented by Ability Scores. These include Perception, Hit Points, Vitality, Mana, Strength, Speed, Movement Types, Alignment, and Size.
Perception: Perception includes the array of senses that allow a creature to interpret the world around them, and are different for different beings. Vision (diurnal, crepuscular, or nocturnal) determines the best light conditions for that creature, with Sense checks taking a -2 or being at disadvantage, depending on the situation. Vision is also influenced by range - humans have a visual range of 60 feet, with each additional 60 feet diminishing visual acuity by -1 without aide. Hearing measures a creature's ability to identify sounds. Humans have a hearing range of 30 feet, with each additional 30 feet reducing acuity by -1. Special abilities might allow creatures to utilize other senses in unusual ways. For example, creatures with the Scent ability can identify things by smell with the same degree of accuracy that a human could identify things by sight. Beings with Heat sensing or Radar could use those senses to provide additional information about their environments. Other possible perceptions include Life sense, Death sense, Green sense, Telescopic or Microscopic vision, X-ray or Ultraviolet vision, and others.
Hit Points and Vitality: Hit points for most creatures in traditional D&D represent Vitality, or in other words how much damage they can take before they go down. On the other hand, Hit points for heroes and some NPC's tends to represent plot armor. In this iteration, Vitality is how many wounds a creature can take before it dies. Vitality always represents wounds, and must be healed with either magic, or medicine and time. HP, on the other hand, represents plot armor, and can be recuperated with a short or long rest.
A creature's vitality score is determined by its species. Humans and most PC species start off with 3d6 Vitality, and they gain their Might modifier in Vitality every level, similar to how Constitution modifiers would give extra HP. As creatures go up in level, they mostly gain HP.
Mana: A creature's mana score determines how many spells they can cast in a day and how many magical items they can attune to, and is determined by a combination of species and Will. Most often, a PC species will have just enough mana to cast a handful of level 1 spells in a day or attune to a handful of items. Other modifiers such as empowering spell foci, material components, and sorcerous talent can expand the abilities of an NPC. PC's may convert up to half of the HP they gain each level into Mana. More powerful magical items and spells require more mana for attunement.
Maximum Strength: Strength is determined by a combination of Might and creature size, and measures how much it can lift. Maximum lifting capacity is equal to their weight divided by 6, multiplied by the creature's Might ability score, minus the creature's weight. If the creature is a quadruped, this final total is doubled. Half of the Maximum capacity would be a medium load, and a quarter of the Maximum capacity would be a light load. When flying, a creature can carry only a light load. When swimming, a creature can carry only a medium load.
A character can generally push or pull 5 times more than their Maximum lifting capacity, with favorable circumstances doubling this number and unfavorable circumstances halving it. They can throw something a distance equal to half character's weight times their Might modifier, divided by the object's weight.
SIZE CATEGORIES: Size categories also determine carrying capacity, with smaller creatures being able to carry comparatively more than larger creatures. I'm using a wider range of size categories including Fine, Minuscule, Diminutive, Tiny, Small, Medium, Large, Huge, Gargantuan, Colossal, Humongous, and Titanic. Size categories are determined by weight and threatened area in battle.
Fine creatures are smaller than a grain of rice, such as ants, too small for a human to pick up individually. Fine creatures can carry Weight*Might, or in other words about 10 times their own weight at Maximum on average. Fine creatures are too small to be dangerous to creatures size Tiny or larger, except by transmitting disease. Their threat range is Touch. Fine creatures get 5 actions every turn.
Minuscule creatures are an ounce or less, such as a mouse or large spider. Minuscule creatures can carry (Weight/2*Might) - Weight, or in other words about 5 times their own weight at Maximum. Minuscule creatures are not normally dangerous, though some are sufficiently poisonous to affect creatures size Small or smaller. Their threat range is Touch. Minuscule creatures get 4 actions every turn.
Diminutive creatures are between an ounce and a pound, such as a squirrel, hedgehog, small rat, or chipmunk. Diminutive creatures can carry (Weight/3*Might) - Weight at Maximum capacity, which means they can often carry 3 times their own weight. Diminutive creatures include large spiders and snakes which are poisonous enough to affect creatures size Medium or smaller. Their threat range can be the 5 foot square they are in, depending on how far they can jump. Diminutive creatures get 4 actions every turn.
Tiny creatures weigh between 1-8 lbs, such as a rabbit, fox, or hawk. Tiny creatures can carry (Weight/4*Might) - Weight at maximum capacity. A Brownie with Might 9 weighing 6 lbs can carry up to 71/2 lbs maximum. Creatures of this size tend to be very agile and quick, and threaten the 5 foot square they are in. Venomous creatures of this size have been known to poison creatures Large or smaller. Tiny creatures get 4 actions every turn.
