1001 Things "The Best Setting Ever" Needs...

[fireinthedust]

So I've got a setting for my PCs, for now. I'm an avid fan of DnD, and like the rest of you I want a really great setting. Thing is, I'd like to know what you folks think of when you pick up a setting, read a fantasy novel or make up a homebrew world. For example, the Pathfinder setting is pretty nice; FR is fun to read, with myth drannor and waterdeep, archmages and the underdark; Eberron has the post-war european commentary thing going for it (five nations, fun book); Krynn has the dragon highlords feel to it.

heck, forget all of this: what's the stuff a good setting needs? If you were to join a campaign, what fluff would you want to see?


1) a ruined city somewhere
2) a massive desert filled with demons and/or purple worms
3) a "North" or place called "the spine of the world"
4) randy dragons that make babies with EVERYTHING

[Ranis]

5) A crazy empire with a dictatorship like Persia's
6) A completely absent-minded king
7) Excellent sniping positions that blend in with the environment

[Afraidofsharpie]

8)Ancient Evil things, let's face it there has to be something that can eat your face at epic levels
9)Organized Religion, cause someone has to be the bad guy
10)Either real technology or 'psuedo-technology'

[Glyphic]

11) Everyone's favorite heroes: The Player Characters!

[Wraithy]

12) a war which started/finished for unclear and mysterious reasons

[Kurald Galain]

13) an Ancient Awesome Abolished civilization, which was really powerful and had all this high magic or technology that everybody uses but nobody is able to recreate, and which Fell for no discernible reason.

[goat]

14) A type of powerful and deadly monster that looks almost identical to a common herbivore on a different continent.

[The_Werebear]

15) Hundreds of thousands of random monsters that, while quite capable of wrecking hundreds of small villages and slaughtering small armies, are incapable of handling 4 people with plot behind them.

16) Wise hermits on every mountaintop.

17) A desolate wasteland with one tower that a supremely powerful Lich controls.

18) A massive sea with 17th century pirates, despite the rest of the setting being 14th century European.

19) A far east area that produces monks, ninja, and samurai, despite most of the rest of the setting being 14th century European.

20) Massive, epic, sentient plot critical swords with snarky, unhelpful personalities.

21) An incompetent mockery of some real life political figure who the players get to verbally and physically abuse.

[Nerd-o-rama]

22) Magic Trains Okay, no, even I admit those are silly.
22) Flying ships are still awesome, though.

[goat]

23) An economy that makes ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE.

[Morty]

24) A race or two that serves little purpose except to provide enemies for heroes and minions for evil villains.

[Ranis]

25) Monty Python's Flying Circus.
26) A town named Muffin's Honor.

[Kurald Galain]

25) an orc in a 10x10 foot room, guarding a chest for no reason.
26) better yet, a tribe of orcs in a valley, guarding a temple for no reason.
27) and the best, a nation of orcs attacking a kingdom for no reason!

[goat]

28) A civilisation of people with mighty powers, who could take over the entire planet if they were so inclined.

28.a) A crown prince determined to enslave said people so they can help him overthrow his father.

28.b) Soldiers in the prince's army who are tortured by wanting to follow their orders, but not wanting to kill the peaceful people.

28.c) The prince's psychotic general who will happily kill his own men if he thinks it will please the prince, or if he's just bored.

[Dr. Weasel]

29)Every doorway/hallway/room has to fit nicely in a 5x5 grid.

[Chaos Bringer]

30) Explosions

nuff said :smallbiggrin:

[reorith]

31. a religious schism
32. a weird underground place that is dark

[psychoticbarber]

33. Freedom for interpretation and change.

[RelentlessImp]

34. Pontiff Jaela.

*flee*

[Cryopyre]

35. A vast empire ruled by undead
36. An underground city of constructs bent on taking over the world
37. A giant tree
38. Cultures that only mock outside ones and only exist in one place (and peculiarly are found in the same areas ex: Asia to the east)

[Nota Biene]

Random wizards who do nothing but create magic items and leave them in chests for orcs to guard.

[tannish2]

genericneutralgoodsungodofhealingandantiundeadness always an important one
a cold north where barbarians come from, preferably mountainous.

[Crazy_Uncle_Doug]

39. Goblins
40. Magic items, preferrably ones lost by an ancient kingdom that's long dead.
41. Gunpowder.
42. The Answer.

