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[The Fred]

Spring is in the air, the cherry blossoms are bursting forth, and I think the time has come to talk about my new campaign - The Dragon Dynasty.

I've been working on this on and off for well over a year now (must be closer to two) and, given I have massive "off" periods, it's still not very far off the ground. So, don't expect it to be completed any time soon (I finally have a bit of spare time now, but I'm working on Project T and other things, too), though I do hope that writing a little about it will help motivate me to work a bit more on it.

The project page can be found here.

So, what is The Dragon Dynasty?
The Dragon Dynasty is a single-player NWN2 campaign (obviously) set in a custom, oriental-themed world. The setting is based heavily on feudal Japan, though I'll be bringing in a whole bunch of elements from all over the place (from Imperial China to Medieval Europe). At it's core, this is still a D&D-based game, but there'll be a bigger focus on monks and matial arts, katanas and wakizashis, oriental creatures and so forth.

What awsome cool features will be present in The Dragon Dynasty?
First, a disclaimer: This campaign is already suffering from "feature creep". So, my intention is to cut, ruthlessly, at least some of the features I plan, so that the game can actually be released at some point. However, here goes:

• New classes such as the ninja and samurai, and new races.
  
  
• New content for existing classes, such as fighting styles for monks, and extra feats for other classes.
  
  
• A variety of "origin stories" a la Dragon Age for replayability, leading into an in-depth caste system allowing you to experience the world as everything from a peasant or outcast to a noble.
  
  
• A whole new ki system for monks and ninjas.
  
  
• A complete redux of the cleric class.
  
  
• The new "Noble House" system through which you can engage in military deployments and political machinations.
  
  
• The Oriental Adventures Taint system.
  
  
• Realistic, time-based events with matching resting system.
  
  
• A raft of new new weapons (such as the wakizashi, sai, tonfa, and more) and other custom content.
  
  
• A brand new GUI-based crafting system.
  
  
• Telepathy and other cool non-combat stuff.

And hopefully more! Basically the idea is to combine as many playstyles into one game as possible, and make it so that you can take any number of paths through them across the course of the game.

What level is this campaign for? What classes and races can I play?
The campaign will probably start players at L1, though I'm considering boosting players of certain backgrounds up higher. For example, if you start as a capable samurai, you should be of a higher level than a mere peasant. However, you will probably still have to create new character due to all the custom content.

The only classes you cannot play are the Bard and Paladin. When I add MotB and SoZ support I think I'll also, unfortunately, be removing the Swashbuckler. It's not that I dislike these classes, but they don't fit into (my view of) the setting - if I ever finish this I'll make a post-Roman Britain or Norse campaign where Bards get a whole redux. For this, though, you can play almost anything else. Clerics are being overhauled, monks in particular will be getting some love, rogue quests are planned, warlocks will actually have some PrCs and things, and so forth. Playing an arcane spellcaster, especially a wizard, will be purposefully hard (since the setting will be relatively low in magic), but still interesting (there will be special content for them, even if it's the law inforcement hunting you).

As with many Oriental Campaigns, I was going to cut a lot of the standard races out. However, only the gnome, half-orc and drow have gone. From the expansions, the half-drow, yuan-ti and grey orc will likely not exist either (though I may make a yuan-ti equivalent). I've also done things like renamed and tweaked a lot of subraces. On the upside, there will be new races to play like the half-demon and spiritfolk. I am also planning the revenant (4E-style).

What will the campaign be like? How much hack-and-slash, tricks-and-traps, and so forth?
The intention is to add a variety of content.

• Obviously there will be combat but I'm hoping to try and keep it lower than most mods, or at least add non-combat solutions to lots of quests which are just as rewarding. Skills, non-combat spells (esp enchantment) and certain feats & abilities (telepathy etc) are all going to be featured.
  
  
• Tricks and traps will probably not be that high, though as I mentioned, I hope to add some rogue-type quests.
  
  
• The magic level will be quite low, though magic will not necessarily be rare. In fact, magical creatures, spirits and demons will be well-known and relatively common, and so will minor charms and the like intended to keep them at bay. However, don't expect +5 swords or heaps of spellscrolls lying around. I have not cut the wizard (and am in fact planning a Wu-Jen option) but acquiring spell scrolls and similar items will be tough.
  