Small creatures weigh between 8 and 60 lbs, such as dogs and bobcats, wolverines, small cheetahs, hobbits, and gazelles. Small creatures can carry (Weight/5*Might) - Weight at maximum capacity, which means on average they can carry their own weight. A hobbit weighing 50 lbs with a Might of 10 can carry up to 50 lbs, or their own body weight, with 25 lbs as a medium load and 12 lbs as a light load. A hobbit with a Might of 18 has a maximum carrying capacity of 130 lbs, a medium load of 65 lbs, and a light load of 32 lbs. The average hobbit with Might 10 can push or drag an object between 500 lbs and 125 lbs, depending on the circumstances. He can also throw a 1 pound ball approximately (Maximum Carry/2*Might/(Weight of Object)) 25 feet in good conditions. The hobbit with Might 18 can drag or push an object between 325 and 1,300 lbs, and can throw the same ball 260 feet in good conditions. Small creatures threaten a 5 foot space around them, and have been known to take down creatures Huge or smaller, depending targeting week points and working together, or with poison. Small creatures get 3 actions every turn.
Medium creatures weigh between 60 and 500 lbs, and include humans and most other PC races, ponies, tigers, sea lions, and deer. A human weighing 165 lbs with a strength of 10 has a maximum carrying capacity of 165/6*10 = 275, minus his own weight of 165 lbs for a grand total of 110 lbs. Half of that (55 lbs) is a medium load, while a quarter of that (27 lbs) is a light load. He can push or drag an object between 1,100 lbs (5*2*110) and 275 lbs (5/2*110), depending on the circumstances. He can also throw a 1 pound ball approximately 82 feet in good conditions. Medium creatures threaten a 5 foot space around them, and have been known to take down creatures size Huge or smaller by working together. Medium sized and large creatures are generally not poisonous enough to affect creatures larger than them. Medium creatures get 3 actions every turn.
Large creatures weigh from 500 lbs to 2 tons, and include polar bears, bison, rhinos, hippos, most giants and dragons, and allosaurus (on the large side). Large creatures can carry (Weight/8*Might) - Weight at Maximum. Large creatures tend to have and average Might of 12-16, just to deal with their own weight. A 1200 pound horse with Might of 15 can carry about a 1,000 lbs at maximum, including the rider, tack, barding, saddlebags, and other equipment. 500 lbs is a medium load, and 250 is a light load. An ogre weighing 880 lbs can carry a max of 1,200 lbs. He can push or drag between 1.5 and 6 tons, depending on the circumstances, and can lob the 50 lb hobbit almost over 48 feet away. Large creatures threaten a space 10 feet around them, and have been known to take down creatures size Gargantuan or smaller. Large creatures get 3 actions every turn.
Huge creatures weigh between 2 and 16 tons and include Tyrannosaurus Rex, Elephants, most of the larger dinosaurs, and many medium-sized whales. Huge creatures can carry (Weight/12*Might) - Weight at Maximum. Many Huge creatures have an average Might of 16-24, just to handle their own mass. An Elephant at 5 tons can carry about 3 tons maximum, half that as a medium load, and about 1500 lbs as a light load. Huge creatures threaten a space 15 feet around themselves, and have been known to take down creatures size Colossal or smaller. Diminutive creatures are too small for them to target individually. Minuscule creatures are too small for them to target individually. Huge creatures get 2 actions every turn.
Gargantuan creatures weight between 16 and 125 tons, and include the largest whales, the oldest dragons, and dragon turtles. Gargantuan creatures can carry (Weight/20*Might) - Weight at maximum capacity. The blue whale at around 68 tons is the middle of this category. Many of these creatures rely on buoyancy or magic to help them support their own bulk, and need to have a Might ability exceeding 20 just to move. A 36 ton rukh must have a Might of 30 to lift a small 4.5 ton elephant of the ground, and has a wingspan of over 120 feet, from beak to tail-tip measuring some 48 feet. Gargantuan creatures affect a space 20 feet around themselves, and can threaten creatures that are Humongous to Small, though creatures Tiny and smaller are too small to be targeted individually. Gargantuan creatures get 2 actions every turn.
