STILL Not Dead (Terrors & Tactics Updade)

Well, my phone ate my original reply going into some depth on the Mad Genius, so I'm going to hit just the highlights.

First, Mad Genius IS going to be the name of the build and the general concept of it is along the lines of "I reject your reality and substitute my own." While the Troubleshooter might be more creative and innovative and Jury-Rig like MacGyver, they're still trying to keep within safety tolerances for the most part. The Mad Genius' motto though is "Don't ask Why? Ask Why Not?" and if you've ever heard of Cave Johnson (from Portal 2... look up his quotes on YouTube if you've never played it) he'd probably be a mad genius type.

I've also decided that in keeping with the Troubleshooter (the innovator), Monkeywrencher (the saboteur) and Mad Genius (the one who dares push SCIENCE to the breaking point) that the name Siege Engineer doesn't quite fit... so I'm changing it to Big Lug... i.e the stereotypical "strong guy" mechanical genius in a Five Man Band ensemble.

One aspect of note about the Mad Genius and reality substitution is that because its an INT/PRE combo they'll almost certainly get the +2 to lowest defense bonus... so despite being possibly scrawny or not too agile/self-aware they'll have much better luck avoiding the effects of things than their stats alone would suggest. Throw in using INT for Armor Defense and its basically "Mind over Matter" (they believe they won't get hit, so they don't.

I also opted for a slightly different approach to the overclocking with a set time limit rather than uses, but with a much longer 'reset time' and the reduction in grade hitting only if you reach the duration limit. The option to spend a heroic surge for the reset instead is based on the notion that because the maintenance time is one hour and everyone can get a surge back with an hour's rest that spending s surge equates to that hour you wouldn't be able to rest because you're doing maintenance.

It also allows for VERY risky 'pushing' where you burn off heroic surges to keep pushing an item (like a vehicle you're using to escape with) for a longer period, but leaves the Mad Genius extremely vulnerable to bad luck afterwards because he's not got as many heroic surges as a buffer anymore.

So here are the actual mechanics;

Mad Genius (PRE): You can use INT for your Armor defense. You can use any item as if it were one quality grade higher for up to ½ Focus minutes. You reset this ability for an item with one hour of maintenance or a heroic surge, but it loses a quality grade if you ever reach the full duration.

* * * * *

The Light Projector ended up with longer range because giving the longest range to the highest damage implement seemed like overkill and something in the gadgeteer's arsenal needed "range 20" or it'd be behind all the other implement groups.

Because it can also be used to make weapon attacks, I don't want the Heavy Projector to completely outclass the longbow either (which is 1d10, Range 20 and requires ammo... with the limitless magic item property a longbow costs as much as a heavy projector, but can't be used as a melee weapon and targets Armor instead of Dodge).

Also of note is that the Battlefist already has the Melee 5 property for its attacks so I don't want the light projector to double up on that since its already doing higher damage (though versatile with the battlefist can help with that). Similarly, Goggles already have Accurate so that doesn't work either.

I think my fix will be to swap the ranges (light 15, heavy 20), adjust the prices a bit (push the heavy projector up to 250c and make it count as two implements like the tome for the spellcaster equipment package) and then add Versatile to the light projector if you dual wield them for your attack spells (which is another fun tropey thing for a gunslinging gadgeteer to do).

Your projector fix works perfectly - the heavy projector counting as two implements makes sense, since it's a larger implement, and versatile works perfectly for the light projector.

***

The Mad Genius is an awesome addition to the path. I listened to some of the Cave Johnson quotes, and he sounds like OSHA's worst nightmare.

Oh... he IS. Also, if you ever get to the DLC content quotes where you're dealing with Cave Johnsons from across the multiverse it's probably even truer to the Mad Genius concept than the original.

One other thought I’m having after updating the one equipment package is that there’s really no “guided” package for the characters who don’t need all the equipment... just “here’s a pile of coins. Buy whatever.”

Nalthifyr the dragon for example gains zero benefit from any of equipment packages. It’s not like he needs clothes or weapons or implements or armor or a bedroll or rope. Even the 500c from Cash In Hand isn’t enough to sleep on and if you spend it on a wielded or worn magic item you’re going to end up with a pretty weak/situational item (ex. treating hits on objects as criticals, changing the damage type or a cantrip) and only one slot until level 4 (so if you get a better item you have to leave the one you bought behind until a slot opens up).

Kalla for a second example needs neither implements (innate magic), weapons (melee 5 property), armor (defensive wards), torches (light cantrip) or the flint & steel (spellcraft cantrip). As a noble “wealth and privilege” is almost a good package, but because she’s got a bodyguard she needs a second mount and tack or they won’t be able to keep pace and that’s just slightly more than the extra coins available would allow... so she ends up with a mount she won’t be able to use except for appearances and fine clothes which are only situationally useful (you don’t want to wear them into a ruin) if she takes that package.

By contrast, Kalla could get a draft beast, pack saddle, good clothes, the parts of the adventurer’s kit she’d find useful, a good cestus (because how many people can tell if it’s runic or not?) and still have 300c left over if she just took “cash in hand.”

This is, admittedly, working as intended as the characters who don’t need as much gear shouldn’t start out too far ahead. But the fact that new players are left to just muddle through with no guidance at all is now irking me a bit and I feel like there should be a “who needs money?” package for the people who are playing dragons, unicorns or a shifter (innate weapons/armor) with the ability to make equipment out of plants (anything else they need).

Maybe something like a bunch of “favors” in the form of service items (meals, inn stays, getting help from an expert, etc.) they can use at any later time or similar would be the way to go? I’m not certain, but there are enough example PCs already for whom “cash in hand” and muddling up something to spend it on is essentially their only viable equipment option and that just feels... “blah” to me.

Weekend testing update.

Things went about as expected. Wealth awards are working in terms of quantities, but placement is a fair amount of work for the GM I'd like to reduce if I can. I'm thinking I may need to introduce treasure parcels, though keyed to the expected wealth instead of a specific level so the GM has a list of options they can pull from instead of having to wing it entirely.

I also tweaked the Spellcaster Package a bit to reflect the fact that not everyone needs implements and because one doesn't need a specific class or utility to use rituals so it becomes a viable choice for people who don't need weapons or armor and want a few handy rituals.

Spellcaster’s Package: You gain 50¢, a suit of good clothing, an adventurer's kit and two of the following (you may select the same option twice if desired); a heavy projector, a tome, any two other implements, or one of the following ritual scrolls; Animal Form, Endure Elements, Floating Disk, Gentle Repose, Mending, Message or Purify Food & Drink.

Message is a new ritual I added based on the suggestion that the only way to send a message to someone at a distance with magic was astral projection (which was basically a duplicate of Scrying). With message you spend a surge to compose a message of up to 20+5/level words and, upon completion a ghostly double of you flies at Speed 100 (50 mph) to a target you've met and know the name of and, upon arriving, delivers the message to them.

Its not instant (it'd take three hours to send a message from Blackspire to Ironhold and would take days to cross a continent or ocean) and its one way only. To reply, a recipient would have to perform the ritual on their end and... so you'd probably have to wait about 7 hours (initial message travel time + ritual casting time + reply message travel time) to hear a response from Ironhold in Blackspire), but if you're a scout on patrol and need to report a large horde of orcs massing in the woods just 10 miles from town, its exactly the sort of ritual you need to send a warning.

I also added a new package...

Wild and Free Package: You gain a suit of good clothing, an adventurer's kit, a +5 bonus to Nature checks to Build Shelter and Forage and cannot fail Forage checks by more than 4.

If you sell the good clothing and adventurer's kit you'd have 30¢ (10¢ for the clothing, 20¢ for the kit); enough for a poor-quality suit of light armor (10¢) and a good quality basic weapon like a hand axe, long knife, great club or sling (10-20¢ each).

Basically just enough to cover whatever innate weapons, implements, armor or general gear you might be short on (i.e. keep the kit if you've only got natural weapons and armor or sell it for a weapon and armor if you've only got Plant Spirit and can duplicate anything in the pack as needed).

I picked the bonuses gained in exchange because while they needed to be enough to help a starting character get by, they couldn't add up to more than the value of starting equipment (because they'll probably be getting 1000¢ in loot going from level 1 to 2 alone). The Forage limit to failure is so the PC can always try again (at an hour per check) in the same area instead of going hungry.

Sufficient food to eat and shelter to avoid poor weather conditions (i.e. common meals and lodging) works out to about 3¢ a day so the bonus would probably add up to about "cash in hand package" values (500¢) in about 150 days.

That might pay off in a long-running wilderness focused campaign, but mostly its just going to let the guy playing the dragon or other beast avatar be okay with not having any significant starting gear by having very high checks for something that almost never comes up for PCs once they've got a level or two under their belts.

Just out of curiosity, what else have you not looked at recently? You've hit species, classes, archetypes, backgrounds, equipment, and companions, and you've locked down a lot of the lore of the setting and introduced some really neat concepts.

Not looked at recently?

0) Wealth is in process. In the sense that its essentially not been hard and fast worked out until now makes it probably the single most important element needed to complete.

1) Diseases still need to be locked down... so longest in the sense that I haven't looked at them at all really. Lasting Effect Traps/Hazards are my start point since a lingering disease should probably result in greater challenge in any conflict you face while afflicted. I'll probably need 4-5 solid examples (a "Mummy" Rot and Filth Fever being two mainstays) to round it out.

2) Structures remain in a very basic state relatively speaking. I mean they're "good enough" in the "I can build something with them" sense, but they're nothing to write home about (I have rental costs for land, but no structure upkeep or minimum staff to keep it from becoming an abandoned ruin).

I should probably add some costs for secret passages and defensive features (arrow slits and the like) and a general "object hardness/Edge" table into the GM's Guide too for completeness sake.

