What Should My Next 4e Project Be? (Round 1)

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

I'd like a Point of Light setting that wasn't a city.

Something like the Shire or Rivendell where you have a broad geographical location that can function as a multi-tier homebase for a mixed race party.

If you wanted to make it larger you could do something like Mirkwood or the Nentire Vale but in greater detail.

As a homebase you could write up with factions and 'unlockable' content that you would engage with with interlude hooks - an inverse adventure hook where what you work with are things that you transition out of generic adventure tropes so you can develop your relationship with the home based.

Sort of achievement style stuff like:

The Abbey of Bahamut in Quiessence -

Faction Favors -

1st Level - Party has a good or unaligned divine source PC +5 to social checks
1st Level - Party has a PC dedicated to Bahamut invitation to Abbey
3rd Level+ - Party comes into Vale with evidence of slaying an evil dragon, Initiate to Abbey and may purchase healing potions
etc.
etc.
10th Level - Party with Apprentice level entrance in Abbey gains access to Abbey dimensional gate.

and so forth.


Alternately - develop a skill challenge system that works spefically to add a Dynasties and Demagogues mini-game to the system.

 

[Rechan]

I would assume a PoL setting would be more than just a single place, but an entire world.

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

I would assume a PoL setting would be more than just a single place, but an entire world.

True, but what I failed to get across was the idea that we need a product that describes a single Point of Light.

Something you could drop into any PoL world and have it make sense, or, alternately, something you could spin any number of modules off of over the course of all 30 levels.

Though, thinking about it, what I'd really like more than anything else would be boutique rules sets for 4E. Something in line with the DMG chapter on campaign styles, Swashbuckling vs Wuxia and so forth.

Specifically, I'd like to see something for Stone Age play. Primitive weapons. Fantasy armor built directly out of fantasy creatures. Some treatment of primitive technology/sophisticated magic economies.

Just a balanced way to break the game down from its medieval assumptions.

To be really ambitious you'd set it up so it could cover everything from Mighty thewed Barbarian at the Dawn of Time stuff to Decadent Pseudo-Meso-American Empires with God Chariots Pulp.

You know "4e-Thousand BC."

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

I like the idea of detailing an organization or entity that progresses up the levels, so that you could easily drop X into your world, and they could be a campaign-spanning villainous group. "Here are six villains, two per tier, interconnected. Here are some monsters to fill the ranks of these villains. Here are some rituals and sites of interest (unspecified by level, so you could mix and match).

Or, wait, exactly this, except a home base or political backdrop to the adventure - the whole Lords aspect of 1 and 2e - rather than an evil antagonist sort of situation.

The Round Table to your House of Le Fay.