Colossal creatures are 125 to 1,000 tons, and measure legendary creatures of a size to rival castles, such as the kong ape, the altisaur, the dreadmaw rex, and the kraken. Colossal creatures can carry (Weight/28*Might) - Weight Maximum, and generally have a Might ability over 35. Colossal creatures are unknown in the real world, and rely on powerful magic to support themselves. They affect a space 30 feet around themselves, and can threaten even Titanic beings, though creatures Small and smaller are too small to be targeted individually. Colossal creatures get 2 actions every turn.
Humongous creatures range from 1,000 tons to 8,400 tons, can stand around 300 feet tall, and cause devastation on the scale of a natural disaster by their simple existence and movement. Leviathans and Aspedochelones, often mistaken for islands, and Kaiju such as Godzilla or Knifehead also fall into this category. At this point, creatures are too large to be contained in the food chain, and tend to be partially elemental manifestations of nature. Humongous creatures can carry (Weight/40*Might) - Weight at Maximum, and generally have a Might ability over 50. They affect a space 40 feet around themselves, essentially creating their own climate zone, but cannot target creatures Medium and smaller individually. To a creature of this size, a polar bear is like a tiny mouse, and a blue whale is the size of a trout. Humongous creatures get 1 action every turn.
Titanic creatures range from 8,400 and 70,000 tons, and are so massive that they rival small mountains. The Tarasque, and many of the primordial Titans, are Titanic is size, warping the environment simply by existing. Titanic creatures can carry (Weight/56*Might) - Weight at Maximum, and generally have a Might ability over 75. Creatures beyond Gargantuan rarely live on mortal worlds, but may be found in other planes of existence. Creatures larger than Titanic exist, but tend to be their own worlds. Titanic creatures affect a space 65 feet around themselves. Titanic beings cannot even target an individual Large creature, as all of their attacks are too enormous. To a creature of this size, even a mighty rukh is the size of a pidgeon, the kraken a regular squid. Titanic creatures get 1 action every turn.
Speed: Speed measures how fast a creature can move in feet in 3 seconds. Humans and other races generally have 15 feet of rapid ground movement, plus or minus their Dexterity modifier. Movement types include burrowing, swimming, and flying.
Alignment:
Size:
Sunday, October 14, 2018
Saturday, October 13, 2018
HOMEBREW: ABILITY SCORES
Every task that a character or monster might attempt in the game is covered by one of the 5 Abilities. This section explains in more detail what those Abilities mean and the ways they are used in the game.
MIGHT measures both Strength and Constitution. It includes athletic training and endurance. Rather than simple brute force or stamina, Might reflects a character's ability to harness their physical capacities. Sports, swimming, climbing, leaping, hard labor, surviving without food and water, running a marathon, all represent pushing a character's physical capacities. A hobbit and a human might both have a strength of 15, and yet the human might be "stronger" in terms of how much he can carry or throw.
You add your Might modifier to your Attack roll and your damage roll when attacking with a Might-based melee weapon such as a mace, a Battleaxe, or a Javelin. You use Melee Weapons to make Melee Attacks in hand- to-hand Combat, and some of them can be Thrown to make a ranged Attack. Some items also have a Strength requirement to be used effectively.
Size and Strength. Your Might score influences how much you can carry, push, drag, lift, and throw, but size is also a factor. Larger creatures can bear more weight, but also have to carry themselves, whereas small creatures can bear less weight, but are also less heavy. Larger creatures also generally have more Vitality.
Reason for change: Strength was a bit lack-luster compared to Dexterity, and Constitution didn't have any skills associated with it besides Concentration checks. Consolidating abilities into just 5 Abilities should allow a greater diversity of characters, as 3rd and 4th choice stats aren't penalized as much.
DEXTERITY measures agility, reflexes, and balance. A Dexterity check can model any attempt to move nimbly, quickly, or quietly, or to keep from Falling on tricky footing. The Acrobatics, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth Skills reflect aptitude in certain kinds of Dexterity Checks. The GM might call for a Dexterity check when you try to pick a lock, disable a trap, tie a prisoner, do a card trick, or play a stringed instrument. Dexterity is basically treated the same as normal, except that it no longer governs ranged weapons.
Attack Rolls, Damage, and Armor. You add your Dexterity modifier to your Attack roll and your damage roll when attacking with a Dexterity-based melee weapon such as a Dagger or Rapier, but not ranged weapons. Depending on your armor, you might also add some or all of your Dexterity modifier to your Armor Class.
Reason for change: De-emphasizing Dexterity a little bit.
WITS measure mental acuity, accuracy of recall, and the ability to reason, as well as mental fortitude and commitment. When you need to draw on education and memory, deductive reasoning and strategy, or raw mental fortitude, you use Wits. Wits is also your character's ability to mold magic to their will. High Wits gives a bonus to the number of Skills and Feats a character has mastered. The GM might call for an Intelligence check when you try to estimate the value of an item, forge a document, or win a game of skill. Its closest D&D equivalent is Intelligence. Wits includes medicine checks.
