Vermillion Ideals: Steam Dream Omega
Run by Jex.
Email: HeWhoHuntsCats@aol.com
Date/Time as yet undetermined.

Setting: Steamtech fantasy
Skilltrack: Medieval Fantasy
CP:45
SP:30

The PC's can be from just about anywhere, really.
Supernatural/Wierd stuff isn't that common, except for Magic. But PC's hardly have to
be common. ^_~
( When in doubt, blame it on Penultima. ^_^ )

The only restriction is that they must currently be in the area of Galstad,
where a small force is being assembled to deal with Jugend in less obvious ways,
and try to avoid war if possible.
This newly founded task force is just starting, and how to achieve that goal has not
yet been decided.


Rule Changes and Notes:

Be nice to the GM on character creation. The less I have to figure out and the more
you explain, the happier the GM is. ^_^

CP/SP bonuses will be awarded for the abovementioned item, and all the usual stuff, like
background, pictures, etc.

Feel free to bug me at any point for any 'ole random question, as well.

Will be using many of the additional rules from dX, especially regarding combo attacks,
and 'pushing' stats/attributes.

Metahumans and other non-human races: If you want it, you design it.

If you're hurting for a point or two, I wouldn't mind lending several CP against
future CP gains. So you don't have to beat yourself up horribly to get the numbers to
match EXACTLY. Abuse and die.

In addition to everything else, pick an elemental affinity.
Not nessacarily 'classic' elements. Wood, fire, aqua, ether, metal, wind, psychic, etc.

Also, I might (and probably will, if you're all boring) mess with the character. Giving
them an insane person bent on kidnapping them, holding the sister you never knew you
had hostage, etc. These may or may not be random or permanent or temporary.

If I screw over a PC in the long-term, for Plot! reasons, via breaking an IoP or having
a supernatural ability blocked/sealed for a Long Time, there will be reimbursement,
which can take several forms. Replacing it with something similar, getting it back at
boosted effectiveness, CP reimbursed, etc.

All Combat Skills are 5sp per level.

Will be using the Realistic Recovery rules. ie; per day, not per hour.

Will be using Shock Value and Critical Injury rules.

Will be using the scaled stat costs.
1-1, 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, 5-5, 6-7, 7-9, 8-11, 9-14, 10-17, 11-20, 12-24

ACV and DCV can be switched at will at char creation for no CP cost.
Default: ACV equals stat average plus bonuses, DCV two lower.
Balanced: ACV is lowered by one, and DCV is increased by one.
Defensive: ACV and DCV are reversed as per Default.

And finally, have fun. I'm not rules heavy, just when they go along with what I want.
^_^; I'm aiming for fun/interest/good time had by all, so occasionally I will completely
ignore the rules for that goal. ^_^;;


Additional attributes and shtuff:

Teleport: There is no maximum distance anymore, only the safe distance.

My stuff- www.angelfire.com/clone2/jex/txt/J-BESM-Unique.txt
Attribute changes/modifications here overrule the book as described.

ND's stuff- besm.sandwich.net/EW/ and besm.sandwich.net/BH/

dX- If there's something you want from it, lemme know and we'll discuss it.
I'm not gonna go through the entire thing as say whats in or not, as that'll be
excessive work on my part if noones interested. ^_^;

Anything else- Feel free to ask.


The game world is still in design for the fine details of various towns and such. If you
want to help out by submitting a random/home town or something, go ahead. This is an
attempt to make a world designed by both sides of the game, so stick with me if it seems
silly, or just ignore the request. ^_^;
( No, I'm not just being a lazy GM. Really. >_> )




The world is known as Huma.
The land is nice, big, single continent. It has mountains, rivers, forests, etc.
To the northeast, there's Jugend. It's the biggest country by far, but separated from
the others via large mountains with only a few major passes.
To the northwest is Galstad. It's mostly forests and plains.
Penultima is to the southeast, rather small compared to the others. It's mostly mana
fields; plains with weird energies bubbling to the surface there.
Vyanna takes up the southwest corner, plains and hills and forests and mountains making
it a bastion of the wild.


The plot thus far:
The country of Jugend, named for the capital city of Jugend, has started a war
against everyone else. Vyanna, Galstad, and Penultima being everyone else.
Full-scale war hasn't broken out yet, but it's imminent.
Small skirmishes and conflicts have started, but all out war hasn't started just yet.
Intelligence says it's about to, as well as Jugend all but saying so themselves.