[psychoticbarber]

42. The Answer.

Bravo, good sir. Bravo.

[Kurald Galain]

genericneutralgoodsungodofhealingandantiundeadness always an important one

I forgot who wrote it, but somebody on this forum made a dissertation about the standard gods, quoted from memory
*Healy McNicenice, generic female good goddess of healing and nice niceness
*Stabby McAxeforface, generic male evil god of battle and fighting
*Apathy VonDoesn'tcare, generic ambiguously-gendered neutral god(dess) of neutralness who is above all the other gods and created the world and doesn't care about things.

Most pantheons are rather cliche, if you think about it.

[Rowanomicon]

43) an organized group of wizards
44) those who wield arcane magic but are not part of the organized group of wizards (rebel caster)
45) townspeople who irrationally fear casters desipite having any and all magic items you might want on hand to sell you.
46) slayers (mage-slayers, undead-slayers, demon-slayers, etc.)

[Hyrael]

8)Ancient Evil things, let's face it there has to be something that can eat your face at epic levels
9)Organized Religion, cause someone has to be the bad guy
10)Either real technology or 'psuedo-technology'

My three favorites. For best results, there should be several varieties of ancient evil, such as

Demonic Evil

ALien Evil

Hibernating Warlord Evil

Unspeakably horrible evil from beyond reality (different from alien or demonic evil. even the alien evil has more in common with you than cthulhu.)

Ancient Egypt-like empire with lots of undead and an evil undead god Evil

And, my personal favorite but rather limited to one setting,

Phyrexia Evil, the impending eternal bogymen that most people beleive are mythical, but are slowly laying their plans for the eventual mass invasion of your world, which they will re-make in their image. kind of like Demonic or Alien, but with robo-zombies.

[Rowanomicon]

From now on the best way to improve something is by making it like before, "but with robo-zombies."

(Previously the best way to improve something was by adding bacon).)

[fireinthedust]

45) the only normal animals are horses, if that... maybe familiars and giant animals, wolves, etc.

46) In fact, all animals are renamed and look like a different species (stats being the same, just not descriptions), and along with shocker lizards make the ecology actually fantasy-based.

47) Dragons come in more than generic/predictable shapes, sizes and "colors".

48) Alignment is used for outsiders and magic users, and some monsters, not pc races (ie: you're eevil if you're an evil-aligned cleric, assasin, warlock or blackguard, or spellcaster).

[horseboy]

From now on the best way to improve something is by making it like before, "but with robo-zombies."

(Previously the best way to improve something was by adding bacon).)

But, but, but, what if it's a robo-zombie swine?

[fireinthedust]

do robo-zombies dream of robo-zombie sheep?

[Wraithy]

49. Rogue guilds
50. Merchant Guilds
51. zombie guilds
52. a guild of far reaching shifty homeless people who carry immense political weight for reasons unknown to all but the afore mentioned guilds
53. Romanesque political intrigue (here there be knives a plenty)

[Rowanomicon]

54) an incredibly high leveled NPC caster that knows everything, but doesn't tell the PCs

55) infinite dire rat infested tombs

56) entire regions of the map populated only by the monsters nobody ever uses (preferably the ones that appear in the MM1, therefore having had more opportunity to be used, but weren't)

57) Colossal sized Halflings and Tiny sized Giants.

(by the time we get to 1001 we could have a decently fleshed out setting... it would probably have to be a comedy setting)

[Stormcrow]

58) All Dragons can take human forms. Infact they are usually encountered this way. No use giving away all your secrets.

[tannish2]

lots of these (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=57903)

OH! and ninja sheep.

[Nerd-o-rama]

59) Random musical numbers (http://www.sigilprep.com/sigil_prep_songbook.htm)
60) In fact, End Of Thread (http://www.sigilprep.com/)

[Belteshazzar]

61. Dopplegangsters undercover with Mj 12.
62. Repeating crossbows
63. Spring Powered Spike Throwers
64. Goblins an Gunpowder.

[Orzel]

65: A powerful ranger or group of rangers who can whoop anything inside their forest/desert/mountains.
66: A thief who can and will steal almost anything

[black wagner]

67. A Mysterious Group Of Loosly Alighned Npc's Who Strive To Maintain Balance Between Good And Evil In The World.

[The Glyphstone]

68. Airships. Lots and Lots of Airships.
69. A massive, near-infinite underground world beneath the surface filled with all sorts of evil+warped underground-dwelling creatures.
70. Said underground is populated with +LA-having, evil versions of every standard player race but better and more powerful.

