D&D 5E Tarras: A Homebrewed Campaign Setting

[Knightfall]

I'll suggest names for cities and towns:

Ravenfrost
Tarn
Lilitheim
Drogun

I really like the Ravenfrost name.

I'm not sure about the others.

Tarn, maybe.

 

[Croesus]

Return to Tantus
For it is believed that the city's destiny is the world's destiny. If Tantus falls into the Hells, it will drag all of Tarras with it.!

Just an idea, but what if the gods need mortals to save them (the gods) from destruction? Mortals were created to combat whatever forces the gods fear. In return, the gods will actively aid those who combat those forces. Much like the Greek myths, the gods will bestow boons and knowledge upon their chosen champion, possibly even fighting at their side (ala the Trojan War), but all such help comes with strings attached.

Not sure you want the campaign to go in this direction, and you'd have to be careful to not have the gods take over the spotlight or become a deus ex machina. But I find the idea of gods fearing for their survival, depending on lowly mortals to save (not simply worship) them, strangely appealing. And hey, if the PC's blow it, at least they have the satisfaction of knowing they took the gods with them.

 

[Knightfall]

Just an idea, but what if the gods need mortals to save them (the gods) from destruction? Mortals were created to combat whatever forces the gods fear. In return, the gods will actively aid those who combat those forces. Much like the Greek myths, the gods will bestow boons and knowledge upon their chosen champion, possibly even fighting at their side (ala the Trojan War), but all such help comes with strings attached.

Not sure you want the campaign to go in this direction, and you'd have to be careful to not have the gods take over the spotlight or become a deus ex machina. But I find the idea of gods fearing for their survival, depending on lowly mortals to save (not simply worship) them, strangely appealing. And hey, if the PC's blow it, at least they have the satisfaction of knowing they took the gods with them.

Thanks for your ideas. Interesting stuff... I'm a sucker for Greek culture. Heh.

However, it's to early to tell where this is all going. I've finally come back to this thread but I'm not sure where I'm going to take it since I've divorced it from 4e.

I just rewrote the racial entry for the catfolk, but the entry hasn't any real stats. None of the racial entries will, for now. Everything is going to stay generic. It's going to be mainly fluff. That way, nothing gets written in stone.

 

[Knightfall]

FYI... I recently updated the maps for Tarras. All the major cities now have names, and I've named most of the sites on the Gulf of Sails map.

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AVIANS
Aarakocra [EEPC]
Description still to be written.

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Kenku [VG and RH)]
Description still to be written.

Patron Deities: Aritimi or Raven Queen.

Subraces

• Kenku, Nightcrier (RH, p. 5)
• Kenku, Shinefeather (RH, p. 5)
• Tengu (RH, p. 5)

 

[Knightfall]

I've added racial descriptions for elves and humans as well as deciding on racial trait bonuses for all the races.

I might be leaning towards using Castles & Crusades for this world, but I also just might leave it semi-systemless. I'm thinking of modeling it based on Green Ronin's excellent The Pirate's Guide to Freeport.

 

[Glade Riven]

Is it really necessary to marry a world to a system? I've found it is actually easier if one doesn't worry about which system to use.

 

[Knightfall]

Is it really necessary to marry a world to a system? I've found it is actually easier if one doesn't worry about which system to use.

It's not necessary unless you have a specific goal for the world. I don't have such a goal for Tarras, yet. I tried to shoehorn 4e into it and never felt right about it.

World of Kulan (see sig) didn't start out to be my default 3e world, but that's what it became. Originally, it was just a single map of one part of the continent of Harqual.

What's different with Tarras (*) is that it started out as one CC2 map of the entire world. How it develops will depend a lot on what was put on that map.

*The original Tarras was a whole different map entirely. But, I didn't create the base of that map so I abandoned it.

 

[Knightfall]

RACES FROM EBERRON [UAE]
Changling
Description still to be written.

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Shifter
Description still to be written.

Subraces

• Beasthide
• Cliffwalk
• Longstride
• Longtooth
• Razorclaw
• Wildhunt

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Warforged
Description still to be written.

 

[Digital_Disorder]

This is inspirational. Thank you for your hard work. I am working in spurts on a fantasy setting for fiction or RPG campaigns, and seeing your process evolve helps me refine mine.

 

[Knightfall]

I just saw this post...

This is inspirational. Thank you for your hard work. I am working in spurts on a fantasy setting for fiction or RPG campaigns, and seeing your process evolve helps me refine mine.

Thanks for your input.

I love to invent new settings although I rarely get to game in them. I see Tarras as one of those settings. I had originally intended it to be for 4e, but the fluff didn't really mesh with how 4e is designed.

I expect that I'll only add to this setting as inspiration strikes me. I'm thinking of connecting it to another idea I have, a massive planar city called Bottleneck that exists on a demiplane.

In fact, Bottleneck will likely be a central nexus that leads to many of my settings (and cosmologies) such as Kulan.

Of course, that planar setting is only an idea at this point. Still, Bottleneck, like Tarras, will be systemless.