Noman's Vessel - Migsect/Pathfinder-Homebrew-References GitHub Wiki
The behemoth of an locomotive slowly moves along its gargantuan rails in the nearly endless light of the dusty lands, pulling behind it ten equally massive cars. The sides of each train is covered in paintings of various vibrant hues. The paintings overlapping each other greatly. You can see a good number of children hanging out on the edges, watching your vessel with utmost curiosity.
Noman’s Vessel is a chaotic mess of artistry, welcoming, and a close knit community. Even though the organization of the vessel is chaotic in nature, the high spirits and willingness to help of every member contributes towards a successful mess.
The vessel is largely managed by “Families”, albeit non biological. Additionally, there are very little barriers which define who is in a family and who isn’t. Families are largely self governing and self supporting and as a result, no one goes hungry or alone for a night.
Noman's vessel is a train that can support the population of a small city. Additionally, it has many structures (locked and secured as well) that hint back to a prior age.
The sides of the trains are painted with beautiful murals or overlapped graffiti. The inside buildings and structures are somewhat built chaotically with a wide range of qualities of structures. Some structures are newly constructed, making use of stone and wood sourced from the forest farms on the top floor, others are simply tents. Some of the structures constructed of metal are remnants of the prior age and are re-purposed for living.
Name: Noman's Vessel
Alignment: Chaotic-Good
Type: Small City
Government: Utopia Experiment
Population: 13,500
Qualities: Broad Minded, Cultured, Resettled Ruins, Supportive
Corruption -1: Corruption measures how open a settlement’s officials are to bribes, how honest its citizens are, and how likely anyone in town is to report a crime. Low corruption indicates a high level of civic honesty. A settlement’s corruption modifies all Bluff checks made against city officials or guards and all Stealth checks made outside (but not inside buildings or underground).
Crime +1: Crime is a measure of a settlement’s lawlessness. A settlement with a low crime modifier is relatively safe, with violent crimes being rare or even unknown, while a settlement with a high crime modifier is likely to have A powerful thieves’ guild and a significant problem with violence. The atmosphere generated by a settlement’s crime level applies as a modifier on Sense Motive checks to avoid being bluffed and to Sleight of Hand checks made to pick pockets.
Economy +4: A settlement’s economy modifier indicates the health of its trade and the wealth of its successful citizens. A low economy modifier doesn’t automatically mean the town is beset with poverty—it could merely indicate A town with little trade or one that is relatively self-sufficient. Towns with high economy modifiers always have large markets and many shops. A settlement’s economy helps its citizens make money, and thus it applies as a modifier on all Craft, Perform, and Profession checks made to generate income.
Law +0: Law measures how strict a settlement’s laws and edicts are. A settlement with a low law modifier isn’t necessarily crime-ridden—in fact, A low law modifier usually indicates that the town simply has little need for protection since crime is so rare. A high law modifier means the settlement’s guards are particularly alert, vigilant, and well-organized. The more lawful A town is, the more timidly its citizens tend to respond to shows of force. A settlement’s law modifier applies on Intimidate checks made to force an opponent to act friendly, Diplomacy checks against government officials, or Diplomacy checks made to call on the city guard (see sidebar).
Lore +4: A settlement’s lore modifier measures not only how willing the citizens are to chat and talk with visitors, but also how available and accessible its libraries and sages are. A low lore modifier doesn’t mean the settlement’s citizens are idiots, just that they’re close-mouthed or simply lack knowledge resources. A settlement’s lore modifier applies on Diplomacy checks made to gather information and Knowledge checks made using the city’s resources to do research when using a library.
Society +7: Society measures how open-minded and civilized A settlement’s citizens are. A low society modifier might mean many of the citizens harbor prejudices or are overly suspicious of out-of-towners. A high society modifier means that citizens are used to diversity and unusual visitors and that they respond better to well-spoken attempts at conversation. A settlement’s society modifier applies on all Disguise checks, as well as on Diplomacy checks made to alter the attitude of any non-government official.
Dozens of markets are dotted around the vessel, organized not by any governing body but instead by the shared mercantile desires. Bartering is a given for these markets. Additionally, these markets may be searched for rare items, if one searches well enough.
