Nobility

The Kingdom of Muriah recognizes the following titles of nobility, in order of stature:

• King/Queen: The head-of-state, naturally. The residing King/Queen chooses their heir, which is typically by blood, and confirmed by the Eccleastical Convent, who are religious advisers to the throne representing all the major legal religions. The King/Queen has the power to bestow any title/apointment to whomever they wish, but in most cases they allow the region or village to make their appointment themselves.
• Prince/Princess: The official royal heirs to the throne. May hold other titles, such as Duke or Marquis. When a new King/Queen is needed, the Eccleastical Convent chooses from amongst the ranks of titled Princes and Princesses. Generally they are blood relatives, but there are isolated cases of individuals being awarded the title of Prince or Princess due to great service to the realm.
• Marquis/Marquessa: The Marquis/Marquessa is the King's governor of one of the traditional regions of Muriah. There are a total of 12 Marquis, five greater (sometimes called Grand Marquis) and seven lesser, representing the major and minor regions of Muriah. In some instances, the local ruler also serves as the Marquis of that region, such as the Dwarvan Clan Lord in the Clanlands.
• Earl: A royal advisor to the king, holding one of any number of advisory "stations". Their relative rank amongst other members of nobility varies depending on this station; a noble can be an Earl as well as holding another landed title, such as Duke or Count. Currently there are no fewer than 62 Earls in the court of King Theodotus Legatus III
• Count/Countess: Ruler of a major metropolis and its surrounding lands.
• Duke/Duchess: Governor of a city, and its surrounding areas. Reports directly to the Marquis/Marquessa.
• Baron/Baroness: Head of any small town. Pays fealty to the local Duke/Duchess or Count/Countess.
• Landgrave/Landgravine: The lowest rank of landed nobility, they govern any settlement ranging from a simple plantation to a large village. In many instances a local farming commune will not have a local noble in charge, and instead have an official representative of the Duke/Count, who will serve as the village reave.
• Lord/Lady: Unlanded member of a royal family, or individual granted the title of nobility based on service to the realm. Sometimes used as the generic title of address as well.

In the Bloodcoast, there are only three ranks of nobility:

• Sultan: One of the three rulers, each representing one of the historic tribes of the Bloodcoast, they share power and govern the city of Arroch. Equivalent to a Marquis/Marquessa.
• Pasha: Governor of a city. Equivalent to a Duke.
• Bey: Overseer of a village or town. About equivalent to a Landgrave.
• Effendi: An unlanded noble, so equivalent to a Lord or Lady.

Alternate Materials: Cloth

• Cotton, Linen, Wool, etc.: Clothing across the realm comes in many types, from warm wool jackets, to fine cotton brocade, to even the simplest of burlap tunics.
• Silk: Farmed from the esteemed silk worms of Niondel, this valuable, if somewhat rare, material is highly favored for its luxorious feel and durability.
• Gossamer: A magically enhanced thread harvested from spider webs in the underworld, it is extremely lightweight and strong. Its crafting is fiercely guarded by the Drow elves, though a few pieces have made their way to the surface realms.
• Silksteel: Regular silk cloth enchanted to be as strong as steel, it is worn by nobles and elites for non-obvious protection. It can only be found by request from the Elven Silk Lords.
• Spellweave: This potent magical cloth is highly sought after by magic users the realms over for its ability to help them attune to the subtle nature of magic, and the veil. Its crafting is known only by members of the church of Enchantra.
• Organium: A living, symbiotic fungus that forms ropy threads, it can be crafted - with difficulty - into clothing that bonds with the wearer, greatly enhancing their own physical abilities. Once worn, however, it cannot be removed without destroying the cloth, and causing severe injury and pain.
• Fireskein: Taken from denizens of the Elemental Plane of Fire, this inherently magical cloth is naturally resistant to fire, and enhances all fire effects when worn.
• Stormthread: Harvested from the mighty thunderheads on the Elemental Plane of Air, this rare cloth is naturally imbued with resistance to electricity, and enhances all electricity effects.
• Astral Thread: The githyanki craft this magical thread from the severed silver cords of travelers slain on the Astral plane. Also known as Fatethread, or Silverthread, it has many magical properties.
• Shadowthread: Formed from shadowstuff from the Plane of Shadow, this dark, nebulous material barely has any substance, yet makes for a strong, and magical, cloth.
• Tempestskein: This weave of Fireskein and Stormthread is very rare, and very valuable.
• Planar Weave: Formed from the very stuff of creation, from the farthest and wildest reaches of the Outer Planes, Planar Weave is that which only the greatest of deities wear. It has many magical properties.

