What is Ber-Kamus

Im sick of Northwest European Medieval Fantasy. Lets have some Eastern

Mediterranean (Pre-)Classical Fantasy instead.
Its based on Conan the Barbarian sage of Robert E. Howard, the
Dreamlands saga of H. P. Lovecraft, the Hyperborea and Zothique cycles of
Clark Ashton Smith, and/or the Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser tales of Fritz
Leiber, but without all of the racism and sexism that come with any tales
written by uptight white guys almost a century ago.
Its like Pirates of Dark Water, but with less sailing and the monkey-birds
drink blood.

Why is Ber-Kamus
Ber-Kamus exists because I was encouraged to create a setting closer to the popular
low magic settings of this time, such as Game of Thrones and Curse of Chalion.
Im also tired of fantasy based exclusively on either European or Japanese
mythology, and decided to instead focus on the mythology of the the Levant or the
Eastern Mediterranean. This is a region adjoined by Turkey and the Middle East to
the East, Ethiopia and Egypt to the South, and Greece and the Balkans to the North.
This is the realm of the Roman and Byzantine Empires, the Greek Philosophers, the
Persian Empire(s), the Ottoman Empire, the birth of classical civilization, the birth of
Christianity and Judaism, and far more.

How to Play Ber-Kamus

General Rules

Ber-Kamus is a realm with lots of fantasy but less spellcasting. Spells enacted
by humans and humanoids tend to be less powerful, or else less common.
Perhaps classes that normally cast up to 9th level spells instead cast up to
sixth level spells and gain other abilities. Perhaps higher levels spells are
resolved as complex and difficult rituals like in D20 Modern: Urban Arcana.
Perhaps only NPCs and/or members of difficult-to-access prestige classes gain
access to spells above 6th levels. In any case, magic tends to be less common
and less dramatic, unless wielded by non-humanoid forces.
Ber-Kamus is dominated by largely gender-neutral societies. It isnt perfect,
but it means that is addition to intense barbarian warrior men slaying foes
and bedding fair ladies, you can have intenser barbarian warrior women
slaying foes and bedding fair lads. Or you can bed people of your own
gender; people in Ber-Kamus arent very judgemental about that kind of
thing. Also, sexual assault doesnt exist, because I said so.
Monsters in Ber-Kamus are generally divided into two categories, beasts and
horrors. Beasts are the mooks, little more than dangerous animals that can

attack (and be slain) in hordes. Horrors are rare and solitary abominations of
great power, and you should be grateful to even survive an encounter with
one, let alone kill it.

High Adventure
High Adventure is the most light-hearted manner of playing Ber-Kamus. Villains are
all clearly evil, save for the occasional tragic villain who might be redeemed.
Combat is described with little or no attention to potentially gory details. Prejudice
between and within sentient species is easily overcome with a bit of patience and
compassion. Sex probably isnt a thing, or is primarily a source of humor. Humor for
that manner is fairly common; fumbled rolls might be resolved as slapsticks
mistakes, and characters drop one-liners whenever a player can think of a good
one. Think 80s cartoons: in the end, friendship (or at least teamwork in battle)
always wins the day.
Example: A group of lovable rouge/misfits stumble across a map supposedly
leading to unfathomable treasure. They set out seeking their fortune, but along the
way become embroiled in a (potentially) world-shaking evil plot, and learn to be
true heroes.

Warriors of Ber-Kamus
This style is based mostly on the classic Sword and Sorcery stories. The characters
are probably mercenaries or wandering adventurers, more concerned with money
than morality (but still willing to turn on an employer who is too cruel for their
tastes). Adventures are typically local-scale rather than globe-spanning conflicts,
monster-of-the-week rather than an epic continuous plot. The heroes raid the
dungeon/temple, kill the cult, slay or escape the monster, and make off with the
treasure and or loot. They humiliate the crooked nobles, they may or may not fulfill
epic destinies, they win battles and win hearts (and sex).
Setting background probably isnt as important in such a style, as the focus is on
the heroes and local events. Combat is described with emphasis on how awesome
the blow you just struck was (his head was sent hurtling across the room).
Treasure is obtained in great abundance, and spent so quickly you still need more.
Example: The wandering party of (Insert Cool Name Here) is hired to rescue the
local governors kidnapped son. They must storm the temple of Consuming
Darkness, overcoming fervent cultists and an abomination from ancient eons in
order to save the boy and secure their prize!