[TO_Incognito]

71. In-game religions that have some freaking philosophical depth. Read some Houston Smith for heaven's sake.

[daggaz]

72. A giant tower of evil, housing the disembodied soul of a powerful entity bent on the destruction of all that is in the light, topped with a foreboding eye of ringed fire which sees all in the lands...

73. Giant eagles which come to the rescue, but are mysteriously preoccupied for most of the journey.

74. Crabthullu

ps. how the hoo do you make words into hyperlinks?
crabthullu = http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3227865&postcount=191

[Carrion_Humanoid]

75. A whole nation of yellow-musk creepers, which came from thousands of years of respects and sacrafices to them.

[Tengu]

76. Ressurection magic not easily available.
77. Guns and swords at the same time.
78. Steam or magic-powered mecha!
79. Non-human intelligent races being rare.
80. People who are able to pull off incredible things, but without magic, just training.

[doliemaster]

81. An army of Kobolds, don't ask why, EVERY.GAME.NEEDS.ONE.
81.b An army of Gnomes fighting it. DON'T ASK!!!
82.Chickens, cause everbody loves chickens.
83.A place that exlempifies Dennis the peasents rant about the problems with Monarchy.

[Rowanomicon]

Let me get this straight:
You tell us not to ask about kobolds or gnomes which are perfectly normal things for your average D&D game, but you chickens just go without saying...

Makes sense to me.
(I love kicking chickens.)

[Enzario]

84) Pubs.
84)a) With epic-level retired munchkins posing innoucuosly as bartenders
84)b) And Beer

[Xuincherguixe]

(Half of these are serious, half of them are silly, and some of them are both)

85) Nefarious Evil Doers
86) Upside Down Tower
87) Tentacled Horrors
88) An area where conventional ideas about time and space are utterly meaningless.
89) An evil race so that the PCs can have something to rebel against.
90) Some sort of blade that can cut anything. I'm talking rock, adamantine, fire, the sky, and inflation. Though it could be a blunt object and thus be very strange
91) A device that launches small races as ammunition.
92) A society that teaches martial arts to things that really have no business knowing martial arts (Kung Fu Dogongs ftw)
93) A floating island with a death ray.
94) An international kitten conspiracy.
95) An international wheat conspiracy.
96) A jerk prestige class.
97) Giant telescoping staff with the weight of a mountain.
98) A nuclear explosion spell.
99) An international conspiracy of bars and pubs which keeps the balance of the world
100) Bastard Wizards
101) An extremely powerful artifact that's a rusty spoon.
102) A single coin that's worth more the entire treasury of all but the largest of empires.
103) Bastard Trees.
104) Squirrel Philosophers.
105) Squirrel Assassins.
106) A group of psychopaths so far off the deep end that they'd actually want to save this world.

[Callos_DeTerran]

74. Crabthullu

ps. how the hoo do you make words into hyperlinks?
crabthullu = http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3227865&postcount=191

Wee! I'm part of a number and the word of Crabthulhu spreads!

107.) Chuul clerics of Crabthulhu.

[reorith]

108.) really hot sirens that wreck ocean transit

[VerdugoExplode]

109.) While this may seem a bit controversial depending on one's own experience I would have to say that no campaign world made of the previous entries would be complete without the addition of Kender, or a similar race of mind bogglingly hyperactive, kleptomaniacal, semi-suicidal, near-invincible, plot disabling, hair graying, deus ex machining little bundles of joy/frustration.

Oh the memories, I wish I had all those magic items back. Damn kender.

[fireinthedust]

110) reality based on the Mutants and Masterminds 2nd edition rules!!!

111) pantheons that arn't just uber-statted monsters (although I still love getting books with 'em in it!)

112) a machine that eats kender

113) Gnomes who have personality and arn't just second-class dwarves (artificers? spies? what's with the speak-to-squirrels power?!)

114) Dwarven magic items that are the best, despite the fact that dwarves don't traditionally become wizards, and artificers (who need Use Magic Device to use wands, despite making wands, or to make any magic item at all) need a high Charisma (as Use Magic device is charisma-based).

