Kaverus Campaign Primer

8/14/2019 Kaverus Campaign Primer

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TABLE OF CONTENTSWorld Overview

Deities of Kaverus

New Race: Hobgoblin

New Race: NachturinOther Races

New Avenger Build: The Purging

Avenger

New Class: Harbinger

New Class: Hexblade

New Class: Runecaster

New Class: Spellthief

New Equipment

New Feats

House Rules In Effect

The Campaigns Beginning

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KulSerisRiver.Eventuallyconventionalwarfare

slowed, andsorcery tookover. TheEladrin wouldcreate a ritualto devastatethe goblinshomeland,and thegoblins wouldfire back by

cursing theEladrins watersupply. Thismagical warescalated,with the finalstraw for theEladrin beingwhen theHobgoblinssealed off

their access tothe Feywild,where most ofthe racesleadershiplived. It wasnot thegoblinsthough, thatwereresponsible for

the worldsdevastation,but acharismaticEladrinsorcerernamedKulmair

Devisheil.With most ofthe Eladrinleadershipsealed into the

feywild,Kulmair roseto powerquickly,assumingleadershipover theEladrin. Heslowly pulledthe nationswizards away

from workingon a way toreopen theirportals to thefeywild, andinsteadfocused on anew ritual.One thatwould bind totheir will the

mightiestbeing theycould think of:The GodBahamut.

The ritual wascast with theintentions tobind one ofthe most

powerful godsinto service,but it did notwork asintended.WhenBahamut wasbrought to the

mortal planehe refused tobe a slave tomortals, andwith no other

optionavailable, hesacrificedhimself andcaused what isnow referredto largely asTheCataclysm.

The

AftermathThe Cataclysmdestroyedmost of theEladrinkingdoms, andturned vastswaths of

once fertileland into abarren desert,now calledThe Wastes.The kingdomsof old weretorn apart allacross theworld, magictearing holes

in the earth,the ocean,and even inthe planarfabric of theprimematerial.Despite being

the god ofgood, nomortal wassparedBahamuts

final wrath infull, and allwere affectedby TheCataclysm.

It took threeyears for thedust to fullysettle and forthe world to

startrebuildingitself. Theelves were thefirst to re-establish theircivilizationthough theirtwelve kingshad beenreduced to

seven. TheCouncil ofSeven decreedwar on arcanemagic, havingseen itsdestructivecapabilitiesemployed bytheir cousins.They, along

with theDragonborn,once thechosen ofBahamut,beganrebuilding aworld where

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arcane magicwasdistrusted,and in manyplaces

outlawed. Theelves becamereclusive,guarding theirfew remaininggroves, manynow oasesamidst TheWastes whiletheDragonborn

becamenomadic,roaming theland andhunting downany Eladrin orwizards theycould find.

The humansbegan

rebuilding aswell but it wasnot easy.Many of theirgreat citieshad beenrazed in thecataclysm,becomingruins in thedesert sands.

They builttownships inThe Wastesbut life wasnteasy. Theworld hadgrown relianton Arcane

magic, it hadpowered muchof their formerlives, and ithad to learn a

new way tosurvive. Thefirst decadeafter TheCataclysm sawthe world in aprimitivestate, but adiscovery bythe Dwarveswould soon fix

that.

Bloodof theDragonGodThe Dwarveshad fared

better thanmost racesduring TheCataclysm,beingsomewhatinsulated intheir mountainkeeps. Whenthe magicalstorms had

settled down,they venturedforth fromtheir mountainkeeps to seewhat hadbecome of theworld. What

they foundwas Bahamite.

It seemed asthough the

death ofBahamut hadleft a physicalresidue amidstthe wastes.Blue and silvercrystals hidamidst thesand, whichcould beprocessed as

energy andused to fuel allsorts ofdevices.Technologyagainprogressed,far faster thanit had evenbefore, andthe dwarven

inventors wereat theforefront. TheDwarvenMonarchyquicklytransformedinto acorporation,with theformer King

Blackforgenow going bya differenttitle: C.E.O.

