Ptolus 4e
From Gothpoodle
Contents |
Background
Tharzidun imprisoned in the spire under Ptolus. He manipulated those in the vicinity to achieve his release, so he can destroy creation. He influenced Danar to build the Banewarrens here and then corrupted him.
Raguel is an angel who was in service to Asmodeus' slain god who accepted banishment rather than side with him. He's been joined by exiled devils to form the Fallen. He has settled into the Dark Reliquery to study death and undeath in order to find some way to resurrect his god. The Winter-touched hold secrets to life and death and how undeath works.
Malkuth are deva who are aware that Tharzidun is here and remain in the city to mitigate his influence and work against his freedom.
The chaos cults are demon-worshippers being manipulated by Tharzidun.
Ghul opened a portal to allow the Far Realm in, creating the Utterdark, leading to the rise of the Psionic power source.
Notes
Galchutt becomes a single entity, Tharzidun, imprisoned under the city. Lords of the Seven Chains are keeping Galchutt imprisoned, as usual. The Book of Inverted Evil has a relation to the spark of evil that created the Abyss. The Demon Princes are “servants” of Tharzidun, called “Vested of the Galchutt”. Lolth stays as a goddess corrupted and who corrupted the drow in turn. The Dark Reliquary becomes a place for devils and undead, the Pale Tower is home to the deva. The Dread One was corrupted and powerful with much demonic magic at his disposal. Ghul was more about the Far Realms and cutting deals with aberrations, the “squirming horde” was all Far Realm corrupted creatures and the Utterdark was an extrusion of the Far Realm into the natural world. His rule crossed into parallel planes. Psionic forces appeared during the Ghul War. The Shadowfell and Feywild split off from the Natural World during the first big war (Vladaam and the other Vested), throwing off the balance of death and creating undead.
Chaos cults are demon-worshippers. The Dread One is associated strongly with demonic forces. Danar sought out the source of evil in the world and was corrupted by the reflection of the shard of evil in the Book of Inverted Darkness, which Tharzidun directed him to find.
The Jewels of Parnaith are demi-planes that allow exit to the Astral Domains, the only exit from the plane. Lothians have access to Channel Divinity feats for each of the saints as well as Lothian.
Move great elven cities of the eastern coast into the feywild (with occasional appearances in the real world). Merge the Shadow of Ptolus into the shadowfell and develop its connections to the Necropolis and the Dark Reliquary (exists in both worlds?). The Vallis moon only exists in the feywild and embodies magic. The Spire only exists in the natural world.
Technology converted over. Chaositech dropped, undead and demon grafts can still add fun creepiness to Dark Reliquary and Chaos cultists, respectively. A lot can be alchemical items. Technology falls under Arcana or Thievery.
Backstory
The Abyss is tossed and replaced with Ptolus being above where the shard of evil Tharzidun drew from the Far Realm was planted during the Dawn War. It corrupted elementals (demons) and immortals (devils) as well as a god (Lolth) and a race of elves (drow). The resulting conflict sundered the world, creating the Feywild and Shadowfell. It also caused the spirits of the world to rise up in protest. The gods and primordials ceased their war and closed off the world, trapping Tharzidun and his "Vested" (Lolth and other demon princes and devil dukes), as well as demons and devils. The spirits of the world were able to keep it from being devoured and Tharzidun himself was bound by the Lords of the Seven Chains while the gate was closed.
Classes
Martial
Order of Iron Might
- Fighter (PHB, Martial Defender)
- Ranger (PHB, Martial Striker)
- Rogue (PHB, Martial Striker)
- Warlord (PHB, Martial Leader)
Divine
Lothian Church, Knights of the Veil (undead), Knights of the Pale (demons)
- Avenger (PHB2, Divine Striker)
- Cleric (PHB, Divine Leader)
- Invoker (PHB2, Divine Controller) – Knights of the Golden Cross
- Paladin (PHB, Divine Defender)
- Runepriest (PHB3, Divine Leader) - primarily dwarves, worshipping the dwarven gods?
