RUMBLETiGER
Adventurer
Disclaimer: This is not a thread to discuss religious faiths or anything along those lines. I'm using the Bible as a source for mythology inspiration, in addition to Greek and other mythology for a campaign world. If anyone wants to discuss topics of religion or faith, I'd gladly have that conversation with anyone in another thread in the appropriate subforum.
With that said, this is the basis for the Campaign idea:
"The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown." Genesis 6:4
The premise will build off a few concepts:
1- The Nephilim referenced are crossbreeds between humans and celestial/fiendish parents, resulting in Assimar and Tiefling races.
2- The Era this takes place in is a time period when human lifespans are shortening, and right before a worldwide flood that most people don't know is coming.
3- The world looked differently pre flood, therefore I am going to use a map of the supercontinent Pangaea as the campaign world.
4- Greek Mythology, with heroes, demigods and monsters, occurred during this time.
5- I'll be using the Dualism rules from Deities and Demigods, making the Divine magic-granting beings Yahweh and Satan. Other powerful celestials and fiends will represent the mythological Greek gods responsible for spawning "demigods" (Assimar & Tieflings) such as Hercules.
6- there will be 2 different categories of Human. Those that have lifespans measured in centuries (like from the account of Genesis 5 genealogy showing some humans living into their 900's). These will be known as "Old Blood" Elders, and there are no more of them being born, only a few older ones still around. The second category of Human are "Young-blood" Humans, after the Genesis 6:3 verse that limits the human lifespan to 120 years.
7- I'm trying to think of ways to include the other standard D&D races, and so I'm using the following ideas to explain their existence:
Fay are a result of the children Adam and Eve had before the Fall, and therefore are innocent, slightly mischievous. They reside in Eden and rarely stray out, although sometimes a Fey may be exiled.
Elves are the result of Fay and "Old Blood" Humans interbreeding, justifying that long living, aloof-from-the-cares-of-this-world Elven attitude and culture.
Giants are the first Nephilim, resulting from "Old Blood" Human and Outsider breeding. Since from a stronger Human stock, they retain more human characteristics. The greatest of these Giants account for Greek Titans in mythology.
Assimar & Tieflings are the result of Celestial/Fiendish pairings with the "Young Blood" Humans, and have arisen in the most recent generations.
Elementals are the "Lords of the Second Day". Using the Genesis 1 creation account, these were the first intelligent, reasoning beings.
Treants are the "Lords of the Third Day", the intelligent, reasoning beings created along with all the vegetation.
Dragons are the "Lords of the Fifth Day", being the intelligent, reasoning beings created with the flying creatures.
Dwarves are the result of a few Elementals, becoming fascinated with the Humans, decided to remake some of themselves into the Humans' image. The resulting Dwarves regretted the change, and as a result maintain a gruff, distant attitude. They desire to return to the earth.
Halflings are the result of Giants and Humans pairing. Halflings possess the greatness if each in a very compact bundle. (I'm seriously open to a better justification for Halflings. It would make sense to make them a cross between Fey and Young Blood humans, but I want them to have been around for a while.
Gnomes are a cross between Dwarves and human pairings. They are pretty rare.
8- Noah will be present during the time of the campaign, partway thru constructing the Ark. The campaign will end with a global flood, but this is still decades away. He's a Cleric and has been declaring the prophecy that the world is seeing the Last Days, and everyone should repent and return to God.
9- Cain is the first Vampire, and first to dabble in necromancy. He managed to return into Eden and eat from the Tree of Life. This, combined with the mark God placed on him, twisted him into vampirism.
10- Atlantis exists. On the surface, it's a thriving city, a pinnacle of the best of culture. It is ruled by the Elves, and keeps a great secret: The Elves have received a prophecy that the world is in the Last Days and have been gradually leaving this world into a passage beneath the city of Atlantis into the Underdark. They're keeping this pretty quiet to the other races, but there are whispers that Atlantis is more than it seems.
11- The world in general is becoming more Evil. Monsters are increasing, Young Blood Humans are impulsive and greedy overall, city-states are warring on other city states. Enoch, the city established by Cain in his younger, pre-vampire days, is a arrogant, war-mongering nation and will be causing some trouble during the campaign.
12- The multiverse cosmology will contain the Material Plane, Heaven and Hell. The Ethereal Plane and the Plane of Shadows will be borderlands between the corresponding outer planes. There will be two permanent gates on Pangaea where mortals can travel to Heaven or Hell, and getting there (and back) is an epic ordeal.
13- Dinosaurs, Magical Beasts, Oozes, Vermin and animated Plants exist equally alongside Animals in nature. Aberrations are rare and the process of experimentation. Undead are either Vampires or the result of Necromancy, Constructs are one of the pinnacles of engineering. Outsiders are limited either to Celestials, Demons, Devils or Outsiders that correspond closely with nature, such as Formians. Monstrous Humanoids may have a number of sources, but many are unique and the result of magic, curses or experimentation.
14- Clerics draw power from either Yehweh or Satan, and domains are pretty broad. Druidic magic respects the created world and how the world was intended to be pre-Fall of mankind. Arcane magic is generally used as a way to have power and control without demonstrating faith and is thus strongly frowned upon by the church, however it is ultimately a tool like anything else and can be used for whatever purpose, good or evil. Psionics is a discipline of the Giants and is nearly unheard of in any other race.
...and so on. as you can see, I'm trying to marry Biblical, Greek, D&D and other mythology into one world, and it's been an enjoyable thought exercise. Since the Bible provides very little detail as to the entire era of history that Genesis 6:4 is describing, I'm enjoying using D&D to fill in details.
