My campaign setting idea: Tovkhar dwarves

Haven't posted in a while. Desktop died so I couldn't do as much. Been working on a setting, though. Keep in mind that it is a work in progress and details are subject to change.

First, we meet the dwarves of Tovkhad.

Tovkhad is the largest of the dwarven kingdoms, in the mountains east of the human kingdom of Londram, serving as a bulwark between the civilized races and the orcs and goblins who have occupied what used to be the eastern provinces of the Empire.

The Tovkhar are highland dwarves, with a proud martial tradition. Though most of them are miners, herdsmen, or craftsmen, every able-bodied dwarf in Tovkhad is capable of holding his own in a fight with the tools that he has lying around, something that orcish raiding parties from the east have learned to be keenly aware of: a group of herdsmen armed with nothing but walking sticks can hold their own even against experienced warriors.

Tovkhad, though the largest and most important of the dwarven kingdoms, has always been in a dire situation. Though they cannot produce a sustainable amount of food on their own, the human and lowland dwarf kingdoms prop them up as a bulwark: a nation of formidable warriors who can keep the orcs and goblins at bay.

More Tovkhar support themselves as shepherds and goatherds than anything else. Tovkhad has little land suitable for crops, so farmers are rare. As dwarves cannot, contrary to popular belief, survive by eating rocks, this means that herdsmen graze their flocks all across the mountains. The typical dwarven herdsman tends to a flock that his family has been tending to for generations, with larger flocks being split into smaller groups. In most cases, he lives a semi-nomadic lifestyle, but some herder clans have settled down entirely. The tools of his trade typically include a walking stick with a small axe blade, which predator animals and raiders have learned is very effective for a non-battlefield weapon.

Dwarves of all kingdoms and holds have long been renowned for their skills as craftsmen and artisans, especially when working with stone and metal. This is where the typical way that dwarves are perceived by non-dwarves comes from, as the highland herdsmen typically do not trade with outsiders, while the lowland farmers and seagoing fishermen usually only trade with other dwarves. Tovkhar smiths produce some of the finest steel and artisans produce some of the finest jewelry, comparable only to the elven song-grown crystal, but as the famously spartan Tovkhar rarely have any resources to spend on luxury, spending the vast majority on defending against the eastern invaders. The dwarves of Tovkhad produce a small amount of ale, but it is generally considered to be of inferior quality to the ale produced by lowland dwarves. As Tovkhad was the first kingdom to make extensive use of black powder and they have been improving it ever sense, their black powder weapons are the best. They are extremely reliable and some of the newest can be reloaded quickly due to loading a self-contained cartridge instead of having to load the primer, the powder, and the projectile separately.

Like most dwarven kingdoms, society is broken down into clans, each headed by a chief. The most powerful chiefs hold the title of thane. However, unlike in most kingdoms, the king is a hereditary position, rather than one elected from among the thanes.

The military of Tovkhad is famous for its discipline and ability to quickly build fortifications. Each thane leads an army consisting of smaller units led by each clan chief. In addition to this, the Stone Guard, the royal guard of Tovkhad is easily the most renowned regiment in all of the dwarven kingdoms, with dwarves from every kingdom flocking to join its ranks, as every soldier in the Stone Guard can be awarded a stronghold for his service. Tovkhar armies typically fight in tight formations, steadily advancing and overwhelming the enemy through push of pike. Most Tovkhar soldiers carry pikes, while officers tend to carry swords proportioned to dwarven size: relatively short in the hands of a human, but not quite a dagger. All Tovkhar soldiers wear at least a helmet and a steel breastplate, with those who can afford it or are serving in shock units like the Stone Guard wearing more armor, up to a full suit of plate armor and a helmet that protects the full face. Those armored troops often do not carry pikes, instead using weapons that can more effectively take down armored apponents, such as the pole-axe. The typical ranged weapon used by an individual Tovkhar soldier is a crossbow, as the short limbs of a dwarf prevent him from making effective use of a bow, but firearms have become common in recent years and even in a pike company, an officer will likely carry a brace of pistols, while entire fusilier companies have been raised as well.


RPG tips:

Adventurers may come from Tovkhad for a variety of reasons. Life is hard in Tovkhad and though many dwarves choose to leave their homes in other dwarven kingdoms or in human kingdoms to join the Stone Guard, those who are not warriors and many who are warriors often seek to leave. When they leave, they might not be able to support themselves as they previously did and may have to risk their lives as adventurers. Furthermore, Tovkhar mercenaries are renowned across the western kingdoms.

For a non-military Tovkhar dwarf, the Rough and Ready trait works well in PF.

