[3.5] Choosing a setting and developing a story

[Myou]

There are a lot of settings to choose from, and while I've run a few games in a custom one, my player and I have decided we want to try some established settings for variety. Having looked up a few, I'm not sure what to go for.

My player really wants to involve Ravenloft, but we agree that it would get tiresome for a full 1-20+ game, which is what we're going for. We're going to start at level 1, and play gestalt characters from level 1 to epic.

My player is going to be going for a wizard//artificer and a crusader//favoured soul, while I'll be playing a wizard//something or other, who is pretty much a sidekick. We're going to be pretty high magic, high power group obviously, and my player also plans to craft further creatures to add to the group.

Having read up on Ravenloft a little, I saw that canonically, Ravenloft is a demiplane, not a setting unto itself, able to overlap with regions that could be part of a different setting entirely, and able to snatch people away. So my idea right now is that the game will open with our characters being somehow sucked into Ravenloft, then having to figure out how and why it happened, and find a way to escape. I expect this will culminate in visiting Castle Ravenloft and going up against Strahd, in order to find some sort of magical means of returning home.

But where should home be? Faerun's maps make me drool, and the Sword Coast looks especially evocative, filled with locations my player and I have seen in videogames many times, but I don't want to just go with the 'default' setting, as he and I view it, not without seeing what others might offer. Dark Sun's setting also looks really interesting, as does Planescape's, but pretty much all of the settings look like they could be fun.

So given what I've outlined, what would you guys suggest? Plot/villain suggestions would also be welcome.

[Myou]

No suggestions? :smalltongue:

[Mystify]

Planescape is pretty awesome, and I think technically includes all other settings as subsets of it. Its unique aspects are also really interesting. Though the DM that is running our current planescape campaign is very experienced with the setting ,which I think helps it alot. The DM said that planescape is not defined by what you fight, so much as where you end up. There is a lot of variation, so I can't imagine it getting dull, even with a 1-20 campaign.

[Myou]

Planescape is pretty awesome, and I think technically includes all other settings as subsets of it. Its unique aspects are also really interesting. Though the DM that is running our current planescape campaign is very experienced with the setting ,which I think helps it alot. The DM said that planescape is not defined by what you fight, so much as where you end up. There is a lot of variation, so I can't imagine it getting dull, even with a 1-20 campaign.

Interesting....
The main part of the setting is some sort of central plane that links the others, right? Is that similar to the material plane in other settings, or is that less like a world and more like an empty space?

Or do you not really leave Sigil while in the main plane? (I'm not sure if Sigil is meant to be as big as a normal large city, or as big as a whole world. Also, Sigil is on the inside of the ring atop the spire, right? So is that like a ring world in Halo, or like living on the inner surface of a doughnut? Also also, does Sigil have normal streets and buildings, or is it full of crazy impossible architecture you'd never be able to get in other settings? :smallbiggrin:)

[Kol Korran]

I'm a fan of Eberron myself, and the artificing angle can work well from that world (your group being quite unique and highpowered compared to the rest of the setting). it's quite hard to explain the setting "in a nut shell" but it's quite different from Forgotten realms.

i might help you with that if you choose it. Eberron has some splendid villains.

however it might be quite hard to incorporate it with Ravenloft. Eberron doesn't do demiplanes well, but you could fit one in, perhaps as a part of Mabar? or the dead plane (forgot it's name). Mabar would fit best i think...

or you could really really go wanky and have the characters be Cyrians on the day of Mourning, and Ravenloft is where they end up... raises a whole plethora of questions though, but could be a great twist.

as to villains/ plots. we need to know more of your group's preferences and such. otherwise we're just shooting blindly.

