Campaign Creation

I am assuming this sort of experiment / feedback has not been attempted by anyone. Just to experiment with an idea that Joshua Dyal tossed up in his Dungeoncraft Articles - please post 10 COOL campaign setting ideas that you would like to have if you were crafting a home-brew. I will start the ball rolling:

1) Presence of Demonic entities on the prime material;
2) Humans are a degenerate species (strong but dull wit)
3) No wizards;
4) Savage Fey-Like race (some are born with fiend bloodline); Militant Goblinoid Race & Elemental (Plane) Touched Dwarves;
5) A world that is 50% ice and frost, 30% water, and 20% temperate forests and sandy plains and which globally experiences 9 months of winter in a 12 month year;
6) Only chromatic dragons and they can randomly possess either the fiend, celestial or any one of the four elemental templates on top of their base abilities (determined at birth) - all dragons are extremely rare;
7) Single dominant world religion with a monotheistic system with a neo-conservative approach;
8) Druids belong to independant cults that are hunted and persecuted by the dominant religion;
9) Strong movements of rebellion against the dominant religion, but often under ground;
10) Undeads are can be either evil or good

your serve...

For my homebrew-

1) Population concentrated into Italian City-States.
2) Flintlocks and Musketteers.
3) Meditative schools of sword prowress.
4) Monotheistic religion holding back unseen eldrich terrors.
5) Polytheistic religion holding back common monstrous beasts.
6) Races are mostly human off-shoots, and interfertile.
7) Crystals concentrate and amplify power.
8) Magic is dangerous, but can only kill you. Psionics are safer, but drive you mad.
9) Minor numerology: 3, 5, 7, 12 are significant numbers.
10) Names are significant.

01. Hive-cities: All races grouped in a small area
02. Dangerous hell world: Live plants, big animals, lots of
03. Cult heavy: have a plan, have a cult to push it
04. Techno-Magic: Forgotten science is seen as magic but is technology based
05. Standard Magic: as D&D
06. Lots of monsters: mostly plant and animal type monsters
07. Afterlife: The realm of the dead is part/built into game providing hit point pool
08. Magic-item creation (afterlife power)
09. Flintlocks and sword level
10. 60% Water 40% Land based world

Side note; you may want to check out the following links for thoughts on the subject.

http://users.tkk.fi/~vesanto/world.build.html

http://www.io.com/~eighner/world_builder/world_builder_index.html

Let's play the game...

#1 Weather - The world is quickly entering a new ice age, in a matter of few years the current cities will be inhabitable: either heavy measures are found to survive or migration to a few warm spots (e.g. near volcanoes) is necessary

#2 Races - Since several centuries ago, breeding between nearly all races has been possible (provided the type is close e.g. humanoids with monstrous humanoids, mon.hum. with magical beasts, but not humanoids with mag.beasts). The result is that in the current world no two individuals really belong to the same race.

#3 Classes - No base classes are used in the setting, only prestige classes (make a list of 30-40 allowed ones) and since the start. Requirements must be met afterwards, but as soon as possible.

#4 Spells - After using magic for millennia, the world is imbued with magic energy and so all those who are born here. Everyone has a minor spellcasting ability in the form of one cantrip at will.

#5 Magic items - Every magic item is intelligent because it contains the spirit of a dead creature. Creating a magic item always involves the temporary binding of such a soul to it. Evil magic items are more powerful but require to outright kill someone to provide the freshest soul as possible.

#6 Cosmology - The plane of shadows is taking over the material plane, slowly absorbing it and hence turn everything into shadow stuff. Scholars panic and are seen measuring the length of their shadow every few minutes.

#7 Religion - The existing faiths are shattered by the appearances of dozens prohets/messiahs who preach the existence of very different gods, but the organized churches aren't willing to give up their status lightly.

#8 Monsters - No two dragons are alike: there's only one red dragon, only one blue dragon, only one black dragon, etc... still hundreds of dragons in the world if you use every dragon ever written for 3rd edition.

#9 More monsters - A third of the world population is already mentally enslaved by illithids, who dwell in human towns polymorphed or disguised as nymphs, succubus or dryads (depending on the taste). The dread situation is revealed by dogs, which also reveal that they have always been all blink dogs really, monitoring human progress under cover.

#10 Even more monsters - Weremushrooms!

Cool thread

I'd contribute, but I've already posted mine in the articles. In case anyone saw this and didn't know what the whole thing was about, here's the article: http://www.enworld.org/article.php?goto=lastcomment&v=1&a=139

Cool stuff (IMO) in my perpetually unfinished cs:

• Empire founded and ruled jointly by humans and elves
• Wizardly magic is a fairly new invention (which helped the empre rise to prominence).
• No daemon/demon/devil split -just daemons (DR X/jade)
• Daemonic cults and possesion
• A previous empire used daemons as policing troops (leaving lots of nasty surprises)
• Dwarves make firearms
• The souls of dead faithfull are absorbed into their gods (no walking about in other people's afterlives).

Nothing startlingly original, but I like it.

The Worlds I'd Like To Play In or Create...

Fun! Creative!

1. Far from civilization, dragons rule civilized people, the mettle of the mutinous is tested.
2. In developed magical civilizations, spies are needed to cross enemy borders and complete deadly missions.
3. The world succumbed to the dark alure of evil, and is now populated by the undead.
4. The world discovers that their memories have been stolen, and that some can wield great power, if it is returned!
5. The drow have taken over the world, and now rule from behind the scenes, coming out only to spread chaos and drown would-be usurpers.
6. The humanoid tribes are being invaded by explorers, and will fight to defend their ancient homeland.
7. Magic permeates the world, and living creatures have some control of this powerful sacred element.
8. Avast matey! The pirates rule the high seas, however, the discovery of an underwater city draws attention from many new sources.
9. The world is dying, at long last, and the only hope is for humanity to find a solution together.
10. The world is a battleground for an inter-planar assault (such as the Blood War).

Hand of Evil said:

Side note; you may want to check out the following links for thoughts on the subject.

http://users.tkk.fi/~vesanto/world.build.html

http://www.io.com/~eighner/world_builder/world_builder_index.html

Click to expand...

A large number of links off of that first link appear to be dead. You might want to reconsider posting it as a useful resource. Or maybe my computer hates me . . .

helium3 said:

A large number of links off of that first link appear to be dead. You might want to reconsider posting it as a useful resource. Or maybe my computer hates me . . .

Click to expand...

Did not know it had gotten that bad!