Al Qadim- Homebrewing an araq

[Igordragonian]

Hello.
I actually working on a campain for this lovely forum.
I wanted to play in the setting for Al Qadim for years.

For diffrent reasons, that I might elobarate in the future, I want to run it in 5e.

But, I have found myself homebrewing-either by myself, either collecting from the internet more then I have anticipated.
And it take more time then I have anticipated-
so maybe sharing my work and getting feedback will motivate me to work faster and also to do it better.


This project-
www.gmbinder.com/share/-LAdovC1tKwKwZm9lkXz

is my basis, but it incomplete in parts.

So here I might present the unique mechanics of thr setting, and see- maybe some of it isnt needed.


My big project is building a 5e shair that I think represent the spirit of the class well-
and it important to me, since Shair is the 'poster child" of the setting 


More will be added in the future.

[Matt4]

I would love to play in a game DM'd by you!

[Daos]

I don't know much about the setting or 5E, but I'll offer any feedback I can.

[Igordragonian]

Thank you! I am already feel motivated 
(Araq by the way is a middle eastren alchol. From exprience. the taste. it's like Vodka+very strong menta. quite the tear jerker)

Alright.

So mechanicly, the homebrew offer three new skills-

Genie Lore- which allow someone to recongnize thr works of a genie, know about genie rules,  how to talk to them without insulting them, or even recongnize a genie under a disguise.




Haggling- 
Haggling is very much is very much in the spirit of the setting- but instead of doing a pronloged argument over a kilo of dates for a hour, this skill roll represent the whole haggling session and it's result.


Here’s how the proficiency works in play. Prices are the result of prolonged haggling. As such, the player haggling and "nearby" PC's, cannot make new haggling checks in an area until the next day.

Buying
Result Price
Player wins by 10+ Base Price x 75%
Player wins by 6-9 Base Price
NPC and Player within 5 Base Price x 150%
NPC wins by 6-9 Base Price x 200%
NPC wins by 10+ Base Price x 500%

Selling
Result Price
Player wins by 10+ Base Price x 125%
Player wins by 6-9 Base Price
NPC and Player within 5 Base Price x 75%
NPC wins by 6-9 Base Price x 50%
NPC wins by 10+ Base Price x 25%
A player without proficiency in this skill is considered to have failed all haggling attempts.





Rumormongering (CHA)

Rumormongering is the art of turning coin into information, a simple and straightforward prospect in large bustling cities but more difficult in sleepy burgs.

Players go about rumor mongering by telling the DM that they would like to gather information about rumors in their area. A successful check means that they artfully plied the gold used to make the check and gives them some basic information about potential quest hooks, interesting areas, or important people. A failed check means that they have failed to impress the locals with their display of wealth and charm. As such, a player may attempt only one rumormongering check per city, town or village in a month for general information gathering purposes. If they fail, they suffer a disadvantage with Charisma checks with the general local populace for 1d4 days.

Rumormongering

DC  Settlement Size   Settlement-Type

10    25,001+                     Metropolis                             13  12,001–25,000         Large City                              17     5,001–12,000          Small City                             20      1,501–5,000          Large Town                              22        100–1,500             Small Town                        25+<       100                       Village




New Proficiencies
ClassSkill Proficiency Available
Barbarian: Rumormongering
Bard: Genie Lore, Haggling, Rumormongering
Cleric: Genie Lore
Druid: GenieLore, Haggling
Fighter: Rumormongering
Monk: Genie Lore
Paladin: Genie Lore
Ranger: Genie Lore, Rumormongering
Rogue: Haggling
Sorcerer: Genie Lore, Haggling
Warlock: Haggling, 
Wizard: Genie Lore

[Daos]

I'm assuming Haggling is CHA based, and Genie Lore INT based?

[GreyWolfVT]

Alright so I love that you are doing this lol. Might prod me to play more in 5e again. I am familiar with Al-Qadim I ran a game on another forum in the setting, and played in a game on google hangouts years ago. I'm still newbish to 5e but slowly getting better with it. I'll take a look at your work and provide feedback. Your game would definitely entice me to play when you are ready to run it.

So far I like what you are doing with the Genie Lore & Haggling. I actually ended up foregoing using haggling in my game I felt at the time since nobody was familiar with the setting and not all of the players I had were super experienced in 2e it would be easier not using all of the aspects of the Al-Qadim setting. 

[Igordragonian]

I must reitirate- this is more or less copy paste from the book I havs linked.
It just the book is incomplete, so I had collected mroe homebrew and created some.
I sort of giving you the main additions/changes in parts.

And yes. Haggling is Chas based and Genie Lore Int based.


----


Fate's Response
If Fate intervenes on a character’s behalf, the DM is responsible for coming up with some good fortune that gives the individual at least a fighting chance. For example, in the case of the panthers, the moonlight might suddenly glint upon the blade of an old weapon, fortuitously buried in the nearby sand. In the case of the city guard, a higher-up might suddenly shout, “You fools! Take the prisoner alive!” For the character about to be incinerated in a well, a scattering of rocks might break loose, revealing a small passage in the side of the well. And for the plummeting character, a large eagle might fly nearby, allowing the character to grab hold and slow his fall. Alternately, a passing djinni might take an interest in the plummeting mortal, and begin negotiating terms of a rescue. Should the mortal hesitate, the djinni might even save the character just as the ground loomed up from below.

