1st Homebrew Setting - major powers? [Archive] - Wizards Community

1st Homebrew Setting - major powers? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Omnirahk, half-Rahkshi
04-12-07, 08:17 PM So, this is my first attempt to make my own homebrew campaign setting. Here's the basic concept:

In times ancient, there was a war between the gods. And by war, I mean more like a bar brawl where everyone's fighting everyone, no holds barred. Each wielding the fabric of reality as a weapon and working their divine magic, they warped magic itself into the form of Dark Eye (similar to OotS's Snarl, I know). Dark Eye saw the warring gods and thought them foolish things, unworthy to rule so much. He created an army in His own image - the beholders, their gods, and similar ilk - and set out for conquest. The gods united in this battle and subdued Dark Eye. They tore open the material plane and imprisoned Dark Eye and his spawn there. They sealed this land and left Dark Eye in stasis. But in their rush, the gods had trapped some of the material plane's inhabitants in the Realm of Dark Eye.

It is a land literally forgotten and foresaken by the gods. Above this Inside World floats a starry black mass with a burning sun in the center, Dark Eye himself, staring yet sleeping. Beholders seek to awaken Him and claim their rightful role as masters of the world, under Dark Eye, Master of the Gods. They also work to tunnel to the surface world. They've enslaved many races, and warped more than a few
- drow are elves that bargained their freedom by working as assassins/bounty hunters. The old "deal with a devil" thing. I think it's cool.
- duergar are dwarves that escaped after long imprisonment. They are a little too willing to sacrifice to oppose the vile things. Fight evil with evil (as one way suggested in PH2 to roleplay the hexblade). They seek to tunnel to reconnect with their surface kin (as most dwarves).
- gnomes are former halflings, again escaped slaves. Most seem quite insane, but it may be an act to seem harmless . . .

Divine magic is limited mostly to druidic and worship of dragon ascendants. With no gods as rivals, the majority of dragons choose this path to ascend to quasi-deityhood. The other beholder gods are also available. They are opposed by druidic magic. Something about the shaping of the earth itself into a prison for beholders left a presence that opposes them. It's a god, but not a full entity. It is the land itself, living druidic magic.

Some warlocks draw power from either the bonds of Dark Eye (to free him) or Dark Eye himself (to weaken him). This may be represented by a feat (tree?)/PrC. One for both roles.

There's a group (the Cult of the Opening Eye) that believes the relative unity of the races (they had to unify when they were so suddenly stranded in this prison world) compared to the beholders would make Dark Eye favor them. And what loyalty do they owe to the gods that imprisoned them? They also seek to free Dark Eye. They are a villainous group that avoids lethal damage. Subdual and mind control are ok.

So cool, I found a motivation for beholders. They seek to revive Dark Eye. But irony of ironies, they squabble more than the gods that disgusted him. But I've been unable to find any other good villainous groups. It'll get old really quick if every bad guy is "beholder this, Dark Eye that." What other goals/groups belong? What other main powers should exist? What would you like to see?
GoriceXII
04-13-07, 07:48 AM Here's a thought: consider how it will actually affect potential players or the environment they are in. You might do an oddity in having say an evil faction fighting an evil faction which is unlike the usual struggles in D&D worlds. Have say a nation that is servant to draconic powers fighting one led by beholder inspired powers. It would be interesting to see that sort of thing. Dragons and beholders seen as among the intermediaries of the divine.
Omnirahk, half-Rahkshi
04-13-07, 11:25 AM Yeah, that's neat. In those kingdoms the ruler is seen as divine. Like the pharohs of Egypt. Though dragon ascendants (Draconimicon) aren't divine servants - they become divine themselves.

I guess what's really bothering me is how hard it feels to create an organization not directly tied to beholders. I guess it's because the creation story is all I have. Seriously, all the motivations are "awaken Dark Eye/oppose beholders, replace the gods that abandoned us/curse the gods that abandoned us." It just feels like that'd get old quick. I need another aspect of history. I guess I'm just aiming for Eberron-esque, with several villainous groups to choose from, each with separate goals and motivations. I've really got just one.

Omni

P.S.

I get the feeling this setting would discourage planar travel - they're pretty much sealed there.
GoriceXII
04-13-07, 04:19 PM How about this...make the dragons the real focus, so that for instance the gnomes have this early Bolshevik/anarchist type society in some areas that is utterly paranoid about being re-enslaved. Meanwhile different draconic factions struggle to comprehend both magic and divinity, sometimes getting sidetracked into factional fighting over things possibly as dumb as "blue" versus "red" and so on. Maybe some of these people have never so much as SEEN a real dragon--how would they know? Meanwhile beneath the surface the beholder faction stirs...
Omnirahk, half-Rahkshi
04-13-07, 06:57 PM I was actually trying to keep the focus only on the inside world. As in the outside world is one completely its own - possibly the Forgotten Realms, for example. My approach is, sure stuff goes on in the World Above, but none of your characters can reach it, and know nothing about it right now.

