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Eloi
2010-06-03, 12:03 PM
I got one of those crazy ideas that I decided to share with you all. Creating a campaign around the North Caucasian region. Why? Well, here's my top ten reasons (and please note alot of these are gross oversimplifications for purpose of use in a campaign):

1) The Nakh people (inhabitants of North Caucasian region) have ancient underground tomes and vaults full of ancient family treasure littered across their countryside on the outskirts of their cities. How is that not good campaign fodder?
2) The Nakh people also have ancient multi-story stone towers used for military purposes or dwelling reasons. Again, good campaign fodder.
3) They have various ancient constructed temples and natural temples to their pantheon of gods, making interesting places for an adventuring party to visit.
4) The Nakh people already have Giant-hating dwarves, at least three different clans of Giants, and genies that cause people to go insane by giving them divine secrets, they are hated by angels and demons alike. Finally, vampire-type creatures that possess animals. I say again, vampires that possess animals. What else do you people need?
5) The geographic features of 'Grasslands', 'Lakes', and 'Mountains' are often overlooked in favor of 'Forests', 'Jungles', 'Deserts', 'Caves' or 'Arctic'. Thus the country side is rather refreshing.
6) Diverse culture variety abound. The North Caucasian region was originally Indo-European in culture and religion, before being introduced to Greco-Romano culture via the Byzantines, before they were introduced to the Islam culture and religion by Mongols. Thus the theme of an Arabic setting can be seamlessly integrated into typical Medieval Fantasy with subtle overtones of Greco-Romano influence.
7) Full pantheon of Gods with various functions is always good for a campaign setting, as well, having designated sacred places could get up some good starting points for that in the Campaign world.
8) Unique culture-tribe system that is good for building large-influence player characters but not too big of an influence so as to be pre-railed into a role. Basically its a mix of your bloodline and military-economic alliances.
9) In medieval/pre-modern North Causcasian region there is no overarching external conflict. Its mostly peaceful externally with a lot of internal fighting. A good political situation for a campaign.
10) Its unique, not-used by any official campaign setting (that I know of), and thus rather fresh.

Expansions/ideas/critiques on this concept are appreciated. ^_^

J.Gellert
2010-06-03, 12:08 PM
I can't pretend to know enough about the region to make any helpful comments, but I always find new settings interesting. And it's not "Space monkey ninjas in space!". It has to be different yet close enough to what people know to not seem immediately alien, and from what you say, it works.

gallagher
2010-06-03, 12:22 PM
Make sure to include the invading tribes from deep in the mountains, which was the reason for hiding their valued items and building their large structures. Also I think it would be cool for the party to be around for that time when the Byzantines came around to "civilize" them. It sounds like a fun campaign hook: defend the weak against seemingly incredible odds to gain xp, treasure, and reknown. Thei gods might even give them gifts in thanks

Eloi
2010-06-03, 12:39 PM
Make sure to include the invading tribes from deep in the mountains, which was the reason for hiding their valued items and building their large structures. Also I think it would be cool for the party to be around for that time when the Byzantines came around to "civilize" them. It sounds like a fun campaign hook: defend the weak against seemingly incredible odds to gain xp, treasure, and reknown. Thei gods might even give them gifts in thanks

Hm, maybe it could be a sliding time scale where you can choose which time period of the fantasy-version of North Caucasian region you want to partake in. That opens up all sorts of new possiblities.

TheThan
2010-06-03, 01:06 PM
I don’t know anything about the area, but the idea sounds pretty intriguing.

Draz74
2010-06-03, 01:47 PM
You're talking about the region of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Chechnya, Rostov, etc., right?

In that case, yes, I think it's an excellent basis for a campaign setting. But then, I might be biased; I already have one Russian-themed setting in the works.

EDIT: I heartily recommend the Russian classic A Hero of Our Time by Mikhail Lermontov if you're worldbuilding with this basis. It's essentially about a Caucasian adventurer. He's either Chaotic Neutral or Chaotic Evil, but he's pretty entertaining anyway.

