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Jerynboe
2015-02-06, 02:07 PM
Hey, I have recently started a campaign a few weeks ago and cross country travel has become something of a thing. One of my fabulous players is writing a campaign journal, actually. Here's a link, but I'll try to communicate the gist of it here. Also, my players, steer clear. If someone suggests something good I may use it, and I might hand out spoilers at some point.

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?396224-The-Mist-Calamity&highlight=Calamity

It's a homebrew setting of mine based off an old video game. Humans have been somewhat wiped out, with a few remaining pockets of resistance. This was caused by a phenomenon called the Mist, which causes most Seru (magical symbiotes that society made extensive use of because they were cheaper than magic items and about as effective) to go insane, possess their hosts, and start roaming around solo trying to kill people. They can operate with or without a host, and are mostly retrofitted/converted magical beasts, outsiders, and fey. A few non-true Dragons here and there. System is pathfinder.

The party will be traveling cross country from their beloved last known refuge of humanity based on a few leads they have. Now, I have several "pack of seru possessed dogs attacks!" Mixed in here and there, but I want their travel to be interesting. I also have what are intended to be little mini side quests (like a house that seems to drive off the mist for unknown reasons that has issues of its own), a rare lucky random loot piņata, and the occasional safe place to rest dotting my chart.

If yonder playgrounders would be so kind, I'd love to hear any suggestions you have for me to blatantly steal or be inspired by.

Kol Korran
2015-02-08, 05:29 AM
Hmmmm... I haven't yet the log, though I glimpsed at it. This sounds a lot like a "highly magical chaotic Wasteland" king of thing. I'll provide two links who may have things that may help. You'll need to tell us more about this Myst and what type of themes are related to traveling in it. We may be able to help more then.

Something a bit similar, but with demon infested land (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?389498-Random-events-in-a-demonic-land!-%28Hex-crwl-exploration-Flavor-mostly%29)

1001 Mournland Horrors (http://community.wizards.com/forum/eberron/threads/975911) (A bit on the crazy/ horrific side, but might work)

Jerynboe
2015-02-08, 01:28 PM
Hmm... Well the idea of the mist is a kind of controlling corruption that has been her and active for about 20 years now. Seru, the symbiotic creatures that society used to do most things that technology would otherwise be relied on for, are unusually susceptible to it and act as agents once they are inside of it. They can possess normal people and animals (symbiote -> parasite) if they don't have a host, and usually seek to do so, but need an unconcious, helpless, or willing victim. Seru and those possessed by such do not need to eat or drink, and do not age. They subsist on the mist.

It also affects normal people and animals, but slower and less dramatically. They become insane and progressively more clannish and aggressive, targeting those not possessed or affected preferentially. There is a clan of orcs and half orcs, for example, that is worshipping elementals (who are a form of seru) as gods, and some willingly submit to possession. Those who didn't get on board with this are hunted like animals, and (also affected by the mist, but differently) are themselves splitting up into small bands of extremely paranoid survivalists.

There are few overt supernatural effects, mostly a slow, subversive kind of corruption of living things. Not sure exactly what it might do to plants, but anything works.

Certain things repel the mist (such as Hauntings and other magical locations), and seru rapidly revert to their natural tendencies once they are not in the mist, releasing possessed people with minimal side effects (like an extended nightmare of being a person puppet). People driven crazy without seru on? Still paranoid, clannish, xenophobic, schizophrenic, or however it manifested for that person or creature, though they can start recovering at about the same rate they became that way in the mist.

Finally, the mist and those inside of it are directed by a higher intelligence. That entity is vaguely aware of the party, but considers them to be a relatively minor issue so far.