Wits and Mana. Your Mana score influences how much Mana you can use, but size and Vitality are also a factor. A creature's Vitality must be less than their total Mana pool, otherwise they spend Vitality at the same rate as they spend Mana. This means that smaller creatures, such as hobbits and elves, find magic easier to use than larger creatures, such as dragons and jotuns.
Reason for change: Giving a small boost to Skills and Feats keeps Wits (Intelligence) useful for purely martial characters. All spell-casting relating to Wits seems too powerful for one Ability, but spell-casting is modified through the other 4 stats: Might for Concentration checks and Vitality, Dexterity for Performance castings, Sense for Ranged castings, and Charisma for minions (Undead, Constructs, Familiars, Elementals, etc). This means Spell-casters are have more variability, and don't rely completely on one Ability. Medicine has more to do with what you know, while Investigation has more to do with observation, so they have been switched.
SENSE reflects how attuned you are to the world around you and represents perceptiveness and intuition, aim and hand-eye coordination, and your ability to accurately understand the world around you. Sense includes Investigation checks and gives a bonus to languages learned, and like Wits gives a bonus to the number of Skills and Feats a character has mastered.
You add your Sense modifier to your Attack roll and your damage roll when attacking with ranged weapons and targeted spells. It also measures your facility with understanding languages or creatures, as well as your ability to sense magic. Its closest D&D equivalent is Wisdom. Your character's actual senses, such as sight, smell, and hearing, are mostly determined by your species, but how well you can use them is determined by your Sense.
Reason for change: Wisdom always had more to do with perception - this merely emphasizes that facet. Taking away casting Power might seem a bit much, but Wisdom still modifies magical Perception and Faith. The bonus to Skills and Feats should also keep Wisdom competitive compared to other Abilities.
CHARISMA measures your ability to interact effectively with others. It includes such factors as confidence and eloquence, and it can represent a charming or commanding personality. A Charisma check might arise when you try to influence or entertain others, when you try to make an impression or tell a convincing lie, or when you are navigating a tricky social situation. The Deception, Intimidation, Performance, and Persuasion Skills reflect aptitude in certain kinds of Charisma Checks. The GM might call for a Charisma check when you try to find the best person to talk to for news, rumors, and gossip.
Charisma also represents raw social currency. Characters with high Charisma will naturally find more friends and enemies. Charisma influences the strength and loyalty of familiars, animal companions, hirelings, and followers, and gives a bonus to the number of "Contacts" a character has.
Reason for change: Charisma loses its status as a raw casting stat, but gains built-in followers the player can control. This emphasizes its nature as the "social" Ability. This may seem like a lack-luster ability to some players, and blatantly overpowered for others. Requires careful balancing, so that one player is not hogging the spotlight simply because they have more characters with more moves.
MIGHT measures both Strength and Constitution. It includes athletic training and endurance. Rather than simple brute force or stamina, Might reflects a character's ability to harness their physical capacities. Sports, swimming, climbing, leaping, hard labor, surviving without food and water, running a marathon, all represent pushing a character's physical capacities. A hobbit and a human might both have a strength of 15, and yet the human might be "stronger" in terms of how much he can carry or throw.
You add your Might modifier to your Attack roll and your damage roll when attacking with a Might-based melee weapon such as a mace, a Battleaxe, or a Javelin. You use Melee Weapons to make Melee Attacks in hand- to-hand Combat, and some of them can be Thrown to make a ranged Attack. Some items also have a Strength requirement to be used effectively.
Size and Strength. Your Might score influences how much you can carry, push, drag, lift, and throw, but size is also a factor. Larger creatures can bear more weight, but also have to carry themselves, whereas small creatures can bear less weight, but are also less heavy. Larger creatures also generally have more Vitality.
Reason for change: Strength was a bit lack-luster compared to Dexterity, and Constitution didn't have any skills associated with it besides Concentration checks. Consolidating abilities into just 5 Abilities should allow a greater diversity of characters, as 3rd and 4th choice stats aren't penalized as much.
DEXTERITY measures agility, reflexes, and balance. A Dexterity check can model any attempt to move nimbly, quickly, or quietly, or to keep from Falling on tricky footing. The Acrobatics, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth Skills reflect aptitude in certain kinds of Dexterity Checks. The GM might call for a Dexterity check when you try to pick a lock, disable a trap, tie a prisoner, do a card trick, or play a stringed instrument. Dexterity is basically treated the same as normal, except that it no longer governs ranged weapons.
