Irda Ranger
First Post
First, I endorse Drammattex's post. You'll get a much better world if you build from the ground up. You may already know that though.Quickleaf said:I'm writing a campaign setting I've always dreamed of, and I'm curious what suggestions you folks have about how to make a setting suit 4e (based on what we know so far)?
Dr. Strangemonkey had some good questions: are you allowing non-human PC's at the start? Does that mean the Phoenix has already arrived?
To be clear: are the PC's trying to "put things back the way they were" or are they trying to help their little corner of the former Empire adapt and thrive in the new world? I think the second option if more likely to succeed, but a hail Mary can be fun every now and then ...
Based on your introductory script, the only thing I would take out are references to the foreign kingdoms. If you're aiming for a PoL setting (and it seems like you are), there should not be any "nations" or "kingdoms", just city-states and villages surviving on their own. I would also assume that the fallen Empire was vast enough in scope that the PC's needn't worry about anything going on beyond its (former) borders. Too far away to even think about.
I think you also need to address the "gods" issue. In a world with clerics and paladins, your PC's are going to want to know what their options are.
1. Who did the Imperial Church worship? I'd pick a 3E god for now, but change the name to avoid having your players jump to conclusions.
2. Was the Imperial Church the only game in town, or were there other gods? Was their worship open, or hidden, or only in the country-side (but driven from the main cities by "the Church")?
3. Are there new prophets walking the land? New faiths popping up among once uniformly Church-going people, like crocuses from the snow? How do you tell the difference between a "demon cult" and a "true faith"?
My last comment is: this sounds like a totally awesome campaign. Your players are in for a treat.The elder races are a distant memory, magic is rare and mysterious, and the Otherworlds exist. Outsiders are restricted from entering the world by the Veil. Wizards (indoctrinated to be loyal to the empire) are governed by a body of rights & limitations known as the Compact.
Campaign: Prophecies of the Phoenix Age are whispered by hearths, and carried from village to village by bards. With the rebirth of the Phoenix the elder races will return, magic will blossom, tyrants will be deposed, and the slumbering fires within the earth will purify the land.