[Q&A] Daniel Brockway, David Brockway, Jakob Schmidt, & Matt Zabloudil (Savage Urth)

[7:38 PM] Fire Lizard Dan: Hey everyone, we are Dan, David, Jake, and Matt, collectively known as Fire Lizard Games.

[7:39 PM] Fire Lizard Dan: We’ve all been into TTRPGs for the last couple decades, and we are very excited about the game we are working on now, Savage Urth.

[7:41 PM] Fire Lizard Dan: Savage Urth is a stone-age setting that uses real-world extinct animals as the “monsters”. It features 17 playable races (which we call Sentients) and 11 classes. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/firelizardgames/savage-urth-the-role-playing-game(edited)KickstarterFire Lizard Games LLCSavage Urth The Role-Playing GameAn original Prehistoric & Stone Age fantasy TTRPG setting. PF2 and 5e inspired system. PDF VTT STL & more are available!

[7:42 PM] Fire Lizard Dan: The 17 Sentients are all original to this game, except for humans and neanderthals.

[7:43 PM] Fire Lizard Dan: The 11 classes are a mix of fairly recognizable ones such as the Warrior and the Hunter, but many of them are completely unique to this setting.

[7:44 PM] Fire Lizard Dan: We have a strong emphasis on survival and crafting.

[7:44 PM] Fire Lizard Dan: done!

[7:44 PM] laurence: No Denisovans or H. floresiensis? Aww….

[7:44 PM] Dan the GMshoe: Thanks, guys! The floor is open to questions!

[7:45 PM] Dan the GMshoe: First, before I forget, could I please get your last name, @FireLizardDavid? I’m missing your name on the Q&A log header.

@laurenceNo Denisovans or H. floresiensis? Aww…. [7:45 PM] Fire Lizard Dan: Ha ha, no. We kicked it around, but they were a little too close to some of the other Sentients.

[7:45 PM] FireLizardDavid: Sure thing, it’s Brockway

[7:46 PM] Dan the GMshoe: Ah, so you and Dan are brothers?

@Dan the GMshoeAh, so you and Dan are brothers?[7:46 PM] Fire Lizard Dan: Yep!

@Fire Lizard DanHa ha, no. We kicked it around, but they were a little too close to some of the other Sentients.[7:46 PM] laurence: Fair. If you want to be accurate, the only thing I could think of for Denisovans was high altitude adaptation.2

@Dan the GMshoeAh, so you and Dan are brothers?[7:46 PM] FireLizardDavid: Indeed we are!

[7:46 PM] Dan the GMshoe: Cool.

[7:47 PM] Dan the GMshoe: So what does “stone-age” mean in the context of this game’s setting?

@Dan the GMshoeCool. [7:47 PM] Fire Lizard Dan: The technological level is all very primitive. Basically no metal.

[7:48 PM] Fire Lizard Dan: Although, there is metal, it is treated as an extremely rare resource.

[7:49 PM] Fire Lizard Dan: Pretty much all the items in the game are things that could be made with wood, stone, bone, horn, hide, plant material, etc.

@Fire Lizard DanPretty much all the items in the game are things that could be made with wood, stone, bone, horn, hide, plant material, etc.[7:50 PM] FireLizardDavid: Hence the emphasis on crafting and survival!

[7:50 PM] FireLizardDavid: (done)

@Fire Lizard DanHa ha, no. We kicked it around, but they were a little too close to some of the other Sentients.[7:50 PM] laurence: So how do your sentients differ from H. sapiens? Examples?

[7:50 PM] Dan the GMshoe: (No need for (done) after the intro. Thanks, though! )2

[7:52 PM] FireLizardDavid: Here’s one piece of artwork to give you an idea of a few of the different Sentients.

@laurenceSo how do your sentients differ from H. sapiens? Examples?[7:53 PM] Fire Lizard Dan: Most of them are animal-based. We’ve got bird-like, reptilians, amphibians, some primate-based people (other than the hominids), and even a marsupial!

[7:54 PM] Dan the GMshoe: I note that you say “most”. What are the others?

[7:54 PM] Fire Lizard Dan: Humans

[7:54 PM] Dan the GMshoe: Ah.

[7:55 PM] Fire Lizard Dan: Also some insect and crab folk.

[7:56 PM] FireLizardDavid: We’ve given each Sentient different adjustments and abilities, generally based on the real-life creature that each was inspired by.

[7:57 PM] Dan the GMshoe: Clearly, being (pre-)historically accurate wasn’t a big concern here. I’m guessing that you have dinosaurs rubbing elbows with mammalian megafauna?

