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Welcome to Osziana

Osziana is a massive campaign setting with sprawling mega cities and rugged wilderness set in an era where magic evolution has reached capabilities that can mimic modern technology. With a bevy of new races, classes, creatures, rules, (both variant and otherwise), gear, spells, and so much more; game masters are set to create epic narratives with encounters that even the most seasoned players will find new and exciting.

Osziana began as a passion project among our small group of players. Created during the times when 4e was all but abandoned (for reasons), and 3.5e was getting tedious, Osziana began implementing new rules and standards that were not seen until the release of 5e. The original Osziana 3.5e (which we jokingly referred to as 3.75e) was created at home, and was never meant to be distributed, or even close to a professional quality, with random artwork from the internet. It wasn’t until members of our group moved away and several years had passed that we started receiving phone calls, emails, and messages from surrounding states; all asking the same thing, “When are you going to update to 5e?”

Realizing we might have rolled a crit with this one, we decided to begin designing Osziana in earnest, with its own art, and by following the rules of the Open Gaming License (OGL) that WotC so graciously provided for our community.

Our Goals

We want the Osziana Setting Rulebook to be provided to the community for free via PDF and through our own website. Our basic goal with this Kickstarter is to raise enough funds to create and host a website of quality at least comparable to the fifth edition SRD, with a basic store and forum. All of this is to be filled with high quality art as expected for this industry.

It is our hope that this Kickstarter campaign can launch us even further so we can create a website that would rival one of the Weave Nodes of Osziana! Perhaps with the communties help we can move straight into production of hard copies. Please take some time to read over our stretch goals.

Playable Races

Osziana features fifteen fully detailed playable races with several variants of each, including fiendish and celestial. Nine of these races are long standing favorites, reworked into the new rules to survive the harsh realities of Osziana. Races now have special traits that can be gained by total character level that add an entire new strategy to character building.

Manticores

Named after one of the most dangerous creatures of Osziana, long thought to be extinct, the manticores are the product of genetic and magical mutation created by powerful mages attempting to create an ‘elite’ race with a better chance of survival in this harsh world. The experiments were very successful, and the new race was quick to overthrow their creators. Now, the manticores live in grasslands and jungles, creating a thriving civilization. Only recently were the manticores accepted by the other civilized races as a legitimate civilization of their own. Dracian peace treaties are still being written in an attempt to bring the manticores into the “protection” of the Draconic Empire. Manticores possess a limited shape-shifting ability, allowing them to assume a form more akin to the beasts of legend.

Mologs

Often confused with earth elementals, the mologs are actually an intelligent species of slime that cannot live without a protective outer layer. The bizarre anatomy of this race allows them to build and grow a sort of “living” body out of stone, gems, and even metals. Strong, stoic, and careful thinkers, the mologs get along well with the dwarves, who have entered into a symbiotic relationship with them, helping each other find precious metals and stones; to craft or to eat. Mologs can grow indefinitely, and legends exist that claim certain mountains are simply ancient mologs slumbering for eons.

Isitans

The newest alien race to Osziana, the isitans appeared shortly after the Harrowing. Its believed that the isitans are dimensional travelers who kept secret their ability to travel, not only through the planes and planets, but through different realities. They dominate the extreme north, where only the Rhocahs challenge their power. Many have noted that the higher castes of their race have an appearance that is uncannily similar to humans, though the many-armed lower castes bear little resemblance. All have the unique ability to manipulate ambient temperatures around them into well below freezing.

Kobolds

The kobolds of Osziana are not your traditional minuscule cowards whose best lot in life is to become fodder for dragon overlords. These kobolds are shrewd, charismatic, proud, and glad to offer themselves to the betterment of draconic society as a whole. Capable of working tirelessly, with small nimble hands, the kobolds are well known for their tinkering abilities. There is long standing debate on whether it was in fact the cayarthin mage Ilyitgarnazan or his humble unknown kobold assistant that made first contact with the Great Arcane Intelligences.

Dracians

A powerful race that plays a major role in the worlds politics, dracians live among their dracian parents and dragon parents, along with their dragonborn siblings and kobold cousins, in a tight nit society. Dracians favor power and control and embody both the best and the worst of their draconic brothers and sisters. Even dracian children are powerful weapons capable of striking fear in the adults of other races. Each dracian is a walking time bomb, capable of entering a powerful elemental state when threatened. A desperate dracian to easily turn the tide of any battle.

