Fleshing Out a Campaign World

Alright, so I've come up with an idea for a campaign setting I'd like to develop. I've got the basic ideas and plotlines for the setting more or less done. Now comes the task of filler - what can I put in besides the major plotlines, so that the campaign isn't one long train ride?

So, here's the backstory of the campaign, along with other basic details:

Long enough ago that all the major players are dead, there was a war - well, more of a mass revolt. The masses, having been oppressed by the magic-using ruling classes for an appropriately long time, rose up in revolt and, with the aid of sympathizers and traitors from the ruling classes, pulled down their old masters. The traitor mages constructed a prison for the old masters, and cast them beneath it - the Great Storm. (Basically, a wild magic/anti-magic zone on a vast scale, guarding the entrance to a demiplane; the old masters, now called the Exiles, were cast into the demiplane. The demiplane itself co-habits a portion of the old world, which used to be the bottom of an ocean; the ocean itself was drained in the creation of the Storm, and is in fact the Storm itself.)

So, now we've got these Exiles in the Great Storm. Initially, this is where I'd like to start the campaign; many years later, and the Exiles are now the oppressed. (Also, I'm not sure whether the rule of the Exiles was really that harsh; trouble could have been stirred up by the traitors. However, that's beside the point.)

As far as the society inside the Storm goes, there isn't much; there are a few city-states, and limited agriculture, but most of their food and economy comes from weekly deliveries from the outside world, which they trade for metals and other, similiar products mined from their land, which is unusually rich in these.

What I'm worried about, though, is things to do inside the Storm. I have some plans - a quasi-Underdark, extraplanar infestations, possibly orcs and similiar races were banished with them - but nothing really concrete. I want to spend at least some time under the Storm, and simply having the party looking for a way out for several levels doesn't sound exciting for me - or the eventual party, for that matter.

Also, I haven't completely decided whether I want to pursue this angle or not, but I'm considering making the outside world almost completely devoid of magic-users (though not necessarily magical monsters), with the exception of descendents of the original sympathizers that aided in the revolt; they are kept around as pampered servants of the various governments, aiding them with things like monster disposal and whatnot. So, I'm considering whether to make the outside world technologically advanced, though I'm concerned that that may make things too complicated. However, I do want the characters, after they've escaped from the Storm, to be unique - free-willed magic-users, something like that. The science/magic angle might be too much, though. I don't know.

So, thoughts? Opinions? Suggestions?

Cyrik Skylark said:

As far as the society inside the Storm goes, there isn't much; there are a few city-states, and limited agriculture, but most of their food and economy comes from weekly deliveries from the outside world, which they trade for metals and other, similiar products mined from their land, which is unusually rich in these.

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How exactly do they trade with the outside world? That is to say, how can the outsiders trade with the imprisoned without fearing to be overwhelmed by their magic? I'm sure some of the imprisoned mages would have tried all sorts of sneaky tricks for getting out, even if the entrance was within an anti-magic zone.

Examples include creating magic items that kill or charm anyone just outside the entrance, thus allowing the mages to push through...

What I'm worried about, though, is things to do inside the Storm. I have some plans - a quasi-Underdark, extraplanar infestations, possibly orcs and similiar races were banished with them - but nothing really concrete. I want to spend at least some time under the Storm, and simply having the party looking for a way out for several levels doesn't sound exciting for me - or the eventual party, for that matter.

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Politics.

After all people from very diverse ethnic backgrounds or even race were thrown together into a unfamiliar land that is scarce in vital resources (such as food). Naturally, people with similar outlooks will band together - and oppress others. After all, better to rule in hell...

There will probably lots of fights over vital resources (such as the mines and access to the trading exit). Even if they manage to come to some sort of agreement, you can be sure that some groups will get shafted in the process - and try to get what they consider to be theirs through means fair or foul. Eventually, you will have several nice vendettas going on that no longer need a reason...

In short, I suggest you give some thought to the various cultural and political divisions in your prison. Not only will this create lots of adventure ideas, but will also be useful once the planar prison rips thanks to the actions of the PCs and the prisoners enter the real world en masse...