The Dwarveshired otherraces to

process thesand, diggingup Bahamitecrystal whiletheir inventors

devised newways to use it.Many of theupstartsettlements ofThe Wastesbecameboomtownssitting atopcaches of thenew worlds

fuel. It did nottake longbefore otherraces resentedthe Dwarvesmonopoly andseveral groupsfought forstakes in theresource. Theearly bird gets

the wormhowever, andthe Dwarvesstill hold thelargestnumber ofBahamiteprocessingmills. Afteralmost fiftyyears,

Blackforge Inc.is the richesteconomy onKaverus.Though sinceReldravBlackforgeinherited the

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her full timeare Halflings,whosenomadicnature draws

them to thegoddess.

BahamutWhile thedragon godhas been deadfor the betterpart of a

decade, hischurch has notentirely diedout. TheDragonbornstill serve inhis name,hunting theEladrin thatcaused hisdeath, and his

various clericsare still findingthemselvesimbued withdivine power.As to whoexactly isgranting thispower,whetheranother deity

taking pity, orsomethingmore sinister,who is to say?

Corellon

The patron ofthe Eladrin,Corellon is notpubliclyworshipped in

most parts ofKaverus. Theelves, whoused toworship himalongsideMelora haveforsaken himalong with thearcane magiche rules over.

The fewwizards wholive in hidingoffer prayersto him forprotectionfrom thosewho wouldthem for theirpractices, andthe few

EladrinroamingKaverus stillrevere him,but actualchurches ofCorellon arevirtuallyunheard of.

ErathisBefore thecataclysm,every majorcity had atemple to thegoddess ofcivilizationand order, but

in a worldruled by chaosshe isworshippedmuch less.

The one groupthat doesworship herfully is thenation ofMalvaryn, aborderkingdom westof the wastes.The Devas andhumans of the

kingdomrevere thegoddess, andoften try toprofess thewonders of acivilizedgovernmentand life to thecitizens of TheWastes.

Usually theyare politelysent on theirway, thoughskirmisheshave eruptedfrom time totime.

Gruum

shOrcish piratesare one of thethreats ofsailing theopen seas inthe new world.Since the

orcish isleswere largelyuntouched byTheCataclysm,

raiders andpirates fromthe isles are alarge threat totrade ships orexplorationvessels. Mostorcish pirateships can beseen flying ablack flag with

a single redeye: the flagof Gruumsh,orcish god ofslaughter anddestruction.

IounWorshippedby monks andother

monasticorders, Iounschurch hasbecomeinsulated frommainstreamreligions. TheIouniansusuallyremovethemselves

from theworld,spending mostof their timediggingthroughancient textsand

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attempting toexcavate thepre-Cataclysmicworld beneath

the desert.Iounianworship,valuingancientknowledgerather thanmoderntechnologyseems strangeto most and

they are oftenthought of asluddites bymost. Ingeneral,Iounians aretreated with amixture ofsuspicion orfear, as manywould like to

know justwhat theyhave learnedwhile sealedaway in theirtemples.

KordKord was, andstill is, the godworshipped by

the goblinpeoples andtheHobgoblinsvehementlypreach hismessage ofwar and

honor, andhave rebuilttheir societyentirelyaround it.

Meanwhile theother goblinraces, nowseparatedfrom theirformermastersworship himas a god ofsavagery andbloodlust.

Otherbarbarianpeoplesrevere him aswell, offering aprayer to thewar godbefore goinginto battle. Itis rare to finda Kordian

temple in anylarge citythough, as hisworshippersare oftenprimitives orwanderers.

MeloraMelora is thegoddess of the

wilderness,and is reveredby many,especially theelves. Mostview TheCataclysm asthe result of

arcanemagics abuseon the world,and thus anassault on the

goddessherself.WhetherMelora herselfactuallydespisesarcane magicas much asher followers,or is merelytaking

advantage ofall the newworship is amystery, butit is hard totravel morethan a fewmiles withoutcoming acrossone of thegoddesss

shrines.

