Island-based Civilization Ideas - Need Help!

[DrNilesCrane]

I’ve found some great ideas in various threads here and hope I can draw upon the creative minds here to assist me with my upcoming, sea-faring 3.5 D&D campaign.

I need (at least) a few dozen ideas for island based civilizations & cultures.

I’m looking for short, one or two sentence descriptions that make each the island unique. These can be physical descriptions of the islands or (preferably) about the inhabitants, culture, etc. Samples of what I'm looking for are online at:
http://www.the6elements.com/setting/world.php#other

The campaign setting is a massive continent with many cultures that was shattered by a cataclysm around 300 years ago and flooded, leaving behind about a thousand islands scattered in a shallow sea. The various islands have been, for the most part, isolated until the last few decades, so the setting will support a wide variety of possibilities (i.e. the islands can really be very different and still fit with the style and feel of the setting).

Any help and suggestions are greatly appreciated! Thank you!

EDIT: Clarified a few things that I'm seeking.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

Pirates
Dinosaurs
Lizardmen

... these are mandatory for island adventures. You could put all of these on one island. The pirates use an underground cove for a base. Dinosaurs walk around and scare the crap out of everyone, which is why nobody has found the cove. You can ally with the Lizardmen against the pirates or vice-versa depending on who you want around. The lizardmen know some magical secret to avoid dinosaurs.

So you can "beat" the island, by making it safer for the pirates by wiping out the Lizardmen, or safer for for the party by wiping out the pirates and geting the magic secret to avoid dinosaurs. At that point someone in the party will want a dinosaur for a mount, and you can make the required animan handling/empathy checks.

Hope that helps.

 

[The Persian]

Sharks

Weresharks

Bronze or Black Dragons (if there's a swamp)

Fire Elementals / Magma Paraelementals (volcanoes), Water Elementals (if tied closely to the Plane of Water)

Fire Giants (volcanoes), Storm Giants (around the island)

Bronze Serpents

Locathanths (spelling)

Island tribal warriors (picture big Samoan guys)

Giant/Dire version of animals (i saw an old island movie with giant bees, giant lizards and crocodiles)

 

[Turanil]

-- Volcanic Island Self explanatory, but it would be great to have some cult and temple in the volcano.

-- Walrus Graveyard The fabled island where come all the walrus to die, leaving behind their ivory tusks. A monstrous fortune waits to be plundered, but walrus wraiths keep watch...

-- Venice A great city which streets are in fact rivers, like in Venice - Italia, but bigger and more wonderful as befits a fantasy setting.

-- Shipwrights' Island Many big and sturdy trees grow very fast on this island, and consequently there is many shipyards and ship building on this island.

-- Dwarves' Island The dwarves are fearful of water, and those even moreso, because of some obscure prophecy. As such, they must deal with sailors from other nations, for commerce and what not. The dwarves never leave their island.

-- Melnibone Elves instead of melniboneans, but everything else is the same, including the maze where the boats must go to reach the city's port.

 

[JimAde]

A large island that is split down the middle by near-impassible volcanic mountains. The volcanoes are of the "slow leak" variety so they don't really pose a threat, but are very dangerous to traverse.

The people on the windward half of the island (where most of the rain falls) have plenty of wood, but few if any decent mineral resources. The people on the other half have plenty of metal, but the climate is too arid to support large forests.

The shallows surrounding the island on all sides are crawling with hostile sahuagin (or similar aquatic threat) making trade very difficult, but highly profitable.

 

[DrNilesCrane]

Great ideas, keep em' coming!

 

[Tonguez]

Volcanic Island Self explanatory, but it would be great to have some cult and temple in the volcano.

My Volcanic Island contained a Half-magma elemental Ogre Mage (named Flametooth) who had been trapped inside the volcano by a powerful Priest 200 years before. Flametooth was worshipped by the local ogre and goblin tribes and at the time the PCS arrived was about to escape from his imprisonment to wreak havoc on the surroundign archipelago...

An Island of uplifted coral with a collapsed interior is another idea. - the coral cliffs are high there is no anchorage and they are almost impossible to climb, the only access is underwater. The interior is a lush verdant land with a large central lagoon. An ancient hag protects the place where shipwreck survivors have been brought and have now established a village.