  
• Party size will by and large be one (i.e. just your character) with various companions and so forth as in the OC. I expect it to be quite variable throughout the game, though, rather than this wierd pick-four-from-a-menu system we had in the OC.

Fred, I love Oriental Adventures too! How can I find out more/make my own oriental mod/etc?
Banshe, who is, I believe, building an Oriental PW, has started a group here where anyone can chat about trying to make an oriental game in an engine geared up for a very western setting. Taking the Quasi-Medieval Fantasy Setting to a Quasi-Feudal-Japan (or Imperial-China) Fantasy Setting.[/list]

Modifié par The Fred, 31 mars 2011 - 01:48 .

[Banshe]

Woohoo! Go Fred!

[Quixal]

I assume you folks are well past this point but back in my Legend of the Five Rings days I did a lot of reading to get the proper feel for the setting. Let me know if a reading list might be useful and I will see if I can did up my old sources.

I look forward to seeing more on this project. I have always been a fan of feudal Japan. And of quasi-Oriental settings in general.

[The Fred]

Given that I knew relatively little about this subject (I can't even remember why I chose it), I have indeed had to do some reading around it, though I've kind of decided to take the line that my setting *isn't* feudal Japan, and if something seems historically off, well, it isn't history - it's something like it. If you have any good sources, I wouldn't say no, though.

[Arkalezth]

Good to see some more info about your module. I'm also a fan of that setting, so I'll definitely play it when it's out. Let's hope it doesn't take too long.

[The Fred]

Well, with one thing and another, I don't expect it to be finished any time soon. My current plan is to pare down some of the more ambitious plans, finish the systems and workings of the game and custom content and stuff, and then just make a very short intro. The final product will then not be very long for the work that's gone into it but it should be highly replayable, and easy to extend with a sequel (kind of like a prologue or pre-release demo). Even that is a way off just yet, though.

[The Fred]

The classes
People love classes, so I figured I'd better say a few more words on them. Right now I have five new classes:

Ninja - A stealthy, deadly agent.
The Ninja is similar to a rogue, gaining the same sneak attack and trapfinding abilities as well as better weapon proficiencies and mystical ki powers. However, the ninja does not get quite so many skill points, or as good a class skill list (no UMD, for example) as the rogue.
The Ninja as it will be in this game is similar to the PnP version and Kaedrin's, but the whole ki system is a bit different, so I've built it from the ground up.

Samurai - An honour-bound warrior.
The Samurai is a fighter-type who gets a few interesting abilities in place of the Fighter's bonus feats. In particular, the Samurai has a special link with a single Ancestral Weapon handed down through his/her family, which can grow in power as he/she does.

Ebon Sorcerer - An elementalist-type PrC for arcane spellcasters.
The Ebon Sorcerer is an earthy caster somewhere between the sorcerer, the druid and the warlock. This PrC will basically give the player a few slightly different, elemental-based abilities, but it's still a bit on the drawing board.

Jade Warrior - A highly-trained witch-hunter.
The Jade Warriors are an elite force of Imperial soldiers, who are generally responsible for hunting down rogue demons, witches and warlocks, and other scary things. The Jade Warrior is a fighter-type, but with some neat abilities helpful in fighting unnatural forces. This is currently a base class, designed as something of a replacement for the Paladin, but I'm thinking of moving it over to a PrC (like the NW9 or SToA).

Argent Mystic - A wise individual whose one goal is the pursuit of mental perfection.
Argent Mystics are normally reclusive hermits and suchlike, spending their days meditating away from the world. Their combat prowess is as terrible as a wizard's, but they also get few offensive abilities. However, they do get access to some very useful powers, such as an increased ki pool and even telepathy. This is pretty much a non-combat PrC, so it'll be interesting to see how it works out since taking levels will essentially ruin your combat powerbuilding plans.

I also have a few other ideas going around. Some monk-type PrCs such as those from Oriental Adventures, Complete Warrior and other sourcebooks are on the table, such as the Enlightened Fist (arcane caster/monk "theuge" class) and Tattooed Monk, and maybe a Warlock PrC or two.

[kamal_]

I nominate changing the name to "The Dragon Age Dynasty"!