Game Effects

Cloth	Clothing Effects	Craft DC Mod	Hardness	Hit Points
Cotton, Wool, Linen, etc.	None	+0	0	2
Silk	+1 Move Silently (Circumstance)	+2	0	3
Gossamer	+1 Armor, wearer immune to entanglement effects.	+6	1	3
Silksteel	+2 Armor, +1 Move Silently (Circumstance)	+8	10	30
Spellweave	+2 Caster Level checks (Inherent)	+10	1	4
Organium	+2 to highest physical stat (Dex/Str/Con), +2 to psionic level checks, +1 Natural Armor, Removal causes 3d6 damage	+12	2	5
Fireskein	Fire Resist 25, +1 CL with Fire effects	+15	1	4
Stormthread	Electricity Resist 25, +1 CL with Electricity effects	+15	1	4
Astral Threads	+1 CL for Teleportation effects, 1/day +2 to any one roll	+18	2	5
Shadowweave	+4 Hide (Inherent), +1 CL to Darkness effects, 1/day Shadow Step	+18	0	2
Tempestskein	Resist Fire/Electricity 20, +1 CL with Fire and Electricity effects.	+20	1	4
Planar Weave	+2 Armor, Resist All 15, DR 1/-, +2 to caster level checks	+30	5	15

Alternate Materials: Leather

This is but a small sampling of the possible hides available to those with leatherworking talents.
• Leather: Be it from cows, horses, dogs, or any other mammalian creature, leathers are a useful and popular source for light armors.
• Dire Leather: From the hides of the primeval dire animals that can be found in the wilderness comes this especially thick and tough leather. It makes for a sturdy armor.
• Ankheg Plates: The chitinous, armor-like hide of the beetle-like Ankheg can be fashioned into a tough non-metallic plate armor that is naturally resistant to acid.
• Dragonhide: Dragons have long been sought for the potency of their hide in leatherworking. The older the dragon, the more powerful the armor that can be crafted. A dragon must be at least a Juvenile for its hide to be useful. Up through Young Adult, their hides can be used to fashion all normal leather or hide armors. Dragons that are at least Adults, up until Old dragons, have hides that can be used to fashion scale or banded armors. Very old to Great Wyrm dragons have hides that are so tough they can be used to create half-plate (non-metallic). Armor made from the hide of a dragon grants the wearer resistance to the element that that dragon is resistant to (e.g. Blue Dragonhide Armor grants resistance to Electricity).
• Wyvern Hide: These winged beasts are hunted for mounts, guardians, and even their hide. Their leather is often used to make leather and hide armors, as well as cloaks. Those wearing Wyvern hide seem to gain an innate resistance to toxins and poisons.
• Gorgon Hide: A dangerous game, hunting Gorgons, but their stony hide can be fashioned into all manner of leather, hide, or even scale armors. Those wearing Gorgon hide gain a resistance to many petrification attacks.
• Umber Hulk Plates: While not leather in the usual sense, the chitinous plating of the Umber Hulk is often used to craft non-metallic armors, namely hide, scale, and banded armors. Those donning such plate gain an inherent bolstering of their mental defenses.
• Hydra Scale: This mythical beast, worshipped by followers of Chaos, has a potent hide useful for crafting leather, scale, and hide armors. Those that don such armor are granted with a small fraction of the beasts endurance, able to quickly recover from wounds and injuries.
• Displacer Beast Hide: The elusive displacer beast has a magical hide that can be cured and fashioned into cloaks and leather armor. It retains some of its concealing nature, though often it is ensorcelled to enhance this effect.