MoradinOnce the godof the forge,he is now thegod of thefactory.Dwarven

society stillreveres theircreator aboveall other gods,and theBlackforge Inc.logo isactually

derived fromthe gods holysymbol.Outside ofDwarven lands

the god ismuch lessrevered, but afew loneinventors orbusinessmendo worship thegod of stone,steel and fire.

NeftisNeftis is a newgod amongstthe pantheon.He is theScorpion God,and god of thedeserts andsavannahs ofthe waste.Most peopledo not even

know heexists, butwith Lolthdead, thedrow nowrevere Neftisas their deity.In truth, thegod is sinisterand scheming,just as evil as

the drowsformermatron, butNeftis is moresubtle andlessoppressive.He is also the

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god of torture,and the fewwho havewitnessedrituals to him

and lived totell about itspeak of theirdepravity.

PelorOther thanMelora, Peloris the mostcommonlyworshipped

deity onKaverus. Thesun godspaladins canoften be foundcrusadingagainstundeadoutbreaks orhelpingsettlements

beset bykobold raiders,while his morecasualworshippersinclude themany farmersand rancherswho live in themore fertileportions of

The Wastes.

TheRavenQueen

The Goddessof Death hashad manysouls passthrough her

realmrecently, andworship of TheDark Lady hasrisensignificantlysince TheCataclysm.Herdoomsayersand prophets

can be foundpreaching ofan imminentend to all lifeonmetropolitanstreet-cornerswhile herShadar Kaipaladins,brought from

TheShadowfell byTheCataclysm,bring a grimend to anywho opposeher will. In thefar north sheis revered asthe goddess of

winter, andmany respecther powerover their livesthere. Eventhe dwarves,normallysingular in

their worshipof Moradin,will often payrespect to TheRaven Queen,

for herdominion isinevitablewhether thechange ofseasons or theend of a life.

Sehani

neOnce close toCorrelon, thechurch of thisgoddess hassevered allties to theEladrins deity.Now she islargely

worshipped asthe goddess oflove and ofthe moon.Many whopraise Pelor byday will sayprayers toSehanine atnight, and hername is

invoked inmany loveletters. She isstill thegoddess oftrickery andillusionsthough, and

those whovalue thefreedom of anunpredictablelife can often

be countedamongst herflock. She isalso thefavored deityamongst thegnomes.

TiamatWith hernemesis dead

and newresource tohunger forTiamat hasbeen busysince TheCataclysm.Her koboldworshippersare a constantthreat for

desertsettlementsjust as muchas herwhispers ofprosperity togreedymerchantsand slavers.Tiamat is notopenly

worshippedamongst anyof the otherraces though,and theDragonborntreat herworshippers

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just like theywouldCorrelons.

VecnaThe god ofnecromancyhas beenlargelyforgottenamidst thechaos of TheCataclysm,and that is justhow he wantsit. His few

worshippersfollow hiscommands, bywaiting andlistening,delivering anyknowledgethey overhearback to theirdark master.He has not

been totallysilenthowever,withundead

outbreaks

becomingfairlycommon, it isobvious thatVecna has not

lost interest inthe affairs ofthe world.

ZehirYou haveheardwhispers of asnake-likerace from theeast, across

The EndlessSea. Theysow war in thename of theirsnake god,Zehir, aserpent thesize of a city.

NEW

RACE:HOBGOB

LINS

PhysicalQualitiesHobgoblinsare muscularcreatures, thatlook likeproportionately largergoblins. Theirskin tonesvary in colorfrom a gentleorange to a

deep red, and

their fur can

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RACIAL TRAITSAverage Height: 61 65

Average Weight: 190 240 lbs.