Cayarthi

The cayarthi are a powerful avian race that is thin of build and incredibly nimble, especially in flight. They live in a mega-city in the east, splitting a massive mountain in half. There they flit about, going on about their daily business. Known to be hardworking and brilliant, the cayarthi society prospers as a whole. Their natural charisma allows them to get along easily with all races, though they do bear an ancient feud with the giants who live nearby. Both societies believe the other is encroaching on their territory.

More Playable Races

Dwarves

The sturdy and secretive dwarves are known for their skill in warfare, their ability to withstand physical and magical punishment, their knowledge of mining and crafting, their hard work, and most importantly, their capacity to drink ale. Their mysterious kingdoms, carved out from the insides of mountains, are renowned for the marvelous treasures that they produce for trade.

Orcs

A hardy and resilient race that favors clan and honor above all else. Orcs are prone to combat, settling even minor disputes with skirmishes that could kill or maim other races. Thanks to their uncanny natural healing, orcs need not suffer such disputes for long. The orcs have been at war with the ever encroaching humans, attempting to protect their frontier towns and precious farming lands from constant assault by these alien invaders.

Humans

Appearing nearly a thousand years before the Harrowing, humans are a race of bipedal creatures that appear to be somewhere between the powerfully built orcs and the lithe elves. As a barbaric and short lived race prone to violence, humans live as outcasts in society. Humans possess an uncanny ability to learn and survive in the world around them.

Elves

The elves mingle freely with the other races of the world, often demonstrating unique traits from the natural surroundings from which they were born and raised. They are well known for their poetry, dance, and other arts, but have demonstrated in their long and ancient war with the dragons, that their arts expand to the martial as well. Elves may have suffered the greatest with the change in magical order, but even so, some of that ancient magic dwells within their blood. As they grow they learn how to harness such power.

Goblins

Wily and cunning are the only positive qualities attributed to this race of diminutive creatures. Goblins live throughout the world, capable of using their creative minds to survive out in the dangerous wilds. Those that are considered civilized do exist in the mega-cities. Sometime after the Harrowing, goblins began to demonstrate an uncanny ability to interact with the magical technology.

Playable Races Not Shown

As we said we need funding for art, so these following races will be fully illustrated for the final product, but as of yet we only have their rules fleshed out.

Dragonborn

The dragonborn are the result from the rare and often frowned upon coupling of a dracian and a dragon. They differ from other half-dragons, dragon and dracian genetics just don’t quite mix correctly, despite being so genetically similar, and how dragons themselves can produce offspring with just about any species (given the right conditions). The dragonborn themselves, though never treated as outcasts, often feel as such. The others look at them with a obviously hidden sadness, because though they are as resilient and capable as any member of draconic society, their are sadly shortlived by comparison to either of their parents.

Gnomes

Gnomes are fey, like the elves, but possess much more in common with dwarves. Because of this, they may be found moving comfortably among either race. Gnomes work as magical sponges, taking in ambient magical energy in their formative years, giving them unique abilities.

Halflings

One of the new comers to the world. Halflings began to appear shortly after the first humans, and like the humans they are a short lived and an untrustworthy lot. They flit through society, using their diminutive nature and uncanny luck to survive a world filled with creatures bigger and stronger than them.

Thads

Said to be the decedents of an evil dwarven deity, thads are highly skilled agents of stealth. Their ability to shift their physical form coupled with their innate dexterity, deft movements, and their capacity for silence, make them ideal for subterfuge. They live parallel to the mysterious kingdoms of the dwarves, foraging and scavenging on the outskirts of the great dwarven cities from which they were cast out for the sins of their supposed father. As they grow they gain more and more forms to shape-shift comfortably into, though with great effort they can assume most bipedal shapes; for a limited time.

Adventurer Classes

Eleven classes are currently in the works for Osziana’s fifth edition debut, each class with three distinct pathways. All classes of all roles have been designed to maintain equal and balanced potential throughout all levels and tiers of play. Even the martial classes that have replaced classes such as the Fighter or Barbarian have options that can keep fights interesting long past, “I swing my sword, again.” At first glance these classes will appear far more powerful than the standard heroic classes, but those old classes would not survive well in this world.

