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====== The Glories of the Empire ====== The Glories of the Empire is a campaign lasting from the characters' initial days as commoners all the way until we tire of it, essentially. ===== House Rules ===== These house or alternate game rules are being used in addition to the Pathfinder RPG system, as they help to set the desired tone for the game. * Gestalt Classes: The Glories, and other adventurers and legendary heroes (and villains), are gestalt-class characters. This means that their level is in two classes simultaneously, with the combined class being given the best results from both classes. For more information, see [[http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/gestaltCharacters.htm|Gestalt Characters on d20srd]] for more information. * Defense Bonus: As adventurers improve, they become more adept at avoiding attacks, even without armor. This allows characters to survive without relying on heavy armor and fits the tone of the campaign. Note that Defense Bonus does not stack with armor bonus (they gain defense bonus or armor bonus including enhancements, but not both), and that Defense Bonus -does- provide improve armor class against touch attacks. For more information, see [[http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/adventuring/defenseBonus.htm|Defense Bonus on d20srd]] for more information. * Armor as Damage Conversion: So why wear armor? Simple: armor lets you reduce damage from attacks. A heavy suit of platemail might encumber you, but it also makes it harder for the dragon to kill you with a bite. The first X points of damage from an attack (excepting attacks that ignore armor) are converted to nonlethal, where X equals the armor bonus of the armor in question. See [[http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/adventuring/damageConversion.htm|Armor as Damage Conversion on d20srd]] for more information. These two rules combine - so a character with a high defense bonus may still wear leather armor to get the damage conversion even though the armor bonus doesn't matter. * Reserve Points: Heroes (and those destined to become heroes) have a reserve quantity of hit points equal to their base level. These reserve hit points automatically convert to regular hit points at the rate of 1 per minute of nonstrenuous activity, effectively providing a personal pool of healing. Whenever a normal hit point is recovered via reserve points, a point of nonlethal damage is also recovered, dramatically extending the survival rates of heavily armored types. Any healing (normal or magical) a hero receives replenishes normal HP first, then the reserve pool. This doesn't extend a hero's ability to withstand a single encounter, but does give them the ability to get up after a single savage beating, or survive longer than they otherwise might. See [[http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/adventuring/reservePoints.htm|Reserve Points on d20srd]] for more information. ===== Party Members ===== Those who are (or have been) active members of the party, including NPCs that the party has travelled with as companions. * Amber: Laura's character, a half-elf. Both parents live in town, and are merchants - bakers, specializing in elven breads. She currently helps as a baker but is looking to explore. She has an older married sister and a younger brother who loves the bakery. She is hoping they won't miss her help if she wanders. Mom's brother is an archer and she hears stories from him when he visits and writes. She practices with one of his old bows at targets, but doesn't hunt because she likes the animals. She likes herb and cheese bread and may in fact be a vegetarian. She has done a lot of swimming. * The Captain (Tom Francis): Selena's character, a human 'sea captain'. He can't sew, isn't an actual sea captain, knows nothing of the trade or of shipping. He is about 55 or so, and was nicknamed Bud as a youth. He has a decent relationship with the town guard, and knows a few low-level disreputables, but has never actually left Shoreside. He tells a lot of tall tales and stories, and often forgets ones he's already told. Amber thinks he's the real deal and that he is Important and Impressive. Children are often impressed or intimidated by him, as are passersby and gullible sorts. Longtime residents don't bother to point out that Tom doesn't actually have a ship, and that he spends most of his time at home or at the Swashed Buckler, the town's only inn and as such a frequent point of contact for visitors. He has a dog named Maelstrom. ===== Common Knowledge ===== These are things any commoner would probably know about the world they live in, particularly the Empire of Astor. * [[:knowledge:common:world_of_dorine|The World of Dorine]] * [[:knowledge:common:empire_of_astor|The Empire of Astor]] * [[:knowledge:common:imperial_army|The Imperial Army]] * [[:knowledge:common:cragworn|The Port City of Cragworn]] * [[:knowledge:common:shoreside|The Port Town of Shoreside]] * [[:knowledge:common:glories|The Glory of the Empire]] * [[:knowledge:common:gnomish_tech|Gnomish Technology]] * [[:knowledge:common:pirate_folklore|Pirate Folklore]] ===== Uncommon Knowledge ===== These are things most commoners don't have time to learn, but that scholars would readily be able to discuss. * [[:knowledge:uncommon:world_of_dorine|The World of Dorine]] * [[:knowledge:uncommon:empire_of_astor|The Empire of Astor]] * [[:knowledge:uncommon:cragworn|The Port City of Cragworn]] * [[:knowledge:uncommon:shoreside|The Port City of Shoreside]] ===== Hidden Knowledge ===== These are things most people in general don't know, but the party has learned about anyhow. * [[:knowledge:hidden:world_of_dorine|The World of Dorine]]
