Hawaiian Flavor type game?

[Turanil]

So ask away and I shall do my best to serve.

I see it's your first post Kankichi. Welcome to the boards! Indeed, your help would be extremely valuable, and would "give weight" to such a project.

So, Tonguez, Turanil, Kankichi: okay for a PDF project cooperation? (Remember that I can easily do art, layout, and PDF )

 

[Tinner]

that name doesn't sound right, but I no longer have the book and have only vague recolections of it. I do remember the whale totems though, they were cool.

Cyberpirates does have some Polynesian stuff in it, but I think you're thinking of FASA - 7317 - Paradise Lost.
It's long out of print, but it was a combination Adventure/mini-Hawai'in Sourcebook.

 

[Tonguez]

Races

Polynesian stories a full of tales of elf-brides, and various non-human peoples who live in forests, underwater, in the underworld or even inside trees (these could be represented by elves).
The Menehune of Hawaii seem more gnome-like to me.
Goblins exists (representing evil spirits) as do dogheaded men (gnolls?) and were-boars (eg Kamapuaka). Ogres and Giants are also common and there are a few legends about winged people. Another interesting monster (usually unique) is dracotaur-like (with a humanoid upper body and reptile lower body) and could be adapted. However delete orcs and replace them with Sahuagin

As to having the elves native and humans newcomers that seems to be supported by tradition too. Heres a story from Mangareva

The first people to come to live in Magareva were two men who named Moa and Miru. When they came to Magareva they saw women on the shore. So they approached that place to see if they could find these women. When they came onto the shore they looked and looked but they did not find anyone there. But they found a waterhole near this place. This was important because waterholes were used a passages between this world and the magical land underneath the land. So Moa and Miru decided that the women that they had seen were fairies or spirit women from the land underneath the land.
This is what they did. They carved a wooden statue that looked like Moa which they put that into the canoe with Miru. Then Miru rowed away from the shore with the statue while Moa hid near the waterhole. The women saw Miru rowing away with what they thought was Moa. Then they came out of the waterhole and started to walk around. Moa came out of hiding and grabbed two of the women. Then Miru returned to shore in the canoe.

While Miru was returning the two women held by Moa tried to escape. Moa could not hold them very good and one of the women escaped. When Miru arrived at the shore he was angry because Moa now had a wife and he did not.

At that time, all plants gave food. Moa's wife cooked food for Moa and Miru and she warned them not to eat fast. But they were hungry and they ate fast. Because of this, only some plants give food these days.

 

[Tonguez]

On Mana

Mana in pervasive in Polynesian thought and should not be confused by the 'spell points' usage found in some RPGs.

Mana implies the presence of the supernatural and includes notions of divine power, influence, competence and status. It is by Mana that a chief leads, that an artisan creates great works, that a warrior has success in battle and that a tahunga (kahuna) is able to use magic. Places and objects also have Mana (implying the presence of a supernatural entity - god, spirit or ghost) and a Person must have sufficient (or greater) Mana to interact with them safely - this is the role of priests, to neutralise the mana of places and objects so that they can be used by the village.

In DnD terms much of this is tied up in the level mechanic (where ones competence increases due to gaining mana (xp?)). I'd use a level based 'Reputation' mechanic to track Mana and also have magic items have a mana-level requirement for use (ie only a PC of sufficient mana can use the item eg the Javelin of Maui can not be used by anyone less than level 7 => Mana 25).

I'd remove the distinction between Arcane/Divine spells and decalre ALL magic to be divine
the idea of using Psionics is intriguing a needs to be explored too.

Anyway

Cleric, Shaman, Druid and Bard all fit as Divine casters (even paladin can be worked in)
Scorcerer maybe but not Wizard

 

[Turanil]

I'd remove the distinction between Arcane/Divine spells and decalre ALL magic to be divine

This brings a question: how do you see a d20-Polynesian setting? Do you see it something with much modifications and that would be a standalone. Or do you see it as something compatible with D&D and that can be imported into a pre-existing campaign?

If you choose the latter setting option (imported into a pre-existing setting where medieval characters come there as explorers and pirates) there may be problems with arcane spellcasters (coming from a typical D&D fantasy place). So in this case my suggestion would be: indeed all magic is divine in the Polynesian archipelago. But this only apply to natives in their traditional culture. There wizards do not exist (no spellbooks, no writing, etc.); bards are of the divine bard variety found in Unearthed Arcana; sorcerers get their spells from evil spirits (more a matter of fluff than anything else, but maybe add a small appropriate tweak to the class to reflect it).

The idea of using Psionics is intriguing and needs to be explored too. <...> Sorcerer maybe but not Wizard

Psions and the like would make up for the absence of arcane spellcasters in a Polynesian setting. They would also be a way for some DM to give a place of origin for psionic-users in his world. This would explain the exotism of psionics vs magic (at least arcane magic). Now what about "all magic is divine" if a foreigner conquistador and arcane spellcaster comes to the Archipelago? Does it ruin your idea of "all magic is divine?".

 

[tarchon]

Mmm... pineapple golems.

 

[Turanil]

Polynesian stories a full of tales of elf-brides, and various non-human peoples who live in forests, underwater, in the underworld or even inside trees (these could be represented by elves).
The Menehune of Hawaii seem more gnome-like to me.

Maybe we could use some of the elf and gnome variants found in Unearthed Arcana to portray such native races but without straying to far from D&D canon (which may be less easily accepted by most DMs than simple adaptations of the regular stuff).

 

[Ranger REG]

This brings a question: how do you see a d20-Polynesian setting?

Honestly, it should be traditional, not some adaptation of Western mythos into a setting.

We do have the short folks, we call them menehune (meh-neh-hoo-neh), and you could say they have some dwarven aspect in that they are great builders ... building fishponds, that is.

 

[Turanil]

Honestly, it should be traditional, not some adaptation of Western mythos into a setting.

We do have the short folks, we call them menehune (meh-neh-hoo-neh), and you could say they have some dwarven aspect in that they are great builders ... building fishponds, that is.

What if in the PC races section we have the Menehune PC race with its relevant description (fluff), but then a line tells that they are distant cousins of gnomes, and the racial traits are those of a jungle gnome (Unearthed Arcana). Do you see this as "traditional" (within the frame of a D&D game, that is) or some Western Mythos adaptation into a Polynesian-like setting. My concern is that with all the plethora of custom classes and races that flooded the d20 market these last years, I thought it would be better to stick with existing official material (such as UA variants) but rename it entirely so, for example, it's not an "island gnome" but a menehune.

 

[Conaill]

FYI, Dragon #20 had an article on "The Mythos of Polynesia in Dungeons and Dragons". About a page and a half of gods and godesses, and half a page of heroes. Very little "fluff" though.