Drow Game Rules and Setting so far...

So. It's been a while since I've posted... anything. And as a consequence all of the games I've previously written about have been replaced.

So I'm going to mirror all of the House-Rules stuff for my new Dungeonpunk Drow Game which I gave the elevator pitch: Dishonored with Drow.

This builds on all my existing Pathfinder House Rules, with some extras to account for the setting.


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The City

The Pit

The bottom of an underground cavern within-which much of the city lies. Many of the most retched parts of the city lie here, as do the two most lucrative districts of the city: the Quayside and the Jadetower.

The Quayside, along one edge of the pit, is home to a vast underground river. This forms a major hub for trading within the Underdark, as well as being one of only three physical routes into and out of the city. House Zaundar have a trading post, from which they guard the Mediterranean-style harbor and their monopoly.

The Jadetower is an ancient staircase constructed by architects not known. At its very peak it joins passage ways just below the surface-world, from which raiding bands supply a steady stream of goods and slaves to House Aleiryn who have built their Fortress-estate where the Tower disappears into the roof of the cavern. Below this, numerous merchants, artisans and freelance-magicians have built a dense vertical slum along the outside of the tower. A network of tunnels hung from a precarious scaffolding.

House Aleiryn

Matriarch: Haelmin Aleiryn (Fighter)

Their family estate lies above The Pit and they claim the Jadetower as theirs, collecting taxes from the residents and merchants there. Their estate guards the top of the tower, where it joins into passageways to the surface-world; allowing them to import goods and slaves from outposts and freebooters favorably and control the prices of many commodities within the city, including slaves and exotic foods. Their estates are known for their large libraries of surface books, their plentiful slaves and the exotic beasts within both their menagerie and their pantry.

House Arabarn

Matriarch: Dristalab Arabarn (Bard)

Their family estate lies in the walls of the Darkgate district of The Pit. The estate is positioned as a gate-house to passages deep within the underdark, although slower and more dangerous than the river-routes controlled by the Zaundar. However there are many lucrative mines and quarries within close proximity of Darkgate, lending those envious to name it 'Goldgate' instead. The Arabarn estate itself is particularly large and includes extensive artificial gardens from which a surplus of food is exported into the city.

Some have speculated that their large gardens make them susceptible to infiltration, either by stealth or by taking advantage of the large work-force that must tend to their garden. No living individuals have publicly reported success.

House Zaundar

Commandant Jhaelmyr Zaundar (Fighter)

The House Zaundar do not make this city their home. They are foreigners, operating a trade port in the Quayside district, where a vast underground lake can be accessed. They maintain a large slave-force of stevedores to unload their ships as well as an even larger armory with which to extract docking fees and enforce a monopoly upon the waterway.

The House controls a trading empire across several cities, along this river, but for all purposes the Commandant controls all operations within the city, her superiors being more concerned with matters of grand strategy.

Their maritime nature brings them in to contact with Duergar privateers and they frequently hire them as mercenaries when engaging other houses in war.

The Crows' Guild

Provost-Chancellor Kronszor Barrariarn (Wizard)

The only major faction to be lead by a male, the Crow's Guild is the largest organisation of wizards within the city. The majority of their members (although not all) are specialist Teleporters (banned schools: Necromancy and Abjuration).

There is a great deal of dispute over whether the Guild represents a house or not. The members of the guild insist it is not, with many forming Houses from their own power-cliques within the guild however those outside the Guild fail to see the difference. Despite the dispute, they pay what is due to the Spider-Cult without question.

Much of the faction's income comes from their most powerful members selling services as wayfaring mages to the houses of the city; teleporting large caravans instantaneously across the multiverse.

They own, control, and operate the Shadowland; a demi-plane housing a small city within the city. It is accessible throughout the city, however many of the junctures are kept hidden for the Crow's to use to move through the city undetected or escape trouble.

The Guild lease regions of the Shadowland as prime real-estate and several minor houses maintain their estates there.

The guild's holdings are split across the Shadowland, forming an indefensible and sprawling campus. The Crow's as a whole consider their most important buildings to be their Guildhall and their Archives, however in the event of an invasion by another House it is accepted that the various power-cliques and arch-mages within the guild would likely retreat to their own private towers and strongholds, leaving only the young and inexperienced to defend these buildings.

The Spider-Cult

Despite not controlling any fortresses this is perhaps one of the most powerful agencies within the city as only they collect taxes from all other organisations within the city and only they claim to hold any legal authority over the citizenry as a whole. Much of their money is spent on appeasing the Spider-Mother through sacrifices and the creature comforts of the more senior priestesses within the cult. A significant portion is still found to fund social programs enjoyed by the common folk of the city and ensuring the city has, despite internal politics, a strong defense against exterior threats.

Tax collection is enforced by a rank of elite assassins who make a bloody example of those not seen by the cult to have paid their due. This, combined with the fear of divine displeasure, is sufficient to keep most in line.

The cult does not collect any taxes from common-folk; only collecting from noble houses and businesses within the city. Their funds are also supplemented by the purchasing of magic, favours and the mercenary services of their assassins by the rich within the city.

The Water Guild

Operated on the patronage of the Spider-Cult, the Water Guild is, in theory, external to other city politics and tasked only with recycling, testing and distributing the city's water. Despite this, nobles view this duty with suspicion and every major house maintains their own supply of water within the walls of their estate.

For those not fortunate enough to afford this they have no choice but to trust the Water Guild.

The Water Guild is made up, primarily, of bureaucrats and a small contingent of hard-working artisans whose job it is to maintain and build machines to pump water and sewage throughout the city.

