OpenDnD Core Ruleset

Hey, there's a new thing in town, all nice and pretty. Well, to most of you, it's actually an old thing, but finally finished!
So yeah, remember the old Eclipse system? Started as a mod of Eclipse, which was itself a mod of DnD3.5? Well, finally got it done, and made all pretty(no more .txt files). It's now got a boring name, because it's so far gone from Eclipse it's really not the same system anymore. Have a looksee!
87 pages of happy Dungeons and Dragons 3.5, without all those icky icky classes. There's still one more file to go, a Player's FAQ, but that's a lot smaller, so you should be seeing it in the coming days.

Praise? Bitter Scorn? Shout your thoughts here!

Rules Text: http://www.mediafire.com/?iu45jmy3ymm
DM's FAQ: http://www.mediafire.com/?mymzroam2wk

*likes much*

So, after suggestions and mockery, the rule set is updated. Fun features include a few new sub-abilities and a short list of sample spells.
However, like all good things, it's no fun if it just sits around. Mainly, I need a few unwitting foo- I mean, intrepid volunteers to actually play this system. And given how we seem to be having some issues with 4e-isms, it's clearly time for a classic hacky-slashy-adventurey type game. For those who haven't gorged their brainmeat on the generic setting of OpenDnD:

Picture an Earth, next Sunday AD. Not the happiest place, but there was at least a lot of popcorn for people to munch on while enjoying the wars and such. Of course, this isn't all that interesting, and pales in comparison to the Monday afterwords. For it is when 'they' arrived.
Despite sounding like a cheesy Hollywood alien shooting flick, they came with good intentions(or at least not bad ones). Odd creatures, resembling those of myth and yore, having thrown themselves through the cosmos into our dimension, seeking to flee terrible destruction that plagued their Earth. There weren't many of them, comparatively speaking, at highest counts only a hundred thousand of these strange people and things. Well, at least here they could live in peace, and perhaps share some of their magical goodies with our Earth.

Clearly, they didn't read the travel brochure very well. For every person who thought this was a nifty idea, there was another who was filled with abject terror at the idea of magic, or odd creatures from another Earth. They tried to be reasonable, only sending out humans to do the whole diplomacy thing, but this just made it worse: How could we tell which humans were 'real', and which were these horrible invaders?!

Well, to make a long story short, the paranoid populace proceeded to perforate 'them', though without much success, as they weren't more than terrified civilians running out with shotguns against magical folk. Still, people don't like being shot, and magic and bullets zinged through the air as children gorged on popcorn while enjoying the show. Unfortunately, the magic they had used to travel to our Earth was still dancing about, and the release of souls and magic going everywhere was enough to excite it in a most impressive manner. That is, if you replace impressive with catastrophic, and manner with a negative space wedgie.

When the dust cleared, our Earth and theirs had been forcefully slammed through the portal into each other, leaving the worlds rather sundered, and magic running willy-nilly through the air. Ancient dungeons and shattered skyscrapers shared the same view, as the geography of the world decided to go out into the alley and take a puke. The people managed to stop shooting long enough to get things settled again, though the truce was more out of necessity than anything.

Fast forward 25 or so years. That's what most people claim it's been, though accounts vary by a couple of years. The world has mostly pulled itself back together, though countries seem to be more preoccupied with dealing with monsters and threats within their own borders. The flow of mana still permeates what used to be a nonmagical world, and humans are finding the lingering effects of the portal still messing up the world, trying to homogenize the inhabitants by getting rid of the human overpopulation in the only way possible: making these poor souls as one of 'them'.

Danger still lurks in the world, and despite the distrust of magic, there is ever need for people to take up the sword and gun, to take up that call to adventure and try to make the new Earth a safer place. Though more likely, people don't want these sociopaths running around their town, and kicking them out on a "call to adventure" seemed like a plausible excuse.

Our heroes, due to impressively contrived circumstances, find themselves in the autonomous region of Alta Vista about the same time. Alta Vista used to be part of the American heartland, until it decided that gravity was stupid, and got up and left. Currently, it's somewhere over the Atlantic. Attempts were made to try to keep it under direct American rule, but it's hard to exert force on a floating island without blowing the place up. As of recent months, Alta Vista has been declared an "autonomous region" of the US, basically saying it's not cool enough to be an actual state, and any US civil servants not needed for an embassy got up and left to go to a better place, with blackjack and hookers. Sadly, this has left Alta Vista in a funk, as it now has no proper budget for security officers, outside of well-to-do cities.
Penbrook is not one of those towns. Monster security basically consists of a wall they built around the town, and occasionally something gets over or around it that the police have to shoot. Still, the outlying villages are even worse, and there's always need for a young talented soul with anger issues to go murder something to keep people safe.
EDIT: Photoshop works again, so I'll have a doodle of Alta Vista and Penbrook for you silly people who like maps.