Purchase Limit: 47.5k-gp (The highest amount one can sell a single item for)
Base Value: 6.8k-gp (Determines probability for finding item beneath this value)
| Checks per Week | |
|---|---|
| Minor | 4d4 |
| Moderate | 3d4 |
| Major | 1d6+1 |
| Find Chance | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Value Relation | Gold Relation | Chance | Equivalent DC |
| Less than Half of Base Value | < 3.4k-gp | 100% | DC 1 |
| Less than Base Value | < 6.8k-gp | 75% | DC 6 |
| Base Value | = 6.8k-gp | 50% | DC 11 |
| Greater than Base Value | > 6.8k-gp | 25% | DC 16 |
| Greater than Twice Base Value | > 13.6k-gp | 10% | DC 19 |
Here is a list of what is always Available in town (and don't use searches):
- All simple and martial weapons.
- All early firearms that are below forth base-value for one-handed, below half base-value for two-handed weapons. You can search for better value but they follow the search rules for magic items.
- All 1st- and 2nd-Level potions.
- All 1st-, 2nd-, and 3rd-Level scrolls.
- All 1st-Level wands.
- All potions
- All scrolls at or below 8th-Level.
- All +1 Enhancement bonus magic items
Markets are spread out and have specializations. As a result, there are only so many markets one can get to reasonably in a day. Through normal walking, one can only reach two different types of markets.
The types of markets are:
- General Goods: Anything that is used for travel and daily living.
- Wizards Market: Wands, potions, scrolls, and non-wearable wondrous items.
- Armor and Clothing: Wearables (armor, boots, gloves, etc).
- Weaponry: Any weapons (Simple or Martial).
- Technology: Trains and Tinkering.
The culture of Noman’s Vessel is one unlike any other. There is no centrally governing body, instead the peoples of the train both police their own as well as support their own.
Within the chaos of this society, there are Families that are more ordered and have something of a structure. When one chooses to live within Norman’s Vessel, one is allowed to choose their family which generally turns out to the people that supported the new comer. Even if one is individualistic, they will gain the support of a family. These families are interwoven and one may belong to multiple families, however there still are friendly rivalries. Yet even these rivalries are for the betterment of everyone and do not boil over into fighting.
There exists 10 cars and 1 locomotive pulling the train along. There is not much specialization among these cars and as such, most are homogeneous with peoples.
The locomotive is larger locked down from entrance. There does exist windows on the outside, but the inner workings of the locomotive are not fully understood. Some individuals of the Engineers family are allowed to enter the locomotive, but it is a secret that the Engineers keep about its inner workings. It is known that the clockwork automatons called "Fixers" originate from the locomotive.
The cars consists of multiple floors, each of which are a few (4-6) stories tall.
The lowest floor are the hangars, these have a good amount of turn tables, platforms, switches, and junction yards. The hangars are almost completely open on their side, showing their supports. There exists multiple groups that manage a hangar per train car, these groups are often a close nit family and are headed by a Chief.
The next floor up are called the "Works", in this floors are machinery that make up the various systems that maintain the city. This includes waste (sewage) management, water production (and steam), and air circulation. Groups work at maintaining the integrity of the works, however when there are serious breakdowns the "fixers" come out and repair the system that is damaged.
The next six floors consist of living quarters and markets. Due to the size of the floors, there are structures that existed in the train prior to its in-habitation and those that have constructed during the course of people living there. This is also the floor that Vaults occur in, structures from a long past age with locked doors as well as advanced security systems. However it is rumored that vaults have untold treasures inside.
The top floor (roof) are the gardens. There exists a great deal of arable land to grow crops on as well as to source wood. An advanced system of pumps deliver water as well as fertilizer (produced from the towns waste) to the soil, making the gardens highly productive in producing food for the town. Additionally, some of the cars hold forests on their top, albeit they take up a small percentage of the land.
Below are listed the prominent families on the train. These families do not completely run the train, and some denizens of the vessel belong to multiple of these families.
Consisting largely of orphaned children, the Lost Boys work as messengers as well as traders. They also work to provide themselves with meals and education or training. The Lost Boys all seek to graduate from the family and join another family more fully in the future. Older Lost Boys take on leadership roles while the younger ones care for each other.
Lost Boys are playful but also empathetic. They are one of the core families of Noman’s Vessel and regularly send representatives to meetings. The Lost Boys are dominantly male, but will accept tom girls as well. They focus on “Becoming Men”. Some adult males and females do interact with the family but are not considered members.
There exists a sister family called the "Lost Girls" that share similar values as the Lost Boys. The Lost Boys have a close relationship with the Lost Girls.
