Help With a Homebrew Setting [my players stay out!]

[AereonBlaze]

Hey there - - your friendly neighborhood lurker here. I'm hoping that some of you wise people here can help me out with some advice or ideas for a homebrew setting im going to develop.

You see, I've been DMing for about 3 years, and since that time I've been running published settings (mostly Forgotten Realms). Thing is, I want to try something a bit different for our next campaign since running such a setting can be a bit constricting at times.

I have a vague idea of what I want to do. Keyword: vague.

Its a harsh setting, and the whole planet is quite cold. In fact, about 80% of the planet is consitsting of an artic-like environment. I was trying to figure out why exactly its like this, and came to the conclusion that a semi-large meteor hit the planet 100 years ago, causing a slight ice age. While it might've completely destroyed a normal midievel society, a magically based one was able to survive, and even continue to flourish, though the place isnt exactly easy to live in despite this. I tossed around having a few continents, and thinking about how there were, and still are, some worldwide efforts by mages to clear up the dust around the planet, but nothing thats worked.

A friend mentioned the idea of having meteorite pieces as a rare commodity, as they magically imbue items in odd (and often powerful) fashion, as well as having certain magic spells slightly more common considering the temperature of the planet. Also suggested was requiring the PC's to have at least a few ranks in Survival.

Ok, so that's a real rough idea, I know. Basically, I was thinking about having the characters start off around 4th level, at a fairly large city, or even a metropolis.

First, though...here's what im hoping you kind folks might be able to help me out a bit with:

1) Ideas. Cool things which might work with this kind of setting.
2) Tips on building a homebrew world. Like, where do you start off?
3) Jumping off points for an opening adventure, to get the PCs a bit acquainted with the setting.

-Aereon
[This is the right place to post this, correct?]

 

[doghead]

Hey AereonBlaze.

I am in the process of trying to brew up a world myself, so this could be a bit like the blind leading the blind. But here are some thoughts.

...

Err, I can't get my thoughts in order. My brain's a bit fried.

The internal logic is important. In other words, Why do the people/creatures live here? How do they support themselves? What are their attitudes towards other people/creatures in the world? I am particularly interested in challenging the players assumptions - ie Kobalds are weak and stupid, Trolls are mindless and aggresive.

I find that having a map really helps. Ideas often spring out of it. It also helps with the above.

The location and organisation resourse threads are interesting. I have picked up a couple of ideas that I want to incorporate.

A basic plot idea: I once was thinking of a city in harsh winter climate. For 3 months of the year the people had to live indoors and underground due to the severity of the weather. One year, the city council discovers that the underground warrens have become infested/occupied. They need to be cleared and sealed without anyone knowing or panic will ensue. You could make this a simple slash and burn game, or have the occupiers elusive and subtle.

OK. I am going to stop babbling on now.

 

[Felix]

Ice world. Cool.

How do the indiginies survive? If it is as hostile a world as it sounds like, actual cities will be few and far between, and none on the ice.

How do people eat? Are there animals on the ice? Is it a world like Arrakis where people are concentrated at the habitable parts?

Can people survive on the surface? (Rura pente from Star Trek 6 comes to mind) Or do they burrow where they can conserve heat?

Are there oceans? Ice floes? Icebergs? Have the people found a way to use boats? Do they fish for their livelyhood like the innuit?

How have creatures adapted? Do orcs exist? Do elves not exist because of the lack of trees? Or have they begun molding ice? Can reptiles survive? If they can't, dragons are less likely to be around; no lizardmen, or kobolds, or gila monsters...

Will the campaign take place above ground, or has everything moved below ground so you'll have something similar to an underdark campaign?

I'll see if I can't keep the questions coming...

 

[arwink]

As a side note, you might want to check some reviews of the Malhavok Press product "When the Sky Falls", which deals with the aftereffects of a meteor impact.

If you want a major settlement in a primarily arctic settlement, and you're not afraid to throw around a little magic, I'd suggest having a council of wizards who opened a portal to the elemental plane of fire/heart of the sun/some other hot area.

The heat itself is contained by a giant crystal sphere, so it doesn't burn the inhabitants to death, but the glowing orb is enough to keep the ice and snow at bay all year around. It also provides a good background feature to hook the city on (a big glowing orb in the centre of town will set it apart from most other cities the players have visited), and also has an added bonus of being an adventure hook (enemies of the city try to crack the sphere, unleashing an ungodly heat or lava wave that will destroy large parts of the city).