Sigilist

Unintelligible words and fleeting gestures memorized from powerful spell books are ancient myth and legend- existing long before the Harrowing. Pointy-hat wearing wizards roaming the country sides doing wizardly things would be laughed at by the modern Sigilist. The Sigilist has found the key to magical power is logic, reasoning, and mathematics. Sigilists learn to access and store magical fallout of the Weave into specially created devices. Using these “sigil slates” a Sigilist can transfer power into their body, or even transfer the sigils onto items or solid surfaces. A sigilist’s true potential on the battlefield is reached when they have time to prepare.

Techmage

Techmages have a knack for working or altering the magical technologies of Osziana via self created Arcane Intelligence Matrices. Techmages also have superb creative abilities and excel in all forms of crafting. The Techmage may not hold the magical potential of a Sigilist, or the damage dealing potential of a Gun Mage, but in utility they greatly outshine all others. Techmages achieve their magic through manipulation of the Weave, and the various associated technologies. Techmages like to refer to their version of spell casting as stitching. Most techmages keep a tinker golem, an odd little helper companion, which they personally build and upgrade.

Weaponmaster

There are other ways to tap into the hidden forces of the universe without magic…but only to those with the discipline to seek them out. The weaponmaster has that discipline. A weaponmaster, depending on his means of study, might be capable of using gravity defying maneuvers; seeming to fly or walk on air, or abilities that though supernatural in nature are not magical. Some choose their own body as the weapon to master, allowing them to shatter stone with a single strike. As the Weaponmasters training continues, the line between martial prowess and magical skill blurs even further.

Warmaster

To the warmaster battle is an art, a beautiful orchestral song with deadly consequences. Sheer combat skill is important to a Warmaster, so he trains intensely with his weapons of choice. But even more important is having an unstoppable and aggressive personality ready to face all challenges head on. Warmasters live (though usually not for long) for the chance to test themselves in battle- the stronger the foes, the greater the glory.

Champion

Agents of the divine, seekers of justice or vengeance, upholders of law or chaos. The champions seek out and destroy enemies of their chosen beliefs, meanwhile attempting to prove that the gods are alive and active in a world where faith is all but dead. Strengthened by prayer or absolute devotion to a principle, armored by unshakable faith, and driven by their convictions, a good champion is a mighty weapon against injustice and malice. An evil champion, on the other hand, is a cruel and fearsome warrior of darkness.

Gunmage

The most common form of spell caster in the world of Osziana. Anyone with even the slightest of magical inclination can become a gunmage through a process that fuses a magically entity (called an arcane intelligence) with the gunmage’s central nervous system. Gunmages are most often created for military purpose, law enforcement, artillery experts, rangers, and even bounty hunters. A gunmage uses a magic weapon that resembles the short lived and mostly abandoned mechanical guns created before the rediscovery of magic, to channel and cast a multitude of spells.

Weaver

Most Weavers are not of the heroic variety. They are simply the programmers and creators of woven objects (the Weave’s physical manifestations), arcane intelligences, and other mundane day to day tasks that the Weave can perform for modern society. However, true Weavers are of a different caliber. They are capable of vastly altering the way the Weave behaves, or they can manifest their own heavily modified personal arcane intelligence to do their bidding, often while sitting comfortably somewhere else.

Highmage

Even after the gods fell silent, their divine energy continued to lie dormant within everything they created, just waiting to be tapped. The highmage has learned to do just that, using latent divine energy and bending it to their will, without the actual aid of the gods. All the while preaching of their chosen god’s return. Though some have led astray from their faith, and believe that they should simply take the divine energy for themselves.

Wildmage

The magic as it was had changed, stored within the strange ethereal Weave, some of that magic still exists within the wildest places in the world. The wildmage thrives in these place, gathering the ambient energy to fuel their abilities. Wildmages bend natures flora and fauna to their will, though many claim they simply ask nicely. A wildmage might be a powerful conduit of natural forces, or a shape-shifter that can change into strange and deadly creatures on a whim, or a summoner, capable of calling forth natural allies to fight for them.