I'm open to contributing ideas that lend substance, locations, characters, storylines, etc. from any of the sources I'm trying to draw from. Thanks!
With that said, this is the basis for the Campaign idea:
"The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown." Genesis 6:4
The premise will build off a few concepts:
1- The Nephilim referenced are crossbreeds between humans and celestial/fiendish parents, resulting in Assimar and Tiefling races.
2- The Era this takes place in is a time period when human lifespans are shortening, and right before a worldwide flood that most people don't know is coming.
3- The world looked differently pre flood, therefore I am going to use a map of the supercontinent Pangaea as the campaign world.
4- Greek Mythology, with heroes, demigods and monsters, occurred during this time.
5- I'll be using the Dualism rules from Deities and Demigods, making the Divine magic-granting beings Yahweh and Satan. Other powerful celestials and fiends will represent the mythological Greek gods responsible for spawning "demigods" (Assimar & Tieflings) such as Hercules.
6- there will be 2 different categories of Human. Those that have lifespans measured in centuries (like from the account of Genesis 5 genealogy showing some humans living into their 900's). These will be known as "Old Blood" Elders, and there are no more of them being born, only a few older ones still around. The second category of Human are "Young-blood" Humans, after the Genesis 6:3 verse that limits the human lifespan to 120 years.
7- I'm trying to think of ways to include the other standard D&D races, and so I'm using the following ideas to explain their existence:
Fay are a result of the children Adam and Eve had before the Fall, and therefore are innocent, slightly mischievous. They reside in Eden and rarely stray out, although sometimes a Fey may be exiled.
Elves are the result of Fay and "Old Blood" Humans interbreeding, justifying that long living, aloof-from-the-cares-of-this-world Elven attitude and culture.
Giants are the first Nephilim, resulting from "Old Blood" Human and Outsider breeding. Since from a stronger Human stock, they retain more human characteristics. The greatest of these Giants account for Greek Titans in mythology.
Assimar & Tieflings are the result of Celestial/Fiendish pairings with the "Young Blood" Humans, and have arisen in the most recent generations.
Elementals are the "Lords of the Second Day". Using the Genesis 1 creation account, these were the first intelligent, reasoning beings.
Treants are the "Lords of the Third Day", the intelligent, reasoning beings created along with all the vegetation.
Dragons are the "Lords of the Fifth Day", being the intelligent, reasoning beings created with the flying creatures.
Dwarves are the result of a few Elementals, becoming fascinated with the Humans, decided to remake some of themselves into the Humans' image. The resulting Dwarves regretted the change, and as a result maintain a gruff, distant attitude. They desire to return to the earth.
Halflings are the result of Giants and Humans pairing. Halflings possess the greatness if each in a very compact bundle. (I'm seriously open to a better justification for Halflings. It would make sense to make them a cross between Fey and Young Blood humans, but I want them to have been around for a while.
Gnomes are a cross between Dwarves and human pairings. They are pretty rare.
8- Noah will be present during the time of the campaign, partway thru constructing the Ark. The campaign will end with a global flood, but this is still decades away. He's a Cleric and has been declaring the prophecy that the world is seeing the Last Days, and everyone should repent and return to God.
9- Cain is the first Vampire, and first to dabble in necromancy. He managed to return into Eden and eat from the Tree of Life. This, combined with the mark God placed on him, twisted him into vampirism.
10- Atlantis exists. On the surface, it's a thriving city, a pinnacle of the best of culture. It is ruled by the Elves, and keeps a great secret: The Elves have received a prophecy that the world is in the Last Days and have been gradually leaving this world into a passage beneath the city of Atlantis into the Underdark. They're keeping this pretty quiet to the other races, but there are whispers that Atlantis is more than it seems.
11- The world in general is becoming more Evil. Monsters are increasing, Young Blood Humans are impulsive and greedy overall, city-states are warring on other city states. Enoch, the city established by Cain in his younger, pre-vampire days, is a arrogant, war-mongering nation and will be causing some trouble during the campaign.
12- The multiverse cosmology will contain the Material Plane, Heaven and Hell. The Ethereal Plane and the Plane of Shadows will be borderlands between the corresponding outer planes. There will be two permanent gates on Pangaea where mortals can travel to Heaven or Hell, and getting there (and back) is an epic ordeal.
13- Dinosaurs, Magical Beasts, Oozes, Vermin and animated Plants exist equally alongside Animals in nature. Aberrations are rare and the process of experimentation. Undead are either Vampires or the result of Necromancy, Constructs are one of the pinnacles of engineering. Outsiders are limited either to Celestials, Demons, Devils or Outsiders that correspond closely with nature, such as Formians. Monstrous Humanoids may have a number of sources, but many are unique and the result of magic, curses or experimentation.
14- Clerics draw power from either Yehweh or Satan, and domains are pretty broad. Druidic magic respects the created world and how the world was intended to be pre-Fall of mankind. Arcane magic is generally used as a way to have power and control without demonstrating faith and is thus strongly frowned upon by the church, however it is ultimately a tool like anything else and can be used for whatever purpose, good or evil. Psionics is a discipline of the Giants and is nearly unheard of in any other race.
...and so on. as you can see, I'm trying to marry Biblical, Greek, D&D and other mythology into one world, and it's been an enjoyable thought exercise. Since the Bible provides very little detail as to the entire era of history that Genesis 6:4 is describing, I'm enjoying using D&D to fill in details.
I'm open to contributing ideas that lend substance, locations, characters, storylines, etc. from any of the sources I'm trying to draw from. Thanks!