The Magi consists of spell casters and is largely an academic community. Due to the use of magic, they largely do not need to take care of their own members, yet they do self-police the use of magic. The Magi has a council of Masters who have are seen as capable in their magics.
The Magi, while not the largest of the families, is probably the most spread out among other families. As a result, they are the ones that often mediate conflicts between different families. Additionally, they often act as impromptu judges for punishments.
Brawlers Family consists of those focused on martial training as well as honing their body. They are a family focused on protecting the weak as well as perfecting the art that is the physical form.
The Brawlers are the closest thing there is to a system of Guards. They often wish to keep physical confrontation down and if it does occur, to make sure the environment where it can occur is safe for both parties. They are vehemently opposed to abusing the strengths of oneself to impose on others.
The Thieves Family consists of rogues and other shady individuals. However the family is less concerned with wealth but more so charity. While they provide detective services in addition to intelligence tasks, the Thieves are mostly concerned with maintaining the balance between other families, such that one family does not accumulate an exceedingly large amount of wealth or power to try to stage a coup to control the train.
The Thieves Family acts as counter intelligence as well as a form of tax for living on the train, which they then redistribute. While they often ask for contributions (donations) from other families, they are not afraid to use force (or subversion or manipulation) to achieve their goals. While some are wary of the Thieves and their underhanded tactics, the culture and leadership of the group largely wish to keep intact the balance of the train. As a result, families that often refuse to donate to the Thieves often dissolve quickly.
The reason why most people support and trust the Thieves is due more to having a family member that is in the Thieves that they can trust. The Thieves largely emphasize the ability that they can be trusted and treat infractions against their reputation as highly punishable. Additionally, the charity that they provide to the vessel also gains the support of those who live on the vessel.
A defining trait of the Thieves is their devotion to art. They are one of the highest supporter of the arts and put on plays and run galleries. Additionally, they finance a good number of public works. Almost every member of the Thieves has some connection or appreciation for art, whether it be music, literature, paintings, or theater.
The Vaulters are a family that intends to seek out the unknown about the vessel they are on. They are determined to open the multiple vaults that exist on the vessel as well as to explore the ruins in the wastes around them.
The Vaulters also act as the historians of the vessel, keeping track of important events as well as handling various newspapers. The vaulters run publishing services for books and wish to make knowledge well spread. They also run a multitude of schools and have deep connections with the Thieves, Lost Boys, and the Magi.
The Wanderers is a very strange one. They don’t have much structure, but it is the one that a great number of adventurers take part in. The Wanderers are closer to an adventurer guild and often expects independence of the family’s members. Even then, some of the prominent members of the family are highly charitable to other members that need help.
The Hangar Men are all the families that work in the hangars. While they call themselves men, it does not necessarily mean they are all male (it is only a name and they don't want to call it "Hangar People" because that sounds weird).
The Hangar Men are an extremely competitive family that consists of multiple "Teams" (which are sub-families) that compete to provide better service for train docking. Additionally the teams work as the interface for cargo.
In addition to their docking services, the Hangar Men often run some larger outpost vessels that patrol the dust plains as well as act as smaller towns that can refuel trains and offer support.
There are also many competitions and tournaments that the Hangar Men put on, often putting internal teams against each other in sports and games. These events are often looked forward to by many other families and there is a great amount of loyalty that denizens feel towards these sports teams.
The engineers are a secretive group that maintains the underlying systems of the vessels. The group overall doesn't do much to improve the public good, but they do provide a needed service. The core belief of the engineers is "When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all." As a result they are not much in the public's consciousness until somethings goes terribly wrong.
Rojo is the male human that leads Team Rojo and is part of the Hangar Men family. He is extremely friendly and well meaning, but he can be ignorant at times. His real name is not actually Rojo, it is just a formality that the leader of a hangar team take on the team name.
Trit is a female kobold who is one of the Engineers. He is often the face of the engineers that puts out public announcements as well as creates bounties.
Niam Leeson is a male human who is one of the more famous members of the Thieves. He is a prominent actor and is fauned over by many of the girls on the train. He is also one who puts out bounties and recruits for missions needed by the Thieves.
Rufio is a male elf and one of the most popular kids in the Lost Boyes and is quite a good hunter. He is the one that often asks the leaders of other families for help or work.
Harrison Kelly is as male human and one of the more vocal vaulters. He is also a prominent author that puts out stories of his adventures.