Lurker

Their are stories about fearsome monsters that can kill you leaving only tiny puncture wounds, smaller than any vampires, before you can realize you were attacked. Many rumors abound as to what can be behind this. The truth is Osziana’s best kept secret; the lurker. Lurkers are powerful assassins with a high prowess for stealth coupled with rudimentary psionic abilities. They are also the pain wracked victims of an alien parasite that both grants them their powers, and curses them with a voracious hunger. They must persist on the cerebral fluid of intelligent creatures, lest the parasite turn on them.

Mindmage

The harrowing destroyed most of the beings that naturally exhibited psionic power.The mindmage has learned to access these psionics powers at long last, thanks to a bond with a mysterious entity known as a Tulpa. Mindmages are rare in Osziana and seen with great suspicion. Most gather in secret, while others pretend to be normal; others flaunt their powers, wearing sigils of their station to warn others that their thoughts are not safe around them. The existence of the Tulpa is kept hidden at all costs, and as part of the pact with a Tulpa, a mindmage is not allowed to reveal its existence.

New Features and Rules

Osziana presents many new options, which is why we consider this campaign setting an entirely new rulebook, with many methods for players to create epic and memorable characters the likes of which they may have never played before. On top of that there are many new and improved systems, rules, and a plethora of variant rules to pick and choose from.

Spell Casting System

For many, the way the Core Rulebook 1 handles spells is alien and strange. Like purchasing items to use on a day to day basis. Its great for simplicity’s sake. There is a variant option to make it more like modern video games with Spell Points. However both of these systems still feel out of place in the game world. We have developed a new spell casting system that keeps the simple tracking of the old way, but allows far more versatile casting. Mages can now fling simpler spells as often as warriors can swing swords, or they may tire from such exertion. Or maybe, they unleash their true power, possible burning themselves out and collapsing from the effort. With these new rules comes revised spells and for new classes, entire new spell lists.

New Hit Point System

We have seen systems that attempt to implement Wounds, or Vitality, or some form of Stamina. Usually this leads to more tracking during combat, slowing down the gameplay in what is supposed to be its most exciting time. We have developed a way to keep combat fast and fun, while also allowing a more complex system to better represent visceral combat.

Damage Types

Gone are the days of maybe this monster isn’t immune to this damage type (nevermind that’s still a thing). But, we have added balanced effects to different damage types that can allow a new level of strategy. Acid can burn over time, fire can weaken and cripple, lightning can stun and so on.

Practical Crafting

With access to the Weave, materials can be gathered and crafted into items in a practical way, that doesn’t involve huge amounts of game time to implement, allowing more versatility for players

Legal Necromacy

Do you want to purchase or animate your own undead to help out on adventures or around the house? Owning unintelligent undead is legal in Osziana; with certain rules, regulations, and licenses of course.

Magical Mutations

When magic changed, so did its effect on the world. Magic can stagnate, mutating creatures or even player characters. Powerful spells, especially those with ill intent, can lead to strange and unexpected changes…often only physical appearance, though some can lead to potent effects.

The Weave and AIs

The Weave is a strange new coalescence of magic that can be accessed via Weave Nodes, which are similar to computers. The Weave behaves much like our modern internet, to share information and exchange goods. Special magically constructed beings, called Arcane Intelligences, or AIs for short, help with Weave interaction, doing mundane tasks such as automating vehicles, or being installed into powerful golems to defend warehouses. With the Weave, almost any of our modern conveniences can be magically mimicked. This gives rise to new challenges for players, who may need to bypass defenses in trickier ways, by hacking (or “stitching” as the locals call it) the Weave.

Variant Rules and More

There are tons of new options available with Osziana, if we were to present them all here it would end up already a book of its own. We have also included variant rules to be used as well, such as; Return of Character Traits, Flaws, and Quirks. Realistic Leveling and Learning, Skill Tricks, Degrees of Success and Failure, Improved Disadvantage and Advantage, Realistic Size Categories, and so much more.

Creatures of Osziana

Already several creatures are planned and raring to tear into would be adventurers, including a bevy of non-playable races. We would like to do a full creature compendium on the many unique horrors that inhabit the wilds and dark city streets of Osziana, as a stretch goal for the artwork needed. Additionally, we are offering the community a chance to design some of these creatures. Please see the rewards for further details. Many standard creatures have been updated to better suit the power hike of the classes and general difficulty of the setting. Dragons have received a major overhaul, to ensure they remain the namesake creatures to be feared. The base rulebook will come with a list of creatures currently designed, though artwork might be lacking, and the website will feature the content designed by our backers on top of theses.

