Turanil
First Post
Reading another thread in the GD forum gave me an idea for a setting. I mean, for some planet. The general feel would be close to a Cthulhu-like campaign. The rules used would be d20 Modern, d20 Future, and Grim Tales where magic use is concerned, and also for native people's classes (d20 Modern and d20 Future classes for people coming from outside this world). Here it goes:
- A planet similar to Earth, but maybe colder, and more dim. On the south pole of extremely cold climate live some ancient alien intelligent specie. They are extremely reclusive never leaving their icy wastes, and most of the time remaining in their strange underground cities. They are also extremely alien, unfathomable and evil, something like Lovecraft's Elder Things, Flying Polyps, or Great Race of Yith. Their ancient and incomprehensible technology, is what makes magic possible (and also tends to disrupt technology). There are energies generated by immense devices; these energies are astral and almost semi-conscious. With proper techniques and rituals they can be called upon to materialize things, so people can "cast spells". As a result magic is not something normal that could be used anywhere, but only on this planet due to these alien generators.
- Humans were brought there in a distant past, and left to fend for themselves. Later some starship wrecked there and the survivors formed their own society trying to preserve what little technology they could salvage, etc. Whatever, it is mostly a human medieval type society full of superstition and fear (a grim setting).
- There are sorcerers who have learned to cast spells. What they do truly is to call upon the dark semi-conscious energies generated by the alien specie's devices on the south pole. They cast spells using Grim Tales rules, with a twist: the closer to the south pole, the higher the effective caster level, because the energies become more intense near their source. Add to this that sorcerers who use too much magic eventually mutate horrendously and become hideous abominations.
- Add some extra-terrestrials also trapped on this world, with their high technology. They are Mi-Go-like, and cannot be used as PC races. They often enslave some human communities to do mining work and what not.
- So politically there are a few communities overseen by evil mad mutants sorcerers, and others of slaves ruled by Mi-Go. Sorcery vs technology. Plus of course a few free communities.
- The dark "magical" energies also have a tendency for disrupting technology like some sort of EMP effect. As such, Mi-Go cannot leave that world, and their technological devices often don't work very well far from their bases. If PCs come from space onto this planet they also will have problems.
So now my question is: what would you add (or modify) to make this setting more interesting?
- A planet similar to Earth, but maybe colder, and more dim. On the south pole of extremely cold climate live some ancient alien intelligent specie. They are extremely reclusive never leaving their icy wastes, and most of the time remaining in their strange underground cities. They are also extremely alien, unfathomable and evil, something like Lovecraft's Elder Things, Flying Polyps, or Great Race of Yith. Their ancient and incomprehensible technology, is what makes magic possible (and also tends to disrupt technology). There are energies generated by immense devices; these energies are astral and almost semi-conscious. With proper techniques and rituals they can be called upon to materialize things, so people can "cast spells". As a result magic is not something normal that could be used anywhere, but only on this planet due to these alien generators.
- Humans were brought there in a distant past, and left to fend for themselves. Later some starship wrecked there and the survivors formed their own society trying to preserve what little technology they could salvage, etc. Whatever, it is mostly a human medieval type society full of superstition and fear (a grim setting).
- There are sorcerers who have learned to cast spells. What they do truly is to call upon the dark semi-conscious energies generated by the alien specie's devices on the south pole. They cast spells using Grim Tales rules, with a twist: the closer to the south pole, the higher the effective caster level, because the energies become more intense near their source. Add to this that sorcerers who use too much magic eventually mutate horrendously and become hideous abominations.
- Add some extra-terrestrials also trapped on this world, with their high technology. They are Mi-Go-like, and cannot be used as PC races. They often enslave some human communities to do mining work and what not.
- So politically there are a few communities overseen by evil mad mutants sorcerers, and others of slaves ruled by Mi-Go. Sorcery vs technology. Plus of course a few free communities.
- The dark "magical" energies also have a tendency for disrupting technology like some sort of EMP effect. As such, Mi-Go cannot leave that world, and their technological devices often don't work very well far from their bases. If PCs come from space onto this planet they also will have problems.
So now my question is: what would you add (or modify) to make this setting more interesting?
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