D&D General What Bits of History Inspire Your Homebrew Setting?

[Azzy]

Like it says on the tin. What elements from history and historical technology have made it into your homebrew setting—whether technology, events, etc.?

For example, I was reading up on the Mycenaeans, and saw a reconstruction of the Dendra armor (see below) and immediately thought of dwarven elite warriors.

But, beyond that, my homebrew setting features an empire that takes inspiration from both the Roman Empire under Marcus Aurelius as well as the Mauryan Empire under Ashoka, but begining to strain under its own weight so to speak.

 

[aco175]

I tend to take a lot of engineering from Roman and middle ages. The series of watermills in southern France provided enough flour to feed like a million people or something outrageous like that. They dug through mountains and building the bridge over the Danube River are amazing.

 

[Lakesidefantasy]

My world of Everbee takes inspiration from the Protestant Reformation and the Catholic Counter-Reformation. I have a whole series of saints correlating with cleric specializations. And a whole history of the ongoing conflict between the Geardan and Grimman sects.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

The Eastern Roman (aka “Byzantine”) Empire has been inspiring me recently. I’m making a villain based on Justinian II. The Byzantines were extremely politically unstable in ways that would easily create adventuring hooks. Greek fire flamethrowers and grenades fit well in D&D (we already have alchemist fire). Steampunk automata could fit well. Also their role as a once mighty empire that covered most of a continent but has been vastly reduced in territory over the centuries works well in a D&D setting. I think I’ll base their religion mostly on Manichaeism, as the main religions in this setting are inspired by Gnosticism and Buddhism.

I also have been inspired by the Scythians and Huns as well as some other nomadic steppe groups. The Xrytosians ride Pegasi and live on floating islands (earthmotes). Their religion has mostly Scythian, Zoroastrian, and Egyptian inspirations with a hint of Cahokia.

The Aasimar city states of the setting have a quite a few inspirations. Most of them are isolationist theo-feudal trading hubs built on the ruins of a magocratic empire, but a few are more like maritime republics similar to medieval Venice. There are aspects of the ancient Assyrians, Israelites, Ptolemies, Greek city states, and other societies mixed together. One mountainous city state is more based on the Incas. There’s a racial supremacy movement akin to Nazis that wants to genocide all non-Aasimar.

 

[Savage Wombat]

Campaign setting I'm working on has the local storm giant king in a magical coma, so his loyal queen and her loyal knight are keeping the kingdom together by force of will - Justinian and Theodora.

 

[Zardnaar]

Like it says on the tin. What elements from history and historical technology have made it into your homebrew setting—whether technology, events, etc.?

For example, I was reading up on the Mycenaeans, and saw a reconstruction of the Dendra armor (see below) and immediately thought of dwarven elite warriors.

But, beyond that, my homebrew setting features an empire that takes inspiration from both the Roman Empire under Marcus Aurelius as well as the Mauryan Empire under Ashoka, but begining to strain under its own weight so to speak.

Bronze plate from AD&D AC4!!!!

Greece, Rome, Egypt would be common. I tend to change up my homebrew. Currently running 3 FR games, I'll be playing soon.

New one will have factions though based off an old game from the 90s so philosophy will be it based off 90s themes. One society will be militant, another Totalitarian, another one with nature, another will be learning etc.

A corporation becomes a fantasy merchant realm add magic and demons to fantasy Venice or equivalent.

 

[Tonguez]

1 I have a campaign set in alt-History 17/18th Century Europe from about the end of the Thirty Years War, English Civil War and Dutch Revolt through the Seige of Viena to Great Northern War, the Enlightenment, Colonial Expansion, Pirates of the Carribean, Inquisitors Papacy and Industrial Revolution

2 Inspired by the Brecht of Birthright I made the Hanseatic League a part of my homebrew world

3 Another Homebrew is set in the Majapahit Empire (Buddhist-Hindu SE Asia), where the Gokhong (Vanara) are common humanoid peoples.

4 My Legendary Polynesia campaign is inspired by the Tongan Thalassocacry, the Eastward expansion through Tahiti-Rarotonga and the Rise of the Arioi.

I'll also pick up other bits of history and incorporate it where it seems fun eg I've including Elias Ashmole, Antiquirian, Astrolger, Alchemist and founder of the Asmolean Museum of Curiositiies as an NPC.

 

[GuyBoy]

I wrote my undergraduate dissertation on the Norman Conquest period, and have retained an affection for that era, which I often apply to my campaigns.
subsequent academic work on the Cold War and on contemporary Global Politics has been used rather less!

 

[Clint_L]

Even though I love history, this thread title made me reflect on my practices and realize that I take very little from real world history, and a whole lot from real world literature. I'm not sure why that is.

The history of colonialism definitely impacts how I depict relations between different species.

 

[Ath'kethin]

A setting I've been developing for a while now is based on Mesopotamia and the surrounding area ca. 2000 BCE. As a student of architectural and urban development history, this culture and period has long been a point of facination for me.