Adapting 800 CE to d20/Fourth Edition (800 CE Supplement)
d20 Fourth Edition[edit]
We hope that the Fourth Edition is an excellent system for playing in 800 CE.
Low Magic[edit]
Give the default Armor, Weapon, and Protection bonuses to the players.
Magic items can not be broken down, sold, or recycled. In a rare circumstance, they can be bartered for. Magic items are phenomenally rare things.
Races[edit]
Player races should focus on human.
In order to expand character diversity, players can reflavor almost any race to appear human as long as that race has no obvious, non-human magical effect.
For example, a really big bruiser may could have bugbear as his race. He would be human for all practical role-playing purposes, but a bugbear for rules purposes.
Some races are completely unacceptable, such as the dragonborn.
Magic Traditions[edit]
Here are some possible translations of magic tradition into 800 CE.
| Tradition | Element | Culture? |
|---|---|---|
| Emerald Frost | Water | Celtic |
| Golden Wyvern | Body | Persian |
| Hidden Flame | Fire | Jewish |
| Iron Sigil | Earth | Slavic |
| Serpent Eye | Mind | Greco-Roman |
| Stormwalker | Air | Germanic |
These are the dominant magical styles of these cultures. One does not need to be a member of a culture to learn their magic. Final publication may alter these assignments.
More traditions include: Hindu, Chinese, Hun, and Arabic.
A second possibility is to use Greek philosophy as the basis of magic:
- Aristitileanism
- Pythagorism
- Epicurianism
- Stoicism
- Platonism
- Neoplatonism
- Pyrrhonism
- Taoism
- Confucianism
Planes[edit]
- Astral Sea
- The Astral Sea is best thought of as the spirit realm. Few have the knowledge to send their souls to this realm. This realm includes both Heaven and Hell, as well as all the appropriate locations of other religions.
- Elemental Tempest
- The Elemental Tempest does not fit within medieval cosmology. Further explanation of the tempest may change this interpretation.
- Feywild
- The Feywild works very well with medieval Europe.
- Shadowfell
- The Shadowfell works very well with medieval Europe.
Access to planes should be through special means. Spells do not take you to these special places. You must do the correct thing at the correct time and place to access a different place. The Bifrost bridge to Asgard is a classic example of this method.
Creatures[edit]
These are some simple equivalences for converting creatures.
- Humanoids Equivalences
- Bugbear = Saracen Eunich
- Drow = Moor
- Eladrin = Byzantine
- Elf = Celt
- Goblins = Saracen
- Hobgoblin = Saracen
- Kobolds = Vagabonds, Gypsies, etc.
- Orcs = Vikings and other warlike natives
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