Standing Stone

A d20 Campaign Setting by Josh Harrison

Standing Stone is a dark fantasy setting inspired by several games that have captured my attention over the years, most notably Earthdawn, Ars Magica, and Mage: The Ascension. It is set in a world where magic is a dynamic force, shaped by living beings. The relative power of different magical styles in an area is ultimately determined by the beliefs of the local communities.

The Meari, a nation ruled by arcane magi, have discovered this mutable characteristic of magic. They have also learned that the patterns of magical energy are shaped and anchored by the menhirs, mysterious standing stones that decorate the landscape. If you control the menhirs, you control the magic. The Meari have begun to expand their influence, seizing the menhirs, and hoping to unite the world under a single magical paradigm.

The nations of the Wildlands are the first target of Meari expansion. Their cultural and magical diversity make them the perfect test subjects for the arcanists' theories.

But the Wildlands will not go down without a fight. Centuries of faith and tradition are not easily overcome. Heroes will emerge to defend their way of life. If they stand together, they can drive out the invaders. Ancient rivalries and long-standing feuds, however, threaten the tenuous alliance and the freedom of the Wildlands.

In their efforts to defeat the Meari, the heroes of the Wildlands will learn of a forgotten heritage, uncover the secrets of the menhirs, and reveal a threat more insidious than the philosophical slavery of the Meari.

This is the world of Standing Stone.

Features

There are a couple of interesting features I have in mind for this setting. First and foremost is the mutable nature of magic. The relative power of different magical styles will vary from region to region.

For example, in the dogmatic Naruda Protectorates, all clerical magic will be cast as though affected by the Empower Spell feat. Spells cast by wizards will have an effect one or two levels below their actual caster level. Other types of magic might be affected in other ways, and these effects can vary from region to region, or even community to community. (Incidentally, these characteristics are not completely fleshed out yet, they are merely examples of the kind of changes I have in mind.)

All of these effects are anchored by the local menhir, which is attuned to the magical persuasion of an area. This attunement can change over time, and is usually part of the natural growth (or decay) of a community.

The Meari have discovered a way to suddenly change the alignment of a menhir using powerful spells. If they gain control of a menhir (through fair means or foul), they can radically alter the magical landscape of an area, making their own style ascendant over others. Needless to say, this can make things easy for the invading army!

One of the secrets of Standing Stone is the history of the menhirs, so I won't give too much away just yet. Here is a hint, however. The menhirs were crafted by an ancient civilization to do precisely what the Meari are doing; control the magical landscape of the world. Of course, there is a reason that ancient civilization isn't around anymore.

There is one other feature I would like to highlight. I feel that many fantasy RPG settings stereotype the non-human races; the dwarves are this way, the elves another, and so on. The Dungeons & Dragons core rules encourage this stereotyping with favored classes. These qualities are the result of long-standing tropes of the genre, but I wanted to try something a little bit different.

In Standing Stone, favored class is determined by national heritage, not race. Tribesmen from the Children of Janoka, for example, all have barbarian as their favored class -- regardless of whether they are dwarf, elf, or human. The Meari favored class is wizard. Other nations have other favored classes. There will even be a nation or two that have no favored class, and behave in that respect like humans and half-elves from the core rules.

The other racial abilities will remain unchanged; humans still get extra skill points, dwarves still get a constitution bonus, and so forth. This may change a little as the world develops, but I currently have nothing concrete in mind.

I hope you're intrigued by this setting as much as I am. Keep an eye on this space for future developments.