It's the little things

[Gilladian]

little things that add spice to a campaign...

I like to be sure to describe the typical weather of a region when the PCs arrive, or when the campaign starts. Then I make a point of mentioning it as a sort of window-dressing over time. Rainy season really should make them wet and cold and muddy every now and then. The dry season should give them the chance to see ordinary people carrying water long distances, and struggling to stay hydrated (even if the PCs have magic to solve THEIR problems).

One campaign I ran, in the tavern they started in, there was a one-legged beggar who told stories to the local kids. The PCs took a random liking to him. They ALWAYS looked for him, gave him money, etc... and in return he once gave them a tip that they were being followed.

I COULD have made him a big plot point, had him turn out to be an ex-adventurer, or a mysterious spy for the guild, or a wizard under a curse, etc.... but I didn't. He remained an ordinary guy, and later one of the players actually said he really liked that - not everyone is a hero or villain in disguise.

 

[thejc]

has anyone put any homebrew materials in? woods metals gems? what about currency. I have a special rare ore I usually put into my campaigns called "seraphite" it is a holy metal that is potent against evil outsiders and all undead.

 

[megamania]

When I do NPCs and sometimes even NPC groups I have a section referred to as "quirks".

This is things I, as a DM, try to consistantly add in once in a while. They can be things like favorite foods but also preferred dress, use of buttons and ribbons and slang used.

As for food.... well the center point of the one game I run is the village of Winetree. So yeah, specific years and vineyards are used (and lost on most of the players).

 

[Scorponox]

If you're looking for absolutely specific things, some of the drinks they find in taverns are called:

Buddy Ale - Everyone loves Buddy Ale! It's the drink you give to a friend, or a friend's friend. No one drinks Buddy Ale alone - for doing so is illegal.

Lurid Liquor - This silky, bluish drink is a favorite among bar maids. It is often given to newlyweds.

Dandy Brandy - This sun colored liquor glows golden in the sun. It is made from the yellow grapes of the Gorgon Hills, the honey of the giant bumblebee, and mixed with the petals of a spring dandelion. To the centaurs and satyrs of the Eastern Mountains, this drink is more valuable than gold!

Pirate Punch - The bright reddish drink is both sweet, fruity, and was made popular by the pirates of the eastern coast. It is blamed to cause their garish looking teeth.

Frisky Whiskey - This drink is the direct competitor to Lurid Liquor, and is popular among younger adults due to it being cheaper. The pale yellow drink however, has a bitter aftertaste, and many regret drinking so much of it in the morning.

Pardon'Maiy Chardonnay - For those who have wronged others greatly and want to apologize, There is not a classier way to do it than to buy a bottle of this dark purple drink. In fact, we suggest keeping several bottles on hand.




I've always wanted to turn this into a drinking game, but could never figure out how.

 

[thejc]

So yeah, specific years and vineyards are used (and lost on most of the players).

A very sad but true fact.

Some of my best work doesnt even ever get noticed....*sigh* then they wonder why I am always throwing Iron Golems riding on the Back of Red Dragons at them.*shakes fist at sky* Someday they will appreciate me.

 

[Scorponox]

Other homebrew things I've come up with....

Soul Gems - These gems are highly valuable, and actually sparkle like a rainbow. Think of a jewel sparkling many different colors very quickly - enough to bother those with epilepsy. These are valuable because they can be used to make armor and weapons which give resistant to ALL the elements, but also because they are used to capture the essence of a person's soul, including their memories. For this reason, some of the very rich and influential of the land desire these. Because if they die, they can transfer part of their soul from a Soul Gem back into a host body. However, only the most pure and unblemished Soul Gems can capture all the essence of something as complicated as a soul. Those who put their souls in lesser gems and then are transfered to a host body find they have memories missing, or they hate those who they once loved, or their personalities are fundamentally different than before.
*Basically, I made this item as a way to bring back a memorable villain if they died too early.

Biomimic Gel -This is a type of special liquid I introduced to my campaign. It is only ever available to high level wizards/sorcerers, and those are always working for the government/king in some way. It can be used for illegal cloning (goes hand in hand with the Soul Gems listed above), creating dopplegangers, super potions, medicines for curing otherwise incurable diseases, enhancing hallucinogenics (without the side effects), creating human/dragon hybrids, and even can be used to create new types of dragons. Possessing this usually means a death sentence if you are caught. The gel is extremely expensive because of its many uses, and gel in the hands of a vengeful alchemist usually means trouble for entire kingdoms.

