Divided Realms Background Information

1: Attributes, Books, Classes and Race

Race: Human only.
Class: Bard, Cleric, Fighter, Ranger, Thief, Wizard.
Multi-classing: Banned.
Prestige Classes: Only due to DM offering.

Bards: Receive medium armour proficiency. They suffer no spell failure in light/medium armour.
Clerics: Receive Rogue weapon proficiency.
Rogues: Receive martial weapon proficiency and can use bucklers and light shields.
Wizards: Receive Rogue weapon and armour proficiency. They suffer no spell failure in light armour.

Books: Players Handbook only.

Starting Method: One for one.
Starting Points: 12
Attribute Cap: 18
Advancement: +1 attribute point per level

Intelligence: INT growth works retrospectively. Thus if you raise your intelligence from 11 to 12 upon reaching 5th level, you gain extra skill points as if you possessed intelligence 12 from first level.

2: HP Adjustment

Starting HP: Constitution Score +/- Constitution Bonus
HP per Level: Fighter: +3 HP, Cleric/Ranger/Thief/Bard: +2 HP, Wizard: +1 HP

Note: Constitution bonuses are not applied to HPs gained after 1st level. However if your constitution is raised in game from 13 to 14, you would effectively gain 2 HPs. One because your constitution went up by one point and another because your modifier raised from +1 to +2.

3: Wounds and Recovery

HP 50% or less: Fatigued condition
HP 25% or less: Exhausted condition

Subdual Damage: 1 HP healed/hour
Physical Damage: 1 HP healed/day

Heal: A successful heal check helps to heal 2 HP a day.

4: Shields

Buckler: +1 AC
Light Shield: +3 AC
Heavy Shield: +4 AC

Shields otherwise retain all normal modifiers and special attributes.

5: Magic

Spells: All spells must be learnt.
Spellcasting: Any known spells may be cast at will; this is subject to normal cast time modifiers.
Drain: Spells deal subdual damage to the caster equal to double their level. Subdual damage caused by spellcasting cannot be magically healed.
Wizards: Have a magic pool equal to their class level. Spells cast drain this pool first. Thus if a 5th level wizard; magic pool 5, casts a 3rd level spell, the pool would be depleted and he would take 1 subdual damage. This pool refreshes when the wizard memorises his spells; subject to normal memorisation conditions. A wizard unable to memorise in a new day does not gain his magic pool.

6: The Rest

Feats: All characters receive just one feat at first level and no others. This feat can be drawn from any starting feat or any feat that only has one prerequisite before it. For example, Dodge or Mobility may be chosen, but Spring Attack could not.
Class Feats: Act as normal except fighters may choose from any feats, not just the fighter feat list.

Critical Hits: Do not require a confirmation roll.

Power Attack: The maximum bonus allowed for one-handed weapons is equal to the characters strength modifier. The maximum bonus for two handed weapons (or one-handed weapons used in two hands) is equal to double the characters strength modifier. With either method, each point of additional damage incurs a minus one penalty; thus a warrior with strength 16 and a greatsword could use up to +6 on power attack, doing so would incur a -6 to hit penalty.

Climate, Topography and Weather.

Northern in latitude and battered by constant winds. Lengthy seafaring is dangerous enough in the summer months and downright foolhardy in winter. Winters are long and dark, snow blankets the islands for at least two months a year. The short summers can be briefly hot, but rarely does the temperature get anywhere near 100f. The terrain tends to be rugged and rocky, fertile land is at a premium. The economy depends on subsistence farming, fishing, hunting and mining.

History.

Long ago settlers from far off lands came to these islands and made them their home. They were more advanced peoples who's mastery of agriculture, mining and steel weapons pushed the natives of the islands into the wild and inhospitable north. Now an uneasy co-habitation punctuated by violence between the Ffolk and the Northlanders remains, the latter being a warlike raiding and seafaring people confined to the islands of the far north. The former settled in the islands of the south have a well established feudal kingdom along Western European lines.

Religion and Magic.

The Ffolk are monotheistic and worship the father, or simply 'god'. In their far past on the far lands they worshipped many gods but those practices are now outlawed. Magic is unknown and anything unusual is liable to be declared 'sorcery' and met with fear or aggression. The Northlanders have their own god or gods but not much is known about these. The priests of the Ffolk can be influential and often have the King's ear on most matters, the church is a power structure in itself, and owns lands of its own within the five Duchys.

