The Schism: A 13th Age RP Campaign

Oh yeah. Also working on some special lore for Holy Ones, so if that's a Race you want, PM me. General rule of thumb, if you want your character to be one of the "unique races", PM me.

Icons

Most d20 games have powerful NPCs that shape the world behind the scenes. 13th Age brings them forward, making these thirteen powerful NPCs into icons the PCs will either aid or oppose over the course of the campaign.

Paragons of the Empire

The Emperor: The Emperor rules the world's greatest human kingdom, known as the Dragon Emperor for the mounts of its mightiest warriors(Wyverns) and the sacred time old alliance with the Great Gold Wyrm. There has always been a Dragon Emperor, since the Blessed Emperor first smote the Black King and founded the Dragon Empire at the beginning of the First Age. Most Emperors have been male and tend to have unnaturally long lives, and all have kept the warlike traditions and customs of the Empire, but that's largely where the similarities end. There have been many, many Emperors throughout the ages. However, the current Emperor is somewhat of an enigma. Few have ever met the current Emperor in person, and those who have are sworn to secrecy. All the general public knows is that the Emperor is male, and has been ruling for the past seven decades, and that his reign has been an extraordinarily prosperous one- until recent years. For the first time in several ages, the Dragon Empire is fumbling, and the only hints point towards the current drought and the Emperor's inability to change it. All signs suggest the age is turning, but will the Empire finally fall or shift to a new balance of power?

The Archmage: In nearly every Age, there has been an Archmage. For centuries, the Archmage has preserved the Empire, using astonishing magics to control the very weather, ward off hordes of monsters, and create astonishing new lands. He- or she- has also threatened the very fabric of reality with experiments you'd have to be incredibly brilliant or hugely arrogant to attempt. The current Archmage is a young half elven woman named Farron Rineheart, who only recently ascended to the mantle of Archmage, seemingly overnight, after the previous Archmage vanished without a trace. Farron's meteoric, and mysterious rise to power has spread controversy throughout the Empire, but she has done an extraordinary job in maintaining, and even reinforcing the Magic Wards all throughout the Empire.

The Priestess: The Priestess hears all the Gods of Light and is the only one who knows the Gods' true names. She is part oracle, part mystic, and part metaphysical engineer, having created the Cathedral, an ever-expanding temple with entire wings for each faith she favors. She has been known to show great favor to those who please her, even speak to the Gods on their behalf, and loves meeting and talking with Adventurers. Her love of Adventurers is a curious topic among many. She is also widely known to have a strong love for the finer things in life, but most of all, she is known far and wide for her otherworldly, radiant beauty. Most humans who live in the Empire- male and female alike- consider her to be the most beautiful woman in the world- something that irritates the Elf Queen greatly. There has only ever been one Priestess, as she is a new Icon. Miranda Greywater, an orphan raised as a handmaiden in a small church, rose to near sainthood in little over a decade. In fact, some not only consider her a saint and a prophet, but a goddess in her own right.

Forces of Nature

The Three: Also known as the three Dragon Kings, the Three are quite possibly the most feared- and sometimes revered- beings in the entire world, and they were among the first dragons to ever walk the world. They are often more commonly referred to simply by their colors; Red, Blue, and Black. These godlike beings are often destructive and considered evil, but their true motives and desires are far more ambiguous and they are often more neutral than outright evil- similar to forces of nature, like hurricanes. The Black is the Queen of thieves, assassins, and sacrificial cults- essentially the draconic version of the Prince of Shadows. The Black flits between marsh hunting grounds in the south and old ruins and monasteries in the northern mountains, but she is said to make her home in the Dragon Wood. The Blue is considered the patron and even mother of Sorcerers, and is even believed to be the first Sorcerer to ever live- the reason why, some believe, that Sorcerers are fond of using Breath spells. The Blue is also unique for another reason: she prefers to remain in her human form and rarely becomes a full dragon. Using guile and cunning, and sweet words and promises of alliances, the Blue wormed her way into the seat of Imperial Governor of the partially ruined city of High Rock, renamed it Drakkenhall and rebuilt the city in her image. The Red is an invincible engine of destruction whose power rivals the Great Gold Wyrm Himself. The Red is wild and ancient, ancient beyond all belief, and huge, gigantic beyond all comprehension. No one has ever seen the Red and survived to tell how exactly large he is, but legends say, that when the Red flies overhead, his wings will block out the sun and day will become night. The only proof that the Red even exists is a 1000 mile long stretch of land known as the Crimson Wastes, located just beyond the sealed Abyss, where the Red obliterated the Great Fiend Gorogan, Lord of the Abyss, who crawled out through the breach before the Great Gold Wyrm could seal it. With a single almighty breath, the Red annihilated the most powerful demon ever recorded and created a permanent scar a 1000 miles long that has lasted for thousands of years. Based on the accounts of scouts and travelers who claim to have seen an unfathomably huge shadow blot out the sky, so huge it could only belong to the Red, the Red is believed to fly along the very edges of the map, never landing. Obviously, no sane adventurers should ever try to search for the Red.

