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Request: melancholy sense of wonder
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<blockquote data-quote="jasin" data-source="post: 2767595" data-attributes="member: 7531"><p>Reading Ghostwalk and taking note at what parts especially clicked for </p><p>me, made me think of this question. It's going to be rather vague, so </p><p>bear with me.</p><p></p><p>I'd like a setting like Vance's Dying Earth. By that I mean rather </p><p>static in the big picture, with most of action taking place </p><p>interpersonally. Not many wars or empires or world-shattering threats. </p><p>Lots of ruins, lots of wilderness, lots of travel. Lonely towers with a </p><p>single wizard and his apprentice or run-down forts with a single knight </p><p>and his two squires are more appropriate than wondrous cities of magic </p><p>like Silverymoon or great fortified strongholds like Citadel Adbar.</p><p></p><p>But more importantly, it needs that sense of wonder that comes from </p><p>weird, evocative, mysterious imagery scattered through the world. The </p><p>parts from Ghostwalk that sparked this:</p><p></p><p>Argalos, the Great Stone Giant: a 100 ft. tall stone statue, half-sunken </p><p>in the sea, upside down. Believed to be a petrified god. Sometimes </p><p>grants the effects of pearls of power to clerics for small sacrifices of </p><p>jewelry.</p><p></p><p>Lairs of the White Hound: an large, white, apparently intelligent dog is </p><p>sometimes seen along a particular stretch of the coast. She rescues </p><p>people from the water and protects them from danger, and has recovered </p><p>from seemingly mortal wounds.</p><p></p><p>Also, the flavour text for maenads (what little there is) in the XPsiHB: </p><p>small, often ignored fishing communities of psionics with abilities that </p><p>point to an intriguing history WRT control of emotions, or lack </p><p>thereof...</p><p></p><p>(Interestingly enough, all three examples include the sea. Not sure </p><p>why.)</p><p></p><p>Of the settings I know, Ghostwalk seems to be doing well so far with the </p><p>evocative imagery, and is relatively static, but it still a bit to... </p><p>alive (heh), with all the big countries around Manifest.</p><p></p><p>Planescape can have lots of travel and lots of weird imagery, but it's </p><p>not quite it because of its cosmopolitan cynicism. The fact that the </p><p>books'/NPCs' reaction to almost everything wondrous is "Eh... nothing </p><p>special. Think it is? Heh, n00b." works against the sense of wonder for </p><p>me.</p><p></p><p>I know there's some sort of Dying Earth RPG out there, but I don't know </p><p>much about it. Is some sort of setting book available?</p><p></p><p>Well... that's it. I'm not really sure what I want, and I'm also coming </p><p>down with a flu, so it might be a bit more confused than I'd like, but </p><p>still: any suggestions?</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="jasin, post: 2767595, member: 7531"] Reading Ghostwalk and taking note at what parts especially clicked for me, made me think of this question. It's going to be rather vague, so bear with me. I'd like a setting like Vance's Dying Earth. By that I mean rather static in the big picture, with most of action taking place interpersonally. Not many wars or empires or world-shattering threats. Lots of ruins, lots of wilderness, lots of travel. Lonely towers with a single wizard and his apprentice or run-down forts with a single knight and his two squires are more appropriate than wondrous cities of magic like Silverymoon or great fortified strongholds like Citadel Adbar. But more importantly, it needs that sense of wonder that comes from weird, evocative, mysterious imagery scattered through the world. The parts from Ghostwalk that sparked this: Argalos, the Great Stone Giant: a 100 ft. tall stone statue, half-sunken in the sea, upside down. Believed to be a petrified god. Sometimes grants the effects of pearls of power to clerics for small sacrifices of jewelry. Lairs of the White Hound: an large, white, apparently intelligent dog is sometimes seen along a particular stretch of the coast. She rescues people from the water and protects them from danger, and has recovered from seemingly mortal wounds. Also, the flavour text for maenads (what little there is) in the XPsiHB: small, often ignored fishing communities of psionics with abilities that point to an intriguing history WRT control of emotions, or lack thereof... (Interestingly enough, all three examples include the sea. Not sure why.) Of the settings I know, Ghostwalk seems to be doing well so far with the evocative imagery, and is relatively static, but it still a bit to... alive (heh), with all the big countries around Manifest. Planescape can have lots of travel and lots of weird imagery, but it's not quite it because of its cosmopolitan cynicism. The fact that the books'/NPCs' reaction to almost everything wondrous is "Eh... nothing special. Think it is? Heh, n00b." works against the sense of wonder for me. I know there's some sort of Dying Earth RPG out there, but I don't know much about it. Is some sort of setting book available? Well... that's it. I'm not really sure what I want, and I'm also coming down with a flu, so it might be a bit more confused than I'd like, but still: any suggestions? [/QUOTE]
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