Eloi
2010-06-03, 02:10 PM
You're talking about the region of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Chechnya, Rostov, etc., right?

In that case, yes, I think it's an excellent basis for a campaign setting. But then, I might be biased; I already have one Russian-themed setting in the works.

EDIT: I heartily recommend the Russian classic A Hero of Our Time by Mikhail Lermontov if you're worldbuilding with this basis. It's essentially about a Caucasian adventurer. He's either Chaotic Neutral or Chaotic Evil, but he's pretty entertaining anyway.

Oooh, okay, I'll be sure to check it out, thanks for the recommendation. :smallsmile:

Gametime
2010-06-03, 02:10 PM
I can't pretend to know enough about the region to make any helpful comments, but I always find new settings interesting. And it's not "Space monkey ninjas in space!".

Well, I've got my next campaign setting!

On topic, this looks good, to me. I can't offer much advice on the setting, but it sounds like a pretty cool campaign. eh uses historically accurate information and doesnt afraid of anything

hamishspence
2010-06-03, 02:11 PM
What about the "Kurgan culture" hypothesis- would they be present in this setting, and if so, would they be neighbours, or invaders?

Eloi
2010-06-03, 02:22 PM
What about the "Kurgan culture" hypothesis- would they be present in this setting, and if so, would they be neighbours, or invaders?

I don't think the setting would go back that far in time, as that would be pretty long ago.

hamishspence
2010-06-03, 02:25 PM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakh_peoples

The oldest Nakh structures are listed as 8000 BC-

predating the Kurgans?

The Pit Grave culture- which may be a culture that built kurgans- is supposed to be around 3600 BC:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pit_Grave

which, depending on how far back it's set, might make them contemporary, with the structures still being 5000-odd years old.

Eloi
2010-06-03, 03:30 PM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakh_peoples

The oldest Nakh structures are listed as 8000 BC-

predating the Kurgans?

The Pit Grave culture- which may be a culture that built kurgans- is supposed to be around 3600 BC:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pit_Grave

which, depending on how far back it's set, might make them contemporary, with the structures still being 5000-odd years old.
Well I wanted the ancient Nakh structures to be well, ancient. I was thinking of setting the technology-culture level and patterns from the fall of the Roman Empire to the High Medieval Ages.

hamishspence
2010-06-03, 03:58 PM
5000 years old is pretty ancient.

still- if it's set as late as the Fall of the Roman Empire, the Kurgans should have been replaced by, say, the Huns.

Which might fill the same role.

Greenish
2010-06-03, 04:08 PM
The setting sounds really intriguing, but I see that you're missing something very important: Yakk folk!
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9pJVtr1FGYE/SP2q3qh9M9I/AAAAAAAAADo/sCd6WNfMBq4/s320/yakfolk.jpg
Every setting needs some yakk folk!

Eloi
2010-06-03, 04:15 PM
The setting sounds really intriguing, but I see that you're missing something very important: Yakk folk!
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9pJVtr1FGYE/SP2q3qh9M9I/AAAAAAAAADo/sCd6WNfMBq4/s320/yakfolk.jpg
Every setting needs some yakk folk!
Actually, they fit the high-plateaus/mountain terrain. And the nomadic ways of some of the Caucasian people. And they are native to that area. Good find, my good fellow.

@hamish: Well the huns would make good adversaries.

Draz74
2010-06-03, 04:21 PM
Oooh, okay, I'll be sure to check it out, thanks for the recommendation. :smallsmile:

It's more Renaissance-era than the ancient stuff you're talking about, though.

Eloi
2010-06-03, 04:26 PM
It's more Renaissance-era than the ancient stuff you're talking about, though.

Yes, but the adventuring spirit and complex character makes good frame-work to imagine PC-interaction with the setting, so the literature recommendation is still highly valued. :smallsmile:

Eloi
2010-06-03, 07:36 PM
Okay what I have about the setting so far:

The Olden North

http://happyhappyistsunited.webs.com/Worldmap.png

The Homeland

Society Structure:
Society is divided into clans and tribes. Clans are based on military-economic ties used in the benefit of cities as a whole. Tribes are bloodline based, and often send chosen ones of the Tribe to recover cultural treasures from the ancient ruins or slay a long-term enemy.