Politics and Government.

The Ffolk are led by King Kendrick who is in turn served by five Dukes, one for each of the settled islands in the kingdom. The throne is passed to the eldest of the male heirs on the death of the King, failing that the eldest female heir is expected to find a noble to marry and a new line of succession is begun. Where there are no living heirs it falls to the Dukes to decide which of them is most eligible to take the crown. Often this can mean war. The King relies on the Dukes to provide his coffers with taxes for the maintenance of castles and soldiers, and for the provision of essential goods such as food and ore. A delicate power balance therefore exists between King and his Dukes with neither side wishing to push the other too far.

The Duchys of the FFolk.

Norland. (Pop 8,000)

An island of moderate power and influence. It is populated by the descendants of Ffolk and former Norlanders who have settled and interbred. The Duke of Norland swears fealty to the King. It is most known for its isolated fishing villages along its coastline and two crucial iron mines in the islands interior.

Moray. (Pop 5,000)

A small Duchy, the island is known for both its remoteness and comparatively decent weather. It has some of the few areas of fertile agricultural land and produces a lot of food for export by sea.

Gwynneth. (Pop 35,000)

One of the two powerhouse duchys, the Duke of which is traditionally also the King's eldest son. It was not always so, as in previous generations the Duchy of Alaron held both capital and crown. Gwynneth is known for its sheep farming, coal mining and its two large towns, Corwell and Kingsbay. What industry there is in the Archipelago is concentrated here. The largest castle in the islands is Caer Corwell, located just outside the largest town of the same name.

Alaron. (Pop 50,000)

Being one of the largest and most populous islands, Alaron is a powerful Duchy. Outside of its main towns the population is thinly spread, mainly confined to inshore fishing and farming. Alaron also mines small quantities of gold and houses the Kingdoms only mint. The Duke of Alaron resides in the impressive fortification of Caer Calidyrr which is situated on the east coast.

Snowdon. (Pop 10,000)

Snowdon is rugged, infertile and inhospitable, but has the richest fishing grounds to the south east. It's main industry is whaling, the products of which the other islands are keen to buy. Snowdon is the least defended and militaristic of the islands and resents its enforced contribution to the defences of its northern neighbours, it being rarely if ever raided.

Oman's Isle.

More or less uninhabited, what it has falls under the remit of Alaron.

Flamsterd

Also uninhabited, it is considered the business of the Duke of Moray.

The Norlanders, Defence and War

Not much is known about their new homelands in the far north of the islands, the Ffolk being inferior seafarers and defensive in posture. It is assumed they inhabit the Korinn Archeplagio, or even north of there perhaps. All that is really known about them is that in the summer they come south to raid for food, livestock and wives. They are fierce warriors and are usually a match for one and a half times their number of Ffolk militia men.

The Ffolk have less than a thousand standing soldiers in total, the most of which are concentrated around the population centres and castles of nobles and royalty. The first line of defence is usually mounted by militias of local able bodied men, (and occasionally very hardy women and boys). The secrets of building warships have faded with time and no standing navy exists on the islands. The finances and economy of the kingdom are such that survival in the harsh weather and conditions is the primary goal each year, defence is therefore very much done on a ah-hoc basis.

Campaign Flavour Examples



Caer Calidyrr. Home of the Duke of Alaron and largest fortification known on the islands.



Dynnegall Castle. The new home of the newly risen Duke Berwick of Moray.



Orman's Isle. Ruined FFolk fortifications on the now abandoned island.



Caer Corwell. The home of the royal court on Gwynneth.



Snowdon Isle. Remnants of a monastery raised to the ground by the not so god fearing Duke Tilton in the aftermath of a tax dispute.

The Royal Line

King Kendrick Timos of Gwynneth.



Twenty years into his reign, the King is generally accepted as a wise ruler with the best interests of the isles at heart. His true thoughts on most matters are unknown and rarely expressed, and his audience is difficult to gain. This makes him both an unpredictable quantity and serves to keep friend and foe alike on guard in dealings with him.