Pathfinder class: Outrider

I have a first draft for a Pathfinder class: the outrider. It is a class that focuses on mounted archery, thematically influenced by steppe nomads such as the Mongols, Turks, and Huns.

Outrider

Hybrid class of samurai and ranger

Class Skills: Climb, Craft, Handle Animal, Heal, Intimidate, Knowledge (Geography), Knowledge (Nature), Perception, Profession, Ride, Stealth, Survival

4+INT skill points

Fortitude and Reflex good saves, Will weak

Full BAB progression

Weapon and armor proficiencies: light armor, simple and martial weapons, whips, bolas

1. Mount
2. Blood Slurry, Water Recycling, Bonus Feat
3. Favored Terrain, Bonus Feat
4. Mounted Archer
5. Bow Training 1, Exceptional Pul
6. Bonus Feat
7. Composite Bow Training 1
8. Rapid Shot
9. Bow Training 2, Bonus Feat
10. Manyshot
11. Composite Bow Training 2
12. Bonus Feat
13. Bow Training 3
14. Skillful Rider
15. Composite Bow Training 3, Bonus Feat
16. Survivalist
17. Bow Training 4
18. Bonus Feat
19. Composite Bow Training 4
20. Master Bowman

Mount (Ex):
An outrider maintains a close bond with a mount, which functions as an animal companion, using his outrider level as his effective druid level. The mount is always considered considered combat-trained and begins play with Light Armor Proficiency as a bonus feat.

This mount is typically a horse for Medium-sized outriders or a pony for Small-sized outriders, but camels are not unheard of and other mounts may be authorized by the GM.

Outriders do not take armor check penalties for Ride checks on their own mounts, they add their class levels to all Ride and Handle Animal checks with their own mounts.

If an outrider’s mount dies, the outrider must spend a week seeking out a new one.

Favored Terrain (Ex):

An outrider selects either plains or desert as a favored terrain at 3rd level. This functions as the ranger class feature of the same name. The bonus on this favored terrain increases at 8th level and every five levels thereafter. The outrider does not gain additional favored terrains.

Mounted Archer (Ex):

The outrider gains the Mounted Archer feature of the samurai at 4th level.

Bonus Feat:

At every level indicated where the outrider gains a bonus feat, he can select a feat from the Ranger’s archery or mounted combat (from Advanced Players Guide) combat styles.

Blood Slurry (Ex):
Starting at second level, if an outrider is unable to find food that his race can digest but his mount is not starving and his race can survive off of eating the mount, he can inflict 1d3 points of damage to the mount, bringing it a day closer to starvation, in order to delay starvation for one more day.

Water Recycling (Ex):

Starting at second level, an outrider can drain water from a fresh corpse in order to delay thirst. If he has a container available, he may spend 1 hour draining the water into the container. This gives a quantity of water sufficient to support a Medium creature for a number of days equal to the unmodified CON modifier that the corpse had at its time of death plus its size modifier, -2 for each day that it spent without drinking water.

Bow Training (Ex):

Starting at 5th level, the outrider gains +2 on all attack and damage rolls with bows. This increases by +1 for every four levels beyond 2. His outrider levels stack with any fighter levels for the purpose of qualifying for feats that specially select bows, such as Weapon Specialization.

Exceptional Pull:

The outrider gains Exceptional Pull (from Pathfinder Player Companion: Ranged Tactics Toolbox) as a bonus feat at 5th level even if he does not meet the prerequisites.

Composite Bow Training (Ex):

Starting at 7th level, the outrider’s STR modifier counts as 1 higher for the purpose of determining the bonus damage added on a composite bow’s damage roll. This increases at every fourth level beyond 7.

Rapid Shot (Ex):

At 8th level, the outrider gains Rapid Shot as a bonus feat even if he does not meet the prerequisites. Instead of being able to fire one additional shot, he is able to fire a number of additional shots equal to his DEX modifier, taking a cumulative -2 penalty to attack rolls for each additional shot fired.

Manyshot (Ex):
At 10th level, the outrider gains Manyshot as a bonus feat even if he does not meet the prerequisites. The outrider can choose to apply Manyshot to a number of attacks equal to his DEX modifier instead of just the first attack by taking a -2 penalty to all attack rolls.

Skillful Rider (Ex):

Starting at 14th level, an outrider does not need to make Ride checks for the following actions: Guide with Knees, Stay in Saddle, Fight with a Combat-Trained Mount, and Control Mount in Battle. Spur Mount does no damage to the mount. The outrider does not fall prone upon taking a Soft Fall action.

Survivalist (Ex):

Starting at 14th level, in his favored terrain, the outrider can move at full speed while tracking an enemy in his favored terrain. Additionally, he adds his class level to all Survival checks in his favored terrain.