Attack Rolls, Damage, and Armor. You add your Dexterity modifier to your Attack roll and your damage roll when attacking with a Dexterity-based melee weapon such as a Dagger or Rapier, but not ranged weapons. Depending on your armor, you might also add some or all of your Dexterity modifier to your Armor Class.
Reason for change: De-emphasizing Dexterity a little bit.
WITS measure mental acuity, accuracy of recall, and the ability to reason, as well as mental fortitude and commitment. When you need to draw on education and memory, deductive reasoning and strategy, or raw mental fortitude, you use Wits. Wits is also your character's ability to mold magic to their will. High Wits gives a bonus to the number of Skills and Feats a character has mastered. The GM might call for an Intelligence check when you try to estimate the value of an item, forge a document, or win a game of skill. Its closest D&D equivalent is Intelligence. Wits includes medicine checks.
Wits and Mana. Your Mana score influences how much Mana you can use, but size and Vitality are also a factor. A creature's Vitality must be less than their total Mana pool, otherwise they spend Vitality at the same rate as they spend Mana. This means that smaller creatures, such as hobbits and elves, find magic easier to use than larger creatures, such as dragons and jotuns.
Reason for change: Giving a small boost to Skills and Feats keeps Wits (Intelligence) useful for purely martial characters. All spell-casting relating to Wits seems too powerful for one Ability, but spell-casting is modified through the other 4 stats: Might for Concentration checks and Vitality, Dexterity for Performance castings, Sense for Ranged castings, and Charisma for minions (Undead, Constructs, Familiars, Elementals, etc). This means Spell-casters are have more variability, and don't rely completely on one Ability. Medicine has more to do with what you know, while Investigation has more to do with observation, so they have been switched.
SENSE reflects how attuned you are to the world around you and represents perceptiveness and intuition, aim and hand-eye coordination, and your ability to accurately understand the world around you. Sense includes Investigation checks and gives a bonus to languages learned, and like Wits gives a bonus to the number of Skills and Feats a character has mastered.
You add your Sense modifier to your Attack roll and your damage roll when attacking with ranged weapons and targeted spells. It also measures your facility with understanding languages or creatures, as well as your ability to sense magic. Its closest D&D equivalent is Wisdom. Your character's actual senses, such as sight, smell, and hearing, are mostly determined by your species, but how well you can use them is determined by your Sense.
Reason for change: Wisdom always had more to do with perception - this merely emphasizes that facet. Taking away casting Power might seem a bit much, but Wisdom still modifies magical Perception and Faith. The bonus to Skills and Feats should also keep Wisdom competitive compared to other Abilities.
CHARISMA measures your ability to interact effectively with others. It includes such factors as confidence and eloquence, and it can represent a charming or commanding personality. A Charisma check might arise when you try to influence or entertain others, when you try to make an impression or tell a convincing lie, or when you are navigating a tricky social situation. The Deception, Intimidation, Performance, and Persuasion Skills reflect aptitude in certain kinds of Charisma Checks. The GM might call for a Charisma check when you try to find the best person to talk to for news, rumors, and gossip.
Charisma also represents raw social currency. Characters with high Charisma will naturally find more friends and enemies. Charisma influences the strength and loyalty of familiars, animal companions, hirelings, and followers, and gives a bonus to the number of "Contacts" a character has.
Reason for change: Charisma loses its status as a raw casting stat, but gains built-in followers the player can control. This emphasizes its nature as the "social" Ability. This may seem like a lack-luster ability to some players, and blatantly overpowered for others. Requires careful balancing, so that one player is not hogging the spotlight simply because they have more characters with more moves.
Eberron: Convergence (Explanation)
Eberron: Convergence is my take on Eberron, with lots of home-brewing, rules, and grabbing whatever I think is cool from other sources.
I don't know if I'll ever get to it, but the plan is to convert Tomb of Annihilation for Q'Barra, Curse of Strahd for Karrnath, and Storm King's Thunder for somewhere - probably Aundair. I also want to place the Planeshift: Zendikar in Xen'Drik, Planeshift: Innistrad in Karrnath, and Planeshift: Ixalan in a large fancy new island chain between Sarlona, Argonnessen, and Khorvaire (it always seemed more like a large island chain anyways).