/ducks

[The Fred]

It was actually a while until I realised, with some dismay, the similarities between Dragon Age and this (the word "dragon" and the origin stories) but I hope to strike a much different chord with this one. The backgrounds I'm implementing will set your initial situation in society, but there's going to be scope for that to change, and it will have repercussions throughout the whole game. For example, you might start as a noble and then be stripped of your lands and title. Conversely, you might be given those as a reward for your heroics. Most people at the end of the game won't care about whether you started as one thing or the other, but your situation then will matter, and that will be affected indirectly by your starting story.

P.S. Don't think you're getting away with that!

[MasterChanger]

Sounds awesome, The Fred. The amount of work that you're putting into the setting, and making it easy to play as characters who are part-and-parcel of that setting, is especially intriguing to me--I'm pretty into the idea of characters arising out of their distinctive setting.

Non-combat PrCs are quite interesting, and I think you have a unique opportunity to make them work in that you're designing both the classes and the setting. Someone who is strictly an adventure author or strictly a custom-content producer doesn't have that opportunity. I've also felt that most non-spellcasters in NWN2/D&D 3.5 don't have nearly enough of a resource-management element*, so I'm really glad to see such things as the ki pool system.

* By resource management I mean having to think about important abilities with uses per day, cooldown, or the like. I know that some melee classes, like barbarian or paladin, do have abilities with uses/day, but those tend to be not such an important part of how those classes actually play (at least in a cRPG with many encounters per day).

I'll also say that, while all the features you're talking about seem really interesting and will make for a fresh playing experience (which I for one certainly need out of NWN2 right now!) this also seems like a wonderful opportunity to tell a new kind of story. I definitely believe you'll be up to this challenge, and look forward to the ride.

[Banshe]

I think I'll be snagging those classes if you don't mind.

The only thing I would say is the "Ebon" and "Argent" don't sound very Asiatic. Are there other terms that could be used or are these the names of pre-existing classes?

[The Fred]

The Ebon Sorcerer is still very much on the drawing board after I decided to review it. I think it's similar to an existing PrC, the Obsidian Sorcerer, though I'd have to check that out. In my campaign I have this empire of ruthlessly-ruled cities and farmlands where laws are everything, and then this contrasting wilderness where outcasts of the empire have to flee too (if anyone's seen Howl's Moving Castle, that was part of the inspiration for this), and I basically wanted a caster PrC who fit that rugged theme, and who could use quite rustic magics whilst still being an arcane caster.

MasterChanger, the ki system I have is basically just a mana-type system where characters have a number of points to spend on abilities. At the moment, this is mostly just for Ninja abilities; the Argent Mystic is an attempt at a sort of spellcaster who uses ki as a power source - it's not finalised yet, though. I've also been converting the monk over to this system, so Wholeness of Body and Quivering Palm will not cost ki points. That gives them more flexibility in their feat use, and also means a monk/ninja combo is theoretically possible since the ki pools stack - of course, using one set of abilities too much would mean you couldn't use the others.

I had actually planned to produce a few more interesting feats for fighters and the like. I've already given the Barbarian my new Intimidating Shout feat, which can cause fear in enemies, for free, and plan to take a look at Rage. On the drawing board are also "shouts" which will be instant-use abilities with cooldowns which characters can use, and which will go on the fighter bonus feat list. Possibly I will throw in some manouvres and things (Book of the Nine Swords was quite an inspiration for this, though I'm probably not going to use any actual pieces of it) - Shield Bash is one feat I'm thinking of. Basically the fact that I'm changing classes to fit the setting gives me an excuse to tweak everything a little even if it disagrees with PnP.

[The Fred]

Since you mentioned the ki feats, here are some of the ones I have at the moment (as with everything, this is subject to change):

Ninja Feats
Ghostly Footsteps - The Ninja can become invisible.
Ki Dodge - The Ninja gets an AC bonus for a very short duration.
These both improve with levels.

Monk Feats
Wholeness of Body and Quivering Palm work as before, but now cost ki (I think 5 and 15 points, respectively). So, a Monk can cast WoB more than once now, but would probably have to forgo QV for it. I'm still thinking about Stunning Fist.

Other Feats
Ki Persuade - A non-combat feat, think Force Persuade from KotOR.
Sight Beyond Sight - See invisible creatures for a short duration.
Size Matters Not - Increased ki power, but only for small races (i.e. halflings).
Weakening Touch - Attack a creature's life force, lowering their strength.

The issue here is finding a balance with the flavour of the feats. Ki is a little like the Force of Star Wars, but generally less offensive - it's more like *your* life force, which you can use to do cool things, but not often to attack others. Of course, masters of ki will be able to control other people's ki to do fatal damage, etc.

