PDA

View Full Version : Help Me Flesh Out my Campaign World



AkodoKoji
2008-01-01, 01:48 PM
I'm making my home-brew campaign world in preparation of 4th Edition. I'm starting now because it usually takes me months to get everything set down and I want to jump right into 4th a couple weeks after I get the books.
I'm posting it here because I'm hoping to get some help fleshing out on what I've done so far. Right now all I've got are the deities.Just a note I'm bad at naming things so I generally have placeholder names. There are only going to be 4 races in my game, humans and a race created from humans by each of the main deities.

First the deities.

Righteous Fire Leader Guy (RFLG) is going to be the stereotypical pseudo-Christian God type. Very focused on the healing, community and smiting. He expects his followers to respect and obey their superiors as well as be compassionate and caring for their subordinates. As opposed to the majority of these types he is going to be Lawful Neutral. He is sort of a St. Cuthbert mixed with a bit of Pelor. The Empire that worships him is going to have a very rigid caste system with the lower rungs having few or no rights and the higher ones almost complete control. Similar to the Hindu caste system or feudal Japan.
His divine servant are going to be all angelic type beings. His Cleric domains (or their 4e equivalent) will include Fire, Healing, Wrath, and Community.
The race he creates will be an all male race (that cross breeds with humans). Their appeareance will be mostly human but they all have bronzed skin and their eyes and hair appear to be made of fire (and can be any appropriate color.) I dont have much else or them yet but I want them to be mechanically and fluff suited to being psionics and warlords.


Hippy Nature's Wrath Chick (HNWC) is going to be the deity of Nature. I'm not sure whether to make her Chaotic Neutral or Chaotic Good. I want her to connected to the fey in some way. Her divine servants are going to be magical beats, fey, and possible some of the spirit-like elementals
I'm not sure what I want from her race except that I want them to have the fey subtype and be an all female race. I have a vague idea that they should be good Warlocks, Druids (or whatever race gets druidic magic. they are a big wild shape race), and Sorcerors. Probably a bonus to Wis and Cha. I'm tempted to make them cat-like in some way but that may just be the furry in me speaking.


Mean Evil Destruction Dude (MEDD) is going to be the evil deity for the setting. I've already decided that this deity has already killed the other two at the beginning of my campaign and is manipulating the other two races/empires as well as his own into fighting each other. He is going to be the deity of destruction and possibly death. He is most definatly Chaotic Evil. His divine servants are going to be giants and dragons.
His race is probably going to be similar to the new dragon race in the 4e phb but with a focus on individual fiefdoms instead of an empire.


Obviously I cant really work out mechanics yet but with the races I'm trying to get an idea of what they will be good at.

Xuincherguixe
2008-01-01, 03:39 PM
I would say each of them should have layers of meaning.

For my own campaign, the big mean nasty demons (more god like than the gods) have meaning to their nature.

One of them is a black hole, The Devourer. He is not just about destruction and annihilation. Around him, things orbit. He is a being of economics.

The Deceiver (They all have names like this. They're older than names) has no real form. People who look at it only see elaborate illusions. Two simultaneous observers will see things very different. But an illusion reveals information too. So it is a being of lies and truth.



With that in mind?

Righteous Fire Leader Guy - Not just a smiter of the wicked, but a force of stability. A source of law not only for civilization, but the Universe itself. For arguments sake, he could be a god of physics. Gets pissed off easily when things don't go his way and someone tries to do their own thing.


Hippy Nature's Wrath Chick - A source of life and death. The forest might give you lots of tasty treats and nummy animals to kill, but it's also full of a lot of things that would just as soon eat you. This goddess would have things take their natural course. There is no need to punish, things have a way of working out on their own. Or not.



Mean Evil Destruction Dude - Life isn't fun without a challenge. An adversary who makes things difficult.
Alternatively or in combination
Power, and it's worship. The MEDD is a means to an end, and may assist in your efforts to get something. But he demands a price too. With the will, one can do anything. But just because you can do something doesn't necessarily mean it's a good idea.