I'll also want to expand the planes a bit, so that each is its own self-involved world, relatively friendlier to life from other planes. I think Planeshift: Kaladesh, Planshift: Dominaria, and Planeshift: Amonkhet will work well in Daanvi, Syrania, and Fernia respectively. Dolurhh and Mabar will become the same plane of Death, and I'll add another plane once I've figured out what I want it to be. The plan is to grab things from both Magic: the Gathering and Warhammer: Age of Sigmar, as well as a couple of other places, and convert them over. I'll probably end up with some stuff from Pathfinder, 4th Edition Dungeons and Dragons, and a bunch of other places as well.
I'll update this post as I go along. Right now, Karrnath and Tomb of Strahd are my main concerns, as that's the campaign I'm running, but I might switch over to Tomb of Annihilation, since it seems my players are more interested in dinosaurs and pwning everything than the aura of horror and such. We'll see how it goes.
I don't know if I'll ever get to it, but the plan is to convert Tomb of Annihilation for Q'Barra, Curse of Strahd for Karrnath, and Storm King's Thunder for somewhere - probably Aundair. I also want to place the Planeshift: Zendikar in Xen'Drik, Planeshift: Innistrad in Karrnath, and Planeshift: Ixalan in a large fancy new island chain between Sarlona, Argonnessen, and Khorvaire (it always seemed more like a large island chain anyways).
I'll also want to expand the planes a bit, so that each is its own self-involved world, relatively friendlier to life from other planes. I think Planeshift: Kaladesh, Planshift: Dominaria, and Planeshift: Amonkhet will work well in Daanvi, Syrania, and Fernia respectively. Dolurhh and Mabar will become the same plane of Death, and I'll add another plane once I've figured out what I want it to be. The plan is to grab things from both Magic: the Gathering and Warhammer: Age of Sigmar, as well as a couple of other places, and convert them over. I'll probably end up with some stuff from Pathfinder, 4th Edition Dungeons and Dragons, and a bunch of other places as well.
I'll update this post as I go along. Right now, Karrnath and Tomb of Strahd are my main concerns, as that's the campaign I'm running, but I might switch over to Tomb of Annihilation, since it seems my players are more interested in dinosaurs and pwning everything than the aura of horror and such. We'll see how it goes.
Tuesday, October 2, 2018
Korth: Capital of Karrnath
POPULATION: 132,000
DEMOGRAPHICS: 62% Humans, 12% Dwarves, 8% Hobbits (Halflings), 6% Mendalevi (Half-Elves), 3% Dor'guul (Goblinoids), 3% Shifters, 2% Khoralevi (Elves), 2% Orokha'ar (Orcs and Half-Orcs), 1% Changlings, 1% Other
The first thing you notice, approaching the city of Korth, are the walls. Massive, heavy structures over a 100 feet tall and 40 feet deep, the walls are scarred with black soot and glittering spatters and white slicks, all where siege-engine and spell failed to find purchase. The walls are at once old and worn and proud, powerful and regimented. No siege against the city of Korth has breached the walls, the citizens say. None that they know, at least. And during the past hundred years of brutal, near-constant warfare, under countless sieges, they are right. The walls have not fallen.
At the very top of the walls are reticulations, battlements, and steep gables. Interspersed, massive trebuchets and spellcannons face outward. Almost, it seems, built by giants, the walls have warded the city for more than a thousand years.
The weight of age is apparent even as you pass under the gates and enter Korth. Many of the stone buildings here are crumbling edifices displaying the decorative arts of a bygone age. And the buildings are as massive as they are old. Some take up entire city blocks and stretch to fill the sky.
In general, the style is heavy and symmetrical, gothic, with city blocks set forth in a grid or radiating out from central plazas. The buildings and streets are a dark red-brown brick, daubed over and painted pale gray or burgundy or green, with exposed dark wooden beams. Stone steps lead up to doors about 10 feet above the road, and deep gutters lead into extensive sewers below the city. Each year for a month of spring, the flooding river turns the Low District streets into canals.
The roofs are deeply pitched and lean out aggressively over the street, with heavy support beams to help bear the weight of deep winter snow. Reticulations and battlements are common throughout the city; the militaristic influence that infuses all of Karrnath society permeates Korth and helps define the monolithic appearance of the buildings, including decorative features such as monuments, obelisks, columns, and tombs.
Each approach to the city is guarded by platoons of soldiers in pale glinting scale-mail hauberks covered in white coats with fluffy hoods, belted down the front. The the summer, the coats are replaces with a white vest. Emblazoned on both are the quartered white lion rampant and the red wolf's head of Karrnath. The soldiers are armed with halberds, silvered truncheons, bucklers, and pistoletis. The White Lions of Korth are the constabulary and the military of the city, swiftly enforcing the rule of the law and maintaining order. Once the White Lion constabulary had been the police force of the great kingdom of Galifar; now only this remnant in this city is left to carry on the grand tradition.
