Looking for sources of campaign secrets and mysteries.

[davout1805]

Hi all,

I'm looking for sources of ideas for campaign secrets/mysteries that could eventually be uncovered by the PCs that I could use in my campaign.

The sources could be lists, campaign settings that have interesting secrets/mysteries, or something else.

Thanks.

 

[Celebrim]

Any time you actually spend time creating a homebrew top down, you will start to run into difficult questions.

Where did the gods come from?
Where did the angels/demons come from?
Where did people come from?

All of these can be campaign level secrets and deep mysteries. In particular, you can always have the answer most people believe be wrong. Most people believe the gods are invented by and powered by human belief. It turns out that no, the gods created people. Most people think the gods created people. No, it turns out people first arrived in this universe as inter-diminsional refugees in a magical starship that crashed. No actually, the whole planet is the space ship. Most people think that the angels/devils were created by the gods. No, it turns out that they are reified belief in ethical concepts. And so forth.

So just start trying to answer questions:

What is the sun made of? Who made it?
What are some of the common heresies on your world? Are any of the heresies actually (secretly) true?
What are some of the more powerful secret societies of your world? What do they want?

Which monstrous creatures are actually secretly integrated into society on a wide scale basis - aboleth, dopplegangers, mind flayers, lycanthropes, vampires, etc.? Even if not so integrated, are there any nations were such creatures are secretly the power behind the throne? The weirder and more obscure the monster here, typically the more creative you are being. Anybody can have a nation ruled by a dynasty of vampires. What about a nation secretly ruled by mimics or xill? What about going more Cthulhu and having a nation ruled secretly by a bunch of parasites?

What's the weirdest system of government or basis for rule you can think of?

What monsters are believed to be extant that are actually extinct? What monsters believed to be extinct actually still exist?

One you have a 'standard' model of civilization for your society, can you break it to create lost or legendary city states where things are weird. Necromancy is bad? In X, it's considered good. Clerics are influential? In Y, they put them to death. There are no warlocks/binders/dragonborn/shadow dancers/warforged in your campaign? Except in the isolated city of Z. Gnomes don't exist in this world. Well, they actually used to.

Is this all there is, or are there realms beyond this one?

Are Beholders and Mind Flayers aliens, or are they created races?

Just so stories are good as well. Why is the ogre ugly? How did dragons learn to breath fire? When did the mermaid learn to swim?

Think of all the different minor powers of your world - the four winds, the dryad queen of all pecan trees, the first manticore, the patriarch of each major deities cult. Where are they headquartered? If you develop a mythology for your world, where did those events actually happen. Is the accepted mythology actually true, or are there several different versions of the story, or is the real story actually very different? On smaller and smaller scales you can do this to the backstory of everything. That noble family that owes their lands to their courage at the battle of Garjian Ford in 1136 of the Third Era? That's not how it actually happened. The real guy was mercenary who double crossed his liege, fled the battle, and consolidated power in the wake of the ensuing crisis.

The really important thing for me isn't coming up with dime a dozen ideas for secrets and mysteries, but talking about what you really want your campaign to be about - morality, religion, politics, intrigue, exploration, etc. It's cool to have a bunch of campaign level secrets, but before they are important they need to come up in your campaign, and before that happens you have to decide whether its the campaign you want to have. Not every group likes murder mysteries and domestic scandals. Not every group is going to care much for politics and mass combat. Not every group is going to be much interested in philosophy and religion.

 

[religon]

I would agree with Celebrim on all points save a need for too many answers up front.

I start with common RPG tropes and practical stuff.

Nature of dragons.
Nature of goblin-kind.
Non-human nations.
Nature of Elves and similarity to Tolkien's version.
Gates and portals... how they work and how pervasive/permanent.
Identify a fulcrum nation... normally a human nation to serve as a standard and anchor for the campaign.
How raise dead and a possible afterlife work.
General considerations of druidism, knightly orders, secret cults societies, necromancy, elemental magic, lost civilizations, ranger/wizard circles, entropy cults, meddling wizards, etc.
Ethnic strife.
I think spellboooks, learning spells and sharing of scrolls and spellbooks needs to be addressed early.
Secret monster ambitions/kingdoms.
Is there a thriving Underdark?
Do you want to work Lovecraft Mythos into the world?
How do the gods interact with worshipers, the world and each other.
Is there a fairy or spirit world?
What about a hell or underworld?
Paradise?
Where are the blank spots in the map... lonely areas, uncharted swamps, dungeons too extensive to consider exploring, etc.
Trade, agriculture and economic forces that may define conflict.
Does magic work in any special ways?
If you have lots of old dungeons/ruined towers, what civilizations were most likely responsible?
If you present a strong, benevolent nation or race, they need a vulnerability or weakness if as a DM you need to destabilize the institution.

Some secrets of my campaign...
Probably 20 secret goblin alliances and many secret humanoid kingdoms.
Three types of elves... a Tolkien-esque version, a RGP-trope version and Shadow Elves (Mystara).
Gates and portals are rather common in the world. Generally only high-level wizards know how to leverage these.
I use the Empire of Darokin, a corrupt nation of martial merchant and witch-hunters as my fulcrum. A secret: there is no Emperor. His ministers rule backed by a merchant & noble secret cabal.
One progressive country is nearly embroiled in a civil war over ethnic differences.
The northern lands are in total anarchy as they war among themselves. The traditional jarls continue to negotiate with the other nations as though they control their historic lands.
The Old Ones dreamed the universe into being. They sleep beyond the Dimensional Void. If awakened, they seek to reclaim their nothingness... and bestow that blessing on others. Some of the evil gods are false. The clerical powers are channeled directly from the entropic Old One seeking destruction. Even the clerics do not realize they are deceived.
The Underdark is much more connected that any surface nation realizes.
Secret slaver rings and thieves guild alliances abound.
The Nightmare Dimension (land of the undead) schemes to conquer the Prime Plane.
One minor goblin tribe can summon Mythos horrors.
The Pirate King exercises as much power as many smaller island kingdoms.
One Lawful ruler is a hypocrite with regard to slavery. He profits from a secret goblin-kind salt mine as the prisoners are worked to death.
Two surface kingdoms are overrun with dragons. Except for locals, few are aware of the dangers.
The fairy world often merges with the Prime Plane in sylvan settings.
Some schools of magic, and associated spells, are very exclusive with regard to practitioners.
One large nation of traders (airships) are in the thrall of the Old Ones.
The two 'monotheistic' faiths share a common source.
Three overt goblin kingdoms have recently claimed surface kingdoms. Few suspect the extent.
The dwarvish kingdoms are on the verge of collapse.
There are many powerful underwater kingdoms and some invisible floating (in the air) islands of considerable power.
The powerful Greco-Roman Emperor is a hedonist. He has many enemies despite his skill as a warrior. Et tu Black Dougal?
Quite a few lords are secretly vampires or lycanthropes.
One Lawful Church is infested with cultists to entropic powers.