Homebrews - Stealing the best - what to steal?

[GoodKingJayIII]

I made the verrick (race from Arcana Unearthed/Evolved) the originators of psionic power and the keepers of the akashic memory. Not much different than the DT setting, but to spice things up and explain some mechanics I introduced a globally traumatic psionic event that fried their original powers (True Psionics) and relegated them to their "measely" spell-like abilities and "curse of Xyphon" effect. I didn't realize it at the time, but I drew pretty heavily from Warcraft and the transformation of the High Elves to the Blood Elves. I always did think that was pretty neat.

 

[Enkhidu]

Hey, I've done that too!

IMO, elves need some sprucing up somehow if they're going to work for me. My latest thing has been to disallow them as PC races and make the the main bad guy race of the setting (which casting orcs and goblinoids in a relatively sympathetic light as savage but usually more or less noble cultures). For background, I steal liberally from 40k Dark Eldar.

I did almost exactly the same thing. I scrapped every humanoid that wasn't goblinoid, mixed the goblinoids together as different phases of the goblin physiology (and included hill giants in the mix as well), and made very alien elves my villains.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

IMC (under construction)- Elves all have the Woodling template and will no longer have Wizard as their favored class. As beings innately in tune with both nature and magic, they will have Druid and Sorcerer as favored classes.

 

[Nightfall]

Well I'm glad to see people are stealing my two favorite races.

But come on folks what about Hollowfaust and Hornsaw?! Now there's some great sites!

 

[Angel Tarragon]

I stole the Slitheren, though modified, for my campaign.

 

[Nightfall]

Hey what ever works Fru!

*still thinks Slitheren/Ratmen are the best overall* But doesn't mean I don't have love for forsaken elves! Or charduni either. *always wonder why elves had the upper hand on evil cousins* Albeit the duegar and grey dwarves were alright, charduni were/are better in my book.

 

[Psion]

Note here... I'm not just talking about races.

Villains... I've used Cult of the Dragon with the serial numbers filed off before. What good villains do other settings have.

Nations?
Cities?
Plot devices?
Deities? Being too busy to work at a pantheon right now, I steal them from Book of the Righteous and the Maelstrom campaign setting (repeated in Darkfuries Shrines & Temples.)

 

[Nightfall]

I've always been fond of Calastia myself. That and Hollowfaust.

 

[Will]

Nice to see all the SSS love. Some of my favorite stuff I've worked on was for their Scarred Lands line.

And it's Asaatthi.

I really liked Hollowfaust as a general concept that sometimes infuses into my games. Let's see, what else have I borrowed... warforged, the necromantic golems from Scarred Lands (LOVE the concept of undead war machines), and various 'magic is very very advanced tech' concepts from Dying Earth.

 

[Psion]

Scarred lands cities and regions are so uniquely Scarred Lands, I hesitate to pull them in.

However, Hollowfaust may be finding a place.

You see, I am placing the Shades of Gray setting (with attendant Necromancer Games goodies) on a large Peninsula jutting down from a northern continent. Now one of the ultimate possibilities of Shades of Gray is the players might destroy a lich that is a power behind the throne. The catch is, that the north is populated largely by giants, humanoids, and Oni. Akregor, though it is a threat, stands between the civilized nations and the giant lands to the north.

So what might happen if Akregor(sP?) collapses is that the giants might sense weakness and pour into the south. The remaining cities of Akregor might become fortress cities surrounded by the hordes, and with a history of necromancy, it might be their only tool to defend themselves. It would be easy to write Hollowfaust in.