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View Full Version : A campaign setting I've been pondering...



Dust
2010-09-18, 05:48 PM
As long as I can remember, I've had an idea for a rather unusual world stuck in my head. I think the concept occurred to me back during 2e when I was obviously much younger, so when I go back and revisist the idea how it seems rather...cheesy. I'd like your thoughts on how I could polish this up.

Unlike Earth, the fantasy planet the campaign takes place on revolves around a far more distant, hotter sun. It is also not tilted on its axis as earth is. Therefore;

1) There are no discernable seasons such as winter and spring.
2) Instead, due to the incredible distance the planet is from the sun and the slower rotation of the planet, a single 'day' is much, much longer - to use a rough comparison, a day on this fantasy planet would be almost two months of time as we're familiar with it.


This has left the planet much less hospitable than we're used to - it is a world of vast deserts and barren landscapes, scorched plains and river-less valleys. By day the blazing sun makes travelling in the open a sweltering, difficult task.

During the weeks of nighttime, the planet's surface is no less dangerous. Freezing winds blow across the desert and evil creatures stir in the frigid blackness.

The people who live on this world, as you may expect, have long learned to cope with the environment. Their cities are magically-protected places to stave off the worst of the adverse conditions, and they have a very ritualistic manner when it comes to preparing for the seemingly endless days and nights. Dusk and dawn last long enough for the hunters and gatherers to head into the wilds and return to civilization with fresh meat and the strange vegetables that grow in deep underground caves.

The religion that has arose from this peculiar world is rather standard, given the circumstances. They believe that four Dieties govern the dawn, the daytime, the dusk, and the darkness (names to be changed of course). Members of the civilization are branded/tatooed based on what time of day they are born, for they are said to 'belong' to that god or goddess. This gives them additional responsibilities and rights within society, which are actually benefits to the PCs.
For example, a man born in the dawning light would be branded with the symbol of the first light - he is to be trained as a hunter or gatherer, and as such is given the right to bear arms within cities as well as a mechanical bonus to attacks, let's say.
An individual born in the dead of night is exempt from many laws, for the people of this world believe that that diety is one of chaos and entropy. It is against the will of the gods to charge an individual branded with such a holy symbol for crimes committed during the night, so long as they take place outside of the safe walls of the cities.

And so on.

There are of course those who don't bear the brands, born in secret for a myriad of reasons, but I haven't quite decided how I'll be making them special, yet.

Your thoughts?

(Edited. For a minute there I looked like I failed hard at simple astrology.)

Pink Ranger
2010-09-18, 08:20 PM
I really like the part about branding/tattooing based on which part of the day they were born under. I had a similar idea for a people I created for a friend's campaign, but based under constellations instead. Men and women would have their tattoos on different arms. People would get a bonus or penalty dealing with the same or opposing constellations. The tattoos could be embellished for good deeds done for the kingdom, while the greatest disgrace would be losing your tattoo arm or having the tattoo burned off.

darkpuppy
2010-09-18, 09:36 PM
And, of course, you could also have myths about great people who spurned tattoos, with the variations among the tattooless and the tattooed. Obviously, the ones in tattooed places are tragedy, whereas the others are heroic sagas... which may or may not end in tragedy.

With the tattoos, especially if they're embellished in a personal manner, everyone knows who you are so long as they can read tattoos... however, those without tattoos are, except for their physical description and the obvious fact that they're dirty tattooless scum, faceless.

But overall, I like the idea, and would definitely like to see how it develops!

BobVosh
2010-09-18, 09:48 PM
Make sure to make sun-chasers. Nomads who spurn the night for its dangers, and simply move (west-following the sun whichever way it goes). Experienced men at desert and sea travel they go in traditional routes to avoid the dark and cold.

Dust
2010-09-18, 09:53 PM
Make sure to make sun-chasers. Nomads who spurn the night for its dangers, and simply move (west-following the sun whichever way it goes). Experienced men at desert and sea travel they go in traditional routes to avoid the dark and cold.

You are brilliant, sir.

742
2010-09-18, 10:43 PM
it seems okay, you might want to spend a bit more time on the social/mechanical bonuses of the different birth times, but it sounds like it could be shiny-like the laws-outside-of-city-walls one seems kinda goofy, weak when not exploited brokenly strong if the DM gets at all lax, and the NPCs dont have the appropriate distrust for those people, which would either completely negate the bonus or make the NPCs all seem kinda ridiculous.