Alta Vista - Atlantic Ocean
Ownership: US, Autonomous Region
Internal Power: **
External Power:
Danger Level: * to **
Size: *
Population Density: **
Tech: **
Economy: **
Travel Modes: Plane, one port.
Climate: Mediterranean, Forested. "East" side is a bit hilly.

Penbrook - West Alta Vista
Ownership: Alta Vista, US
Population: 12,000
Security: *
Racial Mix: 88% Human, 5% Goblin, 2% Wyld/Mere, 5% other.
Climate: Mediterranean Plains
Leader: Mayor Dwight Loamfeld, Human. Reputation requires Knowledge Politics 1.

--------------------

This is a classic style DnD adventure, using the OpenDnD ruleset. Looking for adventurous volunteers who wish to try out the system. No worries if you're new to it, just take a look through the introduction, and the racelist. Anything else can be easily explained by me(Caput and Xaer have played previous versions of OpenDnD, so they know the vague idea if I'm incapacitated).
Characters have 42CP to spend on stats, skills, magic, and abilities. To make a character, start with the Race section, and work your way down the OpenDnD document. Obviously, it will help if you have an idea for a character before trying to make it. Your characters start with 90gp(to be spent on stuff), and one weapon of 500gp or less(basically no Heavy Shotguns, Automatics, and Heavy Guns). You can get either a Light or Medium armor of your choice if you choose(only if you have proficiency in them). You also have one of the following:
2000gp.
A magic item(worked out between DM and player).
+INT ranks in knowledge skills(influences what your character knows about the world at the start)

So, there's a game thing. Who here is awesome enough to take up the challenge? Applicants will be awarded cake at the completion of the character creation process(note: cake must be purchased and baked by the applicant).

Name: Jochen Traegner
Age: 22
Sex: male
Race: Wyld (fennec)
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

Appearance: Jochen Is clothed head to toe hiding most of his physical features. A thin but 3 sizes too large dark blue hoody and maroon scarf cover his face. The sleeves have been torn and patched many times, the colors mis-matched. He wears an extra hoody the same size, wrapped around his waist, hiding away a belt with pouches underneath it. His pants although in better condition then his shirt, the knees patched and one re-torn, are sagged and baggy as though they too don't quite fit right, appearing tight at the top and way too long and loose at the bottom. His pants sag over the end of his feet, not showing if he even has shoes.

Should someone actually get him out of his common rags...

Jochen's fur is scruffy and a pale yellow with brown hands and feet, as well as a brown triangular mark(pointed down) on both his forehead and a larger one on his back. His under coat is a cream white. His hunted and haunted life coupled with his poor eating habits has given him a lean body that gives him a hungry look. The shape of his face with his elongated snout and ears seem to emulate this look at all times, with only his crystal blue eyes showing his true emotions. He wears a looted craftsman's belt around his waist and a utility belt worn from left shoulder to right waist, both of which are normally hidden. His last bit of clothing is that of a pair of brown and tan striped shorts, normally worn under his other clothes.

Personality: Jochen is secretive and diminutive around humans and wylds, almost to the point of submission unless he has decided to con them. The exception being around other "downtrodden" and the less common races. His personality tends to shift, becoming more open with his opinions and suggestions, if they are wanted or not.

Background: Jochen's hometown was commonly under attack by some tyrant group trying to become the next big warlord. These assaults overtime bred distrust for differences in people in the surrounding areas, of different homes or races. Jochen's town was mostly human with only a handful of wyld, satres, and reworks. At the age of 8, his hometown was attacked by a wyld trying to start some no-name nation. The attack failed, but the humans drove all the wylds out of town for it. Leaving his home, they relocated to another nearby settlement, that immediately distrusted the newcomers as spys. It was not long until conditions for his family became unlivable, and they moved again. They moved continuously from town to town until the refugees were set on by a group of slavers. In the attack Jochen was captured, and later taken to an airport headed toward some unknown country with some unknown life of servitude ahead of him. As the plane was preparing for departure, Jochen managed to crawl away into hiding as the plane took off without him. At first he felt great joy for his daring escape, but that soon left him to be replaced by the hollow sadness of being alone. Deciding he would go to the fabled land of opportunity, He continued to hide at the airport until a plane that left for a US, ANY US territory arrived.