3) Religion. I've laid it out here in the thread, but I really need to compile it and sort the favored attack spells/aspects for each of the various astral gods instead of lumping them under the general entry. Having fully fleshed out entries without the quite so obvious links under the "Favors of the Astral Gods" side-bar (yes, its a full page... but its also a side-bar since it doesn't directly relate to the mechanical rules) might give GMs more incentive to create their own religions if they expand out of the Old Praetoria region.

4) Opponents. I've had them on hold as I work through some of the other stuff simply because they're mostly just "follow the construction directions" at this point. The fluff entry is actually the hardest part for opponents at this point.

I'm pretty happy with the player side, but player side is where the bulk of my feedback comes from so in a sense its the squeaky wheel that gets the grease.

Two things for today;

* * * * *

First, my treasure values at higher levels just weren't working. The math for character wealth was fine, but the awards didn't feel suitably epic for high level opponents. When a level 16 champion dragon's whole horde amounts to about five rolls of quarters in gold coins (200 coins valued at 10c each) there's a problem that has nothing to do with math.

The first thing I'm doing is to re-introduce a copper coin; the bit; which is a tenth of a silver cent and reprice all the 1/2 and 1/4 cent items using that (technically I'll just use increments of 0.1c, but will mention the copper bit in the money section). So if just a tenth of the horde is copper bits instead of silver cents you've roughly doubled the size of the horde, if half the coins are copper then the horde grows to more than five times the quantity of coins.

The second thing I'm doing is adjusting the formula. It'll still be CP x 5c for levels 0-5, but for level 6-10 it bumps up to x10c, to x20c for levels 11-15, and to x40c for levels 16+.

That puts the aforementioned dragon's hoard up to 16,000c... if half is copper coins that's 60,000 coins, plus another say 4000 silver coins, 10,000c worth of weapons and armor (since it resells for only a tenth as much) and 3000c of minor and consumable magic items.

THAT feels like a proper dragon horde.

Another factor with this adjustment is that it will encourage PCs to go after opponents tougher than they are because once you think you can take on a level 6 opponent, you're going to get more than twice the reward of going after a level 5 one.

Be careful though... that level 16 dragon could drop a group of level 12 PCs in one round if it hits with both its minor action attacks in a single round (two explosive breaths that hit and everyone in 5 pace by 5 pace area is down 80 Edge; 40 if they're fire resistant). The same holds true to a greater or lesser extent with other opponents who are well above your own level.

The greater the reward, the greater the risks.

* * * * *

The second item is that I've been thinking more about the question of "what have I not looked at recently?" and hit upon something else that really needs a deep lore dive to firm it up and has been largely ignored on my end for quite some time;

The Deep.

I've been so focused on the surface world I haven't touched it at all in, honestly, years at this point. Yet it was originally a huge part of the whole adventurer cosmology with one of the reasons Blackspire was so relevant to adventurers not just being next door to The Black Spire and on the border of the unclaimed Wilds... but because Blackspire's undercity also connected to the upper levels of The Deep.

So I'm going to start to remedy this because its important. In addition to "Deepspire" (the colloquial term of Blackspire's undercity) I've decided to jump start the process of filling in a bit of The Deep by moving the Emberfalls there.

Instead of passing through territory they knew would treat them badly, they instead ventured into the largely unexplored Deep and made their home in an outlaw settlement where a lava vent pours into the Cauldron Sea (the vast underground sea centered around the deeper levels of The Black Spire).

I'm also tweaking the Deep's lore a bit because it provides more mysteries and adventure fodder.

While the Upper Deep (the old sewers, subway tunnels and basements of prior civilizations) and Middle Deep (the dwarven carved vaults in which many dwarves chose to make their homes) have existed since at least the First Empire (with older ones even dating to the Demon Empire); there are absolutely no records of the Lower Deep (the miles wide vaults that descend for untold miles into the earth) having existed prior to the Cataclysm.

More, the Lower Deep is awash in the lingering energies of the Cataclysm and filled with mutations far more terrible than any seen in the surface world. One theory of Arcanists who've studied it posits that Old Praetoria was spared much of the devastation of the Cataclysm because the Black Spire absorbed its energies like a lightning rod and drove them down into the earth... but the energies were so vast that it caused massive tectonic displacements (which is what befell Stormhold when it went from 40 miles inland to on the coastline as a whole land shelf collapsed... while Ironhold and Riverhold being built into mountain ranges were able to weather the shocks more easily).

Another, even more radical theory, is that the Cataclysm actually began in the depths, perhaps even the world's core, and surged upwards, carving out huge swaths of solid earth and stone as it erupted and the Black Spire served as a conductor bringing it to the surface (Old Praetoria being largely spared the same way the area really close to a fountain has the water arc over it). This theory posits that the Black Spire is a planetary-scale "pressure valve" for, in truth, no one knows how deep the Black Spire descends into the earth.

Regardless of if either or these or some other theory is true, the Lower Deep is a vast and almost entirely unexplored realm filled with life completely alien to those who live on the surface. Stories of diamonds the size of houses and slugs the size of castles and tribes of mutant cannibals are among the more tame to have come from the lips of those who've explored the Lower Deep and returned to tell the tale.

Honestly, I'd forgotten that you even had something like the Deeps. The Lower Deeps not existing before the Cataclysm raises some questions.

Speaking of questions, you mentioned that the lower levels of the Black Spire had been colonized, and that Deepspire is a thing. Why have the extremes not been at least explored?

And this is why I think I might need to change the name of Blackspire to Darkhold or something.

The Upper Deep (sewers, basements and such) of Blackspire (the city) is occupied/colonized. The Upper Deep directly beneath Blackspire (the city) is colloquially known as Deepspire (think of it more like the name of a neighborhood than a separate city). "Deepspire" borders the edge of the Cauldron Sea (basically a huge half-flooded hollow beneath Lake Blackspire and a good chunk of the Central Duskwood).

The lower levels of The Black Spire (the miles tall structure in the center of the crater lake) haven't had more than sporadic adventurers ever visit and few of them ever returned. A small outpost exists near the surface level entrance to The Black Spire and might occupy a few rooms on the first floor, but that's about it for civilization as the people of the world would generally understand it being present in The Black Spire.

Areas around the Cauldron Sea have been reasonably explored in the last two hundred years, but its pretty treacherous (pitch black but for the light you bring with you and littered with jagged outcrops jutting up from the sea to rip holes in your hull) and a low priority when the much more livable surface has a population density of less than a person per square mile and once you leave the safe zone of civilization you might travel for days without seeing another sapient soul.

But the Cauldron Sea is just the uppermost level of the Lower Deep in one small area. Tunnels (some navigable by ship, others so tight men have to walk single file for miles) lead to other chambers under other regions of the world and other tunnels (not to mention whirlpools and waterfalls) lead to deeper chambers that have so far only been explored when someone accidentally found themselves down there and needed to find a way back up.

And each level of the Lower Deep potentially spans the entire planet.

How many levels are there? At least two, probably more like a dozen extending down tens of miles beneath the surface, possibly even reaching the mantle... maybe even deeper (is the world a Hollow Earth?).

That's mainly why the extremes haven't been explored. There's just not enough people with enough incentive to go there when just over the Titan River is a plot of land ten times the size of the Free Cities that is loaded down with old ruins and now two centuries old forests just ripe for clearing and founding cities on.

The people of Blackspire are only 100% certain about what's within a day's march of where the Titan River river reaches. They've heard stories about places like Bestia, The Blood Wastes, The Sun Empire and Star Kingdoms, but only a comparatively few merchants have ever visited them. The Cauldron Sea is at least mapped and you have a few "colonies" dotting it mostly comprised of people wanting to be left alone by the surface world or who have found rich veins of valuable minerals they're looking to mine and sell. But there's little population pressure to go delving the depths in search of more than what's right in front of your face.

And those are locations within a few week's travel by sail (maybe from New York to Los Angeles in distance). The other side of the world is a complete unknown beyond old maps that may not even accurately reflect the coastlines, much less the post-Cataclysm civilizations that reside there two centuries after the map was made.

Which, to be honest, suggests NOT spending a whole lot of time on it for the core books beyond a paragraph or two saying that it exists and describing roughly what it is. It's a whole other region, like the Blood Wastes or the Endless Archipelago so I should probably treat it as such.

Thanks for the clarification. So it's the area around the Black Spire that's been colonized, not the actual tower itself. I wouldn't be shocked if the Lord Warden had a specific branch of his guard dedicated towards ensuring that whatever freaky things in the tower that apparently snack on foolish adventurers stay in the tower.

As for the alternate city name, I'm thinking Spirehold.

Another question: What's the Sun Empire, and what are the Star Kingdoms. I'm getting an Asian vibe off of the Sun Empire, but the Star Kingdoms are a blank.

Yeah, Blackspire does keep a military presence there as you say “keep the freaky things in.” They’ll warn adventurers that it’s a damned stupid idea to actually go in there and that “once you’re out of line of sight even if you’re screaming your head off we won’t be coming in after you” but they won’t actually stop you (and probably refer to it as nature “weeding out the stupid.”).

Despite possibly needing to change it, I generally prefer Blackspire just because it’s such a real world thing to happen with names. Blackspire is named for The Black Spire and the lake is called Lake Blackspire both because of The Black Spire and because the major settlement where the lake connects to the Titan River is Blackspire. And the First Warden has the surname Blackthorne which probably originated from a pre-Cataclysm place name (a town or neighborhood) that existed near the Black Spire during the time the Praetorian Empire started requiring surnames to keep their records straight.

It’s not quite Torpenhow Hill territory (a quadruple tautology... Tor “hill” got named Torpen “hill of Tor” by one group. The next one to come along with a different language called it Torpenhow “hill of Torpen” and finally modern English calls it Torpenhow Hill... or Hill Hill Hill Hill), but it’s something that feels real... like a guy named York from New York City, New York.

