3.5 Fringe-ish Campaign Help Please

[unseenmage]

I'm planning a campaign setting hopping campaign and I need to draw some parallels geographically between 4 worlds. Faerun, Khorvaire of Eberron, Western Immoren of the Iron Kingdoms, and Highpoint of Dragonmech.

I'm trying to determine where breaches that penetrate all four worlds should connect up. I've pretty much decided that using similar landmarks is more wise than some sort of grid (especially as some of the maps are horizontal and some are vertical).

Ideas and suggestions are welcome. Starting level is 5, all books and magazines available (though my players are likely just to use the Core Books only), little to no op.

The Plot

Plot revolves around breaches being caused by Chaositech (horror magic) in all four worlds. Inter-world espionage and spying have already occurred. No control over breaches yet but prediction is spotty.

Players from Eberron and Faerun find themselves in the Iron Kingdoms, then the players and some NPCs from iron Kingdoms find themselves in the Dragonmech world.

Dragons from each world are trading Chaositech infected mechs, warforged, etc between worlds trying to gain the upper hand against each other while consequently infecting more and more of the lesser races with Chaositech.

Was thinking maybe eventually Sigil gets involved when the interplanar fabric gets compromised enough. Gratuitous use of Eldritch Machines and Artifact spells from Eberron to emulate Fringe events.


I am definitely going by the seat of my pants here. Any assistance will be appreciated.
Thoughts Playground?

[Palanan]

Very cool idea; I've run something similar, although bridging many worlds of my own design rather than established settings. I started the campaign in the Forgotten Realms, and it branched out from there.


Originally Posted by unseenmage
...I need to draw some parallels geographically between 4 worlds. ...I'm trying to determine where breaches that penetrate all four worlds should connect up.

What are your criteria for geographic parallels? Are you trying to link similar regions across different settings? And if so, why? --Meaning, why would there necessarily be a connection between certain regions on different worlds?

I'm certainly willing to offer some suggestions, just not sure what the underlying criteria might be for an active breach.

[unseenmage]

Very cool idea; I've run something similar, although bridging many worlds of my own design rather than established settings. I started the campaign in the Forgotten Realms, and it branched out from there.



What are your criteria for geographic parallels? Are you trying to link similar regions across different settings? And if so, why? --Meaning, why would there necessarily be a connection between certain regions on different worlds?

I'm certainly willing to offer some suggestions, just not sure what the underlying criteria might be for an active breach.

My first thought was desert to desert, highest mountaintop to highest mountaintop, lowest chasm to lowest chasm.

But that was as far as the thought got. Unlike the actual show Fringe different worlds means different landmarks. Which has me a bit stymied honestly. And so connecting similar landmarks because magic seemed my only recourse.

[Palanan]

Well, I've never watched Fringe (apart from one episode with creepy bald guys who liked cayenne sauce, apparently) so I wouldn't be able to suggest Fringe-style mechanics.

However, if you want to connect similar regions between worlds...is there a particular reason (apart from a Fringe connection) why you necessarily need to have breaches corresponding to physical landmarks on different worlds? What occurs to me is that labels like "highest," "deepest," etc. are based on human perspectives, and there might be some underlying features of geology or life-force which would prove a stronger attractor between worlds--or, conversely, a weak point in some respect, which might "give" more easily under an otherworldly pressure.

In the Forgotten Realms, I might suggest the sites of old mythals as one possibility--either decayed mythals (known or unknown) which are warping local reality, and thus susceptible to incursions from otherwhere, or still-active mythals, such as the one still protecting Silverymoon, which might attract otherworldly energies but deflect them to somewhere not far outside the mythal's active boundaries.

Another alternative is some use of ley-lines or their equivalent--in the Realms they're called "crossroads," although they don't seem to be mentioned very often apart from Magic of Faerûn. I've never seen a map of the Crossroads for the Forgotten Realms, but there's probably one somewhere. That and the mythals are the first things that would occur to me--unseen magical energies as the focus for an otherworldly incursion.

Is that where you were thinking, or did you have a different approach in mind?

[unseenmage]

Well, I've never watched Fringe (apart from one episode with creepy bald guys who liked cayenne sauce, apparently) so I wouldn't be able to suggest Fringe-style mechanics.

However, if you want to connect similar regions between worlds...is there a particular reason (apart from a Fringe connection) why you necessarily need to have breaches corresponding to physical landmarks on different worlds? What occurs to me is that labels like "highest," "deepest," etc. are based on human perspectives, and there might be some underlying features of geology or life-force which would prove a stronger attractor between worlds--or, conversely, a weak point in some respect, which might "give" more easily under an otherworldly pressure.

In the Forgotten Realms, I might suggest the sites of old mythals as one possibility--either decayed mythals (known or unknown) which are warping local reality, and thus susceptible to incursions from otherwhere, or still-active mythals, such as the one still protecting Silverymoon, which might attract otherworldly energies but deflect them to somewhere not far outside the mythal's active boundaries.

Another alternative is some use of ley-lines or their equivalent--in the Realms they're called "crossroads," although they don't seem to be mentioned very often apart from Magic of Faerûn. I've never seen a map of the Crossroads for the Forgotten Realms, but there's probably one somewhere. That and the mythals are the first things that would occur to me--unseen magical energies as the focus for an otherworldly incursion.

Is that where you were thinking, or did you have a different approach in mind?

That's fairly in line with what I had in mind actually. And for 'highest - lowest' etc I was thinking in terms of geography more than human norms. Though in worlds with magic such places would likely have meaning.
It's funny you mention leylines in Faerun I started a thread about those recently and very little info could be found for them.
I'm planning to make a Leylines map for Faerun but am waiting for the transparencies to come in the mail.


It occurs to me that I might need to pick a more isolated region of Faerun to compare to Khorvaire in Eberron, the other two "world"maps are even smaller still so limiting the connected portion of Faerun makes sense.

Which area of Faerun is most iconic or most similar to Khorvaire?

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by unseenmage
I'm planning to make a Leylines map for Faerun but am waiting for the transparencies to come in the mail.

Umm...transparencies? Are you getting ley-lines from someone, or just going to use the transparencies as overlays on the standard Faerûn map?


Originally Posted by unseenmage
It occurs to me that I might need to pick a more isolated region of Faerun to compare to Khorvaire in Eberron.... Which area of Faerun is most iconic or most similar to Khorvaire?

Well, I'm not too familiar with Eberron, so I'm only guessing that Khorvaire is the baseline continent with the Eldeen Reaches, halfling dinosaur riders, etc. Correct me if I'm wrong...I like Eberron, just haven't looked at it in a while.

As for an isolated region of Faerûn, I really like the North and the Silver Marches, because it's a great wilderness area, with just a few small cities, isolated settlements and a rarefied population at best across most of its extent. It's also just above the High Forest, which is a remnant of ancient deep forest and also quite sparsely populated.

However, I'm partial to these areas because I've played or run several campaigns set in and around the region, so I know it fairly well. There are probably other areas of Faerûn that would be equally isolated for your needs, such as the Shaar in the southeast, the Endless Waste in the northeast or the Damara/Narfell area in the center-north, just below the Great Glacier. Depends what you're looking for.

Iconic and isolated, though, you can't go wrong with the northwestern section of the continent, with Icewind Dale, the Silver Marches, Spine of the World, High Forest, all of it.