Dusk Raven
2015-09-03, 12:53 AM
Okay, so for some time I've been pondering a setting. It started out as an alternate magic system - rather than the vancian magic classes presented in the PHB, I decided to take a different approach. Instead, inspired by the Materia from Final Fantasy VII (a unique system if I ever saw one), I created the Aethers - crystals that can merge with special focal points on living beings to grant them magical abilities. These Aethers would level up with the user - though the user's mental abilities would determine or influence how the host could use those abilities.
But, first I had to find a system that would accomidate my alternative magical tastes. The PHB contains no more than three classes that are truly non-supernatural - the fighter, the barbarian, and the rogue. Modifications to make some of the others non-magical, as well as additional mundane classes, can be found in other books. But after a time I felt that going all-mundane like this was missing the point of D&D, so I asked around. I soon was glad I did, for I located the system of my dreams - Iron Heroes.
Not only does it fix several of the problems I had with D&D 3e, it portrays a world where civilization is struggling to survive and take root, where countless monsters inhabit the wilds - and where magic is a rarely-used and dangerous thing. Just my kind of setting, for the most part.
However, by this point, I'd started developing a setting. Somehow, I got the idea to do a renaissance-era age of exploration kind of thing, hopefully minus the genocide. I'd start the characters in one country, have them explore the great unknown... and learn that things aren't quite how they initially believed.
Now, somehow, I was influenced by Dark Souls. Now, Dark Souls has more of a setting than a plot, so I feel relatively immune from spoilers, but just in case, the next bit goes in a spoiler tag:
In Dark Souls, the world has basically gone to hell. The once mighty civilization has fallen, the gods have either gone mad, gone away, or are now the kindling that keeps the First Fire going, which keeps the Age of Fire continuing and thus prolonging the god's reign. Either you take said kindling's place and continue the Age of Fire... or you let the fire die, ushering in the Age of Dark with you as lord. You know what, just watch this video it explains it better than I can: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwUm_S1fedw
So essentially, I would say the goal of this campaign is to leave the players rather... unsure of what should be done. Right at the start, the characters have grown up believing the tales of their homeculture - that magic and magical creatures are evil and destructive, and utterly anathema to human life. Let me see if I can remember how I phrased it... essentially, the gods created this world, but this culture's equivalent of satan corrupted it, rendering it repugnant to them. Only when the devil's taint is utterly removed from the world, when all the land is properly tamed and cultivated, the gods will arrive, bringing with them the souls of the dead, and paradise will be ushered in.
It's not long before holes start getting poked in this worldview. Other cultures are known to exist, but these are simply written off as savages in the devil's thrall. But actually meeting them proves they're just as cultured and human as the ones from their own culture. Further, a new land to the west is discovered, one that by all rights shouldn't exist, populated by peoples who live alongside monsters which should have utterly wiped them out. Add this with various misdoings by their home government and church, and a slowly rising understanding of how the world works, and it starts to make the characters question if what they're doing is right - or even if any course of action is right.
Add to this a facet of a game called Grim Dawn - where we have at least 2 opposing magical forces. In my case, I've pondered a conflict arcane and divine magic, if you will, so named because I haven't quite come up with names for them yet. On the arcane side, magic seeks to suffuse all life - or at least certain life - with magical power, but this power is chaotic and unpredictable. On the divine side, the gods - or something masquerading as gods - seeks to impose its law and order on the world. But they carry with them not just zeal, but fanaticism and intolerance.
In the end, both magical forces will come into play, seeking a greater foothold in the world. If arcane magic takes over, humans will gain great power, but there will be much strife as those who have or who can master their newfound powers dominate those who do not. If the gods arrive, there will still be suffering, as they purge the world of all they see as unholy. Maybe, in the end, a middle road is the best option... even if it earns no allies.
Alas, the whole thing with the Aethers kinda got lost somewhere along the way... well, I'd prefer a good setting to a good mechanic, but I'm still trying to find a way to include them. So, any input? Any more info needed?
But, first I had to find a system that would accomidate my alternative magical tastes. The PHB contains no more than three classes that are truly non-supernatural - the fighter, the barbarian, and the rogue. Modifications to make some of the others non-magical, as well as additional mundane classes, can be found in other books. But after a time I felt that going all-mundane like this was missing the point of D&D, so I asked around. I soon was glad I did, for I located the system of my dreams - Iron Heroes.
Not only does it fix several of the problems I had with D&D 3e, it portrays a world where civilization is struggling to survive and take root, where countless monsters inhabit the wilds - and where magic is a rarely-used and dangerous thing. Just my kind of setting, for the most part.
However, by this point, I'd started developing a setting. Somehow, I got the idea to do a renaissance-era age of exploration kind of thing, hopefully minus the genocide. I'd start the characters in one country, have them explore the great unknown... and learn that things aren't quite how they initially believed.
Now, somehow, I was influenced by Dark Souls. Now, Dark Souls has more of a setting than a plot, so I feel relatively immune from spoilers, but just in case, the next bit goes in a spoiler tag:
In Dark Souls, the world has basically gone to hell. The once mighty civilization has fallen, the gods have either gone mad, gone away, or are now the kindling that keeps the First Fire going, which keeps the Age of Fire continuing and thus prolonging the god's reign. Either you take said kindling's place and continue the Age of Fire... or you let the fire die, ushering in the Age of Dark with you as lord. You know what, just watch this video it explains it better than I can: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwUm_S1fedw
So essentially, I would say the goal of this campaign is to leave the players rather... unsure of what should be done. Right at the start, the characters have grown up believing the tales of their homeculture - that magic and magical creatures are evil and destructive, and utterly anathema to human life. Let me see if I can remember how I phrased it... essentially, the gods created this world, but this culture's equivalent of satan corrupted it, rendering it repugnant to them. Only when the devil's taint is utterly removed from the world, when all the land is properly tamed and cultivated, the gods will arrive, bringing with them the souls of the dead, and paradise will be ushered in.
It's not long before holes start getting poked in this worldview. Other cultures are known to exist, but these are simply written off as savages in the devil's thrall. But actually meeting them proves they're just as cultured and human as the ones from their own culture. Further, a new land to the west is discovered, one that by all rights shouldn't exist, populated by peoples who live alongside monsters which should have utterly wiped them out. Add this with various misdoings by their home government and church, and a slowly rising understanding of how the world works, and it starts to make the characters question if what they're doing is right - or even if any course of action is right.
Add to this a facet of a game called Grim Dawn - where we have at least 2 opposing magical forces. In my case, I've pondered a conflict arcane and divine magic, if you will, so named because I haven't quite come up with names for them yet. On the arcane side, magic seeks to suffuse all life - or at least certain life - with magical power, but this power is chaotic and unpredictable. On the divine side, the gods - or something masquerading as gods - seeks to impose its law and order on the world. But they carry with them not just zeal, but fanaticism and intolerance.
In the end, both magical forces will come into play, seeking a greater foothold in the world. If arcane magic takes over, humans will gain great power, but there will be much strife as those who have or who can master their newfound powers dominate those who do not. If the gods arrive, there will still be suffering, as they purge the world of all they see as unholy. Maybe, in the end, a middle road is the best option... even if it earns no allies.
Alas, the whole thing with the Aethers kinda got lost somewhere along the way... well, I'd prefer a good setting to a good mechanic, but I'm still trying to find a way to include them. So, any input? Any more info needed?