Details from my New True 20 campaign

[The Shadow]

Sounds like a lot of fun!

I burst out laughing when you described the "mystery" around Marcellus' poor health, given that he was getting "such close and loving personal care" from Livia. Suuuuuure. :)

How do you handle the Quickening when you take another immortal's head?

[The Shadow]

Having changed the conviction rules, so that conviction does not refresh automatically, taking a head works as follows:

If the immortal you beat is of lower level than you, you gain a number of points of conviction equal to their level.

If they are of equal or higher level than you, then you gain a level.

RPGPundit

Oooooh. I like it! I'd worked out the "equal or higher level" thing myself, but I wasn't sure what to do if they were lower level.

Do immortals gain levels otherwise? Since most of 'em are so old already, maybe not.

[Grim Luck]

So mortals never create masterwork objects then?
Or, I should say, its extremely rare when someone does?

[The Shadow]

I approve of the rarity of masterwork items.

What level did you start the party at?

[Grim Luck]

That sounds pretty good.

Your characters BEGIN ready to face most of what's out there in the world.

With up to 20 levels, and such low skill caps put on beginning (1st level) characters, it makes being heroic with a 1st level character difficult.

In the world you've described, the characters wouldn't begin as outclassed as in the typical fantasy setting.

In most fantasy settings, its like they want you to run around killing 1st level rats for a few days before you can step out into the real world.

[SuentisPo]

Ever since I read you comment about MW items not being "strewn about like candy", I was uncomfortable. I finally did some number-crunching.

A weapon is DC 20 to create. Masterwork adds +5. (Unless you've also changed this). Take a good craftsman: level 1 expert, +3 in Craft stat (I personally rule that the stat may vary depending on what is being crafted), and Talented (Craft) and Skill Focus (Craft and X)- total roll +12. He still has 1 feat (at least- depends on if a smith must know Armor Training) free for something else. He will make a masterwork item on a 13+ (40% of the time). Assume it takes a month to make a sword (I think this is high). He will make slightly under 5 MW swords in a year out of 12. If he has a twenty year career making weapons (probably low)= 96 MW swords. If taken care of, the blades should last dozens, maybe hundreds of fights.

Honestly, a "masterwork" weapon is only a better than average blade. The Black Company worldbook had 6 (!) levels of master-quality items, with a list of possible features, including bonuses to hit, improved crit, and elaborate (worth more). Having swords that give +1 to hit being uncommon, but reasonably aquirable does not seem like a game wrecker to me. Every immortal over a certain age would probably have one.

[The Shadow]

What level did you start the party at?

It varies based on a random element modified by the age the immortals start as.

Is there any downside to starting out as being pretty old?

[The Shadow]

Interesting. So do you keep track of two kinds of "Reputation"? One among immortals, and one among mortals?

Or do you just plain not care what the mortals think? :)

[JBowtie]

Thats the problem that you get when you have vastly differing levels of arms technology (From stone-age to steel-age). So basically I've had to put in all kinds of limits to more ancient weapons, that typically makes your standard ancient pc say "screw this, I'm going for Roman steel! They know what they're doing".

I assume you have 'From Stone to Steel'? I'm adapting the material degradation rules for True20 and will be playtesting them in a couple of weeks.

Oh, and if you don't have it, it's been released in PDF format over at rpgnow.com - absolutely superb book for any campaign.