graymachine
2013-05-29, 12:06 AM
Sorry, renamed the thread to draw more attention, which is apparently predicated on your feelings about ToB. Anyway.
So, I'm wanting to develop a setting and am looking to the playground to help me iron out the big bits and so on. This is a setting I've played around with before, notable on this forum, but I want to get some material down and potentially create a setting thread, all of that said, I'll carry on.
What I'm looking to do is generate a modern day setting where all of the goodness of 3rd edition suddenly comes into play; I think it would be great fun to see where the world goes with the introduction of the system.
So, here is my basic idea: The modern world came about because, at some point in prehistory, all of the magic, faith, greatness, and heroism left the world (potentially through a catechism-to-be-determined), just leaving humans to make a way. This is not to say that people can't have these qualities; simply that the capacity for them in the capital has been lost. Still, mankind persevered, while all of these energies played themselves out external to the world. Here we have all sorts of potential for extraplanar adventure, but that is secondary. In the grander scope, all of these things have returned, for (to the players) inexplicable reasons.
Suddenly, the PhB classes are available for extraordinary people to take, as unsure and faltering as this may be; magic is real, suddenly, as well as the heroism and cunning of non-magical classes. In ways, humanity has made do with NPC classes, expanding on them to build the world we live in, but now a critical change has happened.
As an aside, I view the other races in this setting, as a force that has build up against the world until this barrier came down and now they flood them world. Humans are still the majority, by a massive margin, but now you find small societies of elves living in Yellowstone Park, small clans of dwarves in the forgotten areas of the Appalachians. In essence, the differences of the D&D and the real world are suffusing it, but are all found at the edges.
To start, I'll break down my basic perspective on the classes so that we have a starting point of discussion:
Barbarian
This individual has found their Rage, and embraces it. This could easily be a smalltown local in middle-America that has had enough of everything the 'guberment' tells him as a disenfranchised citizen of the 'Third World' that has had enough. Key to the class here is that the character knows rage beyond the ken of normal people.
Bard
This individual has a power within them; the Cult of Personality. All of the people that go to Hollywood, a fraction, of a fraction, of a fraction possess the innate personality of this person. It isn't the nature of a movie star or a pop singer; it is the undefinable quality of personality that makes them magnetic.
Cleric
Faith has been rewarded. In abundance. I have to break here, partly, with the inspiration of the classes, so that I don't violate forum rules by mentioning current religions, so I have to say that belief in the old religions has been confirmed with a wealth of mystical power, but with no direction. Belief has been empowered, but with no guiding force; most clerics will take this as drive to crave the path ahead. Please note here that one in a million believers possess the faith to qualify for this class, regardless of belief. That will be important later with the Paladin class.
Druid
The old, wild places have always lived, in spite of the sins of men. The people that feel the call of this class are a unique breed; many, many humans claim to revere nature, or uphold it's values, but few are serious in that belief. Many on the path of this class, the few of the populace at large, mostly fall to the wayside, along the Ranger class; this is a long, bitter road with little reward, despite the magic and personal truth it may provide.
Fighter
The basis of this path is difficult to understand. A MI5 member can start along this road, becoming more and greater than his comrades, as well as a farmboy that just stopped his sister from being raped. The thing that unites this class is a powerful, innate understanding of things martial, as well as a perseverance and strength of character that shines through always.
Monk
The flow of Chi in the world, while once an emotional or cognitive perception, is suddenly real. Very real. What was once a way to thinner abs for a suburbanite or a fervent belief for a sequestered monk in an abbey, now that power is present and very real. This person need to balance their newfound might with the zen that fuels that might.
Paladin
This person, even more so than the cleric, finds primordial power in their belief. They skew heavily the the reintroduced Alignment System, very hard; they find power and strength in their beliefs and having them, moreso than what they specifically believe. A kid in New York, downtrodden his whole life, abused and neglected by a system, finds that his his belief that Law can be just allows him to smite the unjust. A young woman in a war torn nation that her hatred, of everything, makes her powerful. (For Paladin, I'm working with the assumption that all of the alignment variants thereof are Paladin.)