In my current campaign, an old lady alchemist that has helped the PCs in the past have enlisted the help of the PCs to get some of this gel. The PCs were debating whether to take her along, and her argument was that this material was so dangerous, they couldn't afford NOT to take her, and it is better in the hands of someone they can trust than potentially in the hands of their enemies. It is good they decided to trust her, because there is an enemy who wants to turn himself into a half-dragon. (Was gonna use this: http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/630/mb09600sether.jpg as the miniature once the guy transforms himself, its a cheap Mega Bloks Dragon Egg.)

It was an interesting debate the PCs had, and some were reluctant to deal with illegal substances. But they eventually felt they could trust her with it. I am planning on rewarding them, with possibly a few super healing potion type things.

 

[Gilladian]

has anyone put any homebrew materials in? woods metals gems? what about currency. I have a special rare ore I usually put into my campaigns called "seraphite" it is a holy metal that is potent against evil outsiders and all undead.

I have my own coins, both "modern" and "ancient" for my campaign world. In different kingdoms coins have different names (although it is amazing how they are so similar in weight and value...) that reflect the values of that kingdom. And ancient coins have very different sizes and weights, and come from different cultures.

The most common ones are listed here: Vishteer Campaign / MiraborianCoinage

I've never experimented with "special ores" or anything like that, although it might be fun.

 

[thejc]

what about mundane goods. I was amazed after playing D&D all my highschool career and then going into college to study history I found that one of the biggest commodoties was salt. It was the first coin, a ton of wars were fought over salt.

Most wars in the ancient world started over resources, a fact that I have either overlooked, ignored or isn't there in D&D

 

[steeldragons]

what about mundane goods. I was amazed after playing D&D all my highschool career and then going into college to study history I found that one of the biggest commodoties was salt. It was the first coin, a ton of wars were fought over salt.

Most wars in the ancient world started over resources, a fact that I have either overlooked, ignored or isn't there in D&D

I think, in the way you're thinking, it is generally a "non-issue" in D&D. A few adventures/wars might incorporate one realm being interested in taking another's mine (of some precious metal or gemstones) but generally realms are warring against the koblods, orcs, goblins (and/or drow, duergar, derro) who are after those mineral (or any other for that matter) resources.

I haven't spent much time in this sort of this...other than figuring in a general way that "sugar" comes from the cane plantations in the southern (warmer) realms and islands.

Certain foodstuffs (fruits in particular) that are native to certain places because they demand a more tropical climate. Honey, for some reason, I always liked to keep track of...not everywhere is suitable for beekeeping.

Types of eggs available in a given region. Yeah, pretty much everywhere has chickens...but sometimes its fun to throw in a different "domesticated egg-laying machine" bird...The orange-spotted zark eggs of R'Hath are particularly tasty.

I have incorporated the making of instruments and wood furniture-making as being the purview of my world's southern kingdom (1: because the realm is famed for its bards and musicians and 2: because the realm also has a large shipbuilding industry and thus, I reasoned, would be very well versed in the working of wood. Obviously, this is a single particular style of furniture but it is popular among the well-to-do of the northern kingdom. There are certainly other styles to be found.)

I also make sure to remember to incorporate other resources you might consider "mundane" that are often ignored, quarries and mining for non-precious stone used in building/construction and day-to-day life. Things like salt (though I've never use one. I will now! , talc, chalk, marbles and granite for construction, alabaster (though this is kinda precious) for decorative "everyday" implements...I have a couple of large gnomish and/or dwarven towns centered around quarries owned by/used for human lands (as well as their own).

This similarly applies to mines for "everyday" metals...things like tin- needed for the exceptionally common pewter wares of the common folk, iron- obviously necessary for making steel, but also for normal wrought iron tools and construction and not usually counted among "precious metals.", lead (also needed for pewter as well as highly valued for its "anti-magic"/"magic-dampening" properties.)

Also, the creation/quality of leather wares (armor or clothing, belts, boots, tooling decorative strips for harnesses and tack, etc.) is generally a region to region thing. I have a particular community of Shi'Cynallae elves that are known to produce leather items of exceptional quality (as all elvin leather wares and fabrics are to a lesser degree). Gnomes also are particularly famous in their use of leathers and cloths for the making of shoes and hats . Centaurs and the humans of Gorunduu are also known for their tanning skills, creating fantastically supple but sturdy leathers and being similarly skilled in the use of furs and pelts in their clothes-making.

That about covers "mundane" stuff as far as I've worked them out in Orea.
--Steel Dragons

 

[Ratinyourwalls]

Uh wow...this thread is awesome. I'm kinda a beginner DM that has mostly just stuck to campaign settings like Greyhawk, Golarion, or Eberron. I started making a campaign world a few months a go but I could never really get it to "feel" right. A lot of the stuff in this thread will help to fix the problem I think.

Thank you all so much for contributing to this topic with such detailed, great, and evocative examples!