Galstad is rallying the other countries, and mobilizing their forces- and not just
their troops. Galtsad is working closely with Penultima to put together a small
force to try and avert an all out war, or cripple Jugend from within.


Travel:
First and foremost, there's plain 'ole hoofin' it. There are set, safe travel routes,
tended to by various groups. If you go off the trail, whatever happens is your own fault.

Horses go here! Horses are horses. There have been a few 'odd' horses that have been
raised in Penultima, and several horses have been magically altered to suit their
owners desires. Not that the horses would have gone along with it if they had a say.

And next up, there's wagons, both horsedrawn and steampowered. Steampowered wagons are
more expensive, and not many are privately owned. They're usually government or
business owned.

At the very top, there's airships. Not very common at all, there are 5 within the land,
and all privately owned, and very famous. ( The Will of Jugend was used to oversee
the quad-country athletic and magical tournaments, before it changed owners. )

Just now emerging in popularity (especially amongst the thrill seekers) is cannon travel.
A person is stuffed into a cannon, a magical shell is formed around them, and they're
shot high into the air, (usually) arriving at their destination. They're staffed by
qualified Cannon Operators, who can cast the specific kinetic buffering spell, and
have good aim.



The countries:
Note: Just the cities and stuff listed are not the only ones, just the ones that
the GM feels are of note. There's an abundance of farming communities, as well
as fledgling villages and mining towns, that aren't mentioned.
And anything interesting the PC's might submit. ^_^


Jugend:
Historically and mythically, Jugend was there first, having received favor from the
Creator. The citizens of Jugend all think they're better than anyone else. The recent
war, and their obvious advantages, only serve to reinforce that attitude.
They have better training, more troops, better equipment, better supply lines, and have
the fanatically loyal forces.
Queen Stephania rules them, with an iron hand that no longer knows any mercy, all sense
of it lost when she initiated the war.

Jugend -was- a shining ideal of how a country should be run. It amassed quite a bit
of wealth, was fair to the rich and poor, and was very generous regarding other
countries. It's turned all its massive resources on the other countries, however,
attempting to overpower them with brute force. (Which in itself is odd, for Jugend could
use a variety of other methods, and more effectively, too.)

Jugend:
The capital city. Huge. The Swan Castle takes up much of the city, surrounded by a clear lake.

La Salvas: 
Inset into the southern border mountains, La Salvas is a combination resort and military
base. It has natural hot springs, and is also strategically located to best defend Nishaio Pass.

Nishaio, Hazuun, and Unkyanke Pass:
The southernmost, middle, and northernmost passes through the Border Mountains, respectively.






Vyanna:
A peaceful, idyllic country, in reality a bunch of people who live in the same place,
more than a country. Noone in particular governs them, with the local militia acting on
the mass opinion of it's population.
The myth of the Creator is worshipped as fact there. Thankfully the Creator isn't one
of those who demands maiden sacrifices or stuff like that. The current state of the impendings
war has them rallying against a common cause, and a tentative government to deal with it
has been formed.

The Vyanna milita comes from all sorts, and they have no set standards. Rogue mages,
young wannabe heros, the odd girl who wanted to prove herself by picking up a sword....
Their regular milita varies widely in skill from person to person, but some form
of organization has been attempted, to ration out the skilled with the unskilled.

Steamtown:
The second largest city of Vyanna, it serves as home to an above-average amount of
tinkerers, as well as being the country's capital. Nearly the entire town is covered in
expelled steam. The town itself has a number of tourist attractions in and nearby, including
free steamwagon trips and the nearby Blackened Canyon.

Godifer:
A small town near the border between Vyanna and Galstad. In between two mesas and heavily
fortified, for the surrounding wildlife and native creatures refuse to be tamed. There's also
an inhabitated cave structure underneath the eastern mesa which is connected to the fortified town.



Galstad:	
Ruled by King Genji, with a strong military force, Galstad is the driving force behind
the war against Jugend. Every person in Galstad is bound by law to fight in defense
of the country, and has an excellent training program, turning the average commoner into
a capable fighter, and the average fighter into a warrior even more capable than those
of Jugend's fanatical.

Magical weapons are shunned for everyday purposes, the local thinking being that you
should get to that level of competence yourself. The armory does have them, for
dire situations. The war counts as one. It's taboo to fight within Galstad with a
magical weapon.

The patron saint of Galstad is Saint Anya. Her story is that one day, when Galstad was not yet
a country of warriors, picked up a stick and singlehandedly marched against the enemy. Such was
her devotion for her beloved country to be free, that followers flocked behind her. And when she
passed away, her wish was that Galstad would never again need to be rescued.