Game Effects

Leather	Armor Types*	Armor Effect	Craft DC Mod	Hardness	Hit Points
Cow, Horse, Dog, etc.	Leather, Hide	None	+0	2	5
Dire Leather	Leather, Hide	+1 Armor (Inherent)	+2	2	6
Ankheg Plates	Hide, Banded, Half-Plate	Resist Acid 5	+4	5	10
Wyvern Hide	Leather, Hide, Cloaks	+4 Saves vs. Poison (Inherent)	+6	3	6
Gorgon Hide	Leather, Hide, Scale	+2 Saves vs. Petrification (Inherent)	+8	10	15
Displacer Beast Hide	Leather, Hide, Cloaks	+10% Concealment (Inherent)	+8	2	5
Umber Hulk Plates	Hide, Banded, Breastplate	+4 Will Saves (Enhancement)	+10	5	10
Hydra Scales	Leather, Hide, Scale	Fast Healing: 1	+14	5	8
Dragonhide (Juvenile)	Leather, Hide	Resist Element: 5, -10% Weight, -1 Skill Penalty, -4 Diplomacy checks vs. Dragons	+10	6	8
Dragonhide (Adult)	Leather, Hide, Scale, Banded	Resist Element: 10, -10% Weight, -1 Skill Penalty, -4 Diplomacy checks vs. Dragons	+15	10	10
Dragonhide (Old)	Banded, Breastplate, Half-Plate	Resist Element: 20, -10% Weight, -1 Skill Penalty, -4 Diplomacy checks vs. Dragons	+20	15	15

* Leather includes Leather and Studded Leather armors.

Alternate Materials: Wood

• Oak, Ash, Pine, Elm, etc.: Standard woods from across the realms. There is little difference between the types, typically.
• Yew: A rare, natural wood that is stronger than most, and ideal for crafting tools and weaponry.
• Stoutwood: Special trees, tended by Elven forest-keepers, produce Stoutwood. It is stronger than even Yew, and sought after for bows and crossbows.
• Grovewood: The wood of trees found in a Dryad's grove is naturally imbued with their subtle magics.
• Heartwood: The wood from the heart of a treant has many properties useful in crafting.
• Ironwood: This Fey wood is as hard and strong as iron, hence its name. Some cultures have even used it in crafting armor.
• Deeproot: Found in deep pockets of the elemental plane of Earth, this pliable, ropy wood is naturally impervious to acid.
• Iceshard Stalks: Iceshard Kelp grows in great stands on the elemental plane of Water. The stalks from the kelp can be used to craft an assortment of tools, weapons, and shields.
• Corpruswood: Favored by necromancers and the undead, Corpruswood comes from the few dried out, lifeless husks that dot the Negative material plane. It is infused with the life-draining energy of that plane.
• Shadowwood: From the echoes of normal trees on the plane of Shadow comes shadowwood, a light, strong material with numerous special properties.
• Lifewood: In the outer planes grow the eternal Life Trees. Undying, their wood continues to live on, and through magical means can be fashioned into self-sustaining tools and goods.

Game Effects

Wood	General Effect	Weapon Effect	Armor Effect	Craft DC Mod	Hardness	Hit Points
Oak, Ash, Elm, Pine, etc.	None	None	None	0	5	10
Yew	None	+25% Range Bows/Crossbows	None	+2	6	12
Stoutwood	10% Lighter	+50% Range Bows, +1 Dam Crossbows	None	+4	8	15
Grovewood	None	None	+2 Saves (Resistance)	+6	8	15
Heartwood	None	Bows/Crossbows: +1 Att (Inherent) Ammunition: +1 Dam	+4 Saves (Resistance) vs. Death effects	+8	8	15
Ironwood	None	Counts as Cold Iron for DR	Can be used in place of any type of metallic armor; 50% lighter than equivalent metal armor	+10	10	30
Deeproot	Impervious to Acid	None	Can make Leather/Hide/Banded; Resist Acid 5	+12	8	40
Iceshard Stalks	Impervious to Cold	+1 Cold dam; x2 vs. Fire (and bypass DR)	Shields: Resist Cold 10	+12	5	12
Corpruswood	None	+1 Negative energy damage	Shields: Positive Energy Resist 10; Attackers in melee take 1 point of negative energy damage each round	+15	5	15
Shadowwood	50% Lighter	+50% Range, +1 Dam	Shields: -2 Armor Check Penalty, Darkness 3/day CL 5; Armor: 1 category lighter, -4 Armor Check penalty, +2 Max Dex, -10% ASF (plate/banded/lamellar armors only)	+20	5	10
Lifewood	Heals 1 point/round	Bows/Crossbows: +1 Att/Dam (Inherent) Ammunition: Entangle on the target (Reflex DC 20 to avoid, CL 10)	Shields: bearer gets 1 free bash attack per round at highest BAB Armor (Leather/Hide/Banded/Plate/Lamellar): Wearer immune to Death effects	+25	8	50