Ability Scores: +2 Con. +2 Cha. Size: Medium Speed: 6 Squares Vision: Low-Light

Languages: Common, Goblin Skill Bonuses: +2 Athletics, +2 Endurance Battle Ready: +2 Initiative bonus Hobgoblin Defenses: At the time of character creation, chooeither Fortitude, Reflex, or Will. You gain a +1 bonus to that defense. Hobgoblin Resilience:You gain the Hobgoblin Resilience racial po


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be brown,gray, black,auburn, orred. Theyhave flat

noses andbeady yelloweyes. Theyare usuallyvery muscular,as Hobgoblinsvalue physicalfitness andmartialprowess.Hobgoblins

live slightlylonger thanhumans,reachingadulthoodaround thesame timeand usuallyliving between80 and 120years.

PlayingaHobgoblinPrior to TheCataclysm,Hobgoblins

were merelyone race thatbelonged toTheConfederacyof GoblinStates, apowerful band

of variousgoblin tribesand nationslocked in aconstant

territorial warwith the morecivilizedEladrin. AfterThe Cataclysmthingschanged andTheHobgoblinsstarted theirown nation in

the easternportion of TheWastes,refusingcontact withthe othergoblin races.TheHobgoblinsfelt they hadevolved

beyond theirgoblin nature,and while theircousinsworshippedKord as a godof savagery,the hobgoblinsnowworshippedhim as a god

of honor andmartial skill.Hobgoblinsociety is oneof the onlysocieties thatdoes notharbor the

rest of theworldsdistaste forarcane magic,and

practitionersare commonamongst itspopulace.

HobgoblinAdventurerscould comefromnumerousbackgrounds.

Either they arein search ofways to honetheir skills,sinceHobgoblinsconstantlystrive for thepinnacle ofachievementin all things, or

they could beoutcasts tiredof the rigidstructure ofHobgoblinsociety. Mosthobgoblinspossess acalm andcalculatingtemperament,

with a quietrage lurkingbeneath it.They getalong withother racesrespectfully,but they have

an air ofsuperiorityabout them.Hobgoblinsdefinitely

believe thattheir variouscodes andlaws are whatall othersocietiesshould strivetowards. Theymaintainpeacefulrelations with

theirneighbors, butare quick toquell anybandits thatattempt tomake a homewithin theirborders.Male Names:Kershk, Vargil,

Tergil, Hodrid,Nagrimm,Turiv, LajFemaleNames:Losha, Vitru,Nem, Vekra,Keru, Koja,Perja

NEWRACE:

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arcane magic,which theyhave noqualms aboutusing. They

come tomaturityaround 20years of age,and live to be160 years oldor more.

Nachturin

AdventurersNachturin didnot alwaysresemble theircurrent selves.A thousandyears ago,before The

Cataclysm theNachturinwere merely atribe ofbarbarians inthe northernfoothills. Afterkilling awoundedsilver dragonfor food the

tribe learnedthat it was theconsort ofBahamut, andthe godpunishedthem, cursingthem and

sending themto the depthsof the earth.Most died, butothers

evolved,warped by thestrange magicof theunderdark.With the curselifted, TheNachturinhave returnedto the surface,to explore the

strange worldabove theyhad heardabout instories passeddown fromtheirancestors.Male Names:Keeb, Nerb,Glik, Tropp,

Klak, Sliv,VeekFemaleNames:Bleeth, Nopa,Nodi, Vaki,Vivi, Neeba,Vath

THEOTHER

RAC

ESThis sectioncovers howthe rest of theraces fit in tothe world ofKaverusbriefly. A fewraces I did notcover eitherbecause their

populationsare so smallthat they donot have asignificantimpact on theworld orbecause theyare unheard ofat this point.

ChangelingsChangelingsdo not havetheir ownsociety but aremasters ofmelding intoothers. Theydo not live

openly, astheir naturalability oftencausessuspicion, butinstead hideamongstvarious

settlements inThe Wastes.Whendiscoveredthey merely

move to thenext town andstart adifferent lifethere.

DevaDevas are rarein Kaverus.When one isborn they are

often sentaway toMalvaryn,where theyare revered asthe chosenpeople ofErathis. Thatparticularnation isgoverned by

three Deva,and thoughthe nation isnot old, theplan is for thesame threeDeva to ruleeternallythrough theirvariousreincarnations

. It is veryrare to meet aDeva that isnot fromMalvaryn, butoccasionallysome slipthrough the

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nations graspand end upwandering thewastes,seeking out

newexperiences.