@Dan the GMshoeClearly, being (pre-)historically accurate wasn’t a big concern here. I’m guessing that you have dinosaurs rubbing elbows with mammalian megafauna?[7:59 PM] FireLizardJake: Yeah for sure we’ve drawn inspiration from all different epochs of earth’s prehistory! Amphibians, Protomammals and many other classifications of animals.

[8:01 PM] Dan the GMshoe: Are there any civilizations, or is it all tribal?

[8:01 PM] FireLizardJake: Some animals would like to be found in certain biomes or climates. But yeah we could certainly have some sabretooth cats lurking in some jungles with raptors and the like.

@Dan the GMshoeAre there any civilizations, or is it all tribal?[8:03 PM] Fire Lizard Dan: Both! That would just be up to the GM and the players. We don’t have a specific canon, so really anything could be on the table.

[8:03 PM] Dan the GMshoe: Is there magic?

@Dan the GMshoeIs there magic?[8:05 PM] FireLizardJake: Yes there are three spellcasting (we call favored) classes but their proliferation is up to the world building of the GM.

[8:05 PM] Dan the GMshoe: How powerful does magic get on the high end of the scale?

@Dan the GMshoeHow powerful does magic get on the high end of the scale?[8:08 PM] Fire Lizard Dan: Fairly comparable to other fantasy TTRPGs, the spells aren’t ever world-changing; we’ve excluded some of the somewhat game-breaking types of spells like Wish or Power word: Kill. As well as things like level drain. (edited)

[8:09 PM] Dan the GMshoe: What are the three spellcasting classes?

@Dan the GMshoeHow powerful does magic get on the high end of the scale?[8:10 PM] FireLizardJake: the Magi – a combat heavy spellcaster, Shaman – a bit of a Jack-of-all-Trades spellcaster, and the Seidr a very spell casting focused class. (edited)

[8:13 PM] FireLizardDavid: I’ll add that the magic is cast using Mana Points, rather than spell slots or a spells-per-day system, and that the magic is more divine than arcane in nature.

[8:13 PM] Dan the GMshoe: Where did you get the name “Seidr”? Sounds Scandinavian.

[8:15 PM] FireLizardDavid: Haha yep! You nailed it. It’s based on an Old Norse name for a type a magic.

[8:15 PM] Dan the GMshoe: Go me! \o/22

[8:16 PM] Dan the GMshoe: When you say the Seidr is “focused,” in what sense do you mean? (edited)

@Dan the GMshoeWhen you say the Seidr is “focused,” in what sense do you mean? (edited)[8:17 PM] Fire Lizard Dan: They have less of things like skills, feats and physical combat abilities, but get access to more spell quicker than the other 2, as well as getting more mana to cast them. (edited)

[8:18 PM] Dan the GMshoe: Ah, I see.

[8:18 PM] Dan the GMshoe: You mentioned that magic is divine in nature. What is the cosmology of the setting?

@Dan the GMshoeYou mentioned that magic is divine in nature. What is the cosmology of the setting?[8:22 PM] Fire Lizard Dan: There’s not a specific pantheon, it’s more up to the GM and players to fit the gods into the setting. But generally speaking the gods of Urth are based in things like the elements, animalism and nature, as well as aspects of the natural world: life, death, fertility, the seasons, etc.

[8:26 PM] Fire Lizard Dan: Some of the Spectrums (the “domains” of the game) are things like: Fire, Water, Urth, Air, Restoration, the Body, the Mind, etc. Each god has several Spectrums that they grant powers from.

[8:36 PM] Dan the GMshoe: Cool.

[8:36 PM] Dan the GMshoe: Are there any purely fictional animals tin this setting?

@Dan the GMshoeAre there any purely fictional animals tin this setting?[8:39 PM] Fire Lizard Dan: They are all based on actual animals, however there are templates that can be added to any creature to give them fantastical abilities. There is also undead, so any animal could potentially have a zombie version, among other things. (edited)

[8:39 PM] Dan the GMshoe: What kinds of undead are there?

@Fire Lizard DanThey are all based on actual animals, however there are templates that can be added to any creature to give them fantastical abilities. There is also undead, so any animal could potentially have a zombie version, among other things. (edited)[8:41 PM] FireLizardJake: There are potentially several magical undead we definitely have: Zombies, Skeletons, & Ghosts we’ll probably have some more as well. But there are also biological undead like the fungus that infects and controls insects; the Cordyceps. (edited)

[8:42 PM] Dan the GMshoe: That thing is creepy.1

[8:42 PM] Fire Lizard Dan: 

[8:42 PM] FireLizardJake: We’ll also have mutants of various varieties as well like a multi-headed T-Rex.

[8:43 PM] Silverlion: I assume based on the spells you named its D&D derived/based?

