D&D 5E Tarras: A Homebrewed Campaign Setting

Knightfall · Feb 28, 2011

Added a description for gnomes. Halflings are likely next followed by half-elves, half-orcs, and maybe dragonborn.

Lanefan · Mar 1, 2011

Knightfall said:
I expect that I'll only add to this setting as inspiration strikes me. I'm thinking of connecting it to another idea I have, a massive planar city called Bottleneck that exists on a demiplane.

In fact, Bottleneck will likely be a central nexus that leads to many of my settings (and cosmologies) such as Kulan.

Of course, that planar setting is only an idea at this point. Still, Bottleneck, like Tarras, will be systemless.

Our games have a similar setup on a little tiny demi-plane - it amounts pretty much to a small keep and about 30 square miles of partly-forested snow and ice. We usually just call it the Nexus.

The keep has a series of inter-planar gates whose destinations change all the time and will eventually contact - among other places - every prime material world in existence (yes, yours too). The only individual in the universe who knows what gate will go to where when is the mostly-insane Gnome who runs the place. Also, this Gnome has enough powers to enforce peace between visitors no matter who they might be. (ever sat down to a friendly dinner with a bunch of Mind Flayers and a Frost Giant who happened to be passing through? It can happen here...)

It's not so much systemless as system-inclusive: if you somehow end up here you function just the same as you did back home - thus it's theoretically possible to have a 1e Fighter meet a 3e Wizard and a Basic Elf and sit down for tea with them.

Lanefan

Knightfall · Jan 28, 2012

Lanefan said:
Our games have a similar setup on a little tiny demi-plane - it amounts pretty much to a small keep and about 30 square miles of partly-forested snow and ice. We usually just call it the Nexus.

The keep has a series of inter-planar gates whose destinations change all the time and will eventually contact - among other places - every prime material world in existence (yes, yours too). The only individual in the universe who knows what gate will go to where when is the mostly-insane Gnome who runs the place. Also, this Gnome has enough powers to enforce peace between visitors no matter who they might be. (ever sat down to a friendly dinner with a bunch of Mind Flayers and a Frost Giant who happened to be passing through? It can happen here...)

It's not so much systemless as system-inclusive: if you somehow end up here you function just the same as you did back home - thus it's theoretically possible to have a 1e Fighter meet a 3e Wizard and a Basic Elf and sit down for tea with them.

Lanefan

Yeah, Bottleneck is going to be my "nexus," sort of.

Anyway, the announcement of D&D Next has made me reflect on this setting, and while I'm going to keep Tarras systemless for now, I'm thinking it will become a 5e world if the new game turns out to be something I like.

Knightfall · Jan 29, 2012

Today's seminar has me psyched for 5e. I've gone back and modified all the ability score modifiers to reflect the idea of +1/+1 for standard small and medium-sized races. For large races, I'm thinking +2 for the physical ability score bonuses/penalties while keeping +1 for the mental modifiers. :hmm:

Knightfall · May 1, 2015

Race lists updated. Class lists updated but not finalized.

Knightfall · May 9, 2015

Class and Deity lists updated.

Knightfall · May 17, 2015

I've now decided I'm not going to add negative ability scores to the various races for this world. I've had a chance to learn and like the D&D 5E system and its balance of racial and class abilities. I'm still not sure how I'm going to do large-sized races. Perhaps I'll mimic what WotC did for the Goliath.

It is possible I might create a chart that gives negative ability score values as an optional rule, but it isn't going to be a priority. I'm more concerned with getting the various race descriptions written for the world. I finally have the catfolk semi-finalized. All I have to do for that is come up with two unique subraces for Tarras.

Connorsrpg · May 18, 2015

Re negative ability modifiers for races. We too have always done this...and we still do in 5E.

Here is a link to our main Race Page, just in case you are interested to see how someone else has dealt with 'negative features'. Most refer you to the Flaws Page. We have a whole subsystem based upon drawbacks etc.

Link to Race Page: http://connorscampaigns.wikidot.com/d-d-races

Link to Flaws Page: http://connorscampaigns.wikidot.com/d-d-flaws

Cheers, and good luck with conversions to 5E.

Sadrik · May 18, 2015

Knightfall said:
It will be a city full of decadence and strife hidden behind a veil of civility. There will be "haves" and "have nots," and the "have nots" will out number the "haves" by at least 3 to 1.

This would be an extremely egalitarian society at 3 to 1. I think you are looking more for at minimum 100 to 1, for extreme 1,000 to 1 or more. Think about demographics. Which clearly you do, based on your rarity charts. If this city was 1,000,000, an enormous sprawling city that arguably could not exist in a medieval setting (but hey magic). With 3:1 that would be 750,000 have nots and 250,000 haves. That is a huge amount of haves. Even at 100:1 that is 10,000 haves, so that is 10,000 manors and mansions throughout the city? More than likely it is 1,000:1 which would be more in line with medieval economics which is even more extreme than that.

Edit: oh and remember the middle class is virtually an invention of the 20th century. It was just so small it virtually was not there before then.