Features of the Country-side:
Across the country side, there is ancient multi-floor towers that are used for military or dwelling purposes, or are abandoned and subject to looting and being taken control of by others. On outskirts of villages there are Necropoles, ancient underground vaults and crypts full of corpses and treasure.

Deities:
Goddess of Stars, Lightning, and Thunder. (Holy Mountain)
Goddess of Artisanship (Holy Mountain)
Goddess of Fertility (Sacred Lake)
Goddess of Blizzards and Cold (Holy Mountain)


Races:
Riders: Dwarves that are arch-nemeses with the Gnarls. Make up a large portion of the non-city dwellers among the Homepeople.
Gnarls: One nuclear family consisting of 100 powerful giants, divided into three clans of Bravery (Valorhearted Clan), Wealth (Richseeked Clan), and Wisdom (Wisdomguided Clan). They often fight the Riders.
Uber: Vampires that can possess animals that are especially cruel and blood thirsty.

The Caliphate
See Arabian Nights for misc. details about the Caliphate. Not a lot of people go here but their influence is felt by the wandering Djinn and their near endless war with the Wanderers .

Races:
Djinn: Genies universally hated by all Planetouched due to giving Forbidden Tomes and Knowledge to humans, usually resulting in insanity or them knowing too much, angering the Planetouched. They wander into other lands to wreak havoc.

The Wanderers

Political Structure:
The Holy Kings are chosen by the God of the Sky. The Holy Kings are a figurehead without much power, the War Lord who mans the military and administration has the real power. There is two different types of Wanderer: Dark or Light. The Dark are those who must do good deeds in order to climb the social ladder, their leaders become the War Lords. The Light are those who are born in to status and are automatically forgiven for their sins, their leaders becomes The Holy King. They are allies with almost everyone but have a long standing conflict with The Caliphate.

Features of the Country-Side:
Chilly, mostly impassable mountain sides that are rather rough to live in, but are surrounded by sparsely forested areas that most of their civilization is founded on. Inside the mountains are mighty dragons, Plane-based creatures, and other exotic creatures guarding treasure but its not for the weak hearted. (Or low-leveled, in other words.)

Deities:
God of the Sky
Goddess of Fertility and Virginity
God of Thunder
God of Death

Races:
Half-Celestials, Aasimar: A large majority of the Light Wanderers have good celestial blood. However their lineage doesn't exactly dictate their behavior at all. They're selfish, people-hurting methods of installing leaderships can't exactly be purely 'good'.
Half-Fiends, Tieflings: A large majority of the Dark Wanderers evil celestial blood. However their lineage doesn't exactly dictate their behavior at all. They are mostly likely to band together with others in need, and help others they don't know in abroad lands for no benefit, none of which can't exactly be purely 'evil'.
Yak Folk: Kindly yak humanoids that mostly keep to themselves in the chilly mountain range. They are neutral in most conflicts but occasionally go exploring for the fun of it, and to bring back stories of their adventures to liven up the other Yak Folk.
Dragons: Mostly old and protecting very large hordes in the mountains. Often encounter the Yak Folk, and actually have a deal with them for the Yak Folk to protect their hoard if the Dragons protect their land.

Things to add, critique? I need a bit of help fleshing out the deities if anyone has any suggestions.

Eloi
2010-06-03, 11:19 PM
I'm planning on using this as a basis for a campaign, and since I have 0 Knowledge (Mathematics) but 8 Knowledge (Rules Revising), I'm simplifying the rule system as based on 3.5 so as to make it more RP-focused, which is the type of campaign I want to DM.


