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Merged WotC setting search winners/losers thread
- Thread starter Kai Lord
- Start date
Purgatory
Might as well post mine . . . lemme know if any of you want to give me large sums of money, eh?
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1. CORE ETHOS
Purgatory is a world in which the so-called “monstrous” humanoids have been hunted to near extinction, and fight a desperate struggle against both the “heroes” of the surface world and the menaces of the deep Underdark.
2. WHO ARE THE HEROES?
The dregs of the Underdark – kobolds, goblins, orcs, xvarts, the jakaan (descendants of the Drow-bred slave races) – find themselves crushed between greedy elves and humans from above, and power-hungry Drow and Illithid from below. To survive, this downtrodden “scum” must call out to its strongest, brightest, and shiftiest; it is from these that the true heroes of the world emerge. The shrewdest of these new heroes model themselves after the goblin wizard Grisgra. Grisgra was also an engineer and trapmaker, and was so adept he once helped a tribe of humanoid refugees defend their home against no fewer than twelve parties of invading adventurers. The last party defeated carried enough magic to level half the continent, and yet they were no match for Grisgra’s ingenuity. But Grisgra’s time has passed, and the world searches for new heroes now.
3. WHAT DO THEY DO?
Some heroes concentrate on clearing out unexplored and dangerous areas fit for settlement. The more successful tribes colonize these areas to increase their numbers; others run to them before the next Surfacer invasion or Drow slave raid. The more daring heroes take the fight directly to their enemies, while those with a greater sense of self-preservation take to spying on them, hoping to eventually lead them away from their tribe, and towards another target. Bands of heroes sometimes act as ambassadors to other tribes . . . with limited success. On that note, legends speak of the Chrunsha, the Leader that will arise to unify all the Humanoid peoples of the Underdark against their common foes. The more cynical note that he’d better show up soon if he plans on leading anything more than a scattering of oozes and underground mushrooms.
4. THREATS, CONFLICTS, AND VILLAINS
Most Humanoids live just below the surface world, in the Crust of the Underdark. They face four constant threats. The Drow and Illithid vie for more slaves, more food, more subjects for their sickening experiments. They push up against our heroes from below. The magic-hungry (many would say addicted) elves and humans are convinced of their righteousness and of the inherent evil of any foe who carries something nice that they want. Expeditions of murderous adventurers puncture into our heroes’ homes from above. Opposing clans of goblins, orcs, and bugbears happily kill their own kind to gain control of any underground land suitable for settlement. They press against our heroes from the side, and within. Finally, there are the areas where the space separating the Planes has become so twisted that reality itself splits open. The goblins call these places ungshuk, or “twisted teeth”, and the less said about what comes out of them, the better.
5. THE NATURE OF MAGIC
Magic is abundant; it seems elven and human adventurers unearth some Artifact of Great Power from the Underdark on a monthly basis. The Humanoids’ hedge wizardry sometimes seems little more than a candle next to the blazing sun of the Surfacers’ magicks. In an effort to reach equality, Humanoid shamans have been experimenting with magicks of different natures (e.g., those that mix the magic of the Hells and the Elemental Planes). Successes are few, though, and typically lead to spells as dangerous to the caster as to their targets.
6. WHAT’S NEW? WHAT’S DIFFERENT?
There are new races and new magicks, but what makes Purgatory stand out is the perspective of its protagonists. Adventurers will find this world far more treacherous than most, as their foes will often have more powerful toys than they do! And their foes are legion, consisting of both those who consider themselves inherently good and those who are irredeemably evil. The Surfacers quest for magic and the world’s purification. The Drow seek power and the enslavement of all. The Illithid, as always, seek to blot out the sun.
The Humanoids seek only a home free of dangers . . . and maybe a little revenge. They’re willing to split the pillars of Heaven and collapse the caverns of Hell to get it. Unfortunately, Heaven and Hell will be fighting back.
Might as well post mine . . . lemme know if any of you want to give me large sums of money, eh?