* * * * *

The Sun Empire and Star Kingdoms are indeed an Oriental-themed region that has only been mentioned in passing (it used to be mentioned in languages back when I just had central, northern, southern, eastern and western as the only human tongues, but I think it’s only mentioned as one of the places Jack Knave claims to have visited).

I avoided fancy names it for the same reason I did most everywhere else; it may have a fancy sounding name to those who speak Praetorian (ex. Ca-werdi), but that’s just “Sun Empire” in the local language there (similarly the “Blood Wastes” in Bestian sounds like “Vaer Jaatmed” to those who only know Imperial).

Anyway, the Sun Empire is analogous to China and is strictly ruled by the Celestial Bureaucracy (originally it was going to be the Astral servitors of the Sun God... but now I’m thinking elves with the Embodied Sun God as their Immortal Emperor). The Star Kingdoms are vassal states of the Sun Empire each ruled by one of the Sun God’s children (collectively the Princes/Princesses of the Star Court). Imagine what would have become of Old Praetoria if instead of 60,000 elves more like 500,000 had arrived all at once and where law is enforced by a God Emperor and his key servitors know truth from lies just by hearing the words spoken (good luck trying to flee your caste there).

Great place to tell stories about honor and duty to your family and the Empire... awful if you’re anything other than a noble (which to be fair is more or less true anyplace other than places like the Free Cities).

Which also reminds me; in trying to figure out wealth awards I ended up looking at some material about the Three Estates (clergy, nobility, everyone else) and the general disdain the nobility had for third estate (who were essentially seen as livestock by most nobles... only worth keeping around to the degree they served the nobility and should not be allowed to live better than animals lest they lazy).

What this made me realize is that The Free Cities are probably seen by the rest of Old Praetoria as essentially an entire Realm of Outlaws (an outlaw being anyone who existed outside the Three Estates of Feudalism).

They can choose their occupation and keep what they earn from it (minus some taxes... but the feudal standard for serfs was you worked the land whether you wanted to or not with a 100% tax rate and then the lord gives you back just enough to live on if you’re lucky) and can bear weapons and armor as good as any knight’s (the feudal standard was that a serf carrying a weapon was subject to immediate summary execution). Worst of all, the people don’t acknowledge the noblity as superior beings, can vote for their leaders from among their number and can replace those who don’t represent them practically at-will.

The Free Cities are an affront to the proper order by their very existence and, if not for the fact that the guys in charge over there took down a frakking dreadnought golem, the nobility from elsewhere would probably have launched a “holy” crusade to wipe the Free Cities off the map lest their peasantry start getting ideas.

As it is they just spread all sorts of rumors about how horrific life under “Blackthorne the Usurper” is and grimace whenever a delegation from the Free Cities turns up because you don’t want to piss off the guy who nuked a dreadnought golem by summarily executing the upstart commoners he’s sent as envoys for daring consider themselves equal to the nobility (“They say he cavorts with demon worshipping barbarian hordes and can wipe armies off the map with his dread gaze!”).

Honestly, one thing I really need to sit down and decide is what sort of government the Praetorian Empire had before the Cataclysm struck because that would really help inform the attitudes of the initial survivors (200 years is enough time for a feudal monarchy to establish itself pretty thoroughly, but how thoroughly would depend a lot on the initial attitude of the survivors.

If the Praetorian Empire were more a Democratic Republic (Empire only in the sense that it oversaw other states) then I’d suspect a lot more initial pushback to strongmen trying to take away their rights (and a lot more ruthless crackdown on the dissenters by those strongmen as they seized power). If they had an Emperor and hierarchy of Imperial governors and military officials then the change over would be more the governor declaring themselves king while life goes on as usual (minus the Cataclysmic disruption) for the peasant classes.

Given the presence of golems as a grunt labor force (who needs peasants when you have robots) I’d be more inclined towards the Republic model; though perhaps with limited franchise (i.e. only landowners or those who served in the military having voting rights). Maybe akin to the Roman Republic that preceded the Empire.

This would also explain why the Toria tribes went the egalitarian elected chieftains whose term was subject to the will of the tribe instead of hereditary chieftain-kings. There was a natural sense among the common folk survivors that they were all pretty much equals and the guy in charge should be so because he’s the most capable and has the confidence of his people because that’s the system they were familiar with before the Cataclysm (although probably a lot more like modern politics in that the “most capable” were generally members of the government establishment).

The downside of that is it turns the ancestors of the current kings into monsters who conquered their own people and subjected them to their whims through force and then indoctrinated the next generation into believing this was the proper order of things (in which case the subconscious dread of the Free Cities by the nobility of other realms comes from the fear that it will spark recollections of life before the Cataclysm when they weren’t absolute rulers... all because Blackthorne didn’t make himself a king, but instead instituted the Republican rule he snagged second-hand from the Toria Tribes).

While the current generation of nobles probably doesn’t even know any better (they’re as much a product of the indoctrination that they’re inherently better than peasants as the peasants are) it hangs a cloud over every true noble (versus those who take the noble background to represent a life of privilege because of their parents’ wealth or political position; ex. Kalla has the noble background because her father has been First Warden most of her life, but there’s no title to inherit from that and she’s technically no more exempt from the law than any other citizen of the Free Cities).

Which, I guess is true to life as that’s pretty much how every monarchy and feudal hierarchy got its start; some strongman conquered people and lands and handed out authority over them to his most trusted lieutenants and their heirs and made his own position as supreme leader the inheritance of his heir.

Feudalism really does suck for about 99% of the population. The only reason it’s glamorized is because the only people writing about it back in the day were the 1% who benefited off the backs of the 99%. Of course it was awesome for them.

It makes me quite glad I opted to ignore some of the people calling for “authentic feudal society” when it came to my default setting home base. Try striking a Blackspire citizen as you would a serf in your own lands and see what good that noble title does you (Hint: nobles tend to get plenty extra attention when they’re put on display in the stocks).

The Free Cities: Outlaws One and All.

It really goes to show how good we have it here in the U.S. It also shows that when most players ask for an "authentic feudal society," they have no idea what they are talking about. And really, D&D has never resembled an authentic feudal society - it has more in common with Westerns in that you're on a savage frontier where general lawlessness reigns when you're outside of town, and where people have to take care of themselves. Almost like 4e's Points of Light.

I would actually go with Old Praetoria as the Roman Republic's version of a republic, to better line up with its inspiration. The fact that it emphasizes that the early generation of nobles were brutal strongmen is, as you said, true to life. In any immediate post-apocalyptic setting, you're gonna get strongmen. This particular setting is merely one in which the timeline's progressed further and you're getting the inevitable push-back against feudalism.

Roman Republic it is. Judging (noble) children for the sins of their (strongman) ancestors is for losers anyway.

I do find it very amusing though that the Free Cities/Blackspire basically ticks off all the boxes for what would be the kingdom of darkness in a traditional fantasy story told from the perspective of the nobility.

The leader is a “dark” wizard named Blackthorne who overthrew the rightful ruler of the land and rules from a black tower; he allies with barbarians who commune with “demon-like” spirits and his realm is populated by outlaws, mercenaries, demonspawn, trolls, troglodytes, orcs, dark elves and probably a few giants and dragons in the mix. His elite warriors are known as The Black Guard and ride wyverns into battle and he has a cadre of apprentice spellcasters instead of proper archers under his command. He allows all manner of debauchery in his lands (i.e. he allows people to keep what they earn and spend it on things like meat, alcohol, books and education) and treats nobles as he would animals (i.e. nobles get the same treatment as commoners).

They are clearly a force of darkness... and the unequivocal good guys of the setting.

* * * * *

We do have it almost ridiculously good relative to history. Our poor generally live better than the KINGS of earlier times. Heck, we live in an age of magic beyond belief compared to them. There is an amazing essay called “Cheops and the 7-11” that pits the Great Pyramid of Giza against a corner 7-11 that I think sums it up beautifully;

http://www.ambrosini.us/wordpress/2005/05/the-great-pyramid-vs-the-7-11/

And I’ll also admit, probably 3/4 of the time my conception of Arcane magic in the setting is basically misidentified super-science (where the Arcane Web is a cloud of microscopic energy-redirecting nanomachines with the Arcanos language used for spellcasting as their programming code and the implements as control interfaces to allow more efficient command inputs).

Basically, it’s what was once called “Natural Magic”; the precursors of modern physics, chemistry and medicine and the one field of “magic” that the Catholic Church actually approved of (because there’s a huge difference between trying to discover the principles, properties and uses of all the things in God’s Creation and trying to bargain and make pacts with spirits to influence the world and others).

The one quarter that doesn’t think of it as super-science (though it’s always in the natural magic category even if it’s magic-magic it’s still based on study of a natural part of the world... astral is the path for bargaining and pacts with spirits) is the questions it brings up about the pre-Demon Empire world.

Simply put; Hunter-Gatherers turned into slaves for mining don’t invent self-replicating programmable nano-clouds. If the Arcane Web is a natural feature of the world though...perhaps unknown earlier because it requires rare minerals only found deep underground to interact with the arcane field (those minerals being what distinguishes a wand from a stick and a runic weapon from an ordinary one) then it’s something they could actually discover.

That might be a reason for surface dwellers to have an interest in The Deep actually; you need these minerals to craft arcane implements, arcane spellbooks and magic items and there’s only so much to found on the surface.

If the arcane field/web were a natural phenomenon instead of super-science that was built then trial and error in secret over the centuries of enslavement could determine that arranging the minerals in specific shapes, moving them in certain patterns or producing certain sound frequencies near them caused specific effects to occur and so these shapes, gestures and sounds became the basis of the runic scripts used for enchanting and the Arcanos language used for casting.