DragonbornDragonborncontinuallymourn the lossof their patronGod. They

have becomerestless andmoody,roaming TheWastes inbands,exterminatingEladrin andarcane magicpractitionerswherever they

find them.Dragonbornare respectedthroughoutThe Wastes bymost, andwhen a packof them roaminto asettlement,the law of the

settlement isoften handedover to themfor thatduration, sothey canpurge thetown of any

unwantedwizards orwarlocks.

DrowWhen theEladrin calleddownBahamut tobind him itgave a groupof Drowwizards anidea.Desperate tobe free of the

matriarchalbonds of theirsocieties, theDrowcannibalizedtheir spidergoddess Lolth,attempting toharvest herpower. Whatthey got was

not power, butmadness. TheDrow wentinsane, andtheir largesubterraneanempire did notsurvive theiraffliction.When theyfinally

regained somesemblance oforder, the oldworld of theDrow was nomore. Now amore genderequal society,

but muchsmaller theyheaded for thesurface wherethey heard the

whispers ofthe scorpiongod Neftis.They havebecome lessthe organizedhierarchy theyonce were andnow scavengethe center ofthe wastes,

often referredto as TheSandsea,pillagingBahamite millswith theirlightweightskiffs,harnessing thepowerfulwindstorms

that ravagethe area.

DwarvesThe Dwarvenrace is nowBlackforge,Inc., acompany that

deals in everyindustryimaginable.They are theheftiesteconomicforce on theplanet, with

vast stockpilesof gold kept intheir banks.Dwarves stillenjoy a good

battle though,and as suchtheir biggestoperations arein weaponstechnologies.

EladrinEladrin arealmostuniversally

despised onKaverus.Many clip theirears to passas humans orsimply lie andsay theirelves,avoiding anytrue elves aswell as they

can. ManyEladrinreturned toThe Feywildafter TheCataclysm,but a few doroam theworld,searching fortheir place in

it. The onlyremainingEladrincommunitiesare smallmobile groupsformed whenEladrin meet

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each otherand realizethat there issafety innumbers.

ElvesThe Elveswere oncenobleprotectors ofnature and itsbeauty. Sincethe cataclysmthey havedecided to be

moreproactiveabout itsdefensethough,seeking andout andputting an endto arcanemagic, andany other

threat to theworld at large.Just recentlythey havebegun toinclude thedwarves intheircampaigning,noticing theeffect that the

Bahamite millsand thefactories ofBlackforgeCity have hadon thesurroundingbiospheres.

Elves arehaughty andself-importantas a people,believing that

they are thereto shepherdthe other lesscapable racesto a brightfuture, and ifany resentsuch herding,they are to beculled.

GenasiGenasi arentso much arace, as amutation ofsuch race,though someextremistGenasi seethemselves asmore of an

evolution. TheGenasi arehumanoidsaffected bythe magic ofThe Cataclysmon the mostbasic level.The elementalforces ofmagic have

worked theirway into theblood of aGenasi, givinghim a strangealienappearanceand granting

him somemeasure ofpower. Genasiare notwelcome in

manysocieties, andsomeextremistsconsider themwalkingarcaneconduits fitonly for death,which hascaused many

Genasi toband together.Some of theircommunitiesareparticularlyisolationist,preaching amessage of anew worldwhere the

exalted Genasihave broughtan end to allthe un-evolved races.