Jochen came to the island Alta Vista as a 14 year old "Cameroon" refugee. Stealing a ride in a cargo plane, he sought the golden plated streets of America he read about as a child. He never found them. Arriving with little else besides the clothes on his back and some food tucked away from the plane's cargo, He soon found himself begging on the streets of Penbrook. The disappointments of reality continued as he found the same racism in penbrook as he did his home city. humans tending to not be tolerant of Wyld, often confusing them with lycanthropes. Jochen took to cons and faining illness to get by; often squatting in unowned buildings when he could find them, and sleeping in alleys when he could not. 22 years of age, he is beginning to notice and develope slight magical talents, although he wouldn't have the first clue where to go to really learn about them.

Roleplaying Samples: Jochen tugged on his scarf with his gloved hands. Crowds weren't a problem for him, the opposite really. People disappear in crowds, become invisible. But they only become invisible if they didn't stand out like a dying horse, and this was a crowd of humans. He had to at least look like he wasn't not human, if he wanted to walk through it without getting too much of their attention. Taking a deep breath he could smell the age and wear in his clothes while adjusting his hood and scarf. "Here goes nothing..." Jochen hunched his head down, trying to mentally will the people to ignore and treat him like empty space; he began his paced walk through the crowd, headed toward the building on the other side.

The rain was cold, Alta Vista was not as warm as his old home used to be, but he was thankful for the back ally trashcan fire and the company it brought with it. "8 years, you think I would be used to the weather by now." Jochen grunted, a smile hidden under his thick clothes as he held his hands to the fire. The other 2 men similarly bundled but not quite so concealed laughed. Jochen had sheltered with these humans before, they were good people, some of the few that wouldn't rob you in your sleep. Searching his pocket for a few ham sandwiches he 'liberated' he passed them around. His company passing around some cheep beer and some oranges. The rain was cold, but the food and company well worth it.

I'm on board.

Have a thing: http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=208407

and here's some other stuff.

Name: Apple Pending
Age: 19
Sex: female
"Race"/Class/Level: "Naga" Grappler 1
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral, but thinks she's good.

Appearance: Apple has pale skin, with freckles, because tans are for boring people. She's also got a pair of pale brown eyes
for seeing with and some short red hair growing out of her head that's spiky when styling cream can be had. Her tail is long,
and has a faint diamond patern on it. Some would call it black, others brown. She looks pretty slender, verging on skinny from
the waist up. Not dangerous looking at all except for her long, pointy teeth, which are only visible when she's smiling or
hissing in anger. Nagas, however, see the tail and know she's above average strength.
She Likes long t-shirts, mostly. When expecting action or cold, she wears a large brown jacket with rivets in it. Will
frequently wear her rifle on her back and always has an inverted an inverted crucifix hanging from her neck.

Personality: Apple's not keen on men, particularly when they're hitting on her (doesn't happen much, as naga guys are
relatively rare and humanoids mostly don't know how they feel) or being nasty to women or children.
Since the counseling, she's found out she's gay and is perfectly open about it, but doesn't consider it too big a thing.
She likes violence and is perhaps a little too comfortable with the idea of killing again, but she isn't murderous and never
has been. Say a kobold steals the food out of her tent; she wouldn't shoot him. It's only food. If that same kobold were to
beat up a child or insist he could take her in a fight, he's going to be savaged, but still not intentionaly killed.
Apple is dumb and cheerfully open about it. She has trouble with books, computers, complicated jokes and logic, but oddly
seems ok with numbers most of the time. She doesn't mind a little teasing about it, but tends to expect other people to make
up for her lack of intelligence.
Apple loves being a naga, but gets uncomfortable when people look too much at her tail, not wanting to be seen as a freak, or
as a naga before a person. Unless it's a pretty girl. They're allowed.
She doesn't see why devil worship means she has to be nasty. It just means she wouldn't have to be nice if she didn't want to
be.
Apple really buys into the whole fantasy adventure idea, which is at the heart of her favourite comics, movies, tv shows and,
to a lesser extent, books and video games. She'd leap at the chance to rescue a princess, slay a malignant evil casting a
shadow o'er the land or even defend a village from banditos.
Her greatest weaknesses are her innabilities to stop humming tunes, refuse macaroni cheese in any but the most dire of
circumstances or fully understand what "irony" means.