So, I'm considering whether to make the outside world technologically advanced, though I'm concerned that that may make things too complicated. However, I do want the characters, after they've escaped from the Storm, to be unique - free-willed magic-users, something like that. The science/magic angle might be too much, though. I don't know.

So, thoughts? Opinions? Suggestions?

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Modern-day technology would be a bit much, but Steamtech is another thing, especially since it allows you to throw in all kinds of weird inventions without raising an eyebrow - and it gives the mundane inhabitants of the world a fighting chance. I strongly recommend GURPS Steampunk and GURPS Steamtech for this...

Modern-day technology would be a bit much, but Steamtech is another thing, especially since it allows you to throw in all kinds of weird inventions without raising an eyebrow - and it gives the mundane inhabitants of the world a fighting chance. I strongly recommend GURPS Steampunk and GURPS Steamtech for this...

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Steamtech does sound like a happy medium between the two. I'll check those two books out when I get the chance, thanks for the suggestion.

How exactly do they trade with the outside world? That is to say, how can the outsiders trade with the imprisoned without fearing to be overwhelmed by their magic? I'm sure some of the imprisoned mages would have tried all sorts of sneaky tricks for getting out, even if the entrance was within an anti-magic zone.

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Well, first, the trade is through airships (saw the book by Bastion, and had to incorporate it); they fly into the storm, and down beneath the Storm. Some thoughts I've had for how they can trade without fear:

1) First, there are some government-controlled magic users in the outside world; they were the ones who created the Storm, they maintain the Storm, and would likely defend the transports from the Exiles.

2) Alternately, the transports themselves might be anti-magic zones; mages, suddenly bereft of their powers, and untrained in the piloting of the transports, wouldn't stand a very good chance of actually making it through the Storm alive. It's still a possibility, but not on a wide scale, I don't think, especially since there probably wouldn't be enough transports at any one time to transport all of the Exiles out of the Storm. The anti-magic transports seem a bit too contrived, though.

That doesn't really answer the problem of charm/dominate spells, though. Dominate the ship's crew, and suddenly you've got an exit for at least some people. I'll have to think of something.

The biggest reason I can think of, though, is a combination of logistics and planning; getting enough transports together to effect a mass migration would be astronomically difficult. Also, there's always the threat of the outsiders halting their deliveries of food; that seems a pretty effective control mechanism, and likely the reason the transports aren't attacked much. I don't think I want to completely rule out a well-planned assault on a transport, though, and using that to escape from the Storm - it gives an interesting feel, like escaping over the Berlin Wall. Possible for some, but not for everyone.

Politics.

After all people from very diverse ethnic backgrounds or even race were thrown together into a unfamiliar land that is scarce in vital resources (such as food). Naturally, people with similar outlooks will band together - and oppress others. After all, better to rule in hell...

There will probably lots of fights over vital resources (such as the mines and access to the trading exit). Even if they manage to come to some sort of agreement, you can be sure that some groups will get shafted in the process - and try to get what they consider to be theirs through means fair or foul. Eventually, you will have several nice vendettas going on that no longer need a reason...

In short, I suggest you give some thought to the various cultural and political divisions in your prison. Not only will this create lots of adventure ideas, but will also be useful once the planar prison rips thanks to the actions of the PCs and the prisoners enter the real world en masse...

Click to expand...

Very good ideas, but I have to admit I'm a bit concerned with my DM'ing abilities. I think I could handle a politically-based campaign, but I've never actually run one. So I'd probably have to do some research on running a politics-based campaign. Any tips along those lines would be greatly appreciated.

I'd also like to include some non-human(oid) oppositions for the Exiles - perhaps not everything died off when the Storm was created. I could imagine, for example, powerful magical monsters altering themselves when the sea was drained - say, kraken turning themselves into mind flayers. I think I'd like to keep the focus on the divisions between the humans (or elves, or dwarves... haven't decided how many races I want to have in this world), but I want to give some more straightforward adventure options to go with the murkier political ones.

