Gilladian
Adventurer
I'm setting up a not-so-serious campaing setting for Dungeon World, and I've decided to make it a shattered world, lots of chunks of the ancient planet all floating together in a rough spheroid, held together by magic. I've only got a page or so of notes so far, and I'm looking for further ideas to add; mostly, I need concepts that would lead to interesting fronts, adventure ideas, campaign villains, etc...
Dungeonworld: a Shattered World
The world was once whole. No longer is this so… the world is a cluster of islands or Earth Motes, floating in the ether, constantly drifting closer and apart, bumping, shifting, changing, sometimes smashing each other. Travel on land is by foot, mostly, as few mounts are available. Flying from mote to mote is possible, though challenging for many. Hot air balloons, magic-powered dirigibles, gliders, and winged creatures are all methods used for travel. The shattering event happened well over a thousand years ago.
Gravity: all of the "world chunks" have a similar gravity - they all "face" outwards, still, and have an "underside" and "edges". Many small landmasses have docks and entry ports on their sides, and many many folk live below ground, reserving precious "topside" for growing food.
Impacts: small strikes by loose rocks and other objects are not uncommon, and even "bumps" that cause minor earth tremors are again not uncommon. However, most objects are not moving fast enough to be truly deadly, and most landmasses are stable enough not to be bumped in ways that will cause massive turmoil. Exceptions are rare and startling.
Magic and technology: The world is steeped in magic; it is said that magic is both what holds the world together, and what shattered it eons ago. There is a legend that in the core of the world, deep within the center, there is a vast artifact, which is perhaps intelligent and alive, that sustains the world. No one near the surface knows if this is true or not. There are "gods" in this world, and they perform great deeds on occasion, and it is said that they grant their followers power, but no one believes they are immortal and perfect. They are simply beings of such immense power that ordinary mortals can only worship them from afar. Tech is at about a 12th century level (as compared to "our earth") and appears unlikely to evolve further, given the effect magic has.
Dangers, threats and Monsters; the world is a very dangerous place. Each "world chunk" may be as small as a village, or so large as to take 3 days to walk across. Many are inhabited. When the world broke, or so legend goes, many of the beings who dwelled there were exposed to waves of magical energy which warped and changed them. Some animals became intelligent. Some types of creatures merged together. Some became elemental forces, and more…
Races: Humans are the major race, dominant most everywhere. They're not better at anything than anyone, but they're second-best at everything, and individuals tend to be tough, adventurous and talented. They're the best race with technology
Wee Folk: the halflings are doughty and tough, very durable, but not strong. They grow many crops, and are very skilled at cooking, preserving food, making the inedible edible. They are good with domesticating animals. They have several different flying species under their control in different regions; sometimes they ride winged ponies, other times small wyverns or winged lions.
Elves: these natural fliers live for moving from place to place. While they still have some affinity for nature, they're really more air-connected. High magic affinity, too, and some may be quite scholarly. Legends say that some of their kind retreated deep into the Core during or after the Shattering. Did they cause it? Or do they know what did?
Dwarves: famous for their mining skills, forging, tunneling and stonework. They're welcome everywhere as they build underground living quarters for many to preserve rare surface grounds for growing valued foodstuffs. How do they travel so easily? They hate the airships of the elves, but seem to be able to reach most everywhere easily. Do they really have tunnels that reach across motes?
Starting out: The PCs begin their careers in a minor town on a small but not tiny Earth Mote. They may be locals, or they may have recently arrived by ferry or dirigible from elsewhere… but they are now essentially broke, with little more than their gear in hand, and an idea of an adventure...
Any ideas? I'd love to hear just about anything...
Dungeonworld: a Shattered World
The world was once whole. No longer is this so… the world is a cluster of islands or Earth Motes, floating in the ether, constantly drifting closer and apart, bumping, shifting, changing, sometimes smashing each other. Travel on land is by foot, mostly, as few mounts are available. Flying from mote to mote is possible, though challenging for many. Hot air balloons, magic-powered dirigibles, gliders, and winged creatures are all methods used for travel. The shattering event happened well over a thousand years ago.
Gravity: all of the "world chunks" have a similar gravity - they all "face" outwards, still, and have an "underside" and "edges". Many small landmasses have docks and entry ports on their sides, and many many folk live below ground, reserving precious "topside" for growing food.
Impacts: small strikes by loose rocks and other objects are not uncommon, and even "bumps" that cause minor earth tremors are again not uncommon. However, most objects are not moving fast enough to be truly deadly, and most landmasses are stable enough not to be bumped in ways that will cause massive turmoil. Exceptions are rare and startling.
Magic and technology: The world is steeped in magic; it is said that magic is both what holds the world together, and what shattered it eons ago. There is a legend that in the core of the world, deep within the center, there is a vast artifact, which is perhaps intelligent and alive, that sustains the world. No one near the surface knows if this is true or not. There are "gods" in this world, and they perform great deeds on occasion, and it is said that they grant their followers power, but no one believes they are immortal and perfect. They are simply beings of such immense power that ordinary mortals can only worship them from afar. Tech is at about a 12th century level (as compared to "our earth") and appears unlikely to evolve further, given the effect magic has.
Dangers, threats and Monsters; the world is a very dangerous place. Each "world chunk" may be as small as a village, or so large as to take 3 days to walk across. Many are inhabited. When the world broke, or so legend goes, many of the beings who dwelled there were exposed to waves of magical energy which warped and changed them. Some animals became intelligent. Some types of creatures merged together. Some became elemental forces, and more…
Races: Humans are the major race, dominant most everywhere. They're not better at anything than anyone, but they're second-best at everything, and individuals tend to be tough, adventurous and talented. They're the best race with technology
Wee Folk: the halflings are doughty and tough, very durable, but not strong. They grow many crops, and are very skilled at cooking, preserving food, making the inedible edible. They are good with domesticating animals. They have several different flying species under their control in different regions; sometimes they ride winged ponies, other times small wyverns or winged lions.
Elves: these natural fliers live for moving from place to place. While they still have some affinity for nature, they're really more air-connected. High magic affinity, too, and some may be quite scholarly. Legends say that some of their kind retreated deep into the Core during or after the Shattering. Did they cause it? Or do they know what did?
Dwarves: famous for their mining skills, forging, tunneling and stonework. They're welcome everywhere as they build underground living quarters for many to preserve rare surface grounds for growing valued foodstuffs. How do they travel so easily? They hate the airships of the elves, but seem to be able to reach most everywhere easily. Do they really have tunnels that reach across motes?
Starting out: The PCs begin their careers in a minor town on a small but not tiny Earth Mote. They may be locals, or they may have recently arrived by ferry or dirigible from elsewhere… but they are now essentially broke, with little more than their gear in hand, and an idea of an adventure...
Any ideas? I'd love to hear just about anything...
I read it many years ago, and it was a top-notch fantasy setting with some really cool ideas.