--------------------------
1. CORE ETHOS
Purgatory is a world in which the so-called “monstrous” humanoids have been hunted to near extinction, and fight a desperate struggle against both the “heroes” of the surface world and the menaces of the deep Underdark.
2. WHO ARE THE HEROES?
The dregs of the Underdark – kobolds, goblins, orcs, xvarts, the jakaan (descendants of the Drow-bred slave races) – find themselves crushed between greedy elves and humans from above, and power-hungry Drow and Illithid from below. To survive, this downtrodden “scum” must call out to its strongest, brightest, and shiftiest; it is from these that the true heroes of the world emerge. The shrewdest of these new heroes model themselves after the goblin wizard Grisgra. Grisgra was also an engineer and trapmaker, and was so adept he once helped a tribe of humanoid refugees defend their home against no fewer than twelve parties of invading adventurers. The last party defeated carried enough magic to level half the continent, and yet they were no match for Grisgra’s ingenuity. But Grisgra’s time has passed, and the world searches for new heroes now.
3. WHAT DO THEY DO?
Some heroes concentrate on clearing out unexplored and dangerous areas fit for settlement. The more successful tribes colonize these areas to increase their numbers; others run to them before the next Surfacer invasion or Drow slave raid. The more daring heroes take the fight directly to their enemies, while those with a greater sense of self-preservation take to spying on them, hoping to eventually lead them away from their tribe, and towards another target. Bands of heroes sometimes act as ambassadors to other tribes . . . with limited success. On that note, legends speak of the Chrunsha, the Leader that will arise to unify all the Humanoid peoples of the Underdark against their common foes. The more cynical note that he’d better show up soon if he plans on leading anything more than a scattering of oozes and underground mushrooms.
4. THREATS, CONFLICTS, AND VILLAINS
Most Humanoids live just below the surface world, in the Crust of the Underdark. They face four constant threats. The Drow and Illithid vie for more slaves, more food, more subjects for their sickening experiments. They push up against our heroes from below. The magic-hungry (many would say addicted) elves and humans are convinced of their righteousness and of the inherent evil of any foe who carries something nice that they want. Expeditions of murderous adventurers puncture into our heroes’ homes from above. Opposing clans of goblins, orcs, and bugbears happily kill their own kind to gain control of any underground land suitable for settlement. They press against our heroes from the side, and within. Finally, there are the areas where the space separating the Planes has become so twisted that reality itself splits open. The goblins call these places ungshuk, or “twisted teeth”, and the less said about what comes out of them, the better.
5. THE NATURE OF MAGIC
Magic is abundant; it seems elven and human adventurers unearth some Artifact of Great Power from the Underdark on a monthly basis. The Humanoids’ hedge wizardry sometimes seems little more than a candle next to the blazing sun of the Surfacers’ magicks. In an effort to reach equality, Humanoid shamans have been experimenting with magicks of different natures (e.g., those that mix the magic of the Hells and the Elemental Planes). Successes are few, though, and typically lead to spells as dangerous to the caster as to their targets.
6. WHAT’S NEW? WHAT’S DIFFERENT?
There are new races and new magicks, but what makes Purgatory stand out is the perspective of its protagonists. Adventurers will find this world far more treacherous than most, as their foes will often have more powerful toys than they do! And their foes are legion, consisting of both those who consider themselves inherently good and those who are irredeemably evil. The Surfacers quest for magic and the world’s purification. The Drow seek power and the enslavement of all. The Illithid, as always, seek to blot out the sun.
The Humanoids seek only a home free of dangers . . . and maybe a little revenge. They’re willing to split the pillars of Heaven and collapse the caverns of Hell to get it. Unfortunately, Heaven and Hell will be fighting back.
