tecnowraith
First Post
Is it possible to do paranormal an mystical stuff like magic, supernatural creatures:vamps, werewolves, mummies, ghosts, demons and zombies without having the realms be part of the setting?
Mystical and paranormal without the realms?
- Thread starter tecnowraith
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Vorput
First Post
Yes. Just sort of stick them in. Don't explain it- don't look for complicated origin stories (unless you want them)- just have these things occasionally be part of your world.
Well, that doesn't work too well for demons - the whole summoning thing implies that they are summoned from somewhere.
tecnowraith
First Post
The various planes of existence in general no specific setting.
I can hardly speak for all human cultures for all time, but my impression is that view was not the one most cultures held. That may be one angle taken in European Christianity, but they are by far not the only ones with critters that correspond roughly to "demons".
Which is not to say that you can't use it, of course. However, at least in 3.x, more problematic than the critters - you do have to consider what you're going to do with all the spells that reference other planes. Maybe you remove them from play, or rewrite them, or something.
Last edited:
ppaladin123
Adventurer
Vampires, werewolves and zombies can all be given "scientific" explanations based on viruses, genetic disorders, nerve toxins, etc.
If you make "ghosts" and "magic," the result of psychic manifestation and sufficiently explain psychic power in pseudo-scientific terms those will work too.
Demons on the other hand...not sure.
DandD
First Post
Yes, of course it's not uniform for all real-world human culture, it's just an example. Other real-world cultures had islands beyond the horizon shrouded in eternal mist from where all evil spirits come, faraway ice caves where the dead would sleep in coffins made of ice blocks, or gods living just really really high up on a tall mountain, and similar stuff.
All the spells that are tied to the planes would still work the same if the mystical places where gods, demons, devils and other supernatural beings exist, were located physically in, on or above the world, without need of rewriting them that much fluff-wise. Protection-spells would still protect you from the specific properties, commune lets you ask a question to some deities nearby or faraway, and other stuff.
So, the Nine Hells could be located beyond a dark misty bridge over a deep and practically endless rift, where really terrible guardian monsters ensure no intruder gets in, and prisoner gets out, the Abyss is a deep endless hole in the ocean near an island volcano (or it's inside the volcano, whatever suits your imagination), Mount Celestia just inside that mountain range where angels and other celestial creatures dwell, or whatever own campaign-setting specific places exist.
You don't need to justify other dimensions and parallel universes if you don't want these places. It really works well in a fantasy world...
All the spells that are tied to the planes would still work the same if the mystical places where gods, demons, devils and other supernatural beings exist, were located physically in, on or above the world, without need of rewriting them that much fluff-wise. Protection-spells would still protect you from the specific properties, commune lets you ask a question to some deities nearby or faraway, and other stuff.
So, the Nine Hells could be located beyond a dark misty bridge over a deep and practically endless rift, where really terrible guardian monsters ensure no intruder gets in, and prisoner gets out, the Abyss is a deep endless hole in the ocean near an island volcano (or it's inside the volcano, whatever suits your imagination), Mount Celestia just inside that mountain range where angels and other celestial creatures dwell, or whatever own campaign-setting specific places exist.
You don't need to justify other dimensions and parallel universes if you don't want these places. It really works well in a fantasy world...
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