GnomesGnomes wereonce

rebellioustricksters ofthe world,inherentlyinterested inthe magic ofillusions, eversince escaping

the slavery ofThe Fomoriansof TheFeywild.Recently

however, theworld haschanged in away that theGnomes arenotcomfortablewith. ArcaneMagic hasbeen brandedoutlawed and

their one timeallies, TheEladrin are allbut gone. Thegnomes oncehad a greatcity,Abbenduin,deep withinthe forests ofSouthern

Kaverus, andwell known forits arcanecollege,regarded asthe best in theworld. Thismade it one ofthe firsttargets forroaming Elven

mage hunters.The gnomesdidnt havethe energy towar with theelves, and somost of theirmages were

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imprisoned orexecuted. Theruler ofAbbenduin,Arch

ChancellorKaddipingathered hispeople and setout for a newhome. Theyspent most ofthe kingdomsmoney on oneof BlackforgeInc.s newest

technologies,giant airships,and set out ona mission ofexploration.They fly allacross theglobe,reporting backto their centralbase every

few months,and search fora new homewhether onKaverus or inThe Feywild.

GoliathsGoliaths were

once a proudrace, dwellingwithin themountains andkeeping tothemselves.They hadstrong

traditions ofcraftsmanshipandhospitality.When The

Dwarvesbegan toprosper theyquickly movedin on TheGoliathsterritory,buying it upquickly andtakingadvantage of

theirinexperiencewith money.The Goliathswere swindledout of theirhomelands,and by thetime theyrealized whathappened it

was too late.These daysThe Goliathslargely live inDwarven landsas employedmuscle andbodyguards.Some Goliathshave recentlybegan to fight

back,attempting toretake someof theirhomelands.These Goliathshave beenlabeled as

terrorists bythe Dwarves,but they seethemselves asfreedom

fighters.

HalflingsHalflingslargely liveamongst thehumans of thedesert. Afterhumans, they

are the mostcommon racein the centralWastes,though theyare far lesssedentary.Most take uplives that letthem wander,as guides,

explorers,mercenariesor travellingmerchants.Halflings areanimpressionable race, butfickle, pickingup on thepractices or

customs of arace andassimilating itinto their own,thenbecomingbored andfinding an

entirely newway of lifelater.Currently theyfind Elven life

fascinatingand manyhave turned tothe earth andits primalforces inrecent years.

Half-OrcsOrcsthemselveswere not astrongpresence inthe world as itapproachedTheCataclysm,having lost awar with men

and elvesseveralmillennia ago,they hadretreated towhat wouldbecomeknown as TheOrcish Isles.They stayedthere for

thousands ofyears,becoming aseafaring raceand rarelybeing heardfrom untilrecently when

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Orcish piratesbegan to popup all over theseas, pillagingfor gold and

Gruumshsglory. Thispillagingsometimesleads to thebirth of a Half-Orc, thoughany couplingof human andorc couldtheoretically

create one.As such Half-Orcs livedifficult lives,being theproduct of anon-consensualrelationshipand without atrue society of

their own.

Level 1At-WillPrayer

s

Level 1EncounterPrayers

Level 1Daily

Powers

Level 2UtilityPrayers

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Level 3Encoun

terPrayers

Level 5Daily

Prayers

Level 6UtilityPrayer

s

Level 7Encoun

terPrayers

Level 9DailyPrayer

s

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Level22

UtilityPrayers

Level23

EncounterPrayers

Level25Daily

Prayers

Level

27EncounterPrayers

Level29DailyPrayers

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FearbornInquisitorPrerequisite:Avenger,oath of

castigationpower

To witness thepower of yourgod is to trulyknow fear, andyou are thechannel thatpower flowsthrough. With

each attackyour enemieslearn to fearyourdestructivepower moreand more.You consider

the wake ofslain enemiesyou leave notonly a taskaccomplished,

but a warningto others thatcrossing youand your deityis ill advised.

FEARBORNINQUISITOR

FEATURES:

FrightfulAction (11th

Level):Whenever youspend anaction pointyour oathtarget isdazed until

the end ofyour nextturn.Born of Fear(11th Level):You gain +5 tosaving throwsagainst feareffects.Terrorize theMeek (16th

Level):Whenever youuse a powerwith the fearkeyword youmay push thetarget 1square after

the attack hasbeen resolved.

FEARBORNINQUISITOR

POWERS:

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Kaverus Campaign Primer