Plot & Peril

This is a style based more off of realistic fantasy such as Game of Thrones or Curse
of Chalion. Ber-Kamus is essentially a continent dominated by Pre-Classical
civilizations; realistically, war could be expected to be almost constant. The
emphasis is less on the individual player characters, and more on the groups and
communities that they support. The players are likely mercenaries or agents of

particular nations/merchant houses/churches/whatever, though their loyalties could

also be divided.
A key point in the Plot & Peril play style: Many a Badass. Assume that any
sufficiently large organization will have members rivaling the PCs in power, unless
the PCs are incredibly high level.
Example: Omoor and Zamin-ab have developed a secret alliance to undermine
Otthons trade routes across Tupu. This could increase the influence of Omoor, with
the ultimate goal of gaining enough economic power to absorb Dowlat and resurrect
Barzin. Beetesabs leaders are aware of the plan, but have promised not to interfere
in return for being left alone. However, the other Jangwa tribes are more opposed to
the resurrection of Barzin, and are unlikely to approve of Beetesabs actions if they
find out. Meanwhile, the far separated merchant nations of Hadassah and Ay-Roa
are plotting an alliane to use the upcoming conflict as an opportunity to drive
merchants form other nations out of the military market; but both of these erstwhile
allies ultimately plans to betray the other.

Blood and Grit

This is a setting is somewhat of a cross between Plot & Peril and Warriors of BerKamus, veering either way as you like, but with a grittier and more realistic
approach. In this setting the rich exploit the poor, the strong exploit the weak,
nobility exploits the masses; however, people are not as miserable as expected,
simply because all of this is accepted as the norm (and thus typically left
unchallenged). The Age of Gold homebrew campaign setting serves as a good
example of the tone of this style. The players may strive to make life better
wherever they can, they may simply side with the powerful to support their own
interests, or they may balance the two approaches. This setting is another example
of Everyone is a Badass; it is safe to say that no matter how powerful the PCs
become, someone else will always be just as strong, preventing them from acting
with impunity.

Cosmic Horror
There is a deep connection between the tradition of sword and sorcery and the
tradition of cosmic horror. H. P. Lovecraft was buddies with Robert E. Howard, and
the stories of Clark Ashton Smith blended sword and sorcery achievements with
cosmic horror. Eldritch abominations lurk in the background of the Ber-Kamus
campaign setting, and if you so choose you can make their threat the main focus of
the campaign. If this is the case, consult products of Chasioums Call of Cthulhu
roleplaying game for inspiration and advice, and read up on Clark Ashtonm Smiths
Zoathique and Hyperborea Cycles.
Example:

Standard Mix
The standard style of playing a Ber-Kamu game, as I imagine it, is a mix of the
above. The lighter elements of High Adventure are balanced against the darker

elements of Blood and Grit, the world-spanning focus of Plot and Peril is balanced
against the more personal focus of Warriors of Ber-Kamus, and a bit of cosmic horror
is inserted as considered appropriate. Ber-kamus is supposed to be something
different from standard D&D campaign settings, but it is also supposed to be at
least as flexible as such settings; anyway, whats important in the end is that you
have fun!

From Where is Ber-Kamus Drawn?

Mythological Sources
Ber-Kamuss mythological monsters are drawn primarily from classical Greek
mythology, Arabic and Persian mythologies, and ancient (or more recent) Egyptian
mythology. Ideally, additional monsters and concepts should be drawn from regions
near the east Mediterranean or otherwise from mythologies of North Africa, SouthEast Europe, and/or West Asia. Avoid drawing from Celtic and/or Scandinavian
mythologies; the idea is to move away from European Medieval Fantasy and Tolkein.

Literary Sources
The Hyperborea and Zoathique cycles of Clark Ashton Smith
The Dreamlands stories of H.P. Lovecraft
Conan the Barbarian
Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser

Other
Pirates of Dark Water (the cartoon or the comics)