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Spelljammer in Eberron using PFRPG. Need some ideas for my campaign.
- Thread starter Xorial
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Samloyal23
Adventurer
How are you treating the other Egyptian gods? Is Anubis the only one they revere or just the head of the pantheon? Is their hierarchy heavily theocratic? Do they have a slave-based military like the mamelukes? I recommend make the khopesh a standard martial weapon for them.
Also, I recommend studying the actual habits of hyenas, you can develop some interesting cultural features for gnolls that way. For instance, female hyenas have a fake penis-like organ that makes them look like males, it evolved so other creatures would be uncertain if they were attacking a male or a female and be more hesitant to attack. It could be hard for other races to tell the gender of a gnoll, making it harder to intimidate them.
Also, I recommend studying the actual habits of hyenas, you can develop some interesting cultural features for gnolls that way. For instance, female hyenas have a fake penis-like organ that makes them look like males, it evolved so other creatures would be uncertain if they were attacking a male or a female and be more hesitant to attack. It could be hard for other races to tell the gender of a gnoll, making it harder to intimidate them.
gamerprinter
Mapper/Publisher
Well since its Spelljammer, Ptah is important, so Ptah is honored as well, though Anubis is supreme. This would be like 1st Dynasty Egyptian, before Osiris took over. Anubis was the god of the Underworld, but in 1st Dynasty Period Anubis was responsible for weighing your heart against the weight of the feather, as part of Judgement. Also in 1st Dynasty Period, Anubis was depicted in full jackal form, as depicted by the "sphinx" statue - it is not a sphinx, however. If you look in the enclosure of the temple district between the Anubis statue and the pyramid is five temples. The largest temple is to Anubis, while the other smaller temples are to Ptah, Set, Thoth, and Ra.
Around the temple is the pharoah's palace, several other temples, administrative halls (largest buildings based on Karnak), and noble district. To the east side of the city is the Slave Quarter and Prison. To the west is the merchant quarter to south and crafters quarter to north. At the north end is the military district with barracks, administrative center, and a large coral for the cavalry and chariot horses.
Around the temple is the pharoah's palace, several other temples, administrative halls (largest buildings based on Karnak), and noble district. To the east side of the city is the Slave Quarter and Prison. To the west is the merchant quarter to south and crafters quarter to north. At the north end is the military district with barracks, administrative center, and a large coral for the cavalry and chariot horses.
Samloyal23
Adventurer
Are their slaves usually other races? Are they mostly humans? For my Egyptian based city, Shosnar, I created an ophidian race that resembles a cobra and added gnolls and giff. They are all Egyptianized. I use obsidian dwarves instead of standard mountain or hill dwarves. Is the army mostly volunteers, nobles, or slaves?
gamerprinter
Mapper/Publisher
The slaves are any non-Gnollean race with human among them, as they have contempt for all "lesser beings".
They are theocratic, educated, and cultured, very unlike their gnoll forebears, necromancy is important to their culture, and of course only recently attained over the last 2 decades is spelljamming technology. They are expanding into all the nearby crystal spheres in their part of the universe to take slaves and demand submission to joining the Anubian empire by the point of a sword. With their affinity to necromancy and Egypt, I figured undead mummies (ancient dead) have a part in Gnollean society and religion as well. Gnoll mummies...
They are theocratic, educated, and cultured, very unlike their gnoll forebears, necromancy is important to their culture, and of course only recently attained over the last 2 decades is spelljamming technology. They are expanding into all the nearby crystal spheres in their part of the universe to take slaves and demand submission to joining the Anubian empire by the point of a sword. With their affinity to necromancy and Egypt, I figured undead mummies (ancient dead) have a part in Gnollean society and religion as well. Gnoll mummies...
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Samloyal23
Adventurer
Mummies that were former kings could be revered as divine ancestors and actually rule over large areas as vassals of the emperor. I can see each of them being a powerful warrior-priest or warrior-necromancer. They would keep local aristocrats in line and lead the armies of the emperor. Renowned "heroes" of the empire (those favoured by the emperor) such as generals or powerful priests, could be turned into mummies in order to continue serving the empire.
Samloyal23
Adventurer
Do the Gnolleans have base on any other worlds? The scarab ships remind me of the giant undead insect war machines of Athas. I can see them having mining operations and slave plantations on many different worlds to supply them with materials...
gamerprinter
Mapper/Publisher
Where do you think I got the idea?
I figure the several (dozen) crystal spheres surrounding the Gnollean homeworld are all claimed through invasion as territories of the empire. So indeed their beetle ships are use for mining operations, slaver ships, slave plantations, cargo vehicles, and military craft. I would think one military ship would accompany any other Gnollean vessel and "sit in orbit" awaiting the escorted vessels orders whether they need military back-up on site.
Samloyal23
Adventurer
They would have a tough time fighting native Athasians, but I can see them having bases there, possibly an alliance with one of the sorcerer-kings or the Thri-Kreen Empire. They could take over parts of other known worlds like Oerth and Toril. If they give some respect to the other Egyptian gods they could have priestesses of Taweret recruit Giff warriors.
gamerprinter
Mapper/Publisher
Athas is not in my sector of Wildspace and to be perfectly honest, I was never a fan of Dark Sun, probably in part for not being a fan of psionics.
I played in a long Dark Sun campaign back in 2e days, and I played because my group was wanting to play, but even from the beginning I preferred to play somewhere else. Again, I mentioned that I was homebrewing this race, society and spelljamming ship, because I prefer to homebrew - add to that meaning, if I need a desert world with psionic monsters and sorcerer kings, I'll custom build one. I wouldn't ever use an existing setting, so no Athas, no Oerth, no Toril - such places would never appear in my games, unless I created them.
Truth tell, I've kind of put this potential Spelljammer setting on hold, while I am currently developing my own galaxy, planets and plotline for a custom AP based on EN Publishing Santiago setting rules - so I'm going for more of a hard sci-fi game of starships and not spelljammer vessels. As a homebrewer, I'm not even using the existing galaxy included in the Santiago setting, as I am homebrewing the content myself. Although I am extending the rules to include additional classes and concepts, I am using the rules for Santiago only, not the setting nor the AP. Look at my Technologist (based on Santiago rules) thread to learn more.
I played in a long Dark Sun campaign back in 2e days, and I played because my group was wanting to play, but even from the beginning I preferred to play somewhere else. Again, I mentioned that I was homebrewing this race, society and spelljamming ship, because I prefer to homebrew - add to that meaning, if I need a desert world with psionic monsters and sorcerer kings, I'll custom build one. I wouldn't ever use an existing setting, so no Athas, no Oerth, no Toril - such places would never appear in my games, unless I created them.
Truth tell, I've kind of put this potential Spelljammer setting on hold, while I am currently developing my own galaxy, planets and plotline for a custom AP based on EN Publishing Santiago setting rules - so I'm going for more of a hard sci-fi game of starships and not spelljammer vessels. As a homebrewer, I'm not even using the existing galaxy included in the Santiago setting, as I am homebrewing the content myself. Although I am extending the rules to include additional classes and concepts, I am using the rules for Santiago only, not the setting nor the AP. Look at my Technologist (based on Santiago rules) thread to learn more.
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