Simplified Rules

Ability-Skill system
Instead of having a skill check, you just compare your ability score to the target's ability score that you think would apply. So instead of say, doing a bluff and diplomacy check and stuff, you compare your character's charisma to the target's, and see if its higher. Skill formula:

Ability + Cha. Level + 1d20 vs Ability + Cha. Level + 1d20
If the target has a lower number than the person preforming the skill pulls it off successfully.

Race system
You are solely a race for its fluff and culture. There is no perks or penalties for being anything. There is no templates to add unless they are to improve your back story.

Class-Feat system
You pick either Warrior, Spell-Caster, or Expert, and choose your feats and/or spells.

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/genericClasses.htm

Battle system

If you have a weapon, you can exchange your classes' hit die for the weapon's hit die based on your size. If you have armor or shield you can add the Armor/Shield bonus to your defending total. There is no other modifiers.

Attacking/Defending (physical):
(Target) CON + Cha Level + Hit Die + Armor/Shield bonus – (Attacker) STR + Cha Level + Hit Die (can be replaced by weapon's)= Vitality/Wound point difference

Attacking/Defending (magical):
(Target) WIS + Cha Level + Hit Die + Spell caster Level of Spell used to protect if any – (Attacker) INT + Cha Level + Hit Die + Spell-caster Level of Spell = Vitality/Wound point difference

Evading
DEX + Cha Level + 1d20 vs DEX + Cha Level + 1d20

Vitality/Wound point
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/adventuring/vitalityAndWoundPoints.htm

Table: Vitality Points
Class Vitality Points at 1st level Vitality Die
Warrior 10 + Con mod d10
Expert 8 + Con mod d8
Spell-Caster 6 + Con mod d6


Leveling Up
You gain levels whenever you DM dictates that you do. Such as after the end of a dungeon, quest, or large battle. There is no XP to track whatsoever.

Draz74
2010-06-04, 01:04 AM
Eh. With that much of a "freestyle" attitude, I think you might be better off switching to another system instead of D&D. Have you looked into Risus? It's free, flexible, and its rulebook is only 6 pages long.

Eloi
2010-06-04, 01:16 AM
Eh. With that much of a "freestyle" attitude, I think you might be better off switching to another system instead of D&D. Have you looked into Risus? It's free, flexible, and its rulebook is only 6 pages long.

Risus is too cliche (intentionally, I know), I didn't spend 10 years learning its fluff and loving its world, so I'm going to stick to my modified 3.5 D&D system. Because 3.5 is like a kitten, its fluffy, everyone know what it is, and there is plenty of resources for it.

LibraryOgre
2010-06-04, 01:47 AM
Have you ever heard of Earthdawn?


http://pages.infinit.net/ebernier/map1.jpg

Eloi
2010-06-04, 02:01 AM
Have you ever heard of Earthdawn?


http://pages.infinit.net/ebernier/map1.jpg

O-obviously not. They copied us copying the Caucasus region of course. We copied it first.

Greenish
2010-06-04, 08:05 AM
Ouch, the colours on that map…

Anyhow, are djinni the only race in Caliphate? Because if you don't flesh out the area, you know that at least one of the PCs comes from there. :smallwink:

Eloi
2010-06-04, 05:01 PM
Ouch, the colours on that map…

Anyhow, are djinni the only race in Caliphate? Because if you don't flesh out the area, you know that at least one of the PCs comes from there. :smallwink:

Well whatever races are detailed in Arabian Nights live in the Caliphate. I don't own that sourcebook, so if you do, you can make your character from there hypothetically.

Greenish
2010-06-04, 05:04 PM
Well whatever races are detailed in Arabian Nights live in the Caliphate. I don't own that sourcebook, so if you do, you can make your character from there hypothetically.If memory serves, there were mostly humans in Arabian Nights, and some kind of giants, cyclops maybe. Oh and roc, but that wouldn't be a playable race…

Eloi
2010-06-04, 05:19 PM
If memory serves, there were mostly humans in Arabian Nights, and some kind of giants, cyclops maybe. Oh and roc, but that wouldn't be a playable race…

Welp some of the giants native to the Homeland can go there, but its mostly humans and djinn then.