* * * * *

Of course, there’s always the “Let’s get WEIRD” option too; the Arcane Web IS super-science, but it wasn’t created by man/dwarf-kind, but by the same unknown precursor beings who built The Black Spire. The dwarves rediscovered the Arcane Web as they mined in the The Deep, deciphered the associated script (the runic/Arcanos language) and reverse engineered the implements without fully understanding what it was (hence the name for the power being Arcane; something hidden and/or poorly understood).

The really weird option is that the hunter-gatherer humans the Demons enslaved were actually the fallen descendants of a previous super-science civilization that suffered its own Catalysm-like event that left the survivors literally in the Stone Age (The First Empire of Man therefore wouldn’t be the First Empire; just the first Empire there’s any reliable archeological evidence for from the perspective of five millenia later with a civilizational collapse and a Cataclysm in between).

Perhaps the first Men created by the Source lived in an unknown golden age (something akin to the Garden of Eden only a super-science paradise), but they screwed it up and wound up as hunter-gatherers who completely forgot their own past. This failure is what convinced Lightbringer that the Primal Spirits needed to take an active role in shaping and guiding the world and keeping Men under control so they wouldn’t screw up all their hard work again.

It wasn’t just “we built it so we deserve to have it.” It was “we built it out of love for The Source and his favored creations crapped all over all our hard work. We deserve to have it and Man deserves to suffer for ruining it.”

It adds the animosity towards Men that explains why the demons wouldn’t have tried to work with Men at first but instead started with not even expedient slavery (i.e. we need labor and they’re handy), but needlessly brutal slavery (what exactly does a nature spirit need slaves to build monuments for? Why do they need to warp men into deformed dwarves while working them to death in hellish mines? Why do they need to forcibly breed half-demon offspring and train those half-human children to brutally exploit their own kin?).

Why create a Hell on Earth when their motivation in even the standard version was “we can run it better”?

Because they HATED mankind and wanted to punish them even more than they desired their original vision of Creation.

Then to further cement matters, their brothers who claimed loyalty to The Source still sought to protect and defend Man from the “rightful” punishments the demons were inflicting on them (even though the actual perpetrators had been dead generations before the demons got started on their thousand years of tormenting Men).

They learned of The Covenant between Man and The Source.

That moment, when he first heard of The Covenant is probably the moment the Demon Emperor snapped.

That was the moment he ceased to be Lightbringer and set about his plan to separate himself forever from the life and light of The Source. Instead he would become a cancer on Creation, a force of pure malice designed to consume the souls of Men and gut all that The Source had ever built, leaving it nought but a hollow shell. He would even destroy his very being to bring this about (for his being came from The Source) and become... The Hollow.

I kinda hate to provide specific answers for things because mysteries are generally more useful for GMs, but I think I like that a LOT.

It would mean The Black Spire (which probably wasn’t originally black... its color is due to its entire surface being carbon-scored and half-melted as if exposed to tremendous heat) is essentially the original Tree of Knowledge. That has some fun potential to explore when I finally do an adventure/setting book focused on it.

Maybe I can split the difference and keep some of the mystery, but keep the notion of Pre-Hunter-Gatherer Men having had an original paradise/golden age that was lost and the demons blaming them for wrecking their work which leads to the Demon Empire and the rest of history as outlined.

The precise nature of this paradise and what it entails is a mystery. The Black Spire might have answers; if you can find the proverbial needle in a haystack in the literally hundreds of thousands of miles of ever shifting tunnels and chambers that compromise its interior before the things that live there get you; but there’s nothing else intact enough to even begin to hazard a guess as to what that world was like.

* * * * *

On a slightly unrelated note, I also vacillate between whether The Black Spire is unique or if there are others elsewhere in the world (lands even further away than the Sun Empire). It’s something you’d only find in pre-Cataclysm geography books (which are pretty low priority for salvage from ruins given how much the Cataclysm altered the landscape), but it’s something some PC or another might want to find answers to someday so it’s something I occasionally ponder.

I love the irony of the "dark kingdom" being the unequivocal good guys, and not out of some misplaced, surface-level motive swap, but by really looking at the setting and its consequences.

***
I read the essay, and I have to agree with it - the image of Cheops's courtiers selling everything they have for a Slurpee is hysterical, and the whole thing is illustrative of not only how far we've come, but of the lack of perspective many modern people have. What we take for granted and call commonplace, men would have killed thousands for in the past. It also goes to show that mankind cannot be eternally satisfied with earthly delights. For all our modern miracles and inventions, we're still unhappy. The infinite happiness of Heaven needs to be infinite, just to get past man's tendency to grow bored with the good.

***
I like the 1/4th idea, wherein the Arcane Web is a natural phenomenon that was discovered by the dwarves that delved deep. The idea of arcane magic being Natural Magic, based on study and science as distinct from spirit-calling, makes me think that if magic were real, arcane magic would be favored by the Church, not divine magic (which is as we've discussed is basically a warlock pact with a less unsavory patron). In a setting where nature spirits aren't emissaries of God and where "divine" magic is basically deals with eldritch beings of unknown motives, arcane magic would be the only safe, sane option. Instead of clerics and paladins, the Church would have priestly wizards, artificers, and swordmages.

***
I've got a little sci-fi on the brain, but the Black Spire being in a crater lake made me think that it wasn't built there, it was shot into the world like a sci-fi railgun rod, like the old Rods from God.

***
Another thing to consider is that if the Demon Emperor died and became The Hollow/the Shadow Path itself, then what if something similar happened to create the Arcane Web, only with a more benevolent (or at least neutral) entity at its epicenter?

If this is true, then the Cataclysm could be the Arcane Web, the whole Web, either reacting to something or being driven to do something that resulted in reality going out to lunch.

As a side note, if I were writing 4e, I'd say that the powerful entity dying and becoming a power source is what happened to the nature goddess Melora (who may not even be a goddess at all), thus creating the primal spirits.

Regarding the “dark kingdom” as good guys; It’s worth noting the general reaction of the nobility in Europe to the early United States (and it carries over to a certain extent even today); that the US was a bunch of crass, crude heathens who didn’t know their place and spat in the face of nobility and all that was good (and today it’s America thinks it’s so special and better than everyone just because it’s economy dwarfs every other country on the planet and it’s army, navy and air force are bigger than the next six put together and they have nukes).

I think the most annoying part about The Free Cities to rulers of other realms is They. Don’t. Care. The Free Cities isn’t ashamed of what they are; they own it.

“Yes sir! I’m as common as dirt, m’Lord. I’m downright filthy... filthy RICH! That’s why my army of well paid mercenaries is twice the size of your band of troops who really doesn’t want to be here.”

“Yes, we ARE capitalist pigs, m’Lord! Have a free Slurpie. You’ll be willing to trade us your title for the next one, but we’ll only charge you a pittance. Shall we work out a delivery and payment schedule?”

“Yes, we DO allow ‘commoners’ to take up arms, m’Lord. Hey, Carrack (the troll)? Show ‘em your arms (and his bow the size of a small ballista). Can you believe ol’Mad Mercer had him relegated to common labor? Carrack here is worth ten of your poncy knights!”

And the personal favorite of Blackspirians everywhere “So, just how many Dreadnought Golems has YOUR leader taken down?” (I have this notion that shortly after instituting the new government, Blackthorne had the burnt out carcass made into a hundred foot tall statue at the mouth of Lake Blackspire that every ship has to pass by on its way to port. It needs no inscription; it’s message is unmistakable).

* * * * *

Regarding your observation about the Catholic Church and arcane magic; you’re spot on, a number of prominent Doctors of the Church and saints studied alchemy, herbalism and other forms of medicine and only condemned dishonest dealers (i.e. conmen who made false claims of what they could do with alchemy or rare herbs/medicines).

Honestly, the best representative of what Catholic magic would probably look like in D&D is the Bard... particularly the 5e variety with its colleges. College is a very apt term. They are well-educated students of history, culture and the natural world (hence the wide array of proficient skills) where one of those schools of education is fairly subtle magic based on enchantment/psychology, illusion (in the real world sense of misdirection) and a bit of medicine/biology.

Those who go college of lore are the dedicated students and might pick up a bit of flashier alchemy/chemistry (fireball) or delve deeper into spiritual mysteries (various divine spells). Those who go college of valor or swords are the warrior-scholars who bring their knowledge with them to the battles to defend Christendom from its enemies.

But the critical element is that while they may pray to God for intercession; their magic itself isn’t divine intervention. One does not command God or His angels. Rather it is derived from knowledge and understanding of the principles and properties of God’s Creation; from the interaction of the materials he gave us with our God-given reason and innovation. Miracles may still happen for them, but they’re entirely on God’s schedule.

Artificers definitely fall into “approved” territory. Science and engineering is right in the approved wheelhouse.

The only one I’d be hesitant about is wizards, mainly specific schools like necromancy and summoning as both tend to truck with spirits to some degree even if it’s “you must comply” rather than bargaining (a few of the divinations that interact with spirit/extraplanar entities also run afoul of that as well). Evocation, conjuration (of objects), illusion, transmutation and such are pretty much good to go though.

Swordmages fall pretty much in line with wizards; steer clear of trucking with spirits and you’re Church approved.

Sorcerers are an interesting case in that they’re born with their gifts. Ansolid guidepost though is the Christian adaptation of Merlin. According to that version Merlin was the son of nun who had been raped by an incubus with the intention of creating the Antichrist, but because his mother had him baptized at birth he was freed of the Devil’s influence but could still use the magical powers his half-breed status granted him.

The gist of it was that the author needed to explain why it was okay for Merlin to work magic given the general linking of it to infernal powers. Sorcerer magic from fully initiated members of the Church would probably be okay (though that doesn’t make you exempt from basic principles, just because you can innately summon up ghosts doesn’t mean you should summon up ghosts... evocation, conjuring, illusions, healing and such are right in line); pagan sorcerers would be judged on their actions primarily.