Master Bowman (Ex):

Starting at 20th level, an outrider can, as a full-round action, make a single attack with a bow. If it hits, it does damage normally and the target makes a Fortitude save or dies. The DC of this save is equal to 10 + ½ outrider level + DEX modifier. Instead of causing death, the outrider can choose to inflict nonlethal damage equal to the target’s maximum hit points with the same DC, but the attack still does lethal damage. The outrider can use this ability a number of times per day equal to his WIS modifier.

Sea Strider archetype (might need better name)

Proficient in simple and martial weapons, light armor, whips, and nets. This replaces the outrider’s weapon and armor proficiencies.

Seafaring companion (ex): At 1st level, the Sea Strider gains Monstrous Mount as a bonus feat, only to be used to select a hippocampus as a mount (though other aquatic creatures may be authorized by the GM). Otherwise, functions identically to and replaces the standard outrider’s mount ability.

Favored terrain (ex):

The Sea Strider selects water as his favorite terrain.

Well, I tried Savage Worlds.

I kind of like the system, but as a player who didn't look at the book very much, I had barely any idea what was going on.

Pathfinder Homebrew Arcanist Exploit

 Well, I came up with a couple of minimally-creative arcanist exploits.

Arcane Discovery: The arcanist gains any arcane discovery, using his arcanist level as his effective wizard level.

Magus Arcana: The arcanist gains any magus arcana, using his arcanist level as his effective magus level and points from his arcane reservoir instead of his arcane pool.
Edit: Not likely this, as that would defeat the purpose of the Blade Adept archetype.

Spellstrike (Su): The arcanist gains Spellstrike, as per the magus class feature.

Spell Combat (Su): The arcanist gains Spell Combat, as per the magus class feature.

Saw Age of Ultron.

Finally saw the movie. Was excellent.

Pathfinder Class Archetype: Grudgemaster (Dwarf, Slayer)

Requires either Hatred or Ancient Enmity racial traits.

Favored Enemy (Ex): At all levels when a Grudgemaster gains Studied Target, he gains Favored Enemy, as per the ranger class feature, against any individuals who have wronged a member of his community, their family members, and any creature of the subtypes affected by either the Hatred or Ancient Enmity racial trait. This bonus increases against all targets of it whenever he gains a Studied Target increase but he does not select any new subtypes. The bonus against an individual who has wronged the community and his family members is lost upon the grudge being settled.

A Grudgemaster's Studied Target bonus decreases by 1 against any creature of the Humanoid type that he does not have Favored Enemy against. Dwarves with the Xenophobic racial trait do not have any penalty to the effectiveness against non-dwarf Humanoids who they do not have Favored Enemy against.

If a Grudgemaster chooses to end Studied Target while he still knows the location of the target and the target has not been defeated, lethally or otherwise, he cannot declare a new Studied Target until the next day.

This ability modifies Studied Target.

Yes, I was thinking of Warhammer Fantasy when I came up with this.

Thoughts on Paladins and Antipaladins

I don't like how in 3.0-derived games, paladins can only be lawful good. There should certainly be exemplars of all nine aligments in PF, but there are only exemplars of LG and CE.

The standard response to that among PF players seems to be something along the lines of "just play a warpriest." I find this to be idiotic and I have a feeling that a lot of those players don't understand how the two classes work either mechanically or thematically.

The warpriest is a priest first and a warrior second. He is certainly a better front-line fighter than a the cleric, but he still can't fight as well as paladins, rangers, fighters, barbarians, or a few other classes due to having the 3/4 BAB progression when not using the capstone ability. A paladin is a warrior first and foremost. He serves whatever religion he follows as a secondary concern, primarily focusing on vanquishing the forces of evil.

A paladin's abilities focus on defeating the forces of evil. He uses divine power because that will allow him to defeat the forces of evil more effectively than a non-magical fighter would.

A warpriest's abilities focus on harnessing divine power, primarily through his weapons and armor. He has no specific enemy that he focuses on.

Thematically, a warpriest serves his deity first. A paladin focuses primarily on being a paragon of lawful good, often while also serving a deity.

I understand why the APG only added one variant class for paladin, the antipaladin, but I wish Paizo had added a few others in later books (UC would have been a great book for that). Certainly, they could at least add a few in a Player Companion the same way that they added variant heritages for aasimars, tieflings, and dhampirs.

I definitely would like to see paragons of the Benevolence, Freedom, Order, Balance, Disorder, Domination, and Malevolence in addition to paragons of Justice and Destruction. A LE paladin-type, especially, would be a good class to have, perfect for evil overlord-type characters.