Whatever happens, the DM should not provide the character with an automatic rescue—only with the raw material with which he or she can survive. For example, if the panthers were to suddenly fall to the ground, dead, that would be going too far. The hand of Fate works a bit like the old serial plots from the 1920s and beyond; the hero seems doomed and hopeless, but when a new reel begins, some means of escape miraculously appears, allowing his saga of perils to continue.



The Evil Eye
Pride and success can be dangerous in the AL-QADIM setting, especially for a character who boasts aloud. When Zakharans receive a compliment, they often protest and belittle their skills, lest a jealous genie overhear and bedevil them with the evil eye. The evil eye is the ability to bring misfortune upon another—from an annoyance to a tragedy—with no more than a glance. Nearly all native Zakharans are thought to have this power. They need not stand before a character to use it, but can spy upon him or her from afar. In game terms, only Zakharan casters have access to the evil eye.

If player characters are praised and fail to respond with humility and modesty, they must make a Wisdom check. A character who fails has made some Zakharan jealous, and becomes afflicted with the evil eye.

As an action, a native Zakharan spellcaster can target a creature within 10 feet that she can see. The Evil Eye creates one of the following effects:

Choose one ability score. While cursed, the target has disadvantage on ability checks and saving throws made with that ability score.
While cursed, the target has disadvantage on attack rolls against the caster.
While cursed, the target must make a Wisdom saving throw at the start of each of its turns. If it fails, it wastes its action that turn doing nothing.
While the target is cursed, the caster's attacks and spells deal an extra 1d8 necrotic damage to the target.
Neither Fate nor Fortune can be said to smile upon characters afflicted with the evil eye. They become hapless and unlucky. All new encounters are indifferent at best, never friendly. Strangers can sense that something is wrong with the “sufferers,” but rather than sympathy, they feel distrust.

Local governments view anyone afflicted with the evil eye as shifty; a sufferer’s business may be audited for fraud. Local clergymen view sufferers as potentially dangerous, and may search their belongings or even refuse to offer hospitality.

A character afflicted with the evil eye only can be cured by the Remove Curse spell. The Avert Evil Eye spell can protect a character from this plight (even a pompous braggart), but the spell is of no help after the fact.

[Igordragonian]

----
Goodberry is adjusted: We will use the 3.5 version-
www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/goodberry.htm
because the regular 5e version seems to have the potential to nullify some elements of the journey through the desert, which are part of Al Qadim's flavor.

[Matt4]

Makes sense

[Igordragonian]

Classes

in Al Qadim 2e there is a kit called mageweaver which perfectly fit 5e's artificer




Homebrew subclasses from a source I more or less trust and fit the theme-

Jinx- in Zakhara would be called Evil Eye

magehandpress.com/2019/10/jinx.html

Genie Bloodline

magehandpress.com/2018/06/genie-bloodline.html

Snake charmer
magehandpress.com/2019/11/college-of-snakecharmers.html



College Of Calligraphy-
magehandpress.com/2016/04/college-of-calligraphy.html


Clockwork-Mage-mechamancer


magehandpress.com/2015/06/mechamancer.html
In arabian tales there are talss of wonderouse clocks and machines which have some base in real history-
encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRLzUBYVrnta7M8XeC-5Qf1qRNcMC6jAm-GgQ&usqp=CAU
for example this is ascheme for a clock where robot like characters played music every certain amount of time.




Spellslayer-Spellbreaker (is a kit in 2e)

magehandpress.com/2020/12/spellbreaker.html


Spell-Thief- Very similiar to a kit from Al Qadim 2e called Jackal

magehandpress.com/2016/03/spellthief.html




On Shair I try to homebrew myself as a warlock subclass with alternate features.

[Matt4]

I don't know if you're aware, but there is an official clockword-themed subclass for the Sorcerer: dnd5e.wikidot.com/sorcerer:clockwork-soul , I'll link it here if it can be of interest to you.

I skimmed through the other subclasses and they seem cool. I like the Jinx and the Snake charmer the best

[Igordragonian]

ah the link for the mechamancer didnt work-

magehandpress.com/2015/06/mechamancer.html


I am actually aware of the clockwork soreceror.
But despite the name, it is very diffrent-
much more shmagicy.

the mechamancer is about androids/robots which arabian history/folktale has some.


Also in the Aladdin show there were such a villian

[Matt4]

Hmm, yes now that I read the description they are very different, may be more similar to the artificier subclass that has its own mechanical pet.

[Igordragonian]

True. Very true.

Beside some of the classes which the book I work with offer, I am working Shair, but it is it's own project so for now we are moving to races.




Races-

Inter racial relationship-

From the books it strongly stated that race isnt a reason to judge peopel- rather tribal, cultural and 

religiouse aligments-
For example a Zakharian nomad elf would feel closer to a Zakharian nomad orc more then to an "Ajami" (foriegener) elf or a Zakharian city dweller elf.
Though, there are some objective diffrences like longeivity.
For example in one of the city states there is a An elf Sultan who preffer human women as his wives, which he naturally has outlived many times.