The final interesting case in this sense is the 3e/5e Celestial Warlock who may not have actually made a pact with a celestial so much as been favored by one. That would actually fall in line with the the concept of the wonderworker (a.k.a. Miracle-worker) who has the divine gift of healing or wisdom or mighty deeds without having received formal instruction in the Faith. Many of those so attested showed up at points when something in the Church needed reforming in a way the hierarchy was hesitant to pursue, so the ability to work miracles was almost more to confirm “this person’s message is legit” than the good of the actual miracles themselves.

The celestial warlock might be regarded initially with suspicion, but if the message from God that came to the warlock along with the gift is in line with the doctrines (and to date none have ever brought a message that contradicts the original teachings... not being in line is actually the first sign that a private revelation is not true), well, who is the Church to question God?

In general though, yes, Arcane is a far better fit for a Catholic Church than Divine magic in D&D.

* * * * *

Yes, the intention of the crater lake (and its carbon-scored surface) is to imply The Black Spire “landed” on the planet sometime in the distant past. It is also clearly artificial based on what has been observed of its interior. To be fair though craters can also result from a collapsing substructure as well as by impact... but impact is probably more likely.

Heck, something about The Black Spire or something inside it might even be responsible for the minerals needed to direct arcane energy... perhaps something that burned off its surface during entry or that leaked out from the damage inflicted as it drove itself miles into the world’s crust (which is why critical concentrations are found mostly underground where the dwarves were mining).

That’s another mystery to add to the pile; as is... who built it (was it... Aliens?  )? Why did they build it? How long ago did they build it/did it crash? and Why is it half-buried in a crater? That last one is a biggie. You don’t build a kinetic kill weapon filled with miles of interior corrodors and chambers. You also don’t land an inhabited vehicle on a planet by slamming it into the ground hard and fast enough to make a fifteen mile wide crater and lodge it miles deep into the ground (conversely, given its size there’s also no way it slammed into the ground at anywhere close to the same velocity as a typical asteroid or the impact crater would be a hundred or more miles across).

In other words, accidentally or deliberately, something unintended by the Spire’s original builders happened to it at some point and it probably also stands to reason that unintended consequences also resulted beyond just the intial ‘nuclear winter’ level impact.

I do like the idea that arcane magic was at least partially inspired by glyphs found in The Black Spire (though this probably isn’t common knowledge. It sounds like the basis for a proto-adventure; one of the dwarven slaves digging near The Black Spire finds a glyph-covered piece of metal unlike any they’ve ever seen and when they trace the glyphs with their finger something magical happens.

They keep studying it and discern that whatever the object is broke off The Black Spire and there might be more secrets to be uncovered in the Spire itself; so the dwarven slaves gather up their strongest and smartest and as the other dwarves work double shifts to meet their quotas, they slip into The Black Spire in pursuit of hidden knowledge and power.

That’s right up there with “The First Adventurers” legend in terms of establishing the concept of the adventuring party as cultural touchstone. Throw in a couple more parties at pivotal points (The Free Cities has one with Blackthorne’s party defeating the Dreadnought Golem... I think one should also play a role in the Beastman Rebellion) and there’s a cultural norm and historical precedent for people looking for bands of adventurers to solve problems they can’t handle instead of looking to a state or other central authority.

This is essentially legitmizing adventuring parties as something to be respected instead of as outlaws (which they’d pretty much be in any sort of authentic medieval setting) and that taking up the path of the adventurer is a legitimate way out of your birth situation and a means to climb the social ladder. Most fail, but the ones who succeed could become kings.

I think that’s an important element of the setting to really drive home “not medieval authentic.”

Honestly, beyond the “life if you weren’t a noble sucked” the part of “medieval authentic” I think I hate the most is the premise that the PCs are hapless slaves of the system.

One example I saw used a tale of how a poor knight, hedge wizard, local priest and a rogue went and plundered a ruin (i.e. typical D&D adventure) and how, because that land belonged to the lord they would all suffer the station appropriate penalties for theft because they didn’t get their lord’s permission first... the lord confiscated all the loot, the rogue and wizard were summarily hanged, the knight lost his position and was sent to face trial and execution by the lord’s leige and the priest was sent to the bishop for discipline and sent off to a monastery for a life of silent penance and contemplation. That, it was claimed is what should happen to a typical adventuring party if you’re being authentically medieval (he then set up a scenario where the knight essentially convinced the Lord to let them go clear out the ruin if he would be granted a small share of what was found and could he, by chance pull a few peasants from their usual labors to aid him?)

The problem with this scenario is said band of adventurers could probably mow through the lord’s entire retinue of men-at-arms, household knights and the baron himself in less than minute and have his entire manor house stripped of every valuable they could hock in the next trading town in under ten.

There is zero reason why, when faced with certain death, the party wouldn’t say “Frak the rules! I want to live!” and by the mechanics the baron and his whole retinue aren’t even a particularly hard dungeon for a band of first or second level adventurers.

“Medieval authentic” utterly falls apart in the face of hyper-competent PCs who by level ten could probably storm the king’s castle and beat him to death with his own royal scepter and there’s basically nothing in the kingdom with the power to stop them. Why would people with level of ability demonstrated by typical PCs ever subject themselves to a petty thug like the baron just because some far away “king” says he has the authority to take your stuff and kill you.

As you say; the Wild West where the PCs are famous gunslingers (and the best way to deal with one is to bring in your own by offering a reward) makes a ton more sense given D&D’s mechanics than “medieval authentic.”

You ain't kidding - if D&D's magic, especially the crazy stuff in 3x, were applied to a setting in a realistic manner, you wouldn't have "Medieval authentic," you'd have wizard/cleric/druid strongmen ruling over everybody, and that falls more in line with what I know of the Black Company than Dungeons and Dragons.

If you want "Medieval authentic," then go to Ironhold or maybe Riverhold. The rest of the world's gonna be at Blackspire, where the cool kids are. Because your Blackspirian's retorts to the elitist nobles is America in a nutshell, and I love it. Blackthorne's take on the Statue of Liberty is something to behold.

***
Your breakdown of the priestly arcane classes tracks with what I was thinking - the main exception is that the enchantment spells might be banned as well if they're used to control other human beings, but that could just be me. That sounds like something covered under the same clause as "no fireballs in a crowded marketplace."

One of the things 4E did well that I tried to preserve is the martial/magic parity. Magic is an alternate path to power, but in terms of potential it’s basically in the ballpark of what a talented person of similar skill could accomplish (the telekinesis spell caps out at about 90 lb. per pace of movement spent on it or about 270 lb. while moving at half speed; A level 11+ character who started with STR 4 would have a Base Load of 250 lb., so trying to lift 270 lb. would also put them at half speed... or as one of my favorite quotes from a telekinetic goes “I make up for my thin wrists with an extremely buff mind.”). As a result Magocracies and Theocracies aren’t any more common than Warrior-led Monarchies in 4E or my game.

Blackthorne (wizard abjurer) is scary because he (and his party) is about level 13 after facing the Dreadnought Golem in a world that caps at 15. Warclaugh (strong captain) was similarly scary because he was probably level 14 at his death.

* * * *

Riverhold is a bit more scheming Renaissance Merchant Princes, but your general point about it and Ironhold vs. Blackspire stands. I’m trying to offer a variety of setups for regions so people can set their adventures where they best fit.

- Ironhold is for classic medieval games.
- Riverhold is for Renaissance-era scheming and intrigue.
- El-Phara is for your Oriental Honor and Duty with a “mongol” horde at your border.
- The Toria Tribes are for barbarian adventures.
- Flotsam is for Pirates.
- Blackspire is for Wild West Frontier life with schizotech medieval trappings (i.e. D&D classic).

I’m also pretty sure the unofficial name for the mounted Dreadnought Golem at Blackspire is “The Statue of Donfuqwime.”

More seriously though... between the most defining landmarks of Blackspire being a 250 foot tall repurposed skyscraper shell where the upper stories were clearly blown off and the 100 foot burnt out golem statue I think Blackspire’s architecture is probably almost deliberately ramshackle and cobbled together.

Which is probably a good metaphor for life there anyway. It’s about the only civilized place with freedom of worship, where even malfeans, mutants and dark elves are given anything close to a fair shake and where even the occasional avatar might be found roaming the streets.

Some places of note that have come up due to improvising during playtesting where some players just wanted to explore the city are;

- Wrenchclaw’s; a gadgeteering workshop and scrapyard run by a clan of kobolds in the 4E promo video “we love you” vein.

- a street gang of frost sprite pranksters (snow and ice being a relatively rare occurrence in the region as I went with an oceanic climate akin to Eastern France... mild summers; highs usually in the high 70s-low 80s; mild winters; daytime typically mid-50s, night low 40s with maybe two weeks where it might get cold enough for snow; but also lots of clouds and rain;2-3 times a week with no seasonal variation at all).

- The Pit; a mutant run dive bar in the undercity sewers with a salvaged magitech jukebox loaded up with Pre-Cataclym music played using a built-in ghost sound cantrip).

- The Commons, a large open air market at the base of Castle Blackspire where you can find just about anything (stalls are rented from the city government and, along with habor fees and tariffs on incoming and outgoing goods, are one of the main forms of income for the state). One of the most notable features is The Bounty Board; a large board littered with notices of jobs that need doing with offers of rewards for those who will do them.

- The Overlook Inn, an Inn and Tavern built into the western face of Castle Blackspire on the 10-12th floors with a stunning view of the city and Lake Blackspire (particularly at sunset). It is the lone place in the city where you can get Excellent quality lodging.