Korth is an orderly city with well-maintained roads, regular waste disposal, and clean water. Streets march like soldiers, and tenement buildings tend to look regular. The city imposes strict fines for littering and loitering, and the pace of life is brisk. Citizens and visitors must be ready to have their papers inspected at any time, and the White Lions are free to enter anywhere without provocation, and city curfews after dark are strictly enforced. Propaganda extolling the strong work ethic and military history of Korth in proper crimson and black can still be found decorating the city, and speaking against the crown is a crime. The Red Wolf flies from windows and flagpoles. Here, the Last War has not been forgiven, though the King now fights for peace.
The City of Kings has a long legacy of powerful rulers and military conquests. For many in the Five Nations, Korth is synonymous with armies and generals, even more so than Rekkenmark. “Officers come from Rekkenmark but wars come from Korth,” as the saying goes, and that heritage has shaped the city. Crownhome, the seat of the Kings of Karrnath and the source of many of those wars, sits above the city like a crown in itself. Half fortress and half palace, its high walls on King’s Hill shadow the road to the south.
To the east of Crownhome is the wealthy borough of Holycrown, so named because it is in the direction of the massive Cathedral of the Sovereign Host. Many nobles have townhouses here to be close to power, protected from the violence of the Last War. Further east is Highcourt, a part of the city that used to be filled with nobles but now is dominated by wealthy merchants and other rich people without the right bloodline. Displaced nobles moved over the course of the last century from Highcourt to Holycrown, but their legacy remains in their former ward.
In the other direction from the fortress-palace, Rivercrown is the traditional home of wealthy industrialists and the upper middle class but it is increasingly being populated by foreigners. Low District, towards the Karrn River, is firmly the home of the middle class and is the beating heart of the city’s life. It is this part of the city that yearly floods. The nearby Community Ward is more residential and up a steep set of cliffs from there is the mercantile district of the Commerce Ward. These four wards hold the bulk of the city’s business and cultural centers, and the majority of the population of Korth.
The largest ward in the city, though, is the massive Temple Ward surrounding what was for some time the broken shell of Korth’s famous cathedral. It was heavily damaged and even ransacked during the Last War food riots, but its history and presence in the city were reclaimed after the cult of the Blood of Vol fell out of favor with the royal family, and it is in the process of reconstruction.
Opposite the city from the temple is the Deep Ward which, confusingly for outsiders, mostly sits above the city on a cliff. The “low” part refers to the populace rather than the altitude, though there is a lower section along the river. This part of the city houses dwarves and goblins for the most part, and considered a notorious loci for crime.
Railside sits on the other side of King’s Bay, unsurprisingly gathered around the lightning rail station. It includes some camps outside the city as well and is a part of the city rapidly growing as the traditionally industrial section of the city changes into… well no one is quite sure. Change is something that Korth abhors and the tensions in Railside are rising.
The Lightning Rail of Karrnath uses grand, 2-story trailers with sloped roofs and gabled windows for the first class passengers, complete with comfortable dining areas and sleeping quarters. For most, food on the rail is a simple affair, and sleeping quarters limited to a single bed among dozens in a shared room. Still, the rail is swift and safe.
Sources: Eberron Wiki Mephit James Blog
DEMOGRAPHICS: 62% Humans, 12% Dwarves, 8% Hobbits (Halflings), 6% Mendalevi (Half-Elves), 3% Dor'guul (Goblinoids), 3% Shifters, 2% Khoralevi (Elves), 2% Orokha'ar (Orcs and Half-Orcs), 1% Changlings, 1% Other
The first thing you notice, approaching the city of Korth, are the walls. Massive, heavy structures over a 100 feet tall and 40 feet deep, the walls are scarred with black soot and glittering spatters and white slicks, all where siege-engine and spell failed to find purchase. The walls are at once old and worn and proud, powerful and regimented. No siege against the city of Korth has breached the walls, the citizens say. None that they know, at least. And during the past hundred years of brutal, near-constant warfare, under countless sieges, they are right. The walls have not fallen.
At the very top of the walls are reticulations, battlements, and steep gables. Interspersed, massive trebuchets and spellcannons face outward. Almost, it seems, built by giants, the walls have warded the city for more than a thousand years.
The weight of age is apparent even as you pass under the gates and enter Korth. Many of the stone buildings here are crumbling edifices displaying the decorative arts of a bygone age. And the buildings are as massive as they are old. Some take up entire city blocks and stretch to fill the sky.
