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Ulrichomega
2007-12-16, 09:37 PM
Well, a few days back, I started reading Rich's campaign world that he was creating. I got to the point where he took out most of the starting races, and started to not like it as much. I read on until he started making parallels to D20 Modern, and stopped.

Anyway, this got me thinking: I should create a world. I had already started one, called Thraen, but wasn't happy with it. That world consists of pretty much a map with some details sketched out in a word document, a brief history, and everything from DnD. I meant to say consisted of. The files got erased when my old computer died, but that's beyond the point.

So, where does Rich begin? Well, he begins with it being something that he wants to publish, and I'm going with publishing, mostly because I don't run, and really don't care who reads this. He then throws out the big bad villian part of the world, and goes from there.

This is where he and I diverge, I like the big villian part. I like there to always be a threat to humanity and peace. I think that I'm gonna keep the big bad villian, and sketch him/her/it later. He then goes into the gimic that the world has. Right now, I'm kind of leaning towards a FFXish setting for this world. Technology used to be everywhere, but now it has been wiped out and people live like in the Middle Ages, but with random technology here and there and tons of ruins (adventure fodder).Hmm, I like that. It gives the chance for there to be many adventures, and a good reason for there existing magical items that are super powerful.

Moving on, Rich goes into the big evil/good thing. He chooses to stray from this, but I think I'll stick with it for now, maybe spruce it up with something like "Magic vs. Technology" or something later but for now it's good and evil.

Something he throws in there are DnD concepts.I personally like the DnD system as is, and will stick with them.

Ah, another intersection on the road to World Creation. Rich goes for classes. I'll go with setting. I already said that I wanted a world with ancient technology, and I'll stick with that. I think I need something else to add in here too. Something that comes to mind is this being a super-future world, in the same universe as the real us, but on another planet. Ahh, I have an idea. The humans colonized the world millenia ago, but slowly regressed to the point where they are now. Then, the elves and dwarves and such landed on the planet. No, I think they'll have already been there, but have started much as the DnD world is. So now I've got a bunch of human overlords who no longer have technology and therefore cannot rule with an iron fist anymore. I like it. It gives a reason for Humans to be the dominant race.

Now for magic. Since this is in the same world, I could have some sort of super technology that is indistinguishable from magic, but I think I won't, too cliche. I'll just make it that magic has always existed, but we humans cannot use in the present day due to our disbelief or some other concept.

As I go along, I'm liking the idea of it being in the same universe less and less. I'll scrap that idea, but keep the rest (humans slowly declined and all that). So now I don't need a reason for us not using magic. This leaves room for gods and all of them.

So far, I have a world that humans have controlled in the past with their superior technology, but has declined to the present point, leaving the humans with little to no control, but still the most populous race.

Going back to magic, I think that I need something that all magic is drawn from. Elves aren't just better at it, and dragons don't pass it on after a few one night stands. Maybe there should be some sort of ancient power well that exists that all magic comes from. Kind of like the God's water fountain. That, however, brings up the problem of everyone having access to magic. If there is an infinite well of energy, why don't I just go over and get to level 20? RIght now I'm thinking of it being more of a key then a well. You go there, and it turns something on that allows you to use magic. This would do it for sorcerers, but not for wizards. Maybe it does the same thing, but the sorcerers are simply more adept and do not need spell books to accomplish the same thing. I like that, but it why don't they just use spell books and be twice as powerful? They're a gift and a curse perhaps? They allow one to focus one's power, but it then forces the person to focus that power into certain spells. Thinking about it, I lthink that it would work better if the wizard uses the spellbook, it imprints the selected spells upon the wizard, and they are used up when cast. So if the spell book is used, it doesn't allow the spellcaster to spontaneously cast spells. It takes that person power, shapes it, makes it bigger, and places it back in the person in that form. I'll go with that. A little complicated, but it works.

As a correlative, I think I'll allow wizards to cast without spellbooks, BUT it will be weaker. I.E. damage is minimum, saves are reduced by 4, any other effecs are treated as 4 caster levels lower. The only advantage is it is spontaneous. Obviously, no wizard will do this constantly, but it works as an auxiliary system. Trapped in a dungeon with no spellbook? Ambushed during the night? Misplaced your spellbook? The wizard is no longer a guy that stays in the back and whimpers. He can now actually do something.