I'm too tired to write anymore tonight. Er, this morning. I'll finish... Tomorrow. Later today. You know what I mean.

Sorcerers are all self-taught to some extent, and they possess an innate talent for magic that is chaotic and impulsive, where Wizardry is carefully trained, studied, and measured.

Very few Wizards start out with any raw ability in magic. Most are commoners or Adventurers who are interested in learning more about the Arcane and so they join a School of Magic. Wizards use tomes and spellbooks; Sorcerers do not.

Sorcerers derive their power from various Icons of the age; with or without their permission. While Wizards may understand the finer, more refined points of magic, and as a result learn powerful spells that Sorcerers cannot, Sorcerers have the unique ability to almost become their Icons. The more power a Sorcerer draws from a Icon, the more Icon-like powers and spells they can do.

In game mechanics, this translates to "Heritage Talents".

The Arcane Heritage means you draw power from the Archmage, Fey Heritage from the Elf Queen, Undead Remnant Heritage from the Lich King, etc. A Sorcerer's Heritage grows in power as they level up, and changes at Champion and Epic tier.

For example, the most extreme case of this is the Undead Remnant Heritage. At Epic tier, you can decide to have your character cut off their own right hand and cut out one of their own eyes in order to become the Lich King's Avatar.

As the Lich King's Avatar, you gain a +3 bonus to all attacks and damage, a +6 bonus against undead, and you have a 18+ resist negative energy power. You also get a glowing ghostly hand and a single glowing red eye.

Both Sorcerers and Wizards have familiars, but a Sorcerer's familiar is much more changeable. You pick an animal(Maybe a talking Raven?) and one permanent ability that suits your familiar(Except Tough). Then, each time you get a full heal up, roll a die(1d8 I believe) and randomly decide two other abilities your familiar will have until your next full heal up.

The other classes are much more straightforward(With the exception of the Cleric, which is also a bit different).

The Barbarian is the Berserker. They fly into battle rages that let them do insane damage, crit often, and not notice pain. They have really high offensive stats and HP, but lower defensive stats.

The Fighter is... Well, a Fighter. They have some unique abilities, called "Flexible attacks", but they're still really simple. Good melee stats all around.

The Paladin is the Tank. They have the highest AC and HP out of any class(Seriously, the Paladin's AC is freaking ridiculous) and they can take hits for party members, splitting the damage in half, which can be a real lifesaver. Give a Paladin a good Magic Weapon, and well... They can also do some crazy high damage. A Paladin typically wears heavy armor, and uses morningstars and maces, or swords, and shields.

The Rogue is the typical thief/backstabber type. In battle, they often wield daggers. They do require some careful positioning in battle, as you want to make use of their Sneak Attack bonuses as much as you can. They have really high Dex.

The Ranger is your nail em' from afar character. They primarily use bows and daggers, and have a lot of abilities that make them crit easier- and do more damage when they crit, up to triple or even quadruple damage. Out of all the classes, Rangers are potentially the best damage dealers. They also can have an animal companion, like a Tiger or a Lion.

The Bard is your party buffer. They sing hymns and battle cries that can grant your party bonuses to Attack and Damage, heal you, make an attack miss, or even outright save you from death.

The Cleric is your healer... With a few twists. Clerics generally wear heavy armor and use weapons like maces, they can choose which Domains to serve as Class Talents, and can choose to cast their spells as rituals instead.

Are there subclasses?

Hmm. There are other classes too, from the expansion, but I don't have those in my book.

In case anyone wants to come hang out and watch me world build, or help me test some stuff, here's the link to join the Campaign.

app.roll20.net/join/1457855/IEKVIw

Chaos Mage, Necromancer, Commander, and a couple others that I don't know the names of off the top of my head. Just to be clear, I know absolutely nothing about these classes.

I still need to finish posting the info on the rest of the Icons, and I need to post the info on the Koru Behemoths- that's kinda important.

Also, along with the backgrounds listed in the link Crow provided, here are some other good ones you might want to think about: Imperial Archaeologist, Treasure Hunter, Cartographer, Koru Behemoth Native, Tribal Chieftain, Born on the Streets, Sailor, Ship Captain, Daredevil, etc. Just naming a few that popped into my head. You can always PM me about a custom background too.