I like the idea about gnomes as anarchists, and the dragons also having some slaves.

Another thing I can't quite decide on. So in the original chaos after the creation of the Realm of Dark Eye (Underrealm?), all of the races banded together for survival. How's that going now? Just how far has that broken down? Is there just a couple of nations, plus minor factions? Are there several? Or is it mostly small tribes now? Just how united are the races? And have racial divisions returned? Is a society with a mixture of all the races coexisting the norm or the exception? What would be better/more popular for a campaign setting?

Currently, I'm thinking just two or three superpowers, at least two being really integrated. The gnomes could be the third, but more likely they're several of the tribes. There may be a larger group of them like the Masons, a nation within the nations.

I'm also thinking of making this a higher tech setting. And I don't mean magitech. I mean good ol' gunpowder and other things that function in an antimagic field (such as under a beholder's eye). I just want a feel for what others want to see in a campaign setting.
Holy_Beholder
04-13-07, 10:25 PM Illithids would work well. There could also be a lot of dominated or charmed monsters, from the beholders and the dragons. There could be a half dragon cult, of the metallics, who seek to control the humans they are so far above, and a few native outsiders, such as asimaar, trying to stop them and the beholders.

Illithids could be constantly fighting the beholders, and their gauths, which would mean the githyanki and githzerai would help the beholders, but would constantly be fighting, which could be taken advantage of by the half dragons. The githyanki and githzerai would be warlocks drawing on the power of the dark eyes bonds, as they help him, since the illithids would be weakening him, because of how he favors the beholder.

That should be enough infighting for a few sessions. The half dragon cult, the assimar rebellion, the illithid empire, the beholders, and the various empires of the core races. Drow and Duergar would work pretty well too, allying with either the beholders or the illithids.
Omnirahk, half-Rahkshi
04-15-07, 11:03 AM Thanks for the thoughts, Holy Beholder. I think that captures it pretty well: a world of constant civil war. I can transplant illithids without any changes. Aasimar are just one of the many races that were trapped. Or maybe it was a few angels that were helping in the trapping of Dark Eye. Their half-celestial and aasimar children are leaders in a society that turned to the angels for help.
taradusis
04-15-07, 03:37 PM Consider using all the races from "lords of madness"the grell,illithids,aboleths,beholders and etc.Make the mythology more lovecraftian with cthonic deites granting power and madness.RANDOM THOUGHTS