I think I'll leave it here for tonight, and see the response it gets before working on it more. Just as a side-note, if this resembles anything that anyone else has published or created, it is entirely coincidental. I have never read tthe Homebrew forum before, and have never read the Eberon or Greyhawk setting, or any other setting.

Ulrichomega
2007-12-17, 09:52 PM
For today, I thought I would work on gods and geography with a little history thrown in there for flavor.
Gods. Gods. Gods. Where to start. Well, first I was always neutral towards the DnD gods in the Player's Handbook, and I think that throwing them out might be a good place to start. So where to begin? I like Rich's idea of a two god system, but I also think that only two gods would be very limiting. So what about two pantheons? I like it. Many gods to choose from, and still two defined sides.
But what will the two defined sides be? I like the concept of good vs. evil. So the good pantheon vs. the evil pantheon. Let's start with the good guys.

1. We need a chief god. The guy that everyone aknowledges as the goodest guy in the world. Tradition dictates a man with unmatchable combat proficiency, one eye, and a spear. So what about a woman of wizardry? Sounds good. But what to call her? I went through a lot of names, and eventually settled on Herala.

2. Next we need a second in command. Since the numero uno is female wizard, the second in command will be a male warrior. Thron appears as an 8 foot tall muscled man carrying a 6 foot long greatsword. He has never been defeated in single combat, and is a brilliant strategist.

3. After that, there are few gods that must be included, so elemental gods are next. I decided to start with fire, seeing as it's the coolest. Again, tradition would dictate a man constantly covered in flames, but I'm going to do something different. I was thinking about a man that to all intents and purposes looks normal, but is really a god. He is average build, average everything, but if you make him mad, you burst into flames. I like the name Furnose, sounds mean, so I'll go with that.

4. The next element would be water. Now, the only way you can really have a god of water is to have him be made of water, and that works. I always liked the idea of a god of water that was basically an old man, bent over with a cane. I'll choose that, and he shall be called Hydo (hydrogen without the r).

5. Two more elements left, let's go with air first. I can only really think of a female air goddess. A thin, willowy, and sad looking girl appeals to me. The name was a little difficult, but I chose Tempre because it sounds like tempest and all of the other names end with a vowel except for Thron.

6. Only one more element: Earth. When I think of an Earth god, I think of that guy from the latest Spiderman, the one made of sand, or the guy from Fantastic 4. I chose to go with a heavily muscled man that has the basic body texture of rock, but is still (basically) "human".

7. No more standard gods left. I guess that leaves me with the race gods. The first one I'll do is for the Dwarves. I always like Moradin, but he always seemed to warrior and smithy like for a race that is obsessed with law. I therefore change him to a man of iron and law. He is a kind benefactor, who follows the law to the letter and the spirit. He is the universe's best smith, and created many of the gods' weapons of war, though he himself goes not. The name was easy for this dude: Ferrus (fer is french for iron, iron is smithable).

8. Ah, the elves. Most beautiful of all beings. The most peaceful and song loving creatures in the world. Wrong. In this world, elves are warlike. Not barbarians, but like the Spartans, only fully dressed. I like the chaos element of Corellon, but the spartans were lawful, so that changes to law, and the music aspects change to war. The name has to be related to war, but all of the romance languages are sound like a dog growling, so I had to come up with my own this time: Fallomer.

9. Not many races left. Gnomes should be next, and the god of trickery they get stuck with in DnD doesn't fit in with my picture of them as inventors. I like the image of the gnome god to be a tinkerer, someone who is always working with clockwork items or something else. A normal gnome in other words. I always picture gnomes as somewhat lawful, as opposed to the DnD gnomes, so he'll also be a god of law. As all gnomes, he has about thirty names, but his commonly refered to one is Fabricote (gnomish sounding).

10. The only one left is the halfling god. Halflings always appeared to be really neutral in regard to the law/chaos thing, with certain individuals on either side. They also always seem to get played as defensive in the games I am in, so I think a defensive minded god comes into play here. I'm a little male heavy right now, so a female would fit. The name Svonde sounds right.

11. With all the races taken care of, only miscellaneous gods are left. War is a good place to start. The elven god is already a god of war, so we need one the is more on the chaotic side of this. A barbarian god fits nicely. A nice huge greataxe in both hands and blood stains on each. The name Thancose sounds a little barbaric.

12. Magic should be next. The Queen of the gods is already a goddess of magic, but her primary role is queen, not magic. I like the idea of this girl being the keeper of the well of magic, so she should be lawful and watchful. The idea of a girl sitting on top of a cloud with her eyes to every direction sits well with me. Also, being the guardian of the greatest source of power on Earth must lead to corruption, so she'll have a little taint of evil to go along. Her name is Vigile (silent vigil and all that.