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derverdammte
Explorer
Forrester, that totally rules. I love the whole "reverse dungeon" concept, and I don't think I've seen a better way of putting it into play!
derverdammte said:
Thanks! I thought it was a pretty strong entry, though I guess it wasn't in the top 0.1%
. It's probably too "generic" in the sense that there's nothing about it that is extremely unique except for the point of view of the protagonists. At least, that's my guess. Still, you independent publishers out there . . . let's talk!
We should corral some WoTC folk in here and make them read these entries again, let us know if any of them made the top 100
. Something tells me that they might be a little sick of them by now, though . . .
Jürgen Hubert
First Post
While I didn't make it to the next round in the Setting Search, I liked my setting of Urbis (which can be seen on page 4 of this thread) enough to continue developing it on my own. I have started a web page dedicated to this setting - which you can see here - and will probably update it daily over the next few weeks as I add in more details.
Feel free to take a look at it now and then, and tell me what you think about it!
Feel free to take a look at it now and then, and tell me what you think about it!
seasong
First Post
Had a chat with an online friend about "things I might want to do with my setting", and he had a good point: posting my submission here does not preclude doing anything with the setting (including cannibalizing it for other settings I've written).
So, I'm a bit slow.
Here's my setting. Formatting is pretty close to the original.
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1. CORE ETHOS: ASTHANTASIA
ASTHANTASIA is a post-Godwar world of broken architecture and kudzu-like wilderness, where adventurers connect and protect scattered communities.
2. HEROES
“The gods only broke the world; they could not break us.”
It has been a few generations since the Godwar. Since then, villages, towns, and even the occasional city have grown up amidst the overgrown ruins. Heroes are those who, motivated by anything from duty to curiosity to naked greed, do the deeds needed for civilization to flourish once again.
3. GOALS
“We’re all that holds back an age of darkness and barbarism. Of course we fight!”
Adventurers guard caravans between the oases of civilization, drive monsters away from villages, explore blasted towers for ancient secrets and treasure… and in the process, connect distant communities, restore the spirit of the people, and recover the glory of the past.
4. THREATS
“Pulling together is tough when some of us are pushing the others off the cliff.”
Society has survived the Godwar, but there are many obstacles to continued regrowth. Distance and harsh terrain are hard enough to conquer, but there are also primal monsters, would-be dictators, apocalyptic fanatics, and the usual assortment of bandits, pirates, and other brutes.
5. MAGIC
“Ah, nothing finer than the smell of Fireball on a crisp mountain morning!”
Primal life energy roils invisibly through reality. Sorcerors and wizards tap this energy to power their spells, priests utilize it as a medium to contact divinity, and many natural creatures possess specialized organs to use it. Although wizards are rare (relying, as they do, on libraries), magic itself is vibrantly present.
“Hey, is that little thing a mud golem?” “Yeah, that’s Wattle. Best familiar ever!”
Arcane magic consists of elemental magic and life magic, with ‘golem’ magic blurring the lines.
6. UNIQUE SETTING
“A long journey, yes, but the trade route will open again, with us as the merchant princes!”
The world is still young, pushing its way out of a dead shell. Characters are not born into an established order to find their niche; they create the established order and their own niche. Everything is wide open for them to build kingdoms, found mage academies, start religious orders and more. When civilization rises from its ashes, they will be the heroes of the new mythology.
“Tell me again, why are we here?” “To see the wizard. And then kick his undead butt.”
* Kess, a stone city buried beneath the desert sands by a god, now home to necromancy.
* Fathertrees, millennium-old oak trees that still guard particular regions of wilderness.
* Atala, an ocean-floating city which has become a haven for pirates.
* Maphir, a distant empire whose vast armies survived god-wrought destruction.
So, I'm a bit slow
.Here's my setting. Formatting is pretty close to the original.
-----
1. CORE ETHOS: ASTHANTASIA
ASTHANTASIA is a post-Godwar world of broken architecture and kudzu-like wilderness, where adventurers connect and protect scattered communities.
2. HEROES
“The gods only broke the world; they could not break us.”