Arcane
- Artificer (EPG, Arcane Leader) – Shuul
- Bard (PHB2, Arcane Leader) – Inverted Pyramid/Knights of the Chord
- Sorcerer (PHB2, Arcane Striker) – Inverted Pyramid
- Swordmage (FRPG, Arcane Defender) – Inverted Pyramid
- Warlock (PHB, Arcane Striker) – Sorn
- Wizard (PHB, Arcane Controller) – Inverted Pyramid
Primal
Viridian Lords, Circle of Green
- Barbarian (PHB2, Primal Striker)
- Druid (PHB2, Primal Controller)
- Seeker (PHB3, Primal Controller)
- Shaman (PHB2, Primal Leader)
- Warden (PHB2, Primal Defender)
Psionic
- Ardent (PHB3, Psionic Leader) – Urthon Aeder
- Battlemind (PHB3, Psionic Defender) – Urthon Aeder
- Monk (PHB3, Psionic Striker) – Order of the Fist
- Psion (PHB3, Psionic Controller) – Urthon Aeder
Shadow
- Assassin (DR, Shadow Striker) – Vai
Races
D&D Races
- Changeling – replacing shades (I think)
- Deva – replacing aasimars (as well as half-celestials and angels in the Malkuth)
- Dragonborn – replacing Litorians
- Drow – as normal
- Dwarf – Stonelost or Grailwarden (no mechanical difference, except in feats? artificers!)
- Eladrin – as normal (Elder Elves)
- Elf – as normal (Shoal Elves)
- Genasi – replacing Cherubim Elves and other exotic sorts (like elemental deva), half-elementals from Charad Titan rule
- Githzerai – taking some Harrow Elves space, maybe all of it?
- Gnome – as normal
- Goliath – added, just as a race rarely seen
- Half-Elf – as normal
- Half-Orc – as normal
- Halfling – as normal
- Human – as normal
- Minotaur – as normal
- Revenant – replace Forsaken Shigmaa
- Shardmind – formed from the breaking of the Gates of Delirium (instead of Pools of Insanity?)
- Shifter – added, just as a race rarely seen, snagging some Litorian space
- Tiefling – as normal, trace lineage back to Kem
- Warforged – added, as a race created by the Grailwarden dwarves
- Wilden – added, rarely seen outside of Feywild
Ptolus Races
- Aram (centaurs) exist as normal, mostly NPCs
- Assari (lizardfolk) exist as normal, mostly NPCs
- Litorians dropped in favor of Dragonborn and Shifters
- Cherubim Elves dropped in favor of Genasi
- Harrow Elves dropped in favor of Githzerai
- Toruk-Rul Orcs are Far-Realm tainted, themed orcs
Noble Houses
- Abanar: The same.
- Dallimothan: Dragonborn.
- Erthuo: Eladrin and half-elves.
- Kath: The same.
- Khatru: The same.
- Nagel: The same.
- Rau: The same.
- Sadar: The same.
- Shever: The same.
- Vladaam: Tieflings.
Organizations
- Circle of Green: Primal power source folks, preceded/associated with the Viridian Lords.
- Fallen: Devils looking to resurrect their dead god.
- Forsaken: Undead worshippers, ties to the shadowfell. Shadar-kai.
- Inverted Pyramid: Arcane power guild.
- Keepers of the Veil: Paladins who fight undead.
- Knights of the Chord: Bards.
- Knights of the Golden Cross: Invokers with lore of the ancient wars.
- Knights of the Pale: Demon-slayers.
- Malkuth: Deva.
- Order of the Fist: Monks.
- Order of Iron Might: Martial class guild for warriors.
- Shuul: Artificers and alchemists guild.
- Sorn: Warlocks. Perhaps Shadow classes?
- Urthon Aeder: Masked psychic power folks, Urthon Aeder armor applies to any
- Vai: Assassin guild (chaos cult?)
- Viridian Lords: Primal power source folks.
