D&D 5E Us Building a "Fundamentally 5E" Setting From Scratch Together

[Reynard]

I sure do. But the prompt was to make a setting that exemplifies 5e, and to me that's more fun if you take the rules in that edition to their logical extremes.

Sure, and I don't disagree, but you would also have to consider and incorporate the less quantifiable aspects of 5E and its ethos.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Sure, and I don't disagree, but you would also have to consider and incorporate the less quantifiable aspects of 5E and its ethos.

Fair enough, but I think I'll stick with my idea. I've really jelled with 5e's ethos, but the rules are a good base.

 

[Reynard]

Fair enough, but I think I'll stick with my idea. I've really jelled with 5e's ethos, but the rules are a good base.

For the record, I do like the idea of imagining what the world looks like if you accept the actual presence of high level 5E characters. But as mentioned previously, the real factor is going to be the numbers of those characters, for which 5E offers little to no guidance.

 

[Micah Sweet]

For the record, I do like the idea of imagining what the world looks like if you accept the actual presence of high level 5E characters. But as mentioned previously, the real factor is going to be the numbers of those characters, for which 5E offers little to no guidance.

Which gives you all the freedom you need to go nuts.

 

[Tonguez]

well if you insist, i'll at least put them under a cut and remove the names...
no ill will to anyone i quoted i just don't think these posts especially contribute to the idea of building 'the setting that embodies 5e'

So some assumptions I'm working with.

1 The world resembles a pre-industrial age transformed by magic and myth. It features areas of settled stability where everyone is welcome, alongside dangerous wilderness, ancient ruins, and monsters threats that lurk out beyond the Borderlands.
The role of Adventurers is to Explore the Wilderness, Fight the Monsters and build Society (three pillars)

2 Magic is real and influential, many lineages, classes and backgrounds exhibit inherent magical effects.
Wild Magic and Planar influences are ubiquitous in the Material World, there is regular migration and settlement of creatures between planes.
However we dont need a set cosmology, instead Players get to determine the way magic and planar effects influence their game, including creating their own 'gods'. (hence the Shattered Planes)

3 Adventurers are exceptional, they both battle the chaos outside the borders of society and build stability inside. High level Adventurers rival kings and even gods creating Bastions that can influence the world around them.
The Monastery of the Vigil is one such Bastion (Azami Shah is a Paladin btw and taking inspiration from the Radiant Citadel I made him non-Western). However, having the monastery open to other classes (Monks, Clerics, Scholars, Paladins) was to indicate that 5e has that openness to be anything. Having his main companion be a Blue Dragonborn Bard who brings in a whole lot of politics and intrigue also builds on 5e's openness to options

 

[Reynard]

3 Adventurers are exceptional,

I'm not sure "adventurers are exceptional" is a tenet of 5E. There are lots of pretty powerful NPC stat blocks, up to and including Archmages and High Priests. And that's not even taking into account the things in the MM that are persons.

 

[Oofta]

For the record, I do like the idea of imagining what the world looks like if you accept the actual presence of high level 5E characters. But as mentioned previously, the real factor is going to be the numbers of those characters, for which 5E offers little to no guidance.

I don't think the books should offer any guidance because it's going to vary so much. Personally I've never cared for the feeling in FR having an epic level NPC around every other corner. So 1 in a 100,000 or less being a higher level character to account for antagonists works for me, although there are a significant number of NPCs with low level or a different type of magic.

At the same time I actually have a decent amount of magic in my campaign world, it's just not instantaneous, flashy or combat oriented like the magic PCs have. Much like a PC wizard in Eberron likely couldn't make a magi-tech train (as far as I know, it's been a while since I've read up on Eberron), I have crafters that do more subtle magic that can be quite powerful. Doesn't mean they could cast Magic Missile to save their life.

You would want to think though about long term repercussions of using magic though, especially magic that manipulates others. It's one thing to cast charm person on the occasional doorman to convince them to let you into the grand ball, but cast that charm person on with a high political rank at the party? They're going to be pissed when the spell wears off and they realize what you did. So magic like that isn't going to be an easy path to power like some people think as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Shadowdweller00]

Much like a PC wizard in Eberron likely couldn't make a magi-tech train (as far as I know, it's been a while since I've read up on Eberron), I have crafters that do more subtle magic that can be quite powerful. Doesn't mean they could cast Magic Missile to save their life.

There's some weirdness to it but yeah, Eberron is like that. Afaik canonically ONLY a member of House Cannith (the fabricators' guild) or someone with the Dragonmark of Making can build the lightning rail. But ONLY House Orien or someone with the Dragonmark of Passage is capable of driving one. Which means the people who can build the magi-tech trains... can't actually operate them !??!?

 

[Oofta]

There's some weirdness to it but yeah, Eberron is like that. Afaik canonically ONLY a member of House Cannith (the fabricators' guild) or someone with the Dragonmark of Making can build the lightning rail. But ONLY House Orien or someone with the Dragonmark of Passage is capable of driving one. Which means the people who can build the magi-tech trains... can't actually operate them !??!?

In all fairness the engineer that designs a train is not necessarily the engineer you want running the train.

 

[Micah Sweet]

In all fairness the engineer that designs a train is not necessarily the engineer you want running the train.

Perhaps, but mutual exclusivity is a bit odd. Not how I'd run it.