House Tortyl

Matriarch Charsabal Tortyl (Druid)

This family operate large artificial farms throughout the city where, under magical lighting, they grow nothing but opium poppies. These are sold throughout the city where they are imbibed in the form of a bitter-tasting tea (available in teahouses throughout the city) or sent to their factories where they produce Laudanum.

These same factories are also used to produce alcohol and magical potions on industrial scales.

In addition to their drug-empire they produce large quantities of magically engineered grain alongside both edible and inedible fungi; supplying much of the cities basic food needs, as well as their own distilleries.

Time-Keeping

The city has no concept of day and night, with the exception of the Shadowlands, which alternates between night and twilight (with no day) with a 4-hour period.

Instead, each day is split into 3 shifts named first, second and third. Any industrial facility in the city operates continuously, with each shift of workers sleeping in one of the three shifts of the day. 

This arrangement leaves many finding their sleep disturbed by the noise, although most have grown accustomed to it through tiredness.

On names

Most Drow do not use family names, and for those that do it is used to denote allegiance rather than strict blood-ties. It is not uncommon for a promising, and ambitious, Drow born to one of the lesser Houses to be 'head-hunted' and adopted by a more powerful house at which point they will change their surname to match their new family.

Common Drow do not use family names at all, unless they join together in covenant and conspiracy to form a new noble house, choosing whatever name, colours and sigil as they desire. Any group doing this must be prepared both to defend themselves immediately from any houses that see this as a threat to their own businesses and to pay the tithes demanded by the Spider Cult.

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Rules Mods

Pointbuy & Races

Characters of the Base Races receive 20 point Pointbuy (per Pathfinder costs). Characters of Advanced Races (i.e. Drow0 receive 15 point Pointbuy.

Slaves

Non-Drow races are slaves and receive a bonus feat in exchange for their reduced social standing. Drow can also be slaves and outcasts (to receive the bonus feat) but this is not automatic.

Magic and Alchemical Items

Magic Items cost 1/10th their listed market price. This affects the cost of crafting components as well (but not the time it takes to craft the items). Magic arms and armour must still be masterwork, and there is no reduction for this cost.

Alchemical items cost 1/5th their listed market price. This affects the cost of crafting components as well (but not the time it takes to craft the items or the DC of craft checks).

Most spells from 1st to 4th level are available as Grenade-Like magic items, or single-use Ammunition costed as a Potion.

Drow Sleep Poison costs 15gp and contains enough to poison 1 stack of 10 ammunition or if applied to a melee weapon will last for 10 attacks. It is as easy to obtain (in the city) as ammunition.

Drow Tea

Costs 4cp behaves as
Poison (ingested) Fort save DC13
Onset: Immediate
Frequency 1/min for 3 min
Immediate Effect: Intoxication (-2 Perception) for 1 hour
Second failed save: Intoxication for 1d3 hours
Third failed save: Unconsciousness for 1d3 hours
Cure: 1 save

Potion of Rage

1st level potion containing a custom spell, Minor Rage, designed by House Tortyl. As-per the 3rd level spell Rage except affects one willing target and has a duration of 1 minute. In potion form this is a commonly sold and used combat buff as Enlarge Person is awkward in the tight nooks of the city.

For 1 minute after consumption the dinker receives a +2 morale bonus to Str and Con, +1 morale bonus on Will saves and a -2 penalty to AC. The effect is otherwise identical to the Barbarian's Rage except for the duration and that the subject is not fatigued.

Animate Dead

Animate Dead is now a Sorc/Wiz 2 spell.

Drow Language

Drow is a seperate language from Elven (although they share an alphabet).

Half Drow (Half-Elf)

As Elf except...
 * Replace Elven weapon familiarity with Drow weapon familiarity and Poison Use.
 * Use Darkvision alternate racial feature (Darkvision 60ft, sensitivity to light, replaces Low-Light Vision)
 * Languages become Undercommon and Drow.

Half Drow (Half-Orc)

As Half-Orc except...
 * Replace Half-Orc Weapon Familiarity with Drow Weapon Familiarity and Poison Use.
 * Languages are Undercommon and Drow.

Half Drow (Other)

As Half-Elf except...
 * Use Drow-Blooded alternate feature (Darkvision 60ft, sensitivity to light, replaces Low-Light Vision).
* Replace Adaptability with Drow Weapon Familiarity and Poison Use.
* Languages become Undercommon and Drow.

Augmentation Implants

Aura moderate transmutation; CL8th

Slot none; Weight -; Price 400gp (+2), 1,600gp (+4), 3,600gp (+6)

A network of enchanted stones and magical inks are implanted subdermally where their magic enhances the body of the recipient. After the operation these will form intricate patterns of bright colours marking the character to all and granting the augmented subtype. The implants grant their recipient an enchancement bonus to Strength of +2, +4 or +6. Treat this as a temporary ability bonus for the first 24 hours after the operation.

In addition the Augmentation Implants can be further upgraded with any Weapon Enchantments, as though they were masterwork weapons. These will augment the unarmed or natural attacks of the augmented creature, but each such attack requires separate enchantment.

This item requires no slot, however implanting or removing the item requires the services of a character with the Craft Wondrous Item feat (60gp) and inflicts 2d8 points of damage.

Animate Armour Enchantment

Aura faint transmutation; CL8th; Weight -; Price +150gp

Requires heavy armour with at least a +1 enhancement bonus.

This armour is articulated with magically driven pistons and mechanisms, forcing any creature who wears it to treat their Strength score as though it was 18 and their Dexterity score as though it was 10. Any magic items or spells worn by the wearer increase their attributes beyond this as normal, and items that increase Strength or Dexterity may be built into the item at no additional multiplier but morale bonuses to Strength and Dexterity do not function while the armour is worn.

The character's natural attributes, without the armour, are used when qualifying for and satisfying the requirements of Feats and not the armours.