[kamal_]

Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique!

[nicethugbert]

NEAT! Palm can be surpassed by Nucular Football Palm only.

GRTZ, The Fred.

Modifié par nicethugbert, 29 mars 2011 - 05:19 .

[The Fred]

I also have monk fighting styles (I believe I've mentioned these before), roughly based on those from Unearthed Arcana. Some, like Cobra Strike, are based on the ones listed there. Others, like Open Palm, Passive Way and Hand and Foot (the latter hasn't been added yet), on real-life styles (guess which). Very loosely, of course - they really just serve as name inspiration.

The give monks different bonus feats, but they lose Deflect Arrows at 2nd level and Knockdown and Improved Knockdown at 6th level. Overall, they should make monks stronger, though, which is what I want because low-level monks generally suffer. The scarcity of magic weapons will be making Ki Strike more useful, though (it's just a damn shame it's hard-coded).

[MorbidGorilla]

Nice, its good to see moks getting some love!

[The Fred]

I was initially a little concerned, because though low-level monks are weak, high-level ones, in NWN1 at least, were very powerful. However, I don't think they're quite so strong in NWN2, and anyway, I doubt players will be getting to those levels any time soon (possibly one day in the far, far, future, after this gets released, there will be a sequel or continuation for higher-leveled characters).

[The Fred]

I mentioned the Cleric class was getting an overhaul. Well, Clerics are something of a contentious issue, and I've never liked how they've been implemented. They just don't feel right - unlike a Druid, who has a very distinct nature flavour, Clerics don't seem to know what they actually are. So, I decided I may as well jsut rehaul the whole class. Here's what I've done:

Armour Proficiencies - Clerics no longer get Heavy Armour proficiency for free. They also start with only a leather robe. I want Clerics to feel a bit like Wizards than like tanks.

Domains - Clerics will now only be able to chose domains corresponsing to their deity. This is something a lot of people seem to want, and it'll have the added bonus of restricting certain domain combinations (so domains will become less of a powerbuilding pawn).

Spellcasting - This is where it starts to get radical. Clerics will become spontaneous casters. They'll still be able to cast a similar number of spells per day, maybe even one or two more, but they won't have access to their whole spell list. Instead, they'll be able to pick one or two spells on level-up, like Sorcerers, and then get Cure/Inflict Light Wounds and any domain spells as bonuses.

This means Clerics will now become more flexible between resting, because they will essentially be able to cast spontaneously any of their spells. An evil Cleric who took Cure Wounds spells, for example, would still be able to heal spontaneously. However, their spell list will be dominated by spells appropriate to their deities (via the domains). If you chose to follow the god of the fire, for example, half your spells will probably be spells of fire, light or destruction. This will give you a very different feel to a Cleric of the goddess of death.

This is still a Work in Progress, but hopefully this will make Clerics a lot more interesting to play. I had some concern about overlap with the Favoured Soul, but I decided to remove that class anyway (I think the Favoured Soul is even more self-confused than the Cleric) - Clerics with the War Domain will probably be able to fill that niche.

[manageri]

I'm on board with anything that nerfs clerics, in fact I'd go a lot harder than just removing heavy armor proficiency.

[The Fred]

That was all I did initially, but now I've gone for a full re-work. I also plan to change certain spells (Divine Power) so that they work a little differently. This isn't so much about making Clerics less powerful as per say, as eliminating certain cheesy powerbuilding tactics. Ofc, people will always still be able to powergame a bit, but they'll have to work out how from scratch.

[Banshe]

That sounds very cool. What are you going to call the "cleric" class?

[The Fred]

Oh, it'll probably just stay as "cleric". Could be changed, I guess, but I'm really just trying to re-balance the existing class rather than make it into a new one.

[The Fred]

I've now created a project page, mostly so that I can upload screenshots as and when I make them.

Speaking of which, here's one of my new crafting GUI:

The crafting system isn't finished yet, because I need to add a lot of recipes, do a bit more testing etc. and most importantly I haven't done anything about enchanting, only creating items from scratch. The intention is to create a similar window, but it will first have a list of enchantable items, or a space for you to drag and drop such an item from your inventory. The scripting for enchantments is also going to be a lot more awkward.

[manageri]

Are you redoing all crafting and are you making any changes beyond a better UI?