Ranger
There is power, and understanding, in the way humans use to live. This class manifests in the ignorant, backwoods redneck as much as the tribal man, living out his life as his ancestors did. There is even magic to be found in it, if one follows the Old Ways.
Rogue
The best of what humanity has accomplished was through the ways of wit and knowledge, but this is nothing to us. The first level in rogue could easily be to a CEO of a multi-national as well as a product of a broke home in the meanest of streets. A espionage agent of the highest caliber would be baffled by a rogue of equal training.
Sorcerer & Wizard
I includes these together simply for brevity's sake, as well as they are grouped together in the SRD.
Both feel the pull of magic freshly returned to the world, but in very different ways. The nascent Sorcerer feels a power that bubbles up within him, expressing itself in both uncontrolled and controlled ways, like a song on the tip of his tongue that he can't contain. The wizard, having studied and examined ideals both existential and mundane, suddenly seems a way in which there might be some underlying truth. A young sorceress lashes out at the thugs that harass her in the streets of Cairo, hurting them badly with eldritch energies and anguishes over her impending trial for witchery. A young man in China believed he has found the Philosopher's Stone, and through careful application of his formula, lead turns to gold.
This setting, out of necessity, will lead to a cataclysmic event, but please bear in mind that optimization doesn't exist at the beginning; all powers in D&D are new and fledgling at the start. That is not to say, that characters won't quickly take advantage; simply that the world has been changed from the ground up.
Cosmology is mostly up in the air, aside from what I've outlined, so feel free to come up with interesting takes on the Planes, the Gods, and the whole makeup of D&D being freshly introduced to a virgin Prime Material, albeit one technologically and politically advanced.
Please keep in mind that I'm looking to make this into a formatted Campaign setting post, so your ideas might be incorporated and/or changed. I will certainly, though, strive to give credit wherein is due.
So, I'm wanting to develop a setting and am looking to the playground to help me iron out the big bits and so on. This is a setting I've played around with before, notable on this forum, but I want to get some material down and potentially create a setting thread, all of that said, I'll carry on.
What I'm looking to do is generate a modern day setting where all of the goodness of 3rd edition suddenly comes into play; I think it would be great fun to see where the world goes with the introduction of the system.
So, here is my basic idea: The modern world came about because, at some point in prehistory, all of the magic, faith, greatness, and heroism left the world (potentially through a catechism-to-be-determined), just leaving humans to make a way. This is not to say that people can't have these qualities; simply that the capacity for them in the capital has been lost. Still, mankind persevered, while all of these energies played themselves out external to the world. Here we have all sorts of potential for extraplanar adventure, but that is secondary. In the grander scope, all of these things have returned, for (to the players) inexplicable reasons.
Suddenly, the PhB classes are available for extraordinary people to take, as unsure and faltering as this may be; magic is real, suddenly, as well as the heroism and cunning of non-magical classes. In ways, humanity has made do with NPC classes, expanding on them to build the world we live in, but now a critical change has happened.
As an aside, I view the other races in this setting, as a force that has build up against the world until this barrier came down and now they flood them world. Humans are still the majority, by a massive margin, but now you find small societies of elves living in Yellowstone Park, small clans of dwarves in the forgotten areas of the Appalachians. In essence, the differences of the D&D and the real world are suffusing it, but are all found at the edges.
To start, I'll break down my basic perspective on the classes so that we have a starting point of discussion:
Barbarian
This individual has found their Rage, and embraces it. This could easily be a smalltown local in middle-America that has had enough of everything the 'guberment' tells him as a disenfranchised citizen of the 'Third World' that has had enough. Key to the class here is that the character knows rage beyond the ken of normal people.