In general, the style is heavy and symmetrical, gothic, with city blocks set forth in a grid or radiating out from central plazas. The buildings and streets are a dark red-brown brick, daubed over and painted pale gray or burgundy or green, with exposed dark wooden beams. Stone steps lead up to doors about 10 feet above the road, and deep gutters lead into extensive sewers below the city. Each year for a month of spring, the flooding river turns the Low District streets into canals.
The roofs are deeply pitched and lean out aggressively over the street, with heavy support beams to help bear the weight of deep winter snow. Reticulations and battlements are common throughout the city; the militaristic influence that infuses all of Karrnath society permeates Korth and helps define the monolithic appearance of the buildings, including decorative features such as monuments, obelisks, columns, and tombs.
Each approach to the city is guarded by platoons of soldiers in pale glinting scale-mail hauberks covered in white coats with fluffy hoods, belted down the front. The the summer, the coats are replaces with a white vest. Emblazoned on both are the quartered white lion rampant and the red wolf's head of Karrnath. The soldiers are armed with halberds, silvered truncheons, bucklers, and pistoletis. The White Lions of Korth are the constabulary and the military of the city, swiftly enforcing the rule of the law and maintaining order. Once the White Lion constabulary had been the police force of the great kingdom of Galifar; now only this remnant in this city is left to carry on the grand tradition.
Korth is an orderly city with well-maintained roads, regular waste disposal, and clean water. Streets march like soldiers, and tenement buildings tend to look regular. The city imposes strict fines for littering and loitering, and the pace of life is brisk. Citizens and visitors must be ready to have their papers inspected at any time, and the White Lions are free to enter anywhere without provocation, and city curfews after dark are strictly enforced. Propaganda extolling the strong work ethic and military history of Korth in proper crimson and black can still be found decorating the city, and speaking against the crown is a crime. The Red Wolf flies from windows and flagpoles. Here, the Last War has not been forgiven, though the King now fights for peace.
The City of Kings has a long legacy of powerful rulers and military conquests. For many in the Five Nations, Korth is synonymous with armies and generals, even more so than Rekkenmark. “Officers come from Rekkenmark but wars come from Korth,” as the saying goes, and that heritage has shaped the city. Crownhome, the seat of the Kings of Karrnath and the source of many of those wars, sits above the city like a crown in itself. Half fortress and half palace, its high walls on King’s Hill shadow the road to the south.
To the east of Crownhome is the wealthy borough of Holycrown, so named because it is in the direction of the massive Cathedral of the Sovereign Host. Many nobles have townhouses here to be close to power, protected from the violence of the Last War. Further east is Highcourt, a part of the city that used to be filled with nobles but now is dominated by wealthy merchants and other rich people without the right bloodline. Displaced nobles moved over the course of the last century from Highcourt to Holycrown, but their legacy remains in their former ward.
In the other direction from the fortress-palace, Rivercrown is the traditional home of wealthy industrialists and the upper middle class but it is increasingly being populated by foreigners. Low District, towards the Karrn River, is firmly the home of the middle class and is the beating heart of the city’s life. It is this part of the city that yearly floods. The nearby Community Ward is more residential and up a steep set of cliffs from there is the mercantile district of the Commerce Ward. These four wards hold the bulk of the city’s business and cultural centers, and the majority of the population of Korth.
The largest ward in the city, though, is the massive Temple Ward surrounding what was for some time the broken shell of Korth’s famous cathedral. It was heavily damaged and even ransacked during the Last War food riots, but its history and presence in the city were reclaimed after the cult of the Blood of Vol fell out of favor with the royal family, and it is in the process of reconstruction.
Opposite the city from the temple is the Deep Ward which, confusingly for outsiders, mostly sits above the city on a cliff. The “low” part refers to the populace rather than the altitude, though there is a lower section along the river. This part of the city houses dwarves and goblins for the most part, and considered a notorious loci for crime.
Railside sits on the other side of King’s Bay, unsurprisingly gathered around the lightning rail station. It includes some camps outside the city as well and is a part of the city rapidly growing as the traditionally industrial section of the city changes into… well no one is quite sure. Change is something that Korth abhors and the tensions in Railside are rising.
The Lightning Rail of Karrnath uses grand, 2-story trailers with sloped roofs and gabled windows for the first class passengers, complete with comfortable dining areas and sleeping quarters. For most, food on the rail is a simple affair, and sleeping quarters limited to a single bed among dozens in a shared room. Still, the rail is swift and safe.
Sources: Eberron Wiki Mephit James Blog
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