115) really hot drow

116) and explanation of what yuan-ti are for in a setting

[fireinthedust]

117) drow, yuan-ti and other intellegent races that are more esoteric in style than PC races (like the drow in that Keith Baker novel); more lovecraftian

[Green Bean]

117) A tribe of warrior women. Bonus points if there are inexplicably no men whatsoever.

[Greyen]

118) One really freaking huge city. Much like L.A. or Terry Pratchett's Ahnk-Morpork. Run by a neutral merchant Machiavellian (sp?) leader. They stay out of actual wars but run the rest of the world through trade.

[Terumitsu]

119) A crochy old man who wields the power of the gods themselves but always asks you to bring him stuff cause he is too lazy.

[Crazy_Uncle_Doug]

120. A barbarian race where both men and women are scantily clad and gorgeous. Also, they live in the artic, yet are never cold. No, you don't have a chance with either.

[AKA_Bait]

121. Inept Assassians who just attack the party and fight to the death rather than striking at one and coming back again later.

122. A tunip farmer in every tavern/inn.

123. City Guards with 0 ranks in sense motive.

124. A lich of some kind. Doesn't matter what kind.

125. At least one NPC with a scottish accent.

[Crazy_Uncle_Doug]

126. A PC race that consists of cannibals.

[Terumitsu]

127. A self destruct system in the tower/dungeon/wherever after the climactic battle.

128. Extra points for dramatic timing.

129. Competent evil. (Blasphemy, I know.)

[AKA_Bait]

130. Incompetent Evil

131. Competent Neutral

132. Incompetent Good

133. Drunken NPC's who don't have the slightest idea what this 'wand of thingamjiggy' is but will happlily hazard a guess anyway.

[RelentlessImp]

134. Drunken Wizards who get bombed and then create useless magical items. (Bag of Tricks, anyone?)

135. Drunken Wizards.

136. Drunken Sorcerers.

137. A lecherous priest who hits on anything female, regardless of age.

[Foolosophy]

138. Gnomes
139. It may not include anything mentioned in points 1 to 139

[goat]

140) A race of Amazonian warrior women, who are all gorgeous, but eat their partners after mating.

141) Bees. My God.

[Emperor Demonking]

142) A country that is on a giant air ship.

[Rex Blunder]

I can't tell whether this thread is for genuinely cool things or rpg cliches. I guess it's a false dichotomy. Ancient, mysteriously fallen high-magic civilizations, for instance, are simultaneously super cliche and super cool.

If we're talking cliches, there's lots of good reading on the RPG Cliche List (http://atrocities.primaryerror.net/rpgcliches.html) and Console RPC Cliche List (http://project-apollo.net/text/rpg.html).

[fireinthedust]

well thanks mr. blunder.

nope, it's a list of cool stuff for the best campaign setting ever. some comedy appreciated, but otherwise some genuine needs for a setting desired.

[Zona]

It just me or if you added all these ideas together whould the result be rather Discworldish.

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

143. Thousands of random dungeons with a monster in every room that has no business associating with the monsters in any of the other rooms, but they've been hanging out there for years guarding random treasure for no reason.

144. A perfect dungeon where the monsters work in unison and guard things that have a reason to be guarded. But there's only one, and the monsters inside are Kobolds.

[AKA_Bait]

It just me or if you added all these ideas together whould the result be rather Discworldish.

Sounds about right for the 'best setting ever...'

[Jade_Tarem]

145. One really freaking big gemstone.
146. Time travel. Bonus points for reality-shattering paradoxes that work themselves out in the end.
147. A fatal plague that reduces the number of base elf varieties to ONE.

[Dairun Cates]

148. The infamous and highly trained eastern mercenary, Yuu Ataka, so the players can run in paranoia at seemingly innocuous lines like, "I've seen You before", "We've been looking for you", "I'll kill you", "Where could you be", "Yooooooooooou", and "I am you from the future". For extra spice and making conversations impossible to hold anymore, include the entire family. Meese (Mii for short, the adopted one), Yumi, Miyu, Ai, Himura (Him for short), Shi, and any extended family you can think of, including but not limited to her, his, we, them, they, and youall.

[Stormzen]

149.139 is null and void.
150.A king who is pure good but an advisor who is irredeemably evil and manipulates him.
151. A mysterious jungle tribe that died out but left huge temples full of treasure.