Questions for Scott about the Sunchaser setting.

[prototype00]

This thread is for asking Scott questions about the awesome Sunchaser setting. Hopefully he drops by here at some point.

I'll start:

1.) What do the non sun-worshipping Vessans and drakes follow? I understand its some religion dedicated towards ancient dragons but what are its characteristics?

2.) What happened to the Vessan princes who joined the Sharos? Are they still princes?

3.) Do Green Errons and Vessans become hazelighters as well?

4.) It seems that all races are represented in the Sunchaser setting except for the giants (even if some are in the army of darkness), are they in there? And if they are not in the setting at all, where would you advise that they be put in (should the need arise)?

prototype00

[Mister Andersen]

I'd like to know why there's no explanation of why the setting is called Sun Chaser; even the idea of Sunpools seems to have gone away

[Morgenstern]

I'll have to wait until I get a copy, as some of those things have undergone some edits since last I saw them .

[VisualStatic]

The map for Sunchaser area, is there a larger version available. Or is that it.

[Wolverine]

I did spot one reference to adventurers being refered to as Sunchasers because their nomadic lifestyle makes it seem like they're always chasing the sun. I don't have the PDF handy at the moment, but it's in the 'new rules' section of the chapter.

[Crafty_Alex]

There's a section called "On the Madness of Sunchasers" that I thought referred to why adventurers are called Sunchasers pretty explicitly (also don't have my PDF handy)...

[Wolverine]

The text I was referring to is on pg 97:

"Chasing the sun is a way of life, and it can’t always be an immediately life-threatening undertaking."

I've read 'On the Madness of Sunchasers', but must have missed the part that explicitly states how they got their name.

[Mister Andersen]

Also, no sunpools. The only reference is to a singular moonpool.

I take that back, having just found one. Which is odd as I'd swear blind that it wasn't in the original version I downloaded (which I've since deleted so I can't make the comparison). Well, that makes me a happier camper.

[Morgenstern]

This thread is for asking Scott questions about the awesome Sunchaser setting. Hopefully he drops by here at some point.

Lets see if I can help .

1.) What do the non sun-worshipping Vessans and drakes follow? I understand its some religion dedicated towards ancient dragons but what are its characteristics?

The Dragon Kings alignment shown in table 3.3 is both the faith of the Drake in the Black peaks and that followed by the Vessan.

2.) What happened to the Vessan princes who joined the Sharos? Are they still princes?

They are still 'princes' in the sense that their bloodlines are revered by other Vessans and they hand down a small amount of secret knowelege and religious ceremony - they are still responsible for going out and making certain minimal offering at the shrines of their tribes but it is a practice maintaned more for traditional reasons than religious. Their alignment is predominantly the Eyes of Heaven. An occasional throw back who secretly or not so secretly holds the old ways in their heart rather than the faith that brought them into the human society could make for a strong NPC. I see a Vessan Firebrand promoting a return to the old ways as a good hook for adventuring, but most are happy to work and live shoulder to sholder with Humans and Green Erron.

Having players track down and win the favor of either of the two current Sharos princes might make an excellent prelude to a player gaining levels in the Ironfang master class - not because the Princes are themselves Ironfangs, but any 'civilized' masters of that art may require the approval of a prince before they pass their teachings on.

3.) Do Green Errons and Vessans become hazelighters as well?

I don't see why not. Its a religious calling not unlike being a paladin and both the Vessa and Erron have produced true-believers.

4.) It seems that all races are represented in the Sunchaser setting except for the giants (even if some are in the army of darkness), are they in there? And if they are not in the setting at all, where would you advise that they be put in (should the need arise)?

Sunhaser is set up to absorb new character options very easily, so giants can be introduced as player characters or a one-off threat as easily as saying "And then one stumbles out of a sunpool." They are not intended as a sustained threat or pressence in the setting - partially to differentiate it from the norse-inspired Godspawn. If you did want to add them on a full-time basis I would sugest small communities high in the Rainwall mountains.

[Morgenstern]

I'd like to know why there's no explanation of why the setting is called Sun Chaser; even the idea of Sunpools seems to have gone away

Some of the underlying ideas weren't well expressed before I left the project - most of them are there in the text, but they are widely scattered through the narative. I'll put together a more detailed essay about the operation of sunpools and their impact on the cultures of the setting, hopefully to include a few spells unique to settings where sunpools or simlar gateways exist.

[Morgenstern]

I did spot one reference to adventurers being refered to as Sunchasers because their nomadic lifestyle makes it seem like they're always chasing the sun. I don't have the PDF handy at the moment, but it's in the 'new rules' section of the chapter.

This is certainly the start of the idea. More specifically sunchassers tend to move from place to place by wading across sunpools - being teleported at random to another location at the whim and will of Avva. Basically when an adventuring party has tapped out the immediate plot lines of an area, they make a blind jump to the next place the Sun-lord chooses for them and start adventuring there, carrying with them news and tales from afar and leaving many of their more troublesome entanglements behind. Most sunchaser start out onthe run from something and that makes for a good hook later in their careers if that somethign ever catches up to them.

Sunpools are natural bodies of water that take on a noticable shimmer for about 40 minutes at midday (starting ~20 minutes before and lasting until ~20 minutes after local noon). Any person wading into such a pool becomes lost in the glare (both from their perspective and that of observers on shore) and vanishes, emerging from a similar pool elsewhere. Each day a pool will open to another random pool. Each living creature may only wade across a pool and be transported once per day, so the trip is a one-way deal (thought you might beable to go back the next day - odds do not favor it though).

Some pools have a strong affinity for another pool and tend to link to the same place, but most are fairly random. Because 'open' pools link to other open pools, the teleport is mostly in a north-south oriented band, not coincidetally fitting the shape of the setting . Pools in the 1,000 River Valley tend to go other places in the valley.

Magic can force a pool open at other times of day, making them a potential escape route. Really powerful magic can set a pool's next opening to a chosen exit, making them a reliable transportation method for the very powerful.

[Number Three]

Most sunchaser start out on the run from something and that makes for a good hook later in their careers if that somethign ever catches up to them.

How come I'm suddenly imagining a fantasy version of Cowboy Bebop?

[Morgenstern]

Skipping out on life as a farmhand may not be quite as dramatic as Spike, Jet, and Faye's motivations for getting the hell outa Dogde, but I can't say I see the comparison between Sunchaser and Cowboy Bebop as a bad thing .

Basically non-adventurous folks don't start galivanting about. Folks happy and comfortable to stick near home can still be heroic, but they aren't Sunchasers.

I should also point out ruin-develvers and sunchasers are overlaping sets, not the same thing. A team of professional ruin-delvers who are not sunchasers might stick to one region (or even one site) for years. Sunchasers who are also ruin-delvers tend to pop in, hit a site 2-3 times for the low hanging fruit and then move on.

[Crafty_Pat]

The map for Sunchaser area, is there a larger version available. Or is that it.

Last week's preview incorporated a bigger (full-size) version of the Cloak & Dagger map and tomorrow's will feature the same for Epoch. Care to guess what will hit in and amongst on 11/22?

Oh, and this reminds me...

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

Where are these previews?  I only see the Adventure Companion announcement.