Personal Cosmology

[Storyteller01]

I've been thinking about this for some time, but the implications are scary, so I would like to know if any of you have tried it...

Within the plethera of OGL material I own are several models of cosmology. I'm thinking of implementing a 'belief shapes the cosmos' theory. In other words, your belief defines your cosmology. Besides the overall clash of ideals (we ahve those anyway ), odds are that characters planeswalking will need to be exceedingly powerful. It's a fair bet that the party will be too diverse to share a belief system, so planeswalkers will be o their own for a while.

Then there's the access to spells, planar travel, etc.

It's complicated, but if I make this the overriding theme of a campaign, it could be fun.

Has anyone tried this?

 

[Quickleaf]

In my old planescape campaign the players shifted a city from the Outlands (N) to Arcadia (LNG). The two characters were both LG at the time and both were Sensates.

I remember this website called Li Po's guide to the universe or something. It had recommendations for incorporating party beliefs according to faction & alignment. Essentially, the outer planes changed to suit the PC party. Very cool

So in the campaign, descriptions became more vivid, the afterlife was very sensual (Think garden of paradise as written in the Koran), recorder stones flourished, people really began to put themselves in the shoes of others, etc. Also, the law cleaned itself up, began working with the PCs instead of against them, became very efficient. The only downside was that friends really kept tight reins on each other and would put law & good society first, and turn their friend in if they found them doing something criminal.

One of the PCs helped design their own realm, with divine assistance. The other, an amazon-warrior type inspired many women to take to the fighting life and demand their own personal harem. So I say go for it!

 

[the Jester]

Yeah, I like leaving the connection between the gods and their followers' beliefs murky- do the gods tell you what to believe, or do your beliefs determine what the gods tell you?

Cosmology is similar- do we believe that we teleport via the astral plane because that's how it is, or is it that way because that's what we believe?

 

[Storyteller01]

Any other ideas??

 

[Cheiromancer]

Have you read Sepulchrave's SH? His game world has certain cosmological ambiguities. The world as an orthodox Oronthonian sees it might be quite different from what the worshipper of the sleeping gods of Shûth perceives.

I don't know if there are game mechanical differences supporting differences of cosmological opinion. There followers of the old religion (druidism) in Sep's party, but no-one from a radically different background. They seem to move through the standard great wheel cosmology.

Is this the kind of thing you are talking about?

 

[Storyteller01]

Have you read Sepulchrave's SH? His game world has certain cosmological ambiguities. The world as an orthodox Oronthonian sees it might be quite different from what the worshipper of the sleeping gods of Shûth perceives.

I don't know if there are game mechanical differences supporting differences of cosmological opinion. There followers of the old religion (druidism) in Sep's party, but no-one from a radically different background. They seem to move through the standard great wheel cosmology.

Is this the kind of thing you are talking about?

Sort of. I was wondering if this had been attempted before. Sees like it would play he** on spell availibility (I don't believe in an Etherial Plane).