It has been a few generations since the Godwar. Since then, villages, towns, and even the occasional city have grown up amidst the overgrown ruins. Heroes are those who, motivated by anything from duty to curiosity to naked greed, do the deeds needed for civilization to flourish once again.
3. GOALS
“We’re all that holds back an age of darkness and barbarism. Of course we fight!”
Adventurers guard caravans between the oases of civilization, drive monsters away from villages, explore blasted towers for ancient secrets and treasure… and in the process, connect distant communities, restore the spirit of the people, and recover the glory of the past.
4. THREATS
“Pulling together is tough when some of us are pushing the others off the cliff.”
Society has survived the Godwar, but there are many obstacles to continued regrowth. Distance and harsh terrain are hard enough to conquer, but there are also primal monsters, would-be dictators, apocalyptic fanatics, and the usual assortment of bandits, pirates, and other brutes.
5. MAGIC
“Ah, nothing finer than the smell of Fireball on a crisp mountain morning!”
Primal life energy roils invisibly through reality. Sorcerors and wizards tap this energy to power their spells, priests utilize it as a medium to contact divinity, and many natural creatures possess specialized organs to use it. Although wizards are rare (relying, as they do, on libraries), magic itself is vibrantly present.
“Hey, is that little thing a mud golem?” “Yeah, that’s Wattle. Best familiar ever!”
Arcane magic consists of elemental magic and life magic, with ‘golem’ magic blurring the lines.
6. UNIQUE SETTING
“A long journey, yes, but the trade route will open again, with us as the merchant princes!”
The world is still young, pushing its way out of a dead shell. Characters are not born into an established order to find their niche; they create the established order and their own niche. Everything is wide open for them to build kingdoms, found mage academies, start religious orders and more. When civilization rises from its ashes, they will be the heroes of the new mythology.
“Tell me again, why are we here?” “To see the wizard. And then kick his undead butt.”
* Kess, a stone city buried beneath the desert sands by a god, now home to necromancy.
* Fathertrees, millennium-old oak trees that still guard particular regions of wilderness.
* Atala, an ocean-floating city which has become a haven for pirates.
* Maphir, a distant empire whose vast armies survived god-wrought destruction.
seasong
First Post
Things I would change if I submitted Asthantasia again: More magic notes. Different set of "places" down at the bottom. It's not like I had a shortage, and I could have been more fringe-worthy .
Also, I could have easily devoted a whole page to Atala (the city), and I should have at least mentioned a few other things like levitation-based, wind-powered ships, the new roles of some of the races (the typical dwarf is a living history/historian), and Terracotta City (once a garden city, smashed to rubble and now transformed into a jungle inhabited by small human villages).
.Also, I could have easily devoted a whole page to Atala (the city), and I should have at least mentioned a few other things like levitation-based, wind-powered ships, the new roles of some of the races (the typical dwarf is a living history/historian), and Terracotta City (once a garden city, smashed to rubble and now transformed into a jungle inhabited by small human villages).
Hi Seasong. I really like alot of those ideas for Asthantasia. I think your setting highlights one of the problems with the contest. Much of what makes a setting interesting and distinctive are a lot of the little details that just don't fit into the format of the contest entries. There are only so many basic archetypes for a setting that are not completely standard vanilla fantasy world ala FR/GH yet are open enough to support a diverse and multi-faceted campaign setting (I doubt that they were looking for a gimmick driven one-shot setting), so it's in the fine details where a given proposal can really shine. I wonder if some of the winners thought of a creative way to work around this limitation with the format.
seasong
First Post
kenjib, Thanks for the nice words!
Really, though, I could have fit more and made the decision not to (various reasons - trying not to be too weird, keeping a large font because I thought they would only have 2 weeks to read them all, etc.). So what I didn't put in was my fault.
Really, though, I could have fit more and made the decision not to (various reasons - trying not to be too weird, keeping a large font because I thought they would only have 2 weeks to read them all, etc.). So what I didn't put in was my fault.