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Omnirahk, half-Rahkshi 04-12-07, 08:17 PM	So, this is my first attempt to make my own homebrew campaign setting. Here's the basic concept: In times ancient, there was a war between the gods. And by war, I mean more like a bar brawl where everyone's fighting everyone, no holds barred. Each wielding the fabric of reality as a weapon and working their divine magic, they warped magic itself into the form of Dark Eye (similar to OotS's Snarl, I know). Dark Eye saw the warring gods and thought them foolish things, unworthy to rule so much. He created an army in His own image - the beholders, their gods, and similar ilk - and set out for conquest. The gods united in this battle and subdued Dark Eye. They tore open the material plane and imprisoned Dark Eye and his spawn there. They sealed this land and left Dark Eye in stasis. But in their rush, the gods had trapped some of the material plane's inhabitants in the Realm of Dark Eye. It is a land literally forgotten and foresaken by the gods. Above this Inside World floats a starry black mass with a burning sun in the center, Dark Eye himself, staring yet sleeping. Beholders seek to awaken Him and claim their rightful role as masters of the world, under Dark Eye, Master of the Gods. They also work to tunnel to the surface world. They've enslaved many races, and warped more than a few - drow are elves that bargained their freedom by working as assassins/bounty hunters. The old "deal with a devil" thing. I think it's cool. - duergar are dwarves that escaped after long imprisonment. They are a little too willing to sacrifice to oppose the vile things. Fight evil with evil (as one way suggested in PH2 to roleplay the hexblade). They seek to tunnel to reconnect with their surface kin (as most dwarves). - gnomes are former halflings, again escaped slaves. Most seem quite insane, but it may be an act to seem harmless . . . Divine magic is limited mostly to druidic and worship of dragon ascendants. With no gods as rivals, the majority of dragons choose this path to ascend to quasi-deityhood. The other beholder gods are also available. They are opposed by druidic magic. Something about the shaping of the earth itself into a prison for beholders left a presence that opposes them. It's a god, but not a full entity. It is the land itself, living druidic magic. Some warlocks draw power from either the bonds of Dark Eye (to free him) or Dark Eye himself (to weaken him). This may be represented by a feat (tree?)/PrC. One for both roles. There's a group (the Cult of the Opening Eye) that believes the relative unity of the races (they had to unify when they were so suddenly stranded in this prison world) compared to the beholders would make Dark Eye favor them. And what loyalty do they owe to the gods that imprisoned them? They also seek to free Dark Eye. They are a villainous group that avoids lethal damage. Subdual and mind control are ok. So cool, I found a motivation for beholders. They seek to revive Dark Eye. But irony of ironies, they squabble more than the gods that disgusted him. But I've been unable to find any other good villainous groups. It'll get old really quick if every bad guy is "beholder this, Dark Eye that." What other goals/groups belong? What other main powers should exist? What would you like to see?
GoriceXII 04-13-07, 07:48 AM	Here's a thought: consider how it will actually affect potential players or the environment they are in. You might do an oddity in having say an evil faction fighting an evil faction which is unlike the usual struggles in D&D worlds. Have say a nation that is servant to draconic powers fighting one led by beholder inspired powers. It would be interesting to see that sort of thing. Dragons and beholders seen as among the intermediaries of the divine.
Omnirahk, half-Rahkshi 04-13-07, 11:25 AM	Yeah, that's neat. In those kingdoms the ruler is seen as divine. Like the pharohs of Egypt. Though dragon ascendants (Draconimicon) aren't divine servants - they become divine themselves. I guess what's really bothering me is how hard it feels to create an organization not directly tied to beholders. I guess it's because the creation story is all I have. Seriously, all the motivations are "awaken Dark Eye/oppose beholders, replace the gods that abandoned us/curse the gods that abandoned us." It just feels like that'd get old quick. I need another aspect of history. I guess I'm just aiming for Eberron-esque, with several villainous groups to choose from, each with separate goals and motivations. I've really got just one. Omni P.S. I get the feeling this setting would discourage planar travel - they're pretty much sealed there.
GoriceXII 04-13-07, 04:19 PM	How about this...make the dragons the real focus, so that for instance the gnomes have this early Bolshevik/anarchist type society in some areas that is utterly paranoid about being re-enslaved. Meanwhile different draconic factions struggle to comprehend both magic and divinity, sometimes getting sidetracked into factional fighting over things possibly as dumb as "blue" versus "red" and so on. Maybe some of these people have never so much as SEEN a real dragon--how would they know? Meanwhile beneath the surface the beholder faction stirs...
Omnirahk, half-Rahkshi 04-13-07, 06:57 PM	I was actually trying to keep the focus only on the inside world. As in the outside world is one completely its own - possibly the Forgotten Realms, for example. My approach is, sure stuff goes on in the World Above, but none of your characters can reach it, and know nothing about it right now. I like the idea about gnomes as anarchists, and the dragons also having some slaves. Another thing I can't quite decide on. So in the original chaos after the creation of the Realm of Dark Eye (Underrealm?), all of the races banded together for survival. How's that going now? Just how far has that broken down? Is there just a couple of nations, plus minor factions? Are there several? Or is it mostly small tribes now? Just how united are the races? And have racial divisions returned? Is a society with a mixture of all the races coexisting the norm or the exception? What would be better/more popular for a campaign setting? Currently, I'm thinking just two or three superpowers, at least two being really integrated. The gnomes could be the third, but more likely they're several of the tribes. There may be a larger group of them like the Masons, a nation within the nations. I'm also thinking of making this a higher tech setting. And I don't mean magitech. I mean good ol' gunpowder and other things that function in an antimagic field (such as under a beholder's eye). I just want a feel for what others want to see in a campaign setting.
Holy_Beholder 04-13-07, 10:25 PM	Illithids would work well. There could also be a lot of dominated or charmed monsters, from the beholders and the dragons. There could be a half dragon cult, of the metallics, who seek to control the humans they are so far above, and a few native outsiders, such as asimaar, trying to stop them and the beholders. Illithids could be constantly fighting the beholders, and their gauths, which would mean the githyanki and githzerai would help the beholders, but would constantly be fighting, which could be taken advantage of by the half dragons. The githyanki and githzerai would be warlocks drawing on the power of the dark eyes bonds, as they help him, since the illithids would be weakening him, because of how he favors the beholder. That should be enough infighting for a few sessions. The half dragon cult, the assimar rebellion, the illithid empire, the beholders, and the various empires of the core races. Drow and Duergar would work pretty well too, allying with either the beholders or the illithids.
Omnirahk, half-Rahkshi 04-15-07, 11:03 AM	Thanks for the thoughts, Holy Beholder. I think that captures it pretty well: a world of constant civil war. I can transplant illithids without any changes. Aasimar are just one of the many races that were trapped. Or maybe it was a few angels that were helping in the trapping of Dark Eye. Their half-celestial and aasimar children are leaders in a society that turned to the angels for help.
taradusis 04-15-07, 03:37 PM	Consider using all the races from "lords of madness"the grell,illithids,aboleths,beholders and etc.Make the mythology more lovecraftian with cthonic deites granting power and madness.RANDOM THOUGHTS