Make a point of arming people with weapons other than swords - if you primarily have to deal with areas of snow and ice, weapons like Picks and hammers which can double as digging and tunneling tools will be more prevelent among all the races. Make a note of mentioning this to players when they're designing their characters, and arm a great deal of NPC's with varying weapons similar to this.

Make up a few unique magic items for the setting - things like a heat coccoon (Which travellers can climb into, activate, and stay warm all night through in the sub-artic conditions), snow-shoes of speed (double speed over snow), etc. You might also want make greater use of standard magic items that would be of more use in this society - rings of waterwalking (which allow the wearer to traverse snow as if it were ground) and rings of Warmth will be more valuable than they are in most campaign worlds, and may take the place of such "Mundane" magic as +1 weapons in normal campaigns.

 

[AereonBlaze]

Thanks for the ideas, everyone.

Here's a little more info which I've come up with in response to the questions/comments.

I'm using that spiffy Portal Sphere to the Elemental Plane of Fire idea in the starting city, now called Ether, the City of the Sun. The protected portal keeps the city at a nice 70 degrees year-round.

Will definitley also make cold-protection items a bit more common. I've written up a new form of metal, called Coldiron (or something of the like), which provides Cold Resistance of 5 or so, and costs a bit more to have an armor made of the type.

I'm thinking most of the world will still live above ground, with the exceptions of some (occassionally large) underground settlements primarily organized by dwarves. However, most overland settlements will likely either be large cities, or metropolises with some form of protection from the cold, or enclosed cities or keeps. Not too many small towns are able to properly survive (easily, at least).

Race-wise, I'm thinking that elves are indeed dying, slowly. It's tough to appreciate nature, or survive in it at this point. Still, they're around, and are one of the few races who still remember the impact itself. Dwarves, on the other extreme, are flourishing in their mountain caves, etc. I was thinking that perhaps some typically overland/nomad races such as Trolls or Orcs were forced to adapt, and have generally have become a bit more intelligent.

Wildlife, and creatures not bothered by the weather are still apparent, and living. Boats and ship-trade still exist, and are a preferred mode of transport amongst most, who would rather brave the ice-cold waters than an overland full of hidden dangers.

Fishing, hunting the overland animals, and magically creating/sustaining crops seem to be the primary method of food, but is often on short supply.

Will make a map as per suggestion and see what I can come up with. Thanks for the help, and keep it comin'.

 

[Cecil]

Couple of ideas

Reading through your notes, I was reminded of a vague concept for my own campaign....and also came up with a campaign-shaking idea that might work for yours

First--an event to shake the world. Since things are a bit chillier for your campaign, it is conceivable for a sea or ocean to fully freeze over. This could allow for temporary transportation (ie, walking) and establish trade routes for your world. This also provides a reason for some outposts to have been built (to protect the seasonal trade routes).

But what would happen if it became extremely cold and the seas froze much further south than normal--forming a land bridge to a large island/small continent that was not normally reachable. This could allow you to send the players on a timed exploration. It also allows you to stage an invasion of another civilization (in either direction)--to include having the players discover a barbaric invasion during a trading expedition--do they get the word back in time?

Second idea--fire and ice. In my campaign world there is an enormous glacier-filled region. In short, an area where there is an ice-pack hundreds of feet thick. It's also a fairly active region volcanically. Hot lava running through a volcano creates instant tunnels--and the threat of immense floods adjacent to the glacier. Some of the areas have hot springs, which have created large ice-caverns suitable for habitation (not necessarily by people). Perhaps in your world, some of the fire-based critters would have sought this sort of area out as a refuge. If you develop it further, please let me know.

One note: instead of only large cities, you may find smaller settlements easier to sustain--especially in magic-poor areas. The land won't produce an enormous amount of food--but a series of settlements can band together when faced with a large threat. Also provides a lot of adventure hooks.

 

[doghead]

I like the ideas. Some more thoughts for you to do with as you wish.

I read last night that the rise of agricultural societies corresponded with an increase in the global temperature. A massive drop in the temperature would have an equally significantly impact on agriculture. Agricultural produce and timber would become correspondingly rarer.

So small social groups would probably be nomad. Hunter/gather societies would probably be the common type.

If you place the portal underground in a giant chamber, or series of chambers, could it be used to grow various types of fungi? These could be a substitute to the more difficult to grow grains etc. Vents from the chamber could be used to heat the buildings above.

Would the city be totally enclosed?

Ice ships!

An option would be to have metals less popular due to their poor thermal qualities. ColdIron sounds like something to be avoided.

I like your ideas regarding the various races and creatures in the world. Giants (or at least some of them) have immunity to cold don't they. This would be a significant racial advantage.