@SilverlionI assume based on the spells you named its D&D derived/based?[8:43 PM] Fire Lizard Dan: Yeah

@SilverlionI assume based on the spells you named its D&D derived/based?[8:44 PM] Fire Lizard Dan: Sorry, my cat is helping

[8:44 PM] Dan the GMshoe: No worries.

[8:44 PM] Dan the GMshoe: Are there any major Bad Guys in the setting?

@SilverlionI assume based on the spells you named its D&D derived/based?[8:44 PM] Fire Lizard Dan: Yeah, many of them are based on D&D spells but some of them are completely original.

[8:45 PM] Silverlion: It’s kind of odd to use Seidr and stone age, but hey, but at least you’ve embraced the strange.

@Dan the GMshoeAre there any major Bad Guys in the setting?[8:45 PM] FireLizardJake: That would be adventure specific. We don’t have any ‘evil’ sentient (races). It’s down to the individual NPC.

@SilverlionIt’s kind of odd to use Seidr and stone age, but hey, but at least you’ve embraced the strange.[8:46 PM] Fire Lizard Dan: Really we just liked the word.

[8:46 PM] Silverlion: Heh. No worries, that’s the cool thing, is if you can have fun with it.2

@Dan the GMshoeAre there any major Bad Guys in the setting?[8:57 PM] Fire Lizard Dan: Some tribes or clans might be much more violent or war-like towards their neighbors, or groups that raid, capture, kill other settlements could very likely form the basis of the antagonists in a campaign. (edited)

[9:02 PM] Dan the GMshoe: Do you have a character sheet that we can see?

[9:04 PM] FireLizardDavid: Sure! Let me drop one in here.

[9:05 PM] FireLizardDavid:

[9:07 PM] FireLizardDavid: This is for one of our pre-gen characters for our Adventure Module, The Hunter of Oreff. This sheet, like the module itself, is a WIP. It includes the skills that are included in our module but not all the skills that will eventually be included in the full game.

[9:08 PM] Dan the GMshoe: Looks like this is an attribute + skill system of some sort?

[9:09 PM] FireLizardDavid: You got it! We kind of did a “greatest hits of d20” to build out our system, so it’s familiar in a lot of ways to D&D or Pathfinder but with our own twists on it.

[9:09 PM] Dan the GMshoe: Can you describe task resolution?

@Dan the GMshoeCan you describe task resolution?[9:12 PM] Fire Lizard Dan: It uses your standard d20+modifiers vs a DC set by the GM. For skills that would be your related attribute plus the proficiency bonus you get from the rank of the skill. (edited)

[9:13 PM] Dan the GMshoe: Why does this sample character have Agility of 1 and Hide of 1 but a total bonus of -2? Is it his size?

@Dan the GMshoeWhy does this sample character have Agility of 1 and Hide of 1 but a total bonus of -2? Is it his size?[9:13 PM] Fire Lizard Dan: Yep, you got it!1

[9:14 PM] Dan the GMshoe: I notice that there aren’t combat skills. Is combat ability linked to class as in D&D?

[9:14 PM] FireLizardDavid: With the rank skill system, as you add ranks to a skill it not only adds to your bonus, but it also expands the types of actions you can attempt with that skill check.

[9:15 PM] Dan the GMshoe: Nice touch.

[9:15 PM] FireLizardDavid: Thank you!

@Dan the GMshoeI notice that there aren’t combat skills. Is combat ability linked to class as in D&D?[9:16 PM] Fire Lizard Dan: Yeah, it is tied to your class as well as feats that the character has.

[9:16 PM] Dan the GMshoe: Can you describe combat?

@Dan the GMshoeCan you describe combat?[9:20 PM] Fire Lizard Dan: Yeah, the combat round works very similar to other d20 based games. Characters make attacks by rolling a d20 and adding relevant modifiers, trying to beat their targets Defense score. Defense is a combination of class, level, and agility (as well as some other modifiers).

[9:21 PM] Fire Lizard Dan: Armor in this game does not give you Defense, it gives damage reduction instead, which lowers the amount of damage a successful hit does.

[9:21 PM] Fire Lizard Dan: Shields act as portable cover and do provide Defense bonuses.

[9:22 PM] Fire Lizard Dan: Characters all have Vigor and Health. Vigor is kind of like fatigue and is usually subtracted before Health is. Health damage is much more serious.

[9:24 PM] FireLizardDavid: Taking a big chunk of Health damage from a hit (say, from a critical hit) could potentially cause a character to pass out.

[9:25 PM] Fire Lizard Dan: Characters get two standard actions per round or one full-round action. All characters could potentially make two attacks per round right out of the gate by using both their standard actions to attack.

@Fire Lizard DanCharacters get two standard actions per round or one full-round action. All characters could potentially make two attacks per round right out of the gate by using both their standard actions to attack.[9:27 PM] FireLizardJake: This feature kind of helps reduce the boredom often experienced in other games at low level.