Also there are races which usually has a very diffrent social structure then most humanoids, so it can be intresting to see how would it sync with the culture of Zakhara.

Offical:
I wont go over every offical race that was produced- for them, I'll give a vague guidelines:
No flying, at least until the game get to the point fly is relativly acessable.

Vibe- If it something that clash with the athmosphere then, I wouldnt say no, more like "reconsider"?
For example,.the rabbitfolk have lore connected to fairy stuff- which the setting of Al Qadim isnt exactly known for- it's main sources of magical shengians are the elemental planes and undead stuff.

that why Genasi would be much more common then tieflings and Aasismars.

Speaking of Genasi, I have found a project that looked good to me-
www.reddit.com/r/UnearthedArcana/comments/qfkurm/new_paraelemental_genies_genasi_improved_genasi/

I wonder if I am the only one.


Also- Warforged would actually fit the setting,but refluffed as "Clockwork-people".
made possibly for more morale(?) slavery, or even as philosophical expriement about sentience, soul, mind and all that.


(copy pasted from the book)

Races of Zakhara

Zakhara is home to many races who live, for all intents and purposes, in harmony with one another. The old racial prejudices of Faerun simply do not have a place in the desert and why fight a creature when you could simply profit from him. Thus the sentient peoples of Zakhara have welcome races of all kinds into their fold. Visitors from far off lands may be surprised to find an ogre haggling with a halfling over the price of saffron on a market corner.

With that said, by population, Zakhara is still predominantly human (roughly 60%), and roughly equal parts dwarfish and elfish as a secondary race (15% each). The remaining races make up the last 10 % of the populous. But all are accepted equally, so long as they obey the Laws of the Loregiver and the Laws of the Grand Caliph.

Yikaria and Yuan-ti are the only exception to this general egalitarianism, primarily because these races are openly hostile to the Enlightened peoples of Zakhara.

Desert Gnome
Gnomes in Zakhara are an odd thing indeed. They were the last of the races to become enlightened, and did so for a myriad of reasons beyond that of the Law of the Loregiver. The primary reason, however, is simple; gnomes cannot read, do not read, and write absolutely nothing down. Why? No one can know, though their traditions offer a few possibilities. It is said that the gnomes once had a great library that was burned down, and with it they lost their culture and were scattered. Fearful of whatever eldritch force did this, they simply seem to have chosen to remain illiterate.

Because of this, gnomes developed an extremely powerful memory. It is said that a desert gnome can perfectly memorize the shapes of dunes and then calculate how they will change given local wind patterns. Now enlightened, gnomes, with their fantastic memory, are invaluable clerks, guides, and rawuns.

Most gnomes serve a servitor position, though a few have been known to join the noble caste. Curiously enough, most gnomes have a habit of speaking in proverbs, which both confuses and impresses those they meet. Gnomes are sought out by adventurers for the obvious reasons. Their memories allow them to remember exactly where food and water can be found, where danger often lies, and how their routes may have changed over the last few seasons.

Every desert gnome has some sort of speciality hobby that their memory allows them to excel at. Create one, or choose from/roll on the table below.

d4 Hobby
1 You like to carve ivory into uncanny replicas of people you’ve seen.
2 You recite proverbs, sutras, and scriptures when speaking with others.
3 You solve puzzles in your spare time. The more complex, the better.
4 You create secret compartments or odd traps in your backpack to make things harder to steal.




Dune Dwarf
The dune dwarfs of Zakhara have been a homogenous race longer than any other. Before the Loregiver spread her Law across the Land of Fate, dune dwarfs lived in the High Desert and the Haunted Lands alongside Jann and countless Al-Badia tribes. Even now, many of these dwarves continue to roam, enlightened but still clinging to their old ways. Others refuse enlightenment altogether.

Dune dwarves are only divided because of their stubbornness. They believe their old dune gods and burning wind deities to be outside of enlightenment. Other, more civilized dune dwarves want to bring these beliefs into the fold of the other gods, but accept the enlightened pantheon as it is now.

It is said that a dwarf is both as ever changing and as static as a dune. That is to say, dune dwarves can change their beliefs in radical ways, and then hold onto those beliefs no matter what another says. Only a dune dwarf can change another dune dwarf’s mind, and even the Loregiver herself had trouble enlightening this race. Still, many can be found in the Panthiest League especially, serving as beacons of rigid, veiled tradition.

Dune dwarf adventurers are born out of practical need. While not particularly zealous, dune dwarves understand that money is the lifeblood of Zakhara. Dune dwarves often join parties for a single big quest, rejoining only when their funds and treasure has run out from the last. Al-Badia dune dwarves are different. Much closer to their cultural roots, these dwarves roam the deserts, seeking out things of interest or possible threats to their families. It is said that every dune has at least one family of dwarves living in it—and when trouble comes, they became a sandstorm.

[Daos]

I like the improvements to genasi.  They're actually pretty similar to the ones I was considering for my own games.