[Myou]

I'm a fan of Eberron myself, and the artificing angle can work well from that world (your group being quite unique and highpowered compared to the rest of the setting). it's quite hard to explain the setting "in a nut shell" but it's quite different from Forgotten realms.

i might help you with that if you choose it. Eberron has some splendid villains.

however it might be quite hard to incorporate it with Ravenloft. Eberron doesn't do demiplanes well, but you could fit one in, perhaps as a part of Mabar? or the dead plane (forgot it's name). Mabar would fit best i think...

or you could really really go wanky and have the characters be Cyrians on the day of Mourning, and Ravenloft is where they end up... raises a whole plethora of questions though, but could be a great twist.

as to villains/ plots. we need to know more of your group's preferences and such. otherwise we're just shooting blindly.

Ah, good point, my player generally refuses to tell me what sort of plot(s) he wants/likes, because it spoils the surprise if he knows what sort of thing to expect. (:smallsigh:)

But he loves big, dramatic, awesome events and likes to play good guys who want to help set the world to rights... if that helps. :smalltongue:

The last time we played we started a pirate based campaign. Sadly it died when we both had other things come up irl.


Eberron sounds interesting, although as I don't have the books, I have no idea what most of the things you referred to there are. :smallbiggrin:
My main concern with using eberron is that since it's a low level setting, it would be hard to find much opposition when we get to high levels.

[Mystify]

Interesting....
The main part of the setting is some sort of central plane that links the others, right? Is that similar to the material plane in other settings, or is that less like a world and more like an empty space?

Or do you not really leave Sigil while in the main plane? (I'm not sure if Sigil is meant to be as big as a normal large city, or as big as a whole world. Also, Sigil is on the inside of the ring atop the spire, right? So is that like a ring world in Halo, or like living on the inner surface of a doughnut? Also also, does Sigil have normal streets and buildings, or is it full of crazy impossible architecture you'd never be able to get in other settings? :smallbiggrin:)
Sigil is... complex. I can't really explain it fully since its full nature is kinda mysterious, or at least has not been fully revealed yet in the campaign I am in. Generally, when you leave sigil, you do so by a portal. Sigil has normal buildings, mostly. Sigil is the hub, but the appeal of planescape is generally everyplace else. It serves as a commonly known point of reference that is relatively easy to get to, and hence you return to it on your adventures, but you spend a lot of time plane-hopping.

[Myou]

Sigil is... complex. I can't really explain it fully since its full nature is kinda mysterious, or at least has not been fully revealed yet in the campaign I am in. Generally, when you leave sigil, you do so by a portal. Sigil has normal buildings, mostly. Sigil is the hub, but the appeal of planescape is generally everyplace else. It serves as a commonly known point of reference that is relatively easy to get to, and hence you return to it on your adventures, but you spend a lot of time plane-hopping.

Ahh, I see, that does sound pretty cool. :smallsmile:
The planes your group visits, are they other settings, or are they elemental planes?

[Mystify]

Ahh, I see, that does sound pretty cool. :smallsmile:
The planes your group visits, are they other settings, or are they elemental planes?
We have mainly visited outer planes, though elemental planes would certainly be possible. They could also be other settings, from my understanding. An then each plane can have as much variety as the material plane. For instance, we visited mechanus, the plane of law. dependonghwere we wwent, there were massive gears in space, or cities with humanois, or a town made up entirely of constructs, to a maze of portals, to a forest of fungus people, to wizard's studies.

[Myou]

We have mainly visited outer planes, though elemental planes would certainly be possible. They could also be other settings, from my understanding. An then each plane can have as much variety as the material plane. For instance, we visited mechanus, the plane of law. dependonghwere we wwent, there were massive gears in space, or cities with humanois, or a town made up entirely of constructs, to a maze of portals, to a forest of fungus people, to wizard's studies.

Oh dear, I can see me having to learn a load of planar cosmology. :smalltongue:

[Mystify]

Oh dear, I can see me having to learn a load of planar cosmology. :smalltongue:
Yeah, that is the downside. The cosmology isn't hard, its mainly that there are a lot of places to go, and they are all unique.