Cyrik Skylark said:

Well, first, the trade is through airships (saw the book by Bastion, and had to incorporate it); they fly into the storm, and down beneath the Storm. Some thoughts I've had for how they can trade without fear:

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Question: How do they prevent the Exiles from building their own airships? After all, magic can create some amazing things - so why not airships?

Are they powered by Unobtainium (i.e., an extremely rare element) that just can't be found inside the storm?

Maybe this element is also at the core of all their steam technology...

1) First, there are some government-controlled magic users in the outside world; they were the ones who created the Storm, they maintain the Storm, and would likely defend the transports from the Exiles.

Click to expand...

But sooner or later, an assault probably would succeed. After all, the Exiles had centuries to perfect their craft, while those on the outside are stunted by government restrictions...

2) Alternately, the transports themselves might be anti-magic zones; mages, suddenly bereft of their powers, and untrained in the piloting of the transports, wouldn't stand a very good chance of actually making it through the Storm alive. It's still a possibility, but not on a wide scale, I don't think, especially since there probably wouldn't be enough transports at any one time to transport all of the Exiles out of the Storm. The anti-magic transports seem a bit too contrived, though.

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How about this: The Unobtainium that powers the ship creates the anti-magic zone! This means that the powers of any spellcasters will be severely hampered once they leave the storm - every time they come near steamtech, their powers stop working...

(Random Thoughts: Perhaps the Storm is full of shards of the stuff? And does this work on all spells, or just arcane ones?)

Perhaps the PCs are the first to figure out a way how to cast spells within the material's influence...

The biggest reason I can think of, though, is a combination of logistics and planning; getting enough transports together to effect a mass migration would be astronomically difficult. Also, there's always the threat of the outsiders halting their deliveries of food; that seems a pretty effective control mechanism, and likely the reason the transports aren't attacked much. I don't think I want to completely rule out a well-planned assault on a transport, though, and using that to escape from the Storm - it gives an interesting feel, like escaping over the Berlin Wall. Possible for some, but not for everyone.

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That was my main point - people will try to stow away on the ships, and some will succeed.

Of course, my Unobtainium scenario means that these spellcasters will find themselves fairly crippled even on the outside. I'd guess they will create hideouts somewhere in remote wilderness regions...

Very good ideas, but I have to admit I'm a bit concerned with my DM'ing abilities. I think I could handle a politically-based campaign, but I've never actually run one. So I'd probably have to do some research on running a politics-based campaign. Any tips along those lines would be greatly appreciated.

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Political adventures mostly center on two questions:

(a) Who is on top?
(b) Who wants to be on top?

Then you only have to figure out plots how the latter will try to replace the former.

This usually means chipping away at the ruler's support base. This is vital, especially in fantasy worlds - if you just kill the ruler, his followers will have him raised from the dead in no time, and now you have announced yourself as his enemy.

So the conspirators have to figure out which key people, organisations, and groups support the current ruler, and figure out how to discredit them, ruin them, kill them, or turn them against their ruler.

It is also a good idea to keep things morally ambiguous. It would be best if both the ruler and the conspirators have some good and some bad points. Not only is this realistic, but it makes for some nice role-playing when the player characters have to decide whom to support...

I'd also like to include some non-human(oid) oppositions for the Exiles - perhaps not everything died off when the Storm was created. I could imagine, for example, powerful magical monsters altering themselves when the sea was drained - say, kraken turning themselves into mind flayers. I think I'd like to keep the focus on the divisions between the humans (or elves, or dwarves... haven't decided how many races I want to have in this world), but I want to give some more straightforward adventure options to go with the murkier political ones.

Click to expand...

You could always introduce some "tainted bloodlines" among the exiled races - yuan-ti are excellent for this...

Great campaign setting! I really like the Steam-Tech idea!-(especially the airships).
I am a big Comic Book fan of Chris Bachalo's artwork. He did a series titled SteamPunk-(It ran for 12 issues).