- The Rookery, the top floor of Castle Blackspire is where you can obtain stabling for flying mounts as well as buy/sell them. Half is open to the public the other half is reserved to the Black Guard’s wyvern mounts.

- The Crow’s Nest is a watch tower that rises another five stories above the Rookery and offers a full 360 degree view of pretty much the entire Free Cities region (the horizon is about 21 miles on a clear day). More importantly, the signal towers of the smaller cities like Daysmarch can be seen and, if a warning fire is lit, the Black Guard on their wyverns can reach even the most distant alert location in just 30 minutes.

- The Hanging Gardens comprises the entire southern face and half the other faces of Castle Blackspire with various herbs and vegetables being grown on what amounts to about four acres worth of vertical crop beds (the north face gets plants that do better with shade/indirect light, the east/west faces for those that get by with partial shade and the south face for those that do best with all day sunlight).

- Aspiro Aviation and the Blackspire Skyport. The floor beneath the Rookery has been fitted with gantries to allow airships to dock. They’re not something that shows up every day, but there’s typically 1d4-1 airships moored there on any given day. Aspiro Aviation is a local airship crew (a family of Sylphs) who takes charter flights (and as a local can be booked in advance... whereas it’s luck of the draw to charter ones who just happen to be there that day; there’s a fairly regular one running cargo to and from Riverhold that’s willing to make a slight detour to drop or pick up from Stonepoint Monastery, but any others are probably from much more distant lands).

- Greystone Mercenaries; a mercenary company located near the docking district that both hires and hires out mercenaries for a share of the proceeds. Probably the best place in the city for PCs looking to either hire some extra muscle for an expedition or looking for a reliable way to hire themselves out to those needing mercenary work done.

- The Broken Mast; an upperclass tavern catering to ship captains and wealthy merchants just upwind from the docks. The booths are well insulated so business deals can be conducted in private.

- The Salted Fish; a rough and tumble tavern for the common sailors. A great place to hear all sorts of gossip from distant locales if you can manage to fit in with the locals (a very quiet tavern if you cannot).

- Nazric’s Apothocary; where a wizened human alchemist brews and sells most any of the magic consumables and will happily buy up any raw materials you might bring him.

- The Inkwell; a bookseller run by the Undine-blooded Klarisa Deepwater. She has a variety of non-magical books (current best seller is Ghost Stories of The Spire, purportedly true stories of those who’ve survived expeditions to the Black Spire and survived as compiled by noted local historian and teller of tales Arturo Greenfield; a Mark Twain like figure whose motto is “never let the truth get in the way of a good story.”) and a smattering of magical rituals which she’s willing to provide in trade (i.e. bring her a ritual scroll and she’ll trade you one or more of equal or lesser value). She’s also the best bet for someone in town willing to buy old books or other Pre-Cataclysm documents a party might find in the ruins as she has many wealthy patrons with private libraries that are looking for unique items.

- Daysmarch, Eastmarch, Ferrycross and Stonepoint Ferries; steamboats that make regular runs to and from the listed towns; essentially the far edges of the Free Cities’ territory.

* * * * *

As to Catholic spellcasters and enchantments; that’s where a number of the morale-boosting spells fall. I was thinking more in line with what in 3e would be the Bardic Music effects like “inspire courage/competence/heroism” and maybe some like “hold person” (way more humane than running a potential hostile through with a sword) or “fascinate” (i.e. distraction spells) than spells like dominate person where you’re trying to make slaves out of them.

Your way of doing it is the only way that you could have balanced the martial/magic disparity that 3e widened, outside of going full anime and having martial be just another flavor of magic. 4e got enough of those kinds of accusations - RaR doesn't need to get them too.

***

It looks like that improv playtest session did a lot to flesh out Blackspire as a city. The mutant-run dive bar sounds like most PC's idea of a good time, and the Inkwell sounds interesting as all get out.

I never saw that particular 4e promo video - I've seen the Tiefling and the Gnome video, and a couple of the sequels - one involving a mindflayer, I think, and one involving a red dragon.

***
Your base, "core books only" setting alone covers more genres than any edition of D&D I've seen - they tend to focus on one or idea and leave the others for expansions. I can't imagine rooting for anybody but the Free Cities, but that's just me.

By the way, I'm assuming that Flotsam is basically Tortuga transplanted into a post-apocalyptic setting. Care to share any details? And have you done anything to flesh out the northern barbarians, the guys at Riverhold's gates? Also, what are the other towns in the Free Cities like? You've talked about Stonepoint and Daysmarch, but the other two are a mystery.

Yeah, reality bending is really the stuff of artifacts. Really big reality-bending spells do exist, but only in the form of artifact-tier rituals; the sorts of things that require certain planetary alignments and virtually unique material components in order to actually cast them.

This is ultimately why after fighting with exactly how to stat a Dreadnought Golem it ended up working best as not an opponent at all, but a dungeon... find and blast open an access point while avoiding its external point defenses, then fight your way through its internal defenses (including man-sized golem “antibodies” and repair drones) and ultimately reach its command core (which has its own defenses) to fry the thing from the inside... all with a time limit because it’s going Godzilla on everyone you’re trying to save.

* * * * *

The kobolds were in the background of the red dragon video. The operative take away for purposes of their shop in Blackspire is they’re numerous, always fiddling with something in the background and prone to outbursts announcing their agreement with whatever Wrenchclaw has just told the PCs.

Basically it was an excuse for me to break out my funny voices and describe various crazy things the kobolds were doing to build “something” as the PCs were speaking to Wrenchclaw about acquiring some gadgeteer-themed magic items (most notably a “chain-sword”... a greatsword that achieved the destructive property through a diamond serrated chain that was telekinetically propelled around the length of its cutting edge at a high rate of speed... i.e. a chainswaw).

* * * * *

I could probably root for the Toria Tribes in addition to the Free Cities, but they’re roughly allied and hold the same “ability trumps blood” sentiment anyway so it’s more whether you want your home base to be a big city full of disparate peoples or a barbarian village where everyone is probably related to you to some degree or another.

Even if I don’t share it; I can see the appeal of Ironhold to someone coming in with rose-colored glasses about feudalism, knights and chivalry (or are specifically looking to emulate a Disney-ish fairy tale setting); especially if everyone is playing some level of nobility (you could throw courtiers/court officials, military/house knights, religious and arcanists/court wizards in there along with the actual noble background) and don’t have to actually interact with the peasants beyond as local color... or if they’re looking for a cynical Game of Thrones-ish campaign.

Likewise, I can intellectually see the appeal of a decadent court intrigue game where everyone acknowledges they’re all playing opportunists looking out for number one and are basically using each other to get ahead (and are each scheming to undermine each other when the time is right). Basically you’re playing it as a more competitive than cooperative game. I don’t see the appeal myself, but I can understand how you could approach it the same way you would a game of Monopoly. As long as everyone is on the same page that betrayal is to be expected... whatever floats your boat.

I’d probably rank Flotsam and the Pirate’s life above either of those two (but behind Blackspire). The idea of living outside the law and the rules and outsmarting “The Man” is basically the same appeal as rooting for all manner of pirate protagonists or smugglers like Han Solo or professional thieves/conmen in heist or caper films. Or Robin Hood on the high seas as it were.

* * * *

And since you asked. Flotsam is a literal floating town anchored to an pre-Cataclysm section of elevated highway that due to the general collapse of the continental shelf ended up about twenty feet above high tide on the edge of the Great Salt March. That’s about a 400 foot long stretch of four lanes in each direction (so about 80 feet wide give or take) as the only part that even remotely counts as “dry land.” Everything else is a strung together series of rafts, barges and in some cases whole ships on which houses and shops and gardens have been built out of whatever the locals can find.

It’s “run” by the leader of whichever gang or pirate crew happens to be strongest at the moment, but overall it’s a lawless mass where the only protection you can count on is what you bring with you. It’s a haven for the hunted and desperate strong enough to not become immediate prey.

It’s basically a town-scaled version of the Mos Isely Cantina. If you’ve got the skill and the manpower you could even end up in charge of it... at least until enough of those lower on the totem pole banded together to take it from you.

The smartest guy in the place; a Tusker (i.e. a boar-man) pirate named Iron Tusk; realized a long time ago the safest position was to be the second strongest gang in the place and never make a move against the current strongest. The strongest couldn’t afford to move against him because it would weaken them enough for those making actual moves against them to take them down... and the weaker ones don’t want to waste their resources on taking out someone who won’t make them the new number one.

As a result Iron Tusk’s operation has outlasted more than a dozen “number ones” and has quietly amassed the most wealth of anyone in Flotsam (he never brings in more than half the plunder that the current number one brings in and he always gives a share as “tribute” to the current number one... but he’s not losing it all when he’s inevitably toppled either).

As a result the locals generally regard Iron Tusk as the true leader of Flotsam (even if they never call him that) who quietly keeps everything running while the current “Number One” is wasting all their time just trying to stay on top.

* * * *

The Northern Barbarians are roughly analogous to the Steppes Nomads and raiders. The main thing of note is their activity cycle. During the summer months they range in tribal bands across the North in search of food and plunder (there are plenty of pre-Cataclysm ruins up there too). Then during the winter months they gather in the great communal halls of Winterhaven for feasting, sharing epic tales and forging marriage pacts (since the individual summer bands aren’t big enough to have sustainable genetic diversity the winter gathering is an opportunity for the nomads to find suitable mates outside their immediate family).

Where things cause a problem for Riverhold is when there’s a lean year and the nomads realize there’s not enough gathered resources to last everyone the winter. That’s when the warriors of the combined bands gather up to raid south into Riverhold in search of either food stores or a glorious death (as either one reduces the resource pressure on the rest).