Alternate Materials: Metals

• Bronze: An alloy of copper and tin, this metal is still used in some areas for weapons and armor. Heavier and softer than iron or steel, it is easy to work with.
• Iron: This common ferrous metal is frequently used in cheap arms, armor, tools, and construction. Heavier and more brittle than steel, it is also prone to rust and deterioration.
• Cold Iron: Mined from only the deepest mines, cold iron is naturally magic absorptive, and is hard as steel.
• Silver: Typically used for ornamental weapons, silver or silvered weapons are sometimes used to defeat certain creatures resistant to normal weaponry. Because silver is a malleable metal, it makes for poor weapons.
• Steel: An alloy of iron and carbon, steel is much harder and much more resitant to corrosion than iron. This results in tools, arms, and armor that are more effective and lighter than bronze or iron equivalents. Steel has become the standard metal for most things in the Kingdom of Muriah.
• Fine Steel: A high grade variant of steel, it is typically lighter and slightly stronger than standard steel. And more costly.
• Meteoric Steel: A very rare steel fashioned from the body of fallen stars, meteoric steel weapons and armor is highly prized for their quality and effectiveness.
• Mithral: A magical alloy of silver and steel, the creation of mithral (or mithril) is a closely guarded secret by the elven realms. It is a wonderfully light, strong metal prized for arms, armor, and magical items.
• Adamantium: An extremely dense, dark metal, adamantium is found in the deepest veins, and is said to proliferate in areas with a particular affinity for the elemental plane of Earth. The dwarves of the realms are the masters of working with adamantium.
• Dark Iron: Also known as Shadowsteel, this incredibly light metal is as black as night. Found only on the Plane of Shadow, it seems to suppress the light around it, or draw in the shadows closely to it.
• Aquaviius: A greenish, coppery metal mined on the elemental plane of Water, also called Greensteel, it is extremely cold to the touch, and is impervious to corrosion or rust.
• Auran Steel: An extremely crystalline metal from the elemental plane of Air, this amazingly light material is valuable in arms and armor.
• Obsinium: Found near volcanoes and the elemental plane of Fire, Obsinium or Firesteel is always hot to the touch, and is a dark, smoky gray.
• Astral Steel: Mined by the Githerzai and Githyanki on the Astral plane, Astral Steel is very rare, and very valuable. Incredibly light and impossibly hard, it is a key material needed for vorpal weapons.
• Ultiminium: A near impossible alloy of adamantium and astral steel, it is a legendary material said to be nigh indestructible.
• Godsteel: In the far corners of the Outer Planes, deep in the demesne of the most powerful Gods, this metal is fashioned from the will of the devout. Utterly indestructible, little is known of this epic metal.

