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fraud
2008-09-16, 09:07 PM
Think anything...let's start at the start. build a masterpiece:smallbiggrin:
okay obscure joke time over:smalltongue:

I need to learn how to make a campagin world. I know you have to start small but I sometimes just like to start medium:smallwink: anyway I was hoping for advice/ideas, I only have a basic idea:
A world mainly made up of water and travel across the water is dangerous for powerful monsters, pirates, as well as natures wrath. Because of this cultural influences are rare and the sea is often a site for adventure.
To the west is a continent made up of grasslands and some forests and hills that slightly connects to the north. The west is main starting area for the campagin and is inhabbited mostly by humans.
To the North is the frozen landscape and mountains of which I have no name. Underneat all the mountains is the grand Deep City of the dwarves. It is also home to many monsters that enjoy this climate
The South is an interesting land of forest and jungle, it is inhabbited almost entirely by elves.
The East or "Lowlands", as I call them, is a continent of neverending desert. Ancient cities use to live here but now they have gone extinct and all it's inhabbited by are monsters (maybe there's a lost city around filled with mummies:smallwink:)

Cities of Note:

Stormalong-A city of corruption ruled by the crimelord Tyber Zann. It is a stoping point for ships in the middle of the ocean which is why there's not to many law enforcers or supplies.
Ravenloft-A city ruled by an evil tyrant who has outlawed all magic of any kind
Cliffport (yes, yes, I stole this:smallsigh:)- a famous port surrounded by cliffs.


Possible City Names:
Greyhawk
Griffonford

and that's all I got. Ideas would be helpful, thanks a ton!:smallbiggrin:

Revanmal
2008-09-16, 10:23 PM
I'd like to recommend some backstory for how the Lowlands came about.

1. Climate change. Over many many years, the Lowlands were transformed from vast savannas covered with grasslands and giant beasts like elephants, rhinos, and displacer beasts, into the barren wastelands they are now by gradual weather change or severe droughts - rivers dried, plants withered, animals either migrated or went extinct, and eventually whole civilizations were left to crumble into ruin.

2. Some kind of cataclysmic event - maybe a great evil wizard ground the very mountains to sand and with a great sandstorm swept away all of the people and animals, save the walled city of [Insert Name Here], leaving the Lowlands buried forever under shifting dunes. The wizard then invaded the walled city and transformed the people and animals within into shambling undead slaves, where he waits until the perfect moment to rise up and conquer the rest of the world.

That's all i got for right now. >.>

EDIT - OOH! I just got the best image of a Bard Lich conducting a cacophonous sandstorm in harmony with his magical sitar. That also means dancing mummies, maybe with capeoreia(sp?) fighting styles(the dancing martial art invented by slaves I think it is).

chronoplasm
2008-09-16, 10:43 PM
I find a good way to come up with good names is to simply to take the names of people and places you know and make anagrams of them.

From my setting:
Ardrich = Richard
Namem = Megan
Kire = Erik
Elocin = Nicole

Your screen name here is Fraud, so I would turn that into Dafur.


Another thing to remember... JUXTAPOSITION!
You can do a lot simply by taking something cliche and simply throwing a surprise element into it.

City of undead? Been done. A city of undead where cats are sacred? That's not something you see every day. It has precedence in the traditions of ancient egypt. Lets go deeper though.
Someone once said (this is a loose quote):
"Trying to organize atheists is trying to herd cats.
Cats are too independently minded to move in one direction, but cats can be loud and in great enough number they cannot be ignored."

Suppose this is the attitude of the necromancers that live in the city of undead? Perhaps these villains are simply people who didn't agree with the social norms established by organized religions and decided to find their own path.
This brings me to my next point:
Always try to empathize with every character. Everybody always has some positive aspects to them no matter what evil they do.
On the other hand, everybody, even the most honorable and friendly of people, have a dark side. Always look for the negative aspects of everything. Doing this will give more dimension to your characters and your settings.
Every evil overlord is a freedom fighter. Every savior is a tyrant. There are heroes and villains on every side of every war.