Crevasse City:
A crevasse runs through the center of this town, which is still heavily mined.
The capital city of Galstad, it is also a major trade city.

St. Anya:
Birthplace of the Saint Anya. Renamed in her honor. The only town in Galstad that's not
required to fight, but even they must help out. To this end, the town St. Anya has the Warriors
Shrine, and hosts the yearly Galstad Tournament. When not engaged in moral support for the
country, armormakers gather there to share and improve their trade.




Penultima:
Founded over the ruins of the ancient civilization, this is where all the Weird Things
come from. Magic exists here in a very low level, where it does nowhere else. Mana
farms, large fields where mana stones are set to absorb magical energies from the land,
are the prime resource of the country, magical research and excavating finds from
the ancient civilization being close seconds.

Very little of the land is heavily populated, but the few towns and areas that are are
densely packed. Most of the land is small settlements that tend to mana fields.

Ruled by a council of mages that care more about the economy of the country than the people.

They don't have their own militia, it's mere reputation discouraging attacks by Jugend.
They do, however, have their own Secret Service. They are known as the Blind Chimera,
and takes orders only from the Council. It functions as a watchdog force to keep
aspiring young mages from going too far over the top, with a spell that mages just
simply HATE. The spell dis-attunes one from their mana stone, and the secret of this
spell has not been shared.

They also function as an intelligence network, but one has not yet been caught to
prove their existence to anyone besides the Council.

Wonderland:
The capital of Penultima, it truly is a sight to behold. Towers of all sorts abound,
and lush foliage dominates the ground level. The tallest of the towers is Penultima Tower,
where the Council resides.

Musia:
The town of song. It also serves as the hub of magical research and artifact
identification. Just north of Sarial.

Sarial:
This town was originally an excavation camp to unearth the ruins of the Ancients. It
expanded quickly, and more entrances were discovered, and is now a wide and sprawling
settlement. Very little of the actual identifaction and research goes on there, as
most finds are forwarded to Musia.




The Ancient Civilization:
Noone knows for sure what they really were, save that they're not here now, and that
they knew magic. Magic wouldn't exist in this world but for their remains. Some say
they found their way to the stars, some say they destroyed themselves.

Continuing efforts to unearth their secrets continue. Many things have been found, but
many, many less of them understood. Archeologists think they have been airborne, due to
their aptly-shaped skeletal structure for their arms and back that suggest wings.
Little else is known about them, despite large amounts of effort.





Magic:
Magic is not as readily available anywhere except in Penultima, and even there not in
much abundance. Rather, mages carry around mana stones that have absorbed magical
energies from Penultima, and use the magical reserves in it to cast. The mana stones do
not recharge quickly, however, taking months or years to recharge. Mana field owners
commonly exchange spent items for fully charged ones, for a modest fee.

While there is nothing preventing one from carrying around multiple mana stones, one
can only be 'attuned' to one at a time. Attuning oneself to a mana stone is a time
consuming procedure, taking on average 10-15 hours.

In game terms, Magic/Dynamic Sorcery must be purchased with the Focus(Mana Stone).
Magic/DS cannot be cast with ones own energy. Mana Stones provide energy to use for
magic-related energy costs. They do not recharge normally.
A mana field generates 0-2 energy per day, every few square feet. Attunement is a 10-15
hour magic ritual that consumes 15 personal energy, that consists of the opening ritual,
and then staying in physical contact with it for the rest of the time. It cannot be
used prematurely, or the attunement will be interrupted. (Part of the ritual makes
prolonged contact with a greatstone non-damaging/painful.)
In Penultima, one can freely use 3 energy a day for magic related energy expenditure.

Spells can come in all shapes and forms, defined mostly by the will of the caster. Magic
is -weird- in it's effects and side effects, anything from nothing at all, to hands
turning blue while casting, to a complete background shift, changing the immediate
background for the duration of the casting into a full moon on a cloudless sky - even in
the middle of the day. None are harmful, (until you get into the Really Big Spells,) or
last past the duration of the spell, but the side effects are akin to a mages signature.
They are caused by the inability to completely focus the mana energy through will;
Uncontrolled thoughts given shape and form by mana, but lacking in any power.

The only thing one spell has to have in relation to another is that they all share the
same source of power. Mana.



Monsters and Items:
http://www.angelfire.com/clone2/jex/txt/VImobsitems.txt