In the letters page there was a contest for Steam Enhancements.
Fans would write in describing their Steam Enhancements if they lived in the Steampunk world. Maybe this could give you some ideas for technology in your world:

From Crispin Smith:
I would be a shaggy Scottish highlander, with kilt and all. My lungs will have been replaced with the sacks of a bagpipe, the pipes of which are jutting from my back. I'd have a flask of moonshine and one of those little black dogs with a kilt of its own.

From Joseph Crockett:
A creature that gathers the brains of the recently deceased for addition to an "archive" it carries within its body. This isn't an evil character, but rather one that wishes to preserve the memories of the dead. Those memories can be accessed by, but do not control, the creature.

From Stephan Beg:
A steam-powered lightbulb mounted in a socket affixed to the top of my head.
To elaborate: this lightbulb works through the action of twin turbines, one on each side of my head in place of my ears. These turbines generate an electrical current as they rotate under gaseous pressure produced in my stomach (usually after I eat) and cybernetically channeled to my ear canals. Steam plumes from my "ears" and ultimately activates the bulb only in special circumstances, such as whenever I overthink, whenever I conceive a useful or ingenious idea, and whenever I become angry or lose my temper. Either way I make a good living as a lamp post.
Just let this steam-powered lightbulb protruding from the top of my head(especially the imagery of steam madly blowing out from my ears, spinning metallic cylinders, and a bright light being turned on) serve as a metaphor for intellectual and emotional states that are popular and peculiar to the human condition.

From Carl Philip Grunert:
An old observatory dome over half of my head, the other half a whirling mess of cranks and gears. Out from the dome-half instead of an eye, a telescope would extend; and I'd be clothed in a cape of stars.

From Stuart Bromwich:
I would like a steam powered circulatory system, but only if there was a programmable regulator. This would allow me to slow my metabolism down and go into hibernation or tune out particularly boring parts of my life. It would also make getting to sleep easier.

From Tom (aka MI2crimson):
If I lived in the twisted world of Steampunk, I would stop by the offices of Absinthe and Medik and have'em slap on a big honkin' Steam-Enhanced Jaw! Yeah, that's right! A Steam-Enhanced Jaw. Stainless steel that can bite through anything, more powerful than a locomotive.

Winner of contest:
Alex Neilson:
Rigga's Mekanoautonomic Wound-weaver.
This largish organomekanical spider is connected to its host via an ichor-dripping metallic hose. A network of microscopic rupture sensors spreads out from the linkage point. When a wound is detected, the spider skitters across the host's body to seal the wound with strands of pinkish thread.

Maybe this example along with GURPS Steampunk and Stemtech can get your outside world populated with interesting characters.

~H

Concerning your demiplane and Great Storm.
Marvelous idea! I like the fact that Wild Magic took an entire ocean’s water and made an eternal storm out of it.
When you were talking about populating it with creatures, I thought about the indigenous creatures from the ocean itself. I know you mention that as well in your first post.
I thought of their societies being completely blasted by the initial creation of the Great Storm. Kind of like a nuclear blast without the radiation.
But not entirely destroyed….
Maybe there are surviving tidal pools doting the landscape in various areas.
Also whatever survived from creatures to underwater races are attempting to eke
out a living like a post-nuclear holocaust world only this one is based on undersea culture/races/creatures.
As a real world example: the African crocodile that has to survive during droughts by slowly traveling to mud pool to mud pool to keep its scales fresh and moist until the next monsson.

It would be a mix of medieval and science fiction (post-atomic war) ingredients. You could even have mutations based on the exposure to Wild Magic (in place of radiation).
Mer folk might have mutated as well or are in some forgotten lake pools still surviving but slowly dying off.
One great supplement that might help you populate your demi-plane with post-storm aquatic creatures races is: The Deep
From Mystic Eye Games.
I got my copy just recently I was planning on starting an underwater adventure soon in the Campaign World of Greyhawk.
I believe if you purchase on En World you get a 25% discount no sure.
Anyway I couldn’t help but think of the characters in the book and what they would do and how they would survive in your campaign setting inside The Great Storm. I mean what would Tylarrein Marganeth Queen of the Sea Elves do in a post- apocalyptic ocean floor world to help her people survive and resist the ravages of the Great Storm and the Exiles? Would there be refugee camps? Mass nomadic journeys from one tidal lake to another? Also the natural resource of each small lake pool would be jealously guarded just as Jurgen mentioned about the mines.
Just Brainstorming your way!!!