[9:30 PM] Dan the GMshoe: How large is the game’s bestiary?

@Dan the GMshoeHow large is the game’s bestiary?[9:31 PM] Fire Lizard Dan: The core book will have at least 50 creatures as well as around a dozen templates to expand their abilities.

[9:31 PM] Silverlion: Fire breathing Dimetrodons?

@SilverlionFire breathing Dimetrodons?[9:32 PM] Fire Lizard Dan: Yeah! Definitely!

[9:32 PM] Silverlion: ….that was humor, but cool.1

[9:32 PM] Fire Lizard Dan: In the future we’d love to do a full bestiary with hundreds of creatures.

@Silverlion….that was humor, but cool.[9:32 PM] Dan the GMshoe: Land of the Lost had one!

[9:32 PM] Silverlion: Shh. You.

@Dan the GMshoeLand of the Lost had one![9:32 PM] Fire Lizard Dan: Loved that show

[9:32 PM] Silverlion: 

@Silverlion….that was humor, but cool.[9:33 PM] FireLizardJake: formic acid spraying for sure!

[9:34 PM] Silverlion: Are there sleestaks? Lizard folk?1

[9:34 PM] Silverlion: With creepy lich leaders?

[9:34 PM] Dan the GMshoe: How does spellcasting work?

@FireLizardJakeformic acid spraying for sure![9:35 PM] FireLizardDavid: We even have a class, the Feral Morph, who can adapt animalistic features…so we could even see this from a Player Character

@SilverlionAre there sleestaks? Lizard folk?[9:37 PM] Fire Lizard Dan: There are. There are 3 lizard-like Sentients. An aquatic one, an arboreal one, and a desert dweller.

[9:39 PM] Fire Lizard Matt: Spellcasting works similar to other games in terms of the situations the spell is used in. For instance, if it is an offensive combat spell, the player may roll an attack roll or the target rolls a saving throw to avoid the effects of the spell.

[9:40 PM] Fire Lizard Matt: The mana cost for Magic is based on the powers description and how powerful it is.

[9:40 PM] Silverlion: (have fun! goodnight!)121

[9:40 PM] Dan the GMshoe: (Sleep well, @Silverlion!)

@Silverlion(have fun! goodnight!)[9:41 PM] FireLizardJake: good night! Thanks for the questions!

[9:41 PM] Dan the GMshoe: In the time remaining, is there anything we haven’t covered that you’d like to bring up?

@Dan the GMshoeIn the time remaining, is there anything we haven’t covered that you’d like to bring up?[9:43 PM] FireLizardJake: Our crafting system is pretty extensive. If there’s an item in the game there’s a DC and materials list for it. We’ve actually done a fair amount of research regarding real world Stone Age technology to inform our rules. We’ve kept it simple enough though.

[9:45 PM] Dan the GMshoe: Cool!

@Dan the GMshoeIn the time remaining, is there anything we haven’t covered that you’d like to bring up?[9:46 PM] Fire Lizard Dan: The “loot” that a creature has is themselves. For example killing an Allosaurus could yield you meat, teeth, claws, bones, sinew and a hide. (edited)

[9:46 PM] FireLizardJake: Can we drop the link to the Kickstarter?

[9:46 PM] Dan the GMshoe: Please do!

[9:47 PM] FireLizardDavid: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/firelizardgames/savage-urth-the-role-playing-gameKickstarterFire Lizard Games LLCSavage Urth The Role-Playing GameAn original Prehistoric & Stone Age fantasy TTRPG setting. PF2 and 5e inspired system. PDF VTT STL & more are available!

[9:48 PM] Dan the GMshoe: Thanks very much for joining us, guys!

[9:48 PM] FireLizardJake: Thanks for having us! This was a great interview!

[9:48 PM] FireLizardDavid: Thank you! We had a great time, and appreciate you having us on.

[9:49 PM] Fire Lizard Dan: Yeah, you bet thank you for having us!

[9:49 PM] Dan the GMshoe: I’m glad you enjoyed it. I hope you guys will feel welcome to hang out with us here whenever you like!

[9:49 PM] Dan the GMshoe: Usual reminder: If you’ve enjoyed this Q&A and would like to treat me to a coffee or two, you can do so at https://www.ko-fi.com/gmshoe. Anything’s appreciated! Ko-fiBuy Dan Davenport a Coffee. ko-fi.com/gmshoeBecome a supporter of Dan Davenport today! ❤️ Ko-fi lets you support the creators you love with no fees on donations.1

[9:49 PM] Fire Lizard Matt: Thanks so much!

[9:49 PM] Dan the GMshoe: Now, if you’ll give me a minute, I’ll get the log posted and link you!

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