My writing might be a little better if I wasn't so tired. Hope this helps though.

AkodoKoji
2008-01-01, 07:01 PM
I would say each of them should have layers of meaning.

For my own campaign, the big mean nasty demons (more god like than the gods) have meaning to their nature.

One of them is a black hole, The Devourer. He is not just about destruction and annihilation. Around him, things orbit. He is a being of economics.

The Deceiver (They all have names like this. They're older than names) has no real form. People who look at it only see elaborate illusions. Two simultaneous observers will see things very different. But an illusion reveals information too. So it is a being of lies and truth.



With that in mind?

Righteous Fire Leader Guy - Not just a smiter of the wicked, but a force of stability. A source of law not only for civilization, but the Universe itself. For arguments sake, he could be a god of physics. Gets pissed off easily when things don't go his way and someone tries to do their own thing.


Hippy Nature's Wrath Chick - A source of life and death. The forest might give you lots of tasty treats and nummy animals to kill, but it's also full of a lot of things that would just as soon eat you. This goddess would have things take their natural course. There is no need to punish, things have a way of working out on their own. Or not.



Mean Evil Destruction Dude - Life isn't fun without a challenge. An adversary who makes things difficult.
Alternatively or in combination
Power, and it's worship. The MEDD is a means to an end, and may assist in your efforts to get something. But he demands a price too. With the will, one can do anything. But just because you can do something doesn't necessarily mean it's a good idea.


My writing might be a little better if I wasn't so tired. Hope this helps though.

I really like your ideas. Especially for the nature chick. With that in mind I'll make her CN.

Yeril
2008-01-01, 07:21 PM
I'd like to input an idea for two Dietys, Many pantheons have the siblings, who are very different, and always at eachother throats, Much like Hextor and the other LG guy I dont remember the name of.

How about, two twin brothers leading small nations that are constantly at war witheachother, not because of clashing ideals or alignments, but for entertainment, for a challange, holding no grudges against eachother in competition for amusment, mortal lives are just a plaything in their eyes.

"Damn, you have destroyed another of leigons brother, well done, Ill have to get you back for that one! :smallsmile: "

"Hah, you don't mean that assasin you sent to kill my high priest? Sad to say the guards caught him :smallamused: "

"Realy? Damn, I guess I'll have to think up some new plans then, well tommorow is another day and another battle brother, I look forward to the expression on your face when my army breaches your next citys defences! :smallwink: "

"Not If I can help it! :smallbiggrin: "

SurlySeraph
2008-01-01, 07:55 PM
A few thoughts to help you come up with names:

Righteous Fire Leader Guy - try here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Names_of_God_in_Judaism) or here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Names_of_God) to get some righteous/powerful-sounding ones; change syllables or vowels around a bit if that would make it sound better to you. A few I like are Elyon, Adir, Magen, and Akal Purakh.

Hippy Nature's Wrath Chick - look at the nymph classifications here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nymph) for some ideas. Aegle, Eratheis, and Naia are good ones.

Mean Evil Destruction Dude - Demon-sounding names are easy to make up. Knock yourself out (http://www.seventhsanctum.com/generate.php?Genname=evilsoundname). Malarchus, Nilantze, Bephistilianth, Skurm, etc.

Next step is to think of regions. Do you want a huge world, or will you focus on one kingdom? Are the religions going to be fairly mixed in society? Are there mountains, forests, plains, and if so where?

AkodoKoji
2008-01-01, 08:25 PM
A few thoughts to help you come up with names:
Next step is to think of regions. Do you want a huge world, or will you focus on one kingdom? Are the religions going to be fairly mixed in society? Are there mountains, forests, plains, and if so where?

I want it to be a fairly large world seperated into three areas. Each ruled by a race each god has created. The campaign is going to start off in the kingdom controlled by the evil deity. It is mostly plains but with a substantial amount of deserts thrown in. Wood and metal are going to be rare. Weapons will be made out of bones. Primarily Dragonic bones. That "kingdom" is going to be very Points of Lightish as the evil deity considers his giant and demonic followers far more important than his human/created race ones.