~H

First off, thanks to both Juergen and Hunter for the responses; both are right along the lines of what I'm looking for. Moving on...

Jürgen Hubert said:

Question: How do they prevent the Exiles from building their own airships? After all, magic can create some amazing things - so why not airships?

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A good question. I don't think there would be any ban on airships, per se. However, I could see them interfering with, say, non-magically powered airships - maybe something like UN weapons inspections. Perhaps every... oh, say, month, six months, year, whatever, a large contingent of outsiders comes down and inspects the airships large enough to carry a significant amount of cargo/passengers, making sure that all of them are powered exclusively by magical drives, rather than the outsiders steamtech drives. And with a sizable anti-magic field directly outside of the entrance, magical drives aren't going to get you anywhere. So, the vehicle itself wouldn't be hampered, but the technology driving it would.

Jürgen Hubert said:

Are they powered by Unobtainium (i.e., an extremely rare element) that just can't be found inside the storm?

Maybe this element is also at the core of all their steam technology...
...
How about this: The Unobtainium that powers the ship creates the anti-magic zone!

Click to expand...

This idea, I like. Not so sure whether it would be so rare on the outside world, maybe not even in the Storm - it makes the Exiles feel sick, like kryptonite to Superman (Fort Save DC 12 or be nauseated while within 10' of Unobtainium... something like that). Perhaps the Unobtainium is the major export of the Storm - the Exiles don't want it, and the outside world can't get enough of it. An idea to consider...

Or maybe I'll steal blatantly from, say, Escaflowne...

As far as whether it affects all magic... probably, including psionics. I'm considering making this a godless world, where all clerics are effectively the godless type. Religions would still exist, but they'd be much murkier, more prone to evolution/corruption. I don't really like the feel of traditional fantasy religions, where there's no doubt at all about the divine will... I'd like to keep some ambiguity about such things in the campaign. So, with divine magic coming from, essentially, the same source, I think it makes more sense that it would be suppressed, as well.

Jürgen Hubert said:

You could always introduce some "tainted bloodlines" among the exiled races - yuan-ti are excellent for this...

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Again, I like this idea. In this world, magic is more or less a genetic thing - among the few magic-users outside, all of them are basically sorcerors (I'll have to come up with an equivalent variant for clerics, but meh), bred in certain lines to give them access to certain spells. Among the Exiles, the trait is widespread enough that they can become wizards, sorcs, clerics, the whole gamut. However, every once in a while, freak mutations would give birth to new lines - tainted lines. Or maybe excessively proud families bred together so much that it eventually grew into inbreeding - again, resulting in tainted lines. Tainted lines then go off and carve their own niche out, surviving by raiding (or in some cases, trading) with the non-tainted.

Hunter said:

When you were talking about populating it with creatures, I thought about the indigenous creatures from the ocean itself.
<snip>
Whatever survived from creatures to underwater races are attempting to eke out a living like a post-nuclear holocaust world only this one is based on undersea culture/races/creatures.

Click to expand...

Post-apocalyptic Kuo-Toa... I like. Originally, I was going to have the under-Storm area be almost bone-dry, but this idea is enough to make me want to put some residual bodies of water. Could add some more complexity to the land under the Storm (I really need to name it). Maybe too much, but I want to work it in. Thanks for the idea, and the book recommendation... once I have spendable money again, I'll look into it. (And Airships, and Draconomicon, and Dragonlance, and GURPS Steamtech/punk, and BESM d20, and... *sigh* Too many books to buy.)

Thanks again for the ideas!

