Hullo folks,

So I didn't lurk- I went straight for the search function and started skimming for a specific idea, which I didn't find due to lack of topic or lack of search skills.

I'm cooking up a game, but before I get started mixing homebrew with doctrine, can someone(s?) please tell me or point me in the direction of something that is, or is similar to, my idea:

Everyone in the world.plane/cookie jar is born with a certain amount of Elemental power. ie: most people with Fire Element connection can keep themselves warm or spark tinder, while of course others are all 'Flame On!'. This is just something  I'd like to use as flavour for a regular (3.5 or otherwise) D&D kinda game.

What I'd like to know is if that sort of thing already exists in another game, in D&D, in something I can mod- you get the point I'm sure.

It seems to me like it would be some kind of Psionics, but never having been lucky enough to get a GM that would let me so much as breath near Psi, I really don't know.




Thank you in advance,

Cia

Have you looked at Everway?  The character creation system starts with your deciding your balance of Earth, Air, Water and Fire ... which impacts everything from magic to personality.

I've had trouble playing the system for what I think are other reasons, but I rather liked how it helped maintain a link between personalities (like passionate, reckless hotheads) and types of power (like flashy, energy magics).

You could try the Darksword Adventures book by Margaret Weis.  The setting is based off of people having innate magical ability.  It's a paperback novel and it's easy to miss as an RPG.  I've never played it but it could be something to farm ideas from and is cheap.

Darksword Adventures was cool.

If playing D&D you could have everyone be a particular race of Genasi, but you'd have to change the abilties somewhat to make sure not everyone on the planet was the same. The Bloodline feats would help here as well.

If yo are just looking for something to bolt on, I run a similar concept called Adepts using the Free Form magic system in my games.

Link to Magic System

All you would have to do is define what elements do and which ones players can take. It can be translated to D20 without any other changes.

Hope that helps,
Bill

Ciado - first, welcome to the site.  I hope you find us worth it.

Second - All I can think of is a toolkit approach to your system needs, and I dunno that that's what you want.  Like, I wanna just say, "I'd do that with D6, or HERO, or..." etcetera.  If it's a game-with-that-stuff-built-in that you seek, I...uh...I'm useless.  Sorry, sister, I tried!

Third - mind you don't go hornin' in on my pink action, you dig?  That avatar is awful rosy...

Welcome to theRPGsite, ciado!

I'd use the Elemental Gensai from Forgotten Realms.  It's a half-elemental template and one exists for fire, earth, water, and air.  Each has a lot of elemental flavor, and feats provide more elemental powers should you so desire them.  They're perfectly compatible with 3.5 and can be found in the FR CS (despite it being a 3.0 book).  It may be that they appear elsewhere, too.

That's just a mechanical implementation though.  I'm not aware of a setting like what you describe, though the Dragonblooded in Exalted are reminiscent of the idea (except there it's the elite aristocracy that tends to manifest elemental power).

There are also theDrgonblooded from Exalted. Some people from certain bloodlines manifest certain elemental aspects. These are divided into castes. Fire, Air, Wood, Water and earth.

People who are more pure bred Dragons more closely manifest their element. For example, a more pure Fire Caste's skin turns red and is hot to the touch, they may exale smoke every now and then. While one of less breeding would be tanned, and perhaps quick tempered.

Another thematic inspiration might be Nephilim, which you ought to be able to pick up on the cheap these days.  I don't think you could use it as-is, as the Nephilim are spiritual entities that inhabit human hosts, but each Nephilim is a manifestation of a particular magical elemental energy (and each of the others to successively lesser degrees).  It might spark some ideas in your head.

!i!

The 3.5 D&D Eberron setting allows players to be blood descendants of dragons, titans and other magical creatures so it may have something similar to what you need.

Awesome.

TonyLB- No, I haven't ever heard of Everway, but it sounds from your description like what I'm looking for.

Gunslinger - I was thinking something more along the lines of Sharon Green's Blending series (minus the perpetual inducement to run to the bathroom every 2 minutes on behalf of the tea-guzzling all-too-agreeable characters)

James - I've never read of the Genasi, but the Bloodlines thingers... oooh.. I'll have to have a closer look at that, thank you.

Hinter- thank you for the system- I don't mind modifying things, and I may use the base you have there with what I have in mind.

Dr Rotwang - ha! Thanks for the welcome. I'd rather it were shades of blue, but I guess Princesses can ONLY be pink *pout

C.W. - Thanks I'm going to have to track doen some FR books now so I can have a gander before I shell out the $$.

Kraka - I don't want them to be Dragonkin unless that's what they choose as race, I want it to be innate within all beings in the world, but since I'll probably be chopping bits from here and there anyhow, I'll have a closer look at the write up for the Dragonblooded.

Ian- I'll have to google the Nephilim, the entity bit does run with the Sharon Green version of the abilities.

The way I'd like it to work is that when my people are making their regular ol' D&D characters I let them each choose a fortune cookie or some-dang-thing with one of the elements (Fire, Water, Air, Earth, Spirit, Sight, Watchers {no usable power- they can detect the type of power and its strength each person has} and Nulls {rare, powerless}) and then they roll % for the strength they have in that aspect.

Their strength will determine their innate powers from a chart I'll probably have to cobble together, but the whole point of it is that it adds something a little different. Maybe the caster only has a tiny bit of Air magic, but the fighter is a high Earth magic user. I'd like to see them all have around the same level of elemental (doesn't include the Watcher or Nulls) power just so I can try out the whole Blending idea where they HAVE To actually work together (gasp) to get something done.

I see the low-mid levels of the power running along the Birthright or bloodlines feats, with higher powers gaining real feats. I like the Earth Sense line of feats- but I don't see any for other elements that don't have prerequisites.



Thanks for the warm welcome- I was expecting otherwise, and I really appreciate that there was no chorus of, "gtfo n00b!" and "don't you know _anything_?" to pick gems out of.





Cia

Welcome, 'hime!

Have you seen the Bloodline traits idea for D20 from Unearthed Arcana?  Particularly the elemental bloodlines?

Quote from: RedFoxParticularly the elemental bloodlines?

That looks like your huckleberry right there.  The Nephilim angle might be able to work its way in there, as long as you attribute the elemental qualities to a non-sentient spiritual essence that merges with the individual characters, or somesuch nonsense.

Quote from: ciado...I really appreciate that there was no chorus of, "gtfo n00b!"...

For all of our many shortcomings, we're a remarkably civil lot.  Kind of like a recovery support group.

!i!

CW and Redfox both have good suggestions for using PC races. Another way to handle it would be to make everyone have to add an elemental subtype onto their ordinary race, so that you became a Humanoid (human[fire]) instead of just a Humanoid (human). It would be a bit more subtle, but would have all sorts of neat and subtle consequences.

For example, a cleric with the Fire domain would be able to turn or rebuke anyone with the [water] subtype as part of his domain power. Things with the [fire] subtype are immune to damage from fire, but have cold vulnerability. Things with the [air] subtype always have fly speeds. Things with the [water] subtype don't need to make Swim checks - ever.

I dunno, my daughter has that one Disney princess, wears blue, all over the place.  Cinderella?  Yeah, that one.  Wears blue.  Go for it.