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

[Twiggly the Gnome]

In the distant past a great war raged between the Dragons and the Giants. After countless centuries of stalemate, both sides decided to enter into an armistice. This signaled a great change for the foot soldiers in this war, the Dragonborn and Goliaths.

As part of the Great Peace, both species were brought together, and divided into five clans:

• Vert Clan - Hill/Green
• Sable Clan - Stone/Black/Copper
• Purpure Clan - Frost/White/Silver
• Gules Clan - Fire/Red/Gold
• Azure Clan - Storm/Cloud/Blue/Bronze

At first they stayed together in fear of breaking the pact between their former overlords, but in time they forged their own cultures together, and saw the members of their own clans as their people more than members of the same species in another clan.

 

[Corinnguard]

I've always liked the idea that where the planes touch/cross/blend the "danger" is similar, but the further into a different realm you go (depending on the realm of course) the greater the danger.

Sort of like if you were traveling from the material plane to another plane, the landscape around you would slowly transition to resemble that other plane. Ditto for the other plane's properties (gravity, Enhanced/Impeded spells, etc.) One minute, gravity is objective, the next it becomes very subjective.

 

[Reynard]

I could get behind this. 5e definitely wants a multiverse. These realities could each be a Prime world in the Astral, possibly, or multiple dimensional layers within one world.

I used this in a campaign plan that never got off the ground: every plane was a mirror of the main world, twisted by its planar nature. You could accidentally pass from one to the other, too.

 

[Charlaquin]

This is still kinda hard to do because we lack the MM and the changes it will bring. But I will start with an idea that I feel seems appropriate for the tone of 5e/5.24.

"Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked."

I am going to go into this at a later date, but I feel the current design paradigm is that the world is fundamentally good, and it must be defended from the incursion of Evil. An idealistic view that feels at home as much in Tolkien as it does in Master's of the Universe. An opposite to the grimdark fantasy that Game of Thrones brought and was embodied in 4e's Points of Light world building. That is not too say everything is good and just, cruelty and malice exist and violence and oppression are parts of life, but they are to be fought against and minimalized rather than accepted.

I've heard this called Hopepunk, but I think it's a little different. Hopepunk is the idea that the world is bad but can be made better. This is the world is good, but must be defended from going bad. At least, that's the vibes I've gotten from 2/3rds of the core books. Maybe the MM with how it handles the myriad of threats will put the whole thing into perspective.

I believe noblebright is the genre you’re looking for.

 

[Remathilis]

I believe noblebright is the genre you’re looking for.

Never heard the term. Looks like I got a rabbit hole research to do.

 

[Reynard]

Never heard the term. Looks like I got a rabbit hole research to do.

Makes sense. These days genres multiple like rabbits.

 

[jayoungr]

I really liked Tonguez’s response, but I’d dial it back a bit from how dramatic it seemed. A deterioting reality, material plane, where other planes are starting to occasionally bleed in.

Yeah, I'd prefer something like this too. I love the idea of this project, but one post in, the setting became post-apocalyptic, which is my least favorite genre of fantasy.

Not trying to rain on anyone's parade, just offering the minority opinion.

 

[Stormonu]

I don't like it. it gives the setting a built in clock. I don't think settings should have built in clocks, or metaplots.

I do like the idea that high level means some deeper connection to the world, though, making "level" a real thing in the fiction.

Wasn't meant as a clock or metaplot - just an action point, something just kinda going on the background. PCs could encounter collapsing realities and attempt to save them or exploit them before they vanish. At higher levels, they may get targetted by someone who wants to steal or destroy their realm. PCs could join a group that defends one or more realms, or run afoul of groups or individuals who inadvertently or purposely destroying realities they don't like.

It doesn't have to drive towards any particular outcome, but gives some unique options for 10th+ level play beyond dungeon delving.

 

[Stalker0]

In peoples dreams exists the “round man”. A short human looking fellow with a large round face. Always dressed for high fashion.

He never speaks, but has appeared in the dreams of every person in the world at one point or another. Even planar travelers report dreaming of him when they visit the world, but never when they leave.

There are various cults and religious beliefs that think the round man is a portent or a divine messenger…and of course there is always the random person that has decried “the round man actually spoke to me in my dream”.

These claims are mostly dismissed, and most people in the world find the round man a simple harmless curiosity, a conversation for dinner parties

 

[Tonguez]

How about this - beings of level 1-10 are fairly common in the various realms, but each reality (beyond the outer planes) has one or more "anchor being" of 11th+ level (and at least one of 20th level). If this anchor being dies, that reality (slowly) fades out of existence unless some powerful being replaces it (very much like the Deadpool & Wolverine movie).

If characters get high enough (above 10th level), they can have realities form around them (sort of like a bastion + system; either as a group or an individual). They can leave their protoworld for a short time without issue, but if they're gone too long their realm starts to decay.

<EDIT> This also lets you create a "Highlander" like system - there's folks out there gunning for other people's realities looking for one better than their own or trying to ensure that their reality dominates/is the only one/doesn't get erased by an opposing reality and are looking to take out a world's anchor being or are individuals fleeing the loss of their world's anchor being before they fade from existance. (Most common folk being unaware of the different realities).

Within the swirling chaos of the Fractured Realms, the "Anchors" act to bring stability to the zones around them, the WIld Magic Storms abate, and the planar bleeds and cosmic echoes halt out beyond the borders of their influence. But the stability must be maintained, beyond the borders the chaos of planar bleeds and storms still rage and push against the borders. Should the Anchors venture forth the stability of their domain erodes.
Fortunately, Anchors are able to establish Nexus Bastions - cities, sanctuaries, lairs - that both reflect the personality, class, and beliefs of the Anchor and help reality crystalize fulfilling the ultimate goal of reforging what was lost.