drs said:
Or is that too much? Are we looking at a more stable FR type of world? Any more suggestions on a "Big Idea" 'cause I'm really drawing a blank...
OK, I think I’ve got an idea.
“Your entire world was destroyed. Fortunately, this was not the end of your people.
Your wisest sages became aware of the catastrophe in time. You mightiest wizards created gates to a new world, one that might be settled by humans, dwarves, elves, halflings, gnomes, and all other goodly races. At first, only a few hardy explorers went through. Then, the first settlers, druids, and rangers who tried to make the colony liveable in the face of the alien ecology. They planted the seeds, and destroyed alien growths. The local mountains were mined to satisfy the demand for ores.”
“Then, when the onrushing catastrophe became obvious to everyone, great masses of people poured through the gates. Many could be saved. Many more could not.”
“The new onslaught of people strained the colony to its limits. Many people starved, and food riots were common. But now two decades have passed, and the lean years are over. A new generation of humans has come of age that has never known the light of the old world. And they are ready to claim their destiny.”
“The sense of unity of the colony’s early days is gone, and it has fractured into many small independent kingdoms and fiefs, mostly representing the various nations and groups of people that inhabited the old world. Intrigue runs high, and in some areas, war might soon break out.”
“In other places, the colonists are looking outwards and try to expand again. This is no easy task, for elsewhere the native ecology is still entrenched, and needs to be cleared out. And many of the inhabitants are
intelligent, and greatly resent the invaders. Though they had reached greater heights of civilizataion previously, if the alien ruins dotting the landscape are any indication…But a few heros armed with cold steel and magic can clear out the wilderness, attract settlers, and set up their own kingdom!”
“More disturbing a new factions that have sprung up among the colonists. A faction, led by renegade druids, has proclaimed that humans should never have come to this world, and work actively to reverse this. Other druids claim to have found a new source of power - they draw their energies not from the plants and animals of home, but from the alien environment of the new world. They often lead groups of youths - those who were born here - deep into the wilderness, and are never seen again.”
“And as for the new generation: Some of them are born with strange powers of the mind, powers that have never been seen before. In some regions, they find acceptance. In others, they are burned as witches and warlocks.”
“And what can be found beyond the hills, mountains, and seas ringing the colony? Hostile Alien civilizations? Or more colonists from home? The construction of the gates was no big secret - intentionally so - and other, less goodly races might have come to this world as well, such as drow, hobgoblins, kobolds, and others…”
“Humanity’s destiny hangs in the balance. Will you stand up and fight for the future of your people - or watch their last attempt of survival flicker out and die?”
OK, this is a classic “alien invasion” scenario - with the difference that it’s the humans (and the other PC races) that are the invaders. The colonists have to struggle against the native life forms, which are basically everything from the Monster Manual that looks like it couldn’t possibly have evolved on the same planet as humans - destrachans, gray renders, gricks, you name it. Obviously, we need to fill in some blanks in the native ecology - just look at the existing critters, and extrapolate from there…
Psionic powers exist, but are basically limited to beings that were born on this planet - which understandably sets up a nice witch-hunt atmosphere among the older folks.
There are two regions to be detailed: The Colony, a large region with millions of refugees and colonists (everyone who could get through) that has by now degenerated into a group of squabbling kingdoms and realms (possibly with a “Colonial Council” set about them that everyone takes as serious as the UN in our world - which is to say, not much…), and The Wilderness, the regions where the native life forms hold sway (with a couple of surprises, such as an advanced alien civilization and stuff like drow refugees, or tribes of intentionally primitive humans who have fled the colony).
There’s plenty of stuff to do here, from trying to keep the human (dwarven, halfling, etc.) realms from killing each other, to exploring the Wilderness. One thing to keep in mind is that many things, like magic items, are in short supply - many of them were lost in the rush to the colony world. Still, it’s likely that some people brought caches…
Well, what do you think? Do we have a winner here?