Their primary god is The Grey Huntress, particularly in her winter aspect, but also fate (they see signs and portents everywhere and tend to favor gallows humor in their epic tales), though it’s unclear if they worship her as an astral god or merely see her a primal patron... honestly, the Northern tribes don’t feel a need to make such distinctions. She embodies what they strive to be regardless.

As part of honoring her, their war beasts are not horses, but dire wolves and they keep packs of regular wolves as pets to aid in their hunts. Some bands even make pacts with packs of winter wolf avatars to hunt together for common gain. Likewise they favor the longbow and war scythe (both used from wolfback) and are known to release collective wolf howls before they charge into battle (which can be downright terrifying if they’ve gathered in large numbers).

* * * *

Eastmarch is less a town and more an oversized trading post running along the main land trade route to the Sun Empire in the east (roughly analogous to the old Silk Road). It was initially founded by the El-Pharan overseer to facilitate trade with their kin without those kin having to sully themselves by interacting with all the humans in Blackspire. It’s primary industry remains providing protection and accommodations for traders from the East and Old Praetoria in accord, at least in terms of trappings, with elven norms (including hiring on a number of dark elves to present the appearance of elven influence in dealings with the elves to the East).

Ferrycross is the town just across the three-mile wide mouth of Lake Blackspire where it feeds into the Titan River from the city of Blackspire. It’s the eastern most end of the “Kings Road” that runs along the northern bank of the Titan River and ultimately all the way to Riverrun and Ironhold. It is considered strategically valuable as it gives the Free Cities control of both sides of the waterway that connects Lake Blackspire to the rest of the world and so is fairly well garrisoned; especially since the “Massacre at Ferrycross.”

Ferrycross was all but razed by that Orc raid twenty years ago and the newly installed Lord Malcer took much of the blame for it due to his having pulled many of the troops there away to wage his campaign against the “godless” Toria barbarians to the north of Blackspire (who had never attacked any of the Free Cities) and helped form the seeds of dissent that would one day end his rule.

As a result though, every building at Ferrycross is essentially brand new; less than two decades old and the whole walled town laid out in a pre-planned grid pattern instead of typical maze of streets common to older settlements and the whole place is designed with providing efficient defense in mind (there are no dead spots in terms of being able to see and fire upon approaching forces from the watchtowers for example).

It’s primary industry is similar to Eastmarch, but it’s almost entirely directed towards providing travel goods to those headed west and entertainment while they wait to depart.

Most trade into the Free Cities from upriver makes use of cheap rafts/barges to bring it down the river, but these vessels lack the propulsion needed to get back up river and the sailing ships headed upriver are generally packed to the rafters with trade goods and travel by teleportation circle is expensive. So anyone who ships downriver by barge generally returns to Ironhold and Riverhold on foot via the trade road and its generally more efficient to pick up rations and other travel necessities at Ferrycross than drag them downriver with you.

Likewise, individual travelers tend to stick around in Ferrycross for days or even a week or two to wait for a defended caravan to form up instead of traveling alone along a route threatened by robbers, orc raiders and wild beasts. As such it has a truly disproportionate number of inns, taverns, gambling houses and entertainment establishments for travelers likely flush after selling their wares in Blackspire to spend their hard earned coins on.

Think of it as something like a fortified Atlantic City in its heyday (beaches, the boardwalk, casinos, bars, theaters, etc.) and you’re mostly on target.

Not too much to report from playtesting this weekend.

The main things there were;

- A tweak to the cestus due to an exploit involving using a pair of fine cestus (total cost 200c) to gain shield 2 while keeping both hands free. The fix was to make cestus/gauntlets into a pair and add the versatile property to it. Shield 2 is still possible, but only with a legendary cestus/gauntlets.

- A question about stacking between innate specializations and those gained from magic items. While stacking specialization bonuses is right out, others seem obviously stackable (ex. allowing you to resist an additional energy type even if you already have the resistance specialization) and then there’s the middle where stacking non-specialization bonuses (ex. the shift targets 1 pace from torrent aeromancy) probably wouldn’t break anything outright, but still isn’t generally intended.

My thinking there is to say “if an item grants a specialization you already have, you can benefit from only one of them at a time.” This would allow you benefit from things like resistance or changing damage type or ignoring resistance (since only one energy type at time will be in effect), but keep you from say quadruple stacking basic torrent aeromancy (one innate, three magic properties on an item) for a 4 pace shift effect.

* * * * *

And for a change of pace for me I actually got some GM side feedback beyond rules clarifications.

This GM has a penchant for liking custom monsters and so has been playing with the opponent building rules. They requested two things;

- A way to use the PC-Light rules to build grunt, standard and champion opponents in addition to elites.

- An “Astral Servitor” species with options for beasts in addition to humanoids that is distinct from the elves.

Neither of those is an outrageous ask, though it’s a bit of work.

PC-Light was elite only because that’s the closest equivalent to a PC going all out with their surges in a fight and level of complexity with all the various specializations and utilities in place. Grunts and standards don’t really need anything like the level of complexity either in or out of combat. Similarly, all of the champions designed to date are practically forces of nature (dragons, aspects of the demon princes and the hydra) so probably don’t need much either.

That said, what I thought was needed and what other GMs think is needed are two different things so I’ll need to run some numbers for those.

The biggest issues for the Astral Servitor is, first, why isn’t it a base species (of which the elves and gnomes are a type) for PCs and second, how do you balance it relative to the elves and gnomes?

My initial thought is that, at least in terms of my setting is that Servitors (which is probably the one word name for them I’d use), they’re not suitable for PCs because they lack true free will; they literally exist only to do the will of the Astral god they serve. A true succubus (vs. a changeling high elf w. the seductive aspect potent spark) exists only to increase lust in the world in service of The Seductress. It has no other desires or goals.

Either something about the variability of dreams or the process of becoming Earthbound has granted the elves the free will to choose to be more than what they were created to be. That’s why an elf can reject its place in the “divine order” while a Servitor of Law is utterly incapable of doing anything unlawful (even if it might bring greater law and order in the long run).

And that’s also why they’re not generally suitable as a PC species (just as demonic and shadow magic aren’t suitable because of what they do to your free will).

My big debate is whether or not there should be some mechanical aspect to this limitation in the species entry. For example, Servitors must have an allegiance to the aspect they represent and cannot take any action that opposes that allegiance (so a servitor with an allegiance to Truth could never lie or even use the deceit skill).

I dunno... the only Servitors I intended to create would have just used the standard monster rules, but I could see certain campaigns where more distinct Servitors are needed (ex. Something a bit more like Planescape).

Part of it too could also just be that I haven’t gotten to actually statting out the Servitors yet and the need to build their own would diminish once they have those.

So that’s the news from the weekend.

Who's to say that other servitors didn't end up Earthbound elsewhere in the world the way that elves did? Also, gnomes have free will, and they can go back and forth between the mortal world and the Astral Realms. The existence of the Fetch also disproves the "variability of dreams" theory.

The reductionist part of me does like merging elves and gnomes into Servitors. The catch with that one is the same as merging elves into avatars - you have a lot of fluff regarding the two separate species that might be lost - and having elves as an obvious, upfront option has the advantage of avoiding having skim-reading players ask "where are my elves, dammit!"

One reason that you could not want to make Servitors a base race is that both on a lore and a mechanical level, they're going to have severe overlap with the avatar, especially in terms of beast and humanoid forms. If you go all in, literally the only thing separating the two races would be what kind of theme they have - elemental spirits (earth, air, water, fire, plant, ice, metal) vs astral spirits (light, dreams, shadow, and whatever else you come up with).

Don't get me wrong, I like the idea of it, and the fact that you already had a name for the idea demonstrates that it does have some merit, but it's definitely something that merits further thought before pulling the trigger on it.

By the way, what does separate a true succubus from a changeling elf with the seductive aspect potent spark?

Regarding Succubus vs. Succubus-like elf in my current line of thinking? The elves have free will. One is effectively Men's dreams of a succubus, the other is the genuine article. My thinking is that the default Servitor has no free will of its own... it literally exists to fulfill the aspect of an Astral god and nothing else. Its almost a spiritual robot in a sense.

By contrast, a succubus-like elf could choose to use or not use its talents as it wishes (using its shapeshifting and seductive powers in pursuit of some higher goal instead of a true succubus who literally cannot act in any way other than to sow lust and betrayal in the world).

This would actually be a key theological distinction between Servitors and Primal Spirits. The Primal Spirits were created with free will (if they weren't there wouldn't be any demons or avatars) and so the primal spirits who remain have chosen freely to follow The Source. The Astral Servitors have no choice at all other than choosing the most expedient manner to spread their virtue or vice in the world (thereby expanding the astral god's influence in the world and the size of its astral domain).

Unlike the Servitors though, elves and gnomes have free will for some reason. Fetches do too, but because they're actually Shadow origin (and their astral god may not even be a true astral god) the rules on their free will don't need to be the same as for the Astral Servitors/Elves/Gnomes.

So maybe elf/gnome free will is a glitch in the program that only affected those in the Mortal World during the Cataclysm (countless gnomes have spent extended time in the Mortal World since the earliest days... its likely where the concept of "imaginary" friends came from in this setting).

Maybe the chaos that is the dreams of Men requiring a lot more flexibility and improvisation than the other servitors and so they either ended up with it almost by accident or are just better able to fake it (in the sense that Commander Data might just be so advanced that his processes appear to be free will to anyone who can't actually fully comprehend his neural network... which may also be the case with golems because they've been left running without memory wipes for so long).

Maybe its ongoing exposure to the Mortal World (which gnomes had in abundance already and elves were forced into) that causes free will to emerge and none of the other Servitors spend enough time in the Mortal World for this process to even begin.

Also, you may have gotten this, but I do want to clarify; The request for the Servitor was NOT for a base species, but an NPC-only building one... like the Demonic and Shadow Spellcasting Path.