 

[Tinner]

Strange hostile plant life. Vegypygmies with poison dart blowguns.
Shipwreck survivors being menaced by an unseen threat, and encountering impossible characters. (Lost)
Plesiosaur with a Ring of Regeneration in its stomach. (My favorite Isle of Dread encounter)
New and dangerous diseases. (Dire Malaria)
Flightless birds that are easily caught and eaten. (The dodo)
Mermaids
Underwater caverns only revealed at low tide.
Feral boys (Lord of the Flies)
Living Islands (Like Krakoa - The Island that Walks like a Man from Giant-Size X-Men #1)
Mysteriously abandoned colonies (Croatoan/Roanoke)
Aboriginal natives that need a sacrifice for the volcano goddess.
A ship-wrecked family doing their best to survive and thrive. (Swiss Family Robinson)
An island literally teaming with crabs (Christmas Island)
Hurricanes & Tsunamis
Trade opportunities - Exotic birds, fruits, vegetables, flowers, spices, textiles, grains, furs, etc.
Giant leeches
Slumbering colossal monsters (Tarrasque/Godzilla)
Ruins of a lost civilization.
Sleestaks (Land of the Lost)
Amazon chicks in chamois bikinis
Sea Serpents, Krakens & Dragon Turtles.
Monsoon season.
Magmin & lava children in the volcanos
Coral reefs
Megalodons and other sharks.
Giant Clams (Just go buy Monsters of the Boundless Blue already!)

Hope it helps.

 

[DrNilesCrane]

I like the replies so far - several echo ideas I've already developed, which is a good sign.

I'd like to see some more ideas for civilizations and cultures.

Here's what I've developed so far as examples:
http://www.the6elements.com/setting/world.php#other

Thanks again and keep the great ideas coming!

 

[Steverooo]

The Isles of Shadow: Grey islands where silence rules, and nothing but plants seem to live... This is because any creature that lands there falls into eternal sleep... Except, of course, for Elves.

Island of the Apes: Giant carnivorous ones, that is! Other than birds, amphibians, and aquatic reptiles, there is no land-life on this jungle isle, as the apes ate it all! (Burp!)

Deserted Isle: Nearly-ruined huts, old, rotting books, dirty dishes still on the table, spoiled food still lying about... No bodies, no undead, not even bones... Few animals, almost no birds, a lot of quiet, and absolutely NO explanations!

Island of the Mind-Flayers: A Civilization... but one you don't wanna trade with! Stone towers which go down into the ground, deserted during the day, as they are nocturnal... Not a good place to spend the night!

Island of the Head-Hunters: Friday and Company dwell here. Adventurers are invited to dinner!

Isles of the Wolves: Several small islands, close together, with little or no large animal life. Wolves (and Werewolves) have hunted them almost to extinction. The PCs are next!

Vampire Island: Another "deserted" place NOT to spend the night!

Volcano Island: Besides the volcano, and the giant lava dragon that guards the way in, a secret door leads to the Hall of Many Worlds, with doorways that allow access to many other places in the multiverse.

Ninja Island: A strange place, where no one s[eaks Common, and everyone is a Fighter/Rogue/Monk! Anyone speak Oriental Common?

The Deserted Isle: Yes, this one really is!

Mechanus Island: A giant, desrted Treehouse, full of complexicated mechanical gizmos, and a secret underground base guarded by a Golem.

Amazonia: Beautiful women warriors who like to be in charge!

Island of the Curse: The exact nature of which is left to the GM.

Slave-Pit 109: Where the pirates sell off their captives!

The Floating Isle: This one moves! Home to an ancient Sea-faring civilization!

Island of the Purple Towns: If you're going to include Melnibone', you need the civilization that destroyed them, too! A Merchant Isle where all the buildings are made of purple stones!

The Sargasso Sea: An "island" of fog-bound seaweed, where the winds are ever-becalmed. The mats of weed are so thick that many types of creatures live here, including a large number of amphibians, lizardfolk, merfolk, ixitzachitl, dolphins & porpoises, etc. The fishing is great, but getting OUT requires a lot of rowing!!! Lots of wrecked ships, among the seaweed. Bring your Tridents!

Medea's Islet: Medea, the Witch who turns males to pigs... Druids very helpful, here!

Orpheus' Island: Not much here, except an Artifact-level Harp...

The Nessus Shirt Factory: It's a D&D In-Joke!

Siren Island: May be Sirens, or may just be Harpies! GM's choice!

"Tower" Island: Disappearing tower, that is! It comes, and it goes, again...

Island of the Damned: Ghouls abound. Come join them!

Dinosaur Island: No Ninja-Pirates, on this one, just a place for Barbarians, Druids, and Rangers to shine!

The Sunken Atoll: An "island" of rock, shaped like the letter "C". Hard living! I sure hope you all like fish!

Mechicha: An island civilization like Aztec, Mayan, Toltec, etc. Mahuatls instead of swords, etc. Magically powerful.

Atlantis: The sunken city, nuff said!