Bard
This individual has a power within them; the Cult of Personality. All of the people that go to Hollywood, a fraction, of a fraction, of a fraction possess the innate personality of this person. It isn't the nature of a movie star or a pop singer; it is the undefinable quality of personality that makes them magnetic.
Cleric
Faith has been rewarded. In abundance. I have to break here, partly, with the inspiration of the classes, so that I don't violate forum rules by mentioning current religions, so I have to say that belief in the old religions has been confirmed with a wealth of mystical power, but with no direction. Belief has been empowered, but with no guiding force; most clerics will take this as drive to crave the path ahead. Please note here that one in a million believers possess the faith to qualify for this class, regardless of belief. That will be important later with the Paladin class.
Druid
The old, wild places have always lived, in spite of the sins of men. The people that feel the call of this class are a unique breed; many, many humans claim to revere nature, or uphold it's values, but few are serious in that belief. Many on the path of this class, the few of the populace at large, mostly fall to the wayside, along the Ranger class; this is a long, bitter road with little reward, despite the magic and personal truth it may provide.
Fighter
The basis of this path is difficult to understand. A MI5 member can start along this road, becoming more and greater than his comrades, as well as a farmboy that just stopped his sister from being raped. The thing that unites this class is a powerful, innate understanding of things martial, as well as a perseverance and strength of character that shines through always.
Monk
The flow of Chi in the world, while once an emotional or cognitive perception, is suddenly real. Very real. What was once a way to thinner abs for a suburbanite or a fervent belief for a sequestered monk in an abbey, now that power is present and very real. This person need to balance their newfound might with the zen that fuels that might.
Paladin
This person, even more so than the cleric, finds primordial power in their belief. They skew heavily the the reintroduced Alignment System, very hard; they find power and strength in their beliefs and having them, moreso than what they specifically believe. A kid in New York, downtrodden his whole life, abused and neglected by a system, finds that his his belief that Law can be just allows him to smite the unjust. A young woman in a war torn nation that her hatred, of everything, makes her powerful. (For Paladin, I'm working with the assumption that all of the alignment variants thereof are Paladin.)
Ranger
There is power, and understanding, in the way humans use to live. This class manifests in the ignorant, backwoods redneck as much as the tribal man, living out his life as his ancestors did. There is even magic to be found in it, if one follows the Old Ways.
Rogue
The best of what humanity has accomplished was through the ways of wit and knowledge, but this is nothing to us. The first level in rogue could easily be to a CEO of a multi-national as well as a product of a broke home in the meanest of streets. A espionage agent of the highest caliber would be baffled by a rogue of equal training.
Sorcerer & Wizard
I includes these together simply for brevity's sake, as well as they are grouped together in the SRD.
Both feel the pull of magic freshly returned to the world, but in very different ways. The nascent Sorcerer feels a power that bubbles up within him, expressing itself in both uncontrolled and controlled ways, like a song on the tip of his tongue that he can't contain. The wizard, having studied and examined ideals both existential and mundane, suddenly seems a way in which there might be some underlying truth. A young sorceress lashes out at the thugs that harass her in the streets of Cairo, hurting them badly with eldritch energies and anguishes over her impending trial for witchery. A young man in China believed he has found the Philosopher's Stone, and through careful application of his formula, lead turns to gold.
This setting, out of necessity, will lead to a cataclysmic event, but please bear in mind that optimization doesn't exist at the beginning; all powers in D&D are new and fledgling at the start. That is not to say, that characters won't quickly take advantage; simply that the world has been changed from the ground up.
Cosmology is mostly up in the air, aside from what I've outlined, so feel free to come up with interesting takes on the Planes, the Gods, and the whole makeup of D&D being freshly introduced to a virgin Prime Material, albeit one technologically and politically advanced.
Please keep in mind that I'm looking to make this into a formatted Campaign setting post, so your ideas might be incorporated and/or changed. I will certainly, though, strive to give credit wherein is due.