The Dukes

Prince Stuart; The Duke of Gwynneth



Kendrick's oldest son and an underwhelming prospect as the next King of the Isles. Prince Stuart commands little respect from the other Dukes and it remains difficult to see his ascension being a smooth one.

Duke Lucius Vorr of Alaron



Young, bold, intelligent and absolutely ruthless. Duke Vorr ascended quickly to his position of power after the untimely death of his brother Duke Nylos Vorr; thought to be disease. Lucius Vorr has quickly set about vast and efficient mining operations across Alaron bringing much more wealth to the already wealthy realm, although taxes from the serfs and exports remain third highest at best; with the highest population comes the highest cost for supplying food to the peasantry, or so the scholars of Alaron would tell you.

Duke Berwick of Moray; The Black Wolf



A ruthless and effective battlefield commander, Berwick gained his title in questionable circumstances but his capability as a strong and clever ruler is without doubt. Further ambitions are constrained though by the relatively small size of his Duchy.

Duke Walter Tilton of Snowdon



A independent spirit and a rationalist. Walter manages regular run ins with the church and has little time for its clergy who he sees as unwarranted competition for power on his island. He has also led his Duchy further away from the others over the years and some whisper he may be preparing the way for a split from the crown.

Duke Allard of Norland



Renowned for his feasts which can degenerate into week long drinking sessions, Duke Allard has a reputation for being a flawed but fairly trustworthy character.

The Rest

Marlon Roche; Captain of the Black Stripes.



Clever, skilled and always one-step ahead of his goals and targets. Marlon Roche is a firey and rash man that may seem to clash with his role as King's spymaster. Capable and dependable, Roche mostly works on his own agenda; as he is afforded such freedom from King Kendrick, to make sure the King and his family remains safe from the plots and plans of any that would oppose him.

Primate William Burke



One of the richest men on the isles. The Primate gains revenue from the rent on church lands on the island of Gwynneth and a slice of the gold from elsewhere too, being the leader of the church. He is rarely far from court and makes sure he his opinion is heard by the King and his other advisors.

I'm not going to touch the personality and such of NPCs that could have an effect on my own PC (King/Queen/Religious Types/etc), so someone else will have to do those.

I'm happy to supply possible pictures and names however, but feel free to adjust them as seen fit.

Church Organisation; Rough:

Primate (1) -> Archbishops (1 for each duchy) -> Bishops (1 for each major town) -> Priest (where ever).

Adjust and D&Dfy as seen fit.

One new and all updated pictures.

Hope it's all okay with everyone.

I suggest labeling one picture/location to each duchy, that way they should give you an idea of what everything is like just from knowing the name of the area.

I would just like to make this clear so everyone is aware. If anyone tells me they want X prestige class, they'd like Y prestige class or are thinking about Z prestige class, I will completely and utterly avoid even entertaining the idea and they will never be offered X, Y or Z by myself.

Thank you.

yeah looks good to me. im happy with your name changes so feel free to edit that text at the beginning. the northlanders need a new name and the island of northland probably needs a new name too. not sure if theres anything else effected....

ill work something out for the pictures. if anyone fancies it feel free to find some more and stick em on.

Sorry, name changes? Wrong thread? I didn't change any of the location names.

king kendrick is now king of norland, norland is a island duchy in the above text. and the norlanders were the bad guys^^

Oh.

Said descendants of the Ffolk, so that made sense that the "original" island inhabited is where the royal family came from. Change as you see fit.

Regardless, they don't actually have to live in or anywhere near Norland. It's not like Prince Charles spends much time in Wales, is it?

This has been bugging me for awhile: why "Ffolk"? Why the two Fs? Kinda bugs me (looks like a constant typo).

I said exactly the same thing, lol

its just another one of those things borrowed from the FR ed greenwood version. the ffolk is the name of the inhabitants of the moonshae islands. we are all 100% entitled to change things like that and come up with new names for everything, but i bet no-one does.

I'll change it all. I'll just do it in list format with old name = new name for simplicity.

Ffolk = Lizard People
Moonshaes = Poop Island
Norland = Whoreland
Norlanders = Rent Boys
Alaron = Smellville
Gwynneth = Royal Place
All other islands are called "Other Place"

I expect all the above to be used and written in to the 1st post.