New Gear and Items

Fantastic new gear is in the works to fit with the new technological marvels that have been merged with magic. All new enchantments, wondrous items, artifacts, weapons, armor, vehicles, artifacts, and special substances; with rules to craft and modify them all from scratch. We have also included an old 3.5e rule and revamped it for 5e, allowing players to gain special training, feats, and upgrades to magic items.

Stretch Goals

$8,000 – Improved Website: Weave Node

The base goal will allow us to create a basic website, similar in design to the SRD, as well as provide a basic functioning forum and store with less artwork than we would desire. Reaching this goal will allow us to improve the websites design and functionality, presenting information as if it is coming from the Weave itself. Oh, and more artwork of course.

$12,000 – Expanded Spell Lists and Class Sheets

Reaching this milestone will allow us to create expanded spell lists, adding dozens of new spells to each of the classes with, you guessed it, even more artwork! We will also design Character Sheets customized for each class.

$16,000 – Dragon Whelpling and Prestige Classes

Adding a new playable race, the Dragon Whelpling; play at this age would still be player balanced with the new Oszian dragons. The Dragon Whelpling would be able to take both Adventurer Classes and its own Racial Class. Also 7 new prestige classes, all new feats, traits, quirks, and backgrounds, and all the art to go along with it.

$24,000 – Osziana Creature Compendium I

With this we can produce the first Osziana Creature Compendium! Including all the creatures created for the base product, the creatures created by the backers, and more, fully illustrated by our talented artists.

$32,000 – Interactive World Map

We will design a map with zoom functions that display all important areas of Osziana. Giving detailed information on continents, regions, territories, seas, important land marks, outposts, mega-cities, and more. Any left over funding goes to art work per the usual.

$50,000 – Osziana Core Campaign Book Printing

With this we can immediately begin to move forward with the production of a high quality hard cover of the base rules to be purchased. As well as paper copies of the Almanac, the starting Adventures, and the Creature Compendium. Additionally, we will be creating a new supplement, The Oszian Guide to Undeath, a practical guide to the undead races, templates, and classes (yes, these will be playable).

$100,000 – Miniatures – Core Races and Classes

This epic milestone grants 3D renderings of each race and class for sale directly to 3D print yourself, or to order. That in total would be 330 models to generate. After we finish with those, we can begin to move on to Osziana’s original creatures.

Rewards

Special Thanks

We would like to thank you for looking at what we have to offer, whether you decided to back us or not. All of our backers will be immortalized on our web page. Higher tiers of backers will have different sections to show their support. Third reward tier and higher backers will also have their names in the PDF and in the eventual Hardcover. Please take the time to share our project.

Traveler’s Guide

The Traveler’s Guide features details on all 9 Continents, 24 Major Cities, Politics, Nations, Facts about the World, Major Guilds and Orginizations, Major Threats, and several points of interest. Over 100 pages in all

Founder’s Badge

The Founder’s Badge will forever show that you supported Osziana within the web page forum. Also, all backers will be able to see short stories created within the world as an opportunity to delve into the world through major events.

Premium Membership

The website will have non-intrusive ads to help keep us working on what we love. Premium Membership will be for a lifetime without any of the web page ads. Plus premium members will be able to opt to receive information on future projects.

Creature Creator

On May 1st you will be emailed the rules of creation and all information needed to design your creature using the Osziana ruleset…note some changes from your final design may need to be done for balancing and lore purposes.

Designer Badge

On May 1st you will be emailed the rules of creation and all information needed to design your NPC using the Osziana ruleset…note some changes from your final design may need to be done for balancing purposes.

Heroic Badge

Backers of this tier get the Heroic Badge and all Osziana Adventure PDFs free for life. Ultimately, we would like to publish one shot adventures on a bi-weekly basis, and larger campaigns on a bi-monthly basis.

Legendary Badge

With Legendary Membership you will enjoy all the perks of Heroic Membership, plus free PDFs of all future releases within the Osziana setting for life. Addtionally legendary members get to choose to design a monster or an NPC.

Epic Reward

Backers of this tier get to design one of the 11 class mascots, and recieve a unique special edition hardcopy with special author’s notes and personalized to their character. This copy will have your name (or your character’s) and a picture of your class mascot on the back.

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