Cyrik Skylark said:

A good question. I don't think there would be any ban on airships, per se. However, I could see them interfering with, say, non-magically powered airships - maybe something like UN weapons inspections. Perhaps every... oh, say, month, six months, year, whatever, a large contingent of outsiders comes down and inspects the airships large enough to carry a significant amount of cargo/passengers, making sure that all of them are powered exclusively by magical drives, rather than the outsiders steamtech drives. And with a sizable anti-magic field directly outside of the entrance, magical drives aren't going to get you anywhere. So, the vehicle itself wouldn't be hampered, but the technology driving it would.

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Unless the outsiders are politically united on this, and unless they have a way of neutralizing magic other than the storm, I don't see how this is going to work. And even then I have my doubts. Sooner or later, someone is going to get sloppy, and a few people will escape.

I mean, what's to keep the Exiles from hiding their non-magical airship with spells and other methods, and just powering through the storm after the latest rounds of inspections?

I think it would make the most sense if you needed something from outside the storm to get through - and even then, you'd have to figure out why there aren't any enterprising smugglers trying to sell it to the Exiles...

This idea, I like. Not so sure whether it would be so rare on the outside world, maybe not even in the Storm - it makes the Exiles feel sick, like kryptonite to Superman (Fort Save DC 12 or be nauseated while within 10' of Unobtainium... something like that). Perhaps the Unobtainium is the major export of the Storm - the Exiles don't want it, and the outside world can't get enough of it. An idea to consider...

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Nice one, though you'd have to explain why the Exiles haven't managed to use it as airship fuel. Nausea is a small price to pay for freedom, after all...

Or maybe I'll steal blatantly from, say, Escaflowne...

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Then I'd recommend taking a look at the Mecha d20 SRD, which has rules for creating pretty much any vehicle imaginable. Best of all, it's free!

Again, I like this idea. In this world, magic is more or less a genetic thing - among the few magic-users outside, all of them are basically sorcerors (I'll have to come up with an equivalent variant for clerics, but meh), bred in certain lines to give them access to certain spells. Among the Exiles, the trait is widespread enough that they can become wizards, sorcs, clerics, the whole gamut. However, every once in a while, freak mutations would give birth to new lines - tainted lines. Or maybe excessively proud families bred together so much that it eventually grew into inbreeding - again, resulting in tainted lines. Tainted lines then go off and carve their own niche out, surviving by raiding (or in some cases, trading) with the non-tainted.

Click to expand...

Do new sorcerous lines arise spontaneously outside of the storm? If so, the outsiders might use the storm as a dumping ground for new lines, too - creating more diversity among the Exiles (and as we all know, "diversity" in RPGs means "conflict" ) and keeping the situation there dynamic.

'Thanks for the idea, and the book recommendation... once I have spendable money again, I'll look into it. (And Airships, and Draconomicon, and Dragonlance, and GURPS Steamtech/punk, and BESM d20, and... *sigh* Too many books to buy.)'-Cyrik Skylark Quote.

Alas, yes, I myself am tantalizingly eyeballing the GURPs Steampunk SteamTech after reading posts on this Forum.

Here is a Comic Page from SteamPunk issue #12.
I first pictured your airships like blimp vehicles. I am interested in what you picture them. Also maybe with Jurgen's knowledge you two can 'make it work' in the rules for the game.
I agree that it would be extremely hard to contain highly intelligent spell casters in a confinement area that has limited access and traffic. You guys have got to do it because this is such a cool idea!

~H

Hunter said:

'Thanks for the idea, and the book recommendation... once I have spendable money again, I'll look into it. (And Airships, and Draconomicon, and Dragonlance, and GURPS Steamtech/punk, and BESM d20, and... *sigh* Too many books to buy.)'-Cyrik Skylark Quote.

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Remember, you can download the complete SRDs of BESM d20 and Mecha d20 from the Guardians of Order website for free. Just follow the link above...

Oh, and for inspiration, I would definietly recommend the new anime series "Last Exile", which is currently available as fansubs. The imagery in this series is just too cool for words...