My spit-balling about "why isn't it a base species?" is in the sense of "I don't want them to be a base species so what is the reason they aren't?"

My default answer for NPC-only options is "they lack true free will" (or human intellect in the case of beasts) so that was my starting point for the Servitors and I think there's some merit there. It certainly helps define what the Astral Servitors are in a way that's distinct from the Primal Spirits.

The one issue with my default answer is I need to answer why the Astral beings that are available to players do have free will which is where my spit-balling things like "dreams are a bit difference" and/or "its the Cataclysm's fault."

* * * *

For the record, my default answer on Fetches and free will is that Grey Huntress definitely falls into "Something Else" and so her Grey Host aren't Servitors but "something else" as well.

The most interesting option to me is that they're souls of the dead who weren't good enough to face the pure light of The Source directly, but not wicked enough to allow the Hollow to infect their souls and so they serve in The Grey Host as penance to purify themselves of the darkness within and finally be free to ascend (a process that could take lifetimes).

The number of normal fetches doesn't diminish because there's always new souls in need of penance to replace the ones who earn their ascensions (though it does imply that the Cataclysm-embodied Fetches might be a "temporary" phenomena as they eventually all earn their ascension, though "eventually" in the span of eternity might be millennia).

So, here's how the Servitors are looking so far...

Astral Servitors (optional species)
When the Astral gods first awakened in the Astral Realms they were in need of servants to help carry out their wills and advance their interests with mortals. So they created their Servitors; intelligent, but single-minded, astral entities that existed to help the Astral god strengthen a particular aspect of reality related to the source of its power.

The precise form a Servitor takes depends upon the purpose for which it was created. Some might be humanoids virtually indistinguishable from humans while others are clearly inhuman and some as terrible to behold as any demon (particularly those which embody harmful aspects like slaughter, destruction or wrath). Some take the form of celestial or infernal beasts and others still appear as little more than glowing motes of light that float about and manipulate objects with wisps of luminance that extend from their bodies.

The only commonality of appearance is that their eyes (or the entire mote if nothing but a ball of light) are solid pools of color; generally that associated with the Astral god who created them.

Servitors spend the majority of their time in the Astral Realms helping along matters that promote their god’s interests in accord with their aspect. It is lesser servitors produce the spell effects for astral spellcasters who’ve made pacts with their gods, including partially manifesting in the Mortal World when the pact calls for an entity to be summoned… though they can only act upon the Mortal World in this manner when called upon through an astral pact.

Some Servitors though are sent physically into the Mortal World on some mission their Astral god deems necessary. Depending on the god’s interest this could mean sending a champion to protect a major temple to seducing a king to sow chaos in his realm. Servitors pursue this task with single-minded intensity and do not linger in the Mortal World once it is complete.

For all their power though, Servitors lack true free will. They are incapable of deviating from the charge given to them by their creator and can never act in a manner contrary to the aspect which it embodies.

Because of this they generally make a poor option for PCs, but can be quite effective as a more detailed opponent, particularly if the PCs begin to make a habit of visiting the Astral Realms.

Other GMs may decide that in their own setting Servitors have true free will and thus may be suitable as a PC species, particularly in a campaign designed around extraplanar adventures.

Servitor Traits
Origin: Astral
Ability Scores: +1 to PRE and see Astral Form below.
Size: Medium (5–9’ /110-800 lb.), Small (2–4’/10-60 lb.)  or Tiny (4– 8”/0 lb.)
Skill Bonuses: See Astral Form below.

Astral Aspect: You gain an Aspect of choice (see page 193 of the Player’s Guide). Activating the aura is a minor action (1m or until ended as a free action) and the aura affects targets in a melee burst 1 that moves with you.

Astral Form: Choose one of the following forms;
• Beast: Gain +1 to STR, END or REF, low-light vision, +2 to Nature and two skills of choice. You gain a base armor value equal to that of the best armor you are proficient with and a natural melee weapon of choice. If the weapon can be used in one hand you gain either a natural shield (if proficient with one) or the ability to use it as a main and offhand weapon (if it has the offhand property). Choose a Beast Trait from the Beastman list (see page XX of the Player’s Guide), but lose fine manipulation with your limbs.
• Humanoid: Gain +1 to STR, REF or INT and +2 to three skills of choice.
• Mote: You gain +1 to REF, WIT or INT, +2 to Stealth and two skills of choice. Your size is reduced to tiny and your climb, ground and jump speeds are 0. You gain a fly speed of 6 paces, but must end your turn within 1 pace of the ground or climbable surface unless you spend 1 focus or a main action that turn.

Astral Gifts: Choose two of the following options;
• Astral Alacrity: You roll twice for initiative and can use either result.
• Astral Power: choose one of these Religious utilities; cantrips, consecrate, create food and water, dispel magic, endure elements, enhance ability, lay on hands, missionary, religious reserves, repel evil, ritual mastery, true sight or water walk.
• Astral Wings: You can grow luminous wings or dismiss them as a free action. They grant a fly speed equal to your best speed, but you must land at the end of your turn unless you spend a main action or 1 focus. You need only a minor action for 2 focus or a free action for 3 focus (10m).
• Disguise Self (Humanoid only): You can change your form to that of any medium humanoid as a minor action. Disguising yourself as no one specific or as someone you can see when you change form is flawless (no Disguise check needed); only failed Impersonation checks can reveal you.
• Gifts of the Gods: You gain the Creation utility from the Arcanist background.
• Slip from Sight (Mote or Small Servitors only): As a reaction to being targeted by an attack, you can spend 1 focus to become invisible (ENT). If the attack then misses you, you may also shift 1 pace as a free action immediately afterwards.
• War Form: You gain the shapeshifter Arcanist utility and may select addition options for it using your utilities.

Astral Panoply: With one hour of meditation you can meld any weapons, armor, implements or other equipment into your form until you choose to end the effect. If these items are lost or taken from you, you can re-create them for 1 pace of movement and the items not on your person vanish.

Astral Speech: You have fluency (base TN 0) in Astral (High Elven).

Plane Shift: You can perform the plane shift ritual (page 354 of the Player’s Guide) without a ritual book. It takes you only one minute and requires no check, but you can only travel between your home Realm and the Mortal World.

Restricted Archetype: You must choose the Spellcasting Archetype and the Astral Spellcasting Path. You are your own patron and gain one astral implement of choice as a natural implement.

Star Iron Vulnerability: You are vulnerable to star iron.

True Immortal: If you die, your body turns to mist, and you are reborn in your native Astral Realm with no memories of your past life. Its memories can be restored if a restoration ritual is cast with someone who knew them present.

Unbreakable Allegiance: One of your allegiances must be to your chosen aspect. You may never willingly act against this allegiance even if it costs your life. Attempts  to bluff, intimidate or persuade you to act against this allegiance automatically fail.

Optional Traits

All Shapes and Sizes (Beast or Humanoid only): You may choose to be small or oversized at no cost. See the Beastmen options (pg. 77 of the Player’s Guide) for the rules on being small or oversized.

Astral Blasts: You can project energy from the astral realms as a weapon. You gain proficiency with Innate Magic (see page 181 of the Player’s Guide) of one of the following types; astral, fire, force, psychic or storm. Your attacks with it use your highest ability score, target the listed defense and deal damage of that type. You can apply a combat stance or an attack spell to each attack. Beasts are considered to have two ‘hands’ free; one free if they chose the shield or ‘offhand’ option.

Beasts and Motes gain this for free if desired, but it costs a specialization for other forms. As an additional specialization you gain one of these enhancements to your Astral Blasts;
• Blast: Special (make attack): can target a melee blast 3/4/5 (by tier) for 1 focus.
• Burst: Special (make attack): can target a ranged burst 1/1/2 (by tier) for 1 focus.
• Line: Special (make attack): can target melee wall 6/8/10 (by tier) for 1 focus.

Empowered Growth (Level 6, 11; Oversized Beasts or Humanoid only): You may choose this as either a utility or specialization when they reach level 6 or higher. As a minor action, you increase your size to large until you end it as a free action. You treat your size as one larger for determining your base load. You may select this a second time at level 11 or higher to also increase your size to huge; gaining Melee Reach +1.

I'm gonna be honest, I thought the guy was asking for a base player race. Making the servitor a GM's guide race is a good idea - it allows you to make the NPC character, yet other GMs can give players access to that race the same way that they might let players use the demonic and shadow paths. You can also allow for a little more mechanical redundancy, since the demonic and primal paths share a lot of overlap.

Honestly, you could poach a lot of the elves' and avatars's mechanics, since you can - on a purely mechanical level - build a succubus using the mechanics you described.

Also, it's weird to see succubi as something other than demons, but in your setup, I can't see them being elemental demons (unless they're disease demons, and that's a little too puerile and on the nose).

On the subject of servitors, what others are you thinking of? I know that succubi are on the list, and I would assume that valkyries are on the list for the warrior gods, but what other ideas do you have?


***
The fetch origin is awesome, it sets them apart from the other spiritual beings, and it explains their free will. It needs to be in the racial entry. The idea of them being redemption seekers paralleling the avatars, and applying that same redemption story to the souls that don't reincarnate is a good idea.

It does raise the question of what other servitors got dropped into the mortal realm. If exposure to the mortal realm gives free will (and it isn't just "the Cataclysm did it"), then it stands to reason that the other servitors could pick it up as well. The real question could be "do they do anything with it?" Because after who knows how long they've been doing the same thing, I imagine that for a lot of the, breaking that routine is going to be scary.

***
The servitor mechanics look cool - the aspect looks to be the core bit, and the forms and gifts look to be solid, though Slip From Sight doesn't mention tiny servitors that aren't motes. I can see a GM-allowed PC version ignoring Restricted Archetype and Unbreakable Allegiance.