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So what's YOUR world's 'hook'?
- Thread starter curiosity
- Start date
francisca
I got dice older than you.
In my 3.5 campaign, there are no ancient artifacts, or ancient evil powers. All of those guys are beginning their ascent to power, and most of the humanoid races are just getting started in arcane magic (even the elves have only a 200 year head start). Divine magic has been around since the dawn of recorded history, but only at low levels. The gods are just now beginning to take more of an interest in mortals and are starting to hand out some of the higher level divine spells to their most devout (read: advancing their beliefs through force) followers.
Not much of a hook, but I got tired of the whole, "In ancient days of legend, gods walked amongst the mortals, and great wizards wrought mighty magics, redning the earth and forging items of amazing power...blah blah blah." I want the PCs in my game to be the ones that hack off Vecna's hand and poke his eye out, so to speak. I want them to be Feanor and seek to steal back the Silmarils, etc....
Not much of a hook, but I got tired of the whole, "In ancient days of legend, gods walked amongst the mortals, and great wizards wrought mighty magics, redning the earth and forging items of amazing power...blah blah blah." I want the PCs in my game to be the ones that hack off Vecna's hand and poke his eye out, so to speak. I want them to be Feanor and seek to steal back the Silmarils, etc....
Long ago there was a war with a pair of demons, Voiceless and Sightless, they were imprisoned. Now it seems that Voiceless's influence is surfacing. His order of blackguards has been reincarned into gorillas (who are secretly destroying wilderness villages one by one) and he also has a force of mime cultists who destabilize civilization from within.
Dark Dragon
Explorer
The hook: The party moved after some small adventures in the Heartlands in Faerûn to Tethyr during its civil war. They got involved in the war and after a while, they were well respected for bringing peace to a region in Tethyr.
Other DMs continued the story or sent the party on other missions (on other planes, other countries).
Now the story is about to come to an end: The group helped the returned crown prince to fight the last warlord in a high-magic battle and restore Tethyr's unity. They own a small keep and are about to become nobles. But still, there is one last quest - a quest the group has more or less chosen itself. The last remnants of the old Tethyr must be removed: The ruins of Castle Tethir are infested with undead, and their leader has his own plans for the new Tethyr. The adventurers have tried to enter the dungeons twice (when they were young and unexperienced), but they couldn't stand against the undead and barely escaped with their lives. Now they are among the most powerful beings in Tethyr and have decided to finish the most important task of former days. The first fight in the dungeon was tough, but for the first time they've passed the guards alive...
Other DMs continued the story or sent the party on other missions (on other planes, other countries).
Now the story is about to come to an end: The group helped the returned crown prince to fight the last warlord in a high-magic battle and restore Tethyr's unity. They own a small keep and are about to become nobles. But still, there is one last quest - a quest the group has more or less chosen itself. The last remnants of the old Tethyr must be removed: The ruins of Castle Tethir are infested with undead, and their leader has his own plans for the new Tethyr. The adventurers have tried to enter the dungeons twice (when they were young and unexperienced), but they couldn't stand against the undead and barely escaped with their lives. Now they are among the most powerful beings in Tethyr and have decided to finish the most important task of former days. The first fight in the dungeon was tough, but for the first time they've passed the guards alive...
There is no history of anything happening until 2000 years ago. No oral tradition, nothing written, no memories....it's just gone. There are ruins for cities no one can explain. The family trees are all incomplete. The clerics all believe the gods have protected civilization from the memory of cataclysmic events -- but even the clerics do not know what happened.
No one knows why. But a number of discoveries reveal that whatever it was may be happening again.
No one knows why. But a number of discoveries reveal that whatever it was may be happening again.
Oh dear.
I'm afraid the majority of you have failed World Creation 101 - that makes me VERY ANGRY:
Those of you who passed (you know who you are) get a smiley:
So then is a distinct hook really that important? Or are most players happy with a fairly generic fantasy setting? (because ultimately this is for the players, no?)
I'm afraid the majority of you have failed World Creation 101 - that makes me VERY ANGRY:
Those of you who passed (you know who you are) get a smiley:
So then is a distinct hook really that important? Or are most players happy with a fairly generic fantasy setting? (because ultimately this is for the players, no?)
Stormborn
Explorer
Roughly 3000 years ago the Cataclysm destroyed the world. Now a human/goblin merchant empire has arrisen in the Great Archipelago in the Shallow Sea, although it is little more than a confederacy of city states and merchant houses united by a common coinage and religion. It exists on trade with the Dwarvholms of the last continent and the nomadic elves, who never leave their ships, piracy, and the harvesting of the great sea serpents. As the PCs enter the scene a strange dark cult makes a play to take over one of the main cities, seemingly with the help of one of the Great Merchant Houses. Leviathan: Swashbuckling Adventures in the World Sea.
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