Game Effects

Metal	General Effect	Weapon Effect	Armor Effect	Craft DC Mod	Hardness	Hit Points
Bronze	+25% Heavier	-1 Damage	+2 Armor Check Penalty	-2	8	15
Iron	+10% Heavier	None	None	-1	10	30
Cold Iron	+2,000 Gold to Enchant	Defeats some DR	+1 Saves (Resist) vs. Spells	+4	10	30
Silver	None	-1 Damage; Defeats some DR	None	Use Craft (Alchemy)	8	10
Steel	None	None	None	0	10	30
Fine Steel	10% Lighter	None	None	+2	10	30
Meteoric Steel	10% Lighter	+1 Attack (Inherent)	Resist Electricity 5, -1 Skill Check Penalty	+4	12	30
Mithral (Mithril)	50% Lighter	+1 Attack (Inherent)	-3 Skill Check Penalty, -10% ASF, +2 Max Dex, 1 Category Lighter	+8	15	30
Adamantium	25% Heavier	+1 Damage, Bypass hardness up to 20; Defeats some DR	DR: Light and Shields 1/-, Medium 2/-, Heavy 3/-	+10	20	40
Dark Iron (Shadowsteel)	50% Lighter	+1 Negative Energy Damage, +1 Attack (Inherent)	+4 Hide (Inherent), -10% ASF, +2 Max Dex, -4 Skill Check Penalty, 1 Category Lighter	+12	15	15
Aquaviius (Greensteel)	10% Lighter	+1 Cold Damage, x2 Damage vs. Fire (and ignores DR)	Resist Cold 5, Water Breathing while worn	+12	18	35
Auran Steel	75% Lighter	+2 Attack (Inherent), x2 vs. Earth (and ignores DR), double range on ammo/weapons	Swift Fly CL 10 3/day	+15	15	20
Obsinium (Firesteel)	10% Lighter, immune to fire	+1 Fire damage, x2 vs. Water (and ignores DR)	Resist Fire 20	+12	15	30
Astral Steel	50% Lighter	Ghost Touch, +1 Attack (Inherent)	Armor Bonus applied to Touch attacks, -10% ASF, +2 Max Dex, -4 Skill Check Penalty, 1 Category Lighter	+15	15	20
Ultiminium	10% Lighter	+2 Damage, Crit Multiplier +1, bypass hardness up to 25, considered Epic/Adamantium for DR	DR: Light and Shields 2/-, Medium 4/-, Heavy 6/-, applies Armor bonus to Touch attacks	+20	25	50
Godsteel	Indestructible	x2 Damage, +1 Crit Multiplier, Threat Range, bypass all hardness; Considered Epic/Adamantium/Silver for DR	DR: Light and Shields 6/-, Medium 12/- Heavy 25/-, Resist All 10	+30	N/A	N/A

Perform skill and Bards

Bard's start play knowing a number of styles of Performance equal to their Intelligence modifier + 1 (Minimum of 1). They may learn additional styles of Perform as normal: by spending an equal number of skill points for each additional style.

Ex.: Cylius the bard has a 12 Intelligence. At level 1, he has a Perform skill of 4, and chooses Comedy and Oratory as his two Perform styles (Int Mod + 1 Styles). At level 2, he can raise his Perform to 5. Thus when performing Comedy or Oratory, he has a skill of 5. If he wanted to learn another style at the same skill level, such as Stringed Instruments, he'd have to spend 5 skill points.

Styles or Techniques
• Act (comedy, drama, mime)
• Comedy (buffoonery, limericks, joke-telling)
• Dance (ballet, waltz, jig)
• Keyboard instruments (harpsichord, piano, pipe organ)
• Oratory (epic, ode, storytelling)
• Percussion instruments (bells, chimes, drums, gong)
• String instruments (fiddle, harp, lute, mandolin)
• Wind instruments (flute, pan pipes, recorder, shawm, trumpet)
• Singing (ballad, chant, melody)

No XP Costs for Spells, Special Abilities, or Item Creation

The amount of Constitution or Charisma damage is dependent on the amount of the XP cost
XP Cost	Constitution Damage
<100 XP	1d3 points
100-250 XP	1d4 points
251-500 XP	1d6 points
501-750 XP	1d8 points
751-1,000 XP	1d10 points
1,001 – 1,500 XP	1d12 points
1,501-2,500 XP	2d8 points
2,501-5,000 XP	2d10 points
5,001 – 10,000 XP	2d12 points
>10,000 XP	3d10 points+1d10 per extra 10,000 XP

Spells, item crafting, and other abilities do not cost XP. Instead, they cause temporary Constitution damage that can only be healed by rest (at a rate of 1 point per full day of rest). If the individual’s Constitution falls to 0 or below, they die.

If the individual has no Constitution score, then they suffer Charisma damage. If their Charisma drops to 0 or below, they are destroyed.

There is no save against the damage, and it cannot be avoided by resistances nor immunities.

Thus only the hardiest spell casters should attempt to cast the most powerful spells. If the caster dies from Constitution damage while crafting a magical item, and the enchanting is successful, then their life force goes into the magical item, which becomes intelligent (gaining the caster’s mental ability scores). They cannot be raised without destroying the magical item.

If the caster dies while casting a spell, they can only be raised via a True Resurrection, Wish, Miracle, or similar magic.