Well, it's getting late, so I'll leave it here for tonight. Tommorrow I'll work on the evil gods and might put the geography in like I said I would.

Also, in case I hadn't made it clear, I really like comments on my work. I want to know what someone thinks would be nice, and what someone thinks is just stupid. So please, criticize away. I'm ready for you.

Ulrichomega
2007-12-18, 05:44 PM
Since I was going to do all of the gods yesterday, and didn't due to time, I thought that I would do the evil ones today. I'll go in the same order as yesterday. Also, I realized I didn't give the Earth god a name, so Terrun is it.

1. King of the Gods: Evil, so he has to be a male who goes around in black armor, right? Not really. I always liked the Crystal Queen from the book Echoes of the Great Song, so something like that is fitting. A god trapped in a crystal, who has the ability to see and hear anything, and can alter said anything to his will. I'll leave the cause of his crystalization to an ancient fued with Herala. The name needs to be vaguely crystal-like, so Geminus sounds like a match.

2. Second in command: A thrall who represents Geminus as an advisor and his ability to communicate with the world. This is the guy that should wear the black armor. Krall the Anihilator fits the personality. For the physical side, I was thinking of a man who wears spiked black armor, and carries a greataxe that cuts through all materials like air due to its disintigratory nature.

3. Elemental number one Fire: I feel that if it ain't broke, don't fix it here, so a man made of fire fits perfectly. Since flame is often mixed with weapon crafting, he will also be the god of smithing too. A diabolical name is a prerequisite for the position, so Krondik.

4. Water: A fifty foot tidal wave bears down on the city located fifty miles inland. The citizens freeze in terror, until a single scream tears through the air, breaking the silence, and sending the city into chaos. Tidallik is Krondik's sister, and a being of pure water. She only finds joy in wiping innocents from the face of the Earth.

5. Air: Unlike the turbulent nature usually thought of when refering to an evil god of air, Jokal is the voice of reason for the gods of evil. He does not speak for the destruction of innocents, because he knows that enslaving them brings in far more money. As cruel as the rest he at least knows that only the living bring profits, and that hopelessness is worth then death for the peoples of the land.

6. Earth: Soustone (sue-tone) is the evil god of the earth. He commands the magma found under the surface, and is the creator of earthquakes and volcanoes. He is never seen as a being, only as a face in liquid rock when he chooses to speak to mortals.

7. What was the next one? Ah yes, the race gods. Well, we can hardly have a god for every evil race (all 13,374 of them), so II'll assume that they all have names, and are all worshipped by the according race.

8. War: Muahahaha, an evil god of war. Now, the good god of war was a barbarian, so this one should be the opposite: A paladin. An evil paladin? What? Now, not an actual paladin, but a god who is extremely lawful, and uses a longsword, shield, and rides a giant black horse.

9. The evil god of magic. I think that Wee-Jas fits here (magic and death). So I'll keep the same concept, just change the name to Strangus-Fore.

That wraps up the gods of evil.

Once again, comments welcomed. I can see that so far nobody cares about this, but I will continue to write.

Ulrichomega
2007-12-19, 09:18 PM
Ah Geography. The basis of so many dropped ideas and failures on my part. This is the part that usually makes it or breaks it for me.

Well, the first question is: What do I want this world to look like? Well, in a Steampunk world that me and some friends created a month or two back, we used the reversed land/water ratios (lakes instead of continents). That would be nice, but I feel it too limiting. Then, I had the idea to just create a normal large continent. It's so original! Horay!

Well, I don't have any time tonight, and the mapping program I use is making me want to take a sledgehammer to my monitor, so I'm going to leave it here for tonight, but tommorrow I promise maps.



Also, due to lack of interest, I'm probably goind to stop doing this. It was fun, but when no one cares its kind of hard to continue.

brian c
2007-12-19, 09:34 PM
It's actually very hard to read when it's not formatted. Leave spaces, bold the headings, and I promise to at least skim it and tell you how it looks :smallsmile:

Ulrichomega
2007-12-20, 08:05 AM
Thanks. I have to use Wordpad so my formatting options are rather limited, but thanks for the advice.

EDIT: Formatted so that the paragraphs are seperate. When I copy and pasted into the post box it messed it up a lot, but it's good now.