Background: Apple's spent most of her life getting beaten up. Her dad was controlling and violent, the older guys at school
bullied her and at roughly the studenty kind of age (this is an exact science, you see), she found herself in a nasty
relationship: Her boyfriend was abusive and even more controlling than her father. There was no love on either side and big
mistakes were made all round. After too long of all that, she was suddenly nagafied by a notably late mutation. Her boyfriend
had strong and unpleasant religious views about that kind of thing and declared her pointless now anyway. He attacked her.
Thinking he might be trying to kill her, she killed him instead.
Now, after court appearences and counciling, she is using her new found power of just killing the bad guys to liberate other
people from pricks. What could possibly go wrong?
Shooting was her hobby. Now it's looking to be one of her most important abilities.
She always identified with the devil, although her interpretation doesn't quite match the christian one. She sees him as a powerful
angel or god-like being who may or may not be evil and was perfectly right to try and take the throne from the christian god,
who she sees as an ass-hole who likes plagues of frogs and the smell of burnt goats. Since she doesn't believe there's a
difference between "random" and "god did it", she'd say god turned both her and lucifer into legless serpents and that
lucifer, like her, violently resisted an unjust authority figure.

Roleplaying Sample
Apple said goodbye to Christine and slithered down the driveway, leaving her stuff boxed up in her friend's garage.
Time for a new life of freedom and adventure! Or camping, if that didn't work out.
A month ago she'd looked utterly normal, now she had fangs and a tail, wore a satanic cross, a jacket with rivets and a fucking great rifle. She didn't need to catch sight of her reflection to be reminded: She could see it in the faces of the other people on the street. Before, nobody had noticed her.
Now they certainly did, without fail. An old couple even crossed to the other side of the street, so she gleefully gave them the finger.
She'd pased her old science teacher yesterday and hadn't been recognised.
When she got to her bus stop, there was a kid waiting there. A boy about 8 years old. For about 30 seconds, he didn't seem to notice her, but then he pulled on her jacket. "Miss, you some kind of snake lady?"
Apple lay down on her own tail, smiling up at the boy. "Course. Where's your mom?"

I DEMAND THE MAP DOODLE!

Im In. So is Shepherd.

http://www.dndonlinegames.com/profiler/view.php?id=12615

Here is just the background. Ill put more here in a bit.


Shepherd was young when everything went crazy. Growing up in that kind of environment can do something to a person. His father was a military man. Was being the operative word. His dad was high up on the chain of command. Very high up. Led one of the first charges against the magic that came through. Was also one of the first in high command to fall to the magic that came through. Between the military and well, death, Shepherd never really knew his father. Still, the desire to follow in his footsteps was there, if only to understand more about his father and the life he was in. Being the son of a late general initially got him privileges other didn't get. Like fewer sleeping hours and harsher training, ya know, cause he was the pet favorite.

Still, all that hard work and blood lines did pay off in the long run. Shepherd was chosen for an elite squad, although with the military, there is an elite squad for everything. He had been chosen for his promise as a military sniper and the benefit from the legacy his father left. This new squad was the product of a change in military thinking and direction. They started programs that openly (to the military anyway) embraced some magical powers and incorporate them into their programs. Shepherds was selected along with other similar candidates to be inducted into this test program with the same goal as many of the others: To create the next super soldier.

The idea was to create a squad of metal reworks from elite soldiers and go from there. After turning them into reworks they got as far as teaching them how to hide themselves in their surroundings using magic before the project was scraped do to political back fall. The military was ok with the idea of including magic, but the rewoks were a bit too much it would seem.

Since the process was irreversible (or at least cheaper that way) it left the military in an odd position. They couldn't keep the squad, and they couldn't just let them go. So they did the only thing the military could do in a situation like this. Send them on a suicide mission out in the middle of Africa. And a suicide mission it was. They sent the squad of reworks on a search and destroy mission. Find the package and destroy it. What they weren't told is that the package was meant to destroy them. And destroy them it did. Well almost.

Call it instinct or good training, Shepherd and a squad buddy (if he had a best friend, it would have been him) went to check out an irregularity that inevitably saved their lives. Well at least at first. The initial explosion killed most of the squad and the rest were gunned down quickly by troops in wait. Thats when Shepherd and his buddy started running, they had no intention on meeting that firing squad. After a day or two of running and hiding, the two got into a skirmish that ended with Shepherds buddy lying face first in the dirt. The chase went on for about a week more before Shepherd finally managed to evade capture and leave the country. Burned by his government he quickly found passage to Alta Vista.

With the US military almost nonexistent there and the inhabitants a bit more tolerating, he figured it the best place to take refuge. He has spent the last year staying out of trouble and keeping penbrook safe here and there from the creatures that get in and such. He never joined the security team, he never really fit in, plus they are a bunch of blundering idiots. He spends two days a week at the local shooting range, keeping his skill and his gear in good repair. Shepherd has a lot of time on his hands due to the job market having little place for a metal rework in any kind of honest job. Just stands out to much. After a year of inconsistent jobs, Shepherd found himself in a money situation which caused him to think one of his only courses of action left may be merc jobs. They tend to pay well he hears.