Archipelago campaign [Archive] - Wizards Community

Archipelago campaign [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Wyvern76
05-04-07, 03:59 PM I may be DMing in the near future, and was trying to decide what to do for a setting -- I wanted something that I could make up as I went along, and that would provide a means of transition between otherwise unconnected published modules. Then it occurred to me that an archipelago would be ideal for this sort of campaign. PCs could be seafaring explorers/treasure hunters, with each adventure taking them to a new port or uncharted island. Possible sources of inspiration/flavor include the Earthsea series, the Odyssey, Sinbad the Sailor, the Voyage of St. Brendan, pirate movies, and the Red Steel campaign setting.

In the beginning I had only a vague concept that the predominant culture in the starting region would resemble medieval Spain, with the possibility of travelers originating from other cultures analogous to Arabia, China, etc. (no Vikings, though!). However, last Sunday, as I pondered how different races and deities might fit into the setting, it began to gel into something much more clearly-defined. At this point, I've divided the map up into various regions according to culture. I'll use the names of their real-world analogues, pending the creation of original names.

Geography

The Spanish islands are the default starting point, and the "centre" of the map; all compass directions mentioned below are relative to this region. Climate is subtropical/Mediterranean. Technological level is (late?) Renaissance - cannon are becoming increasingly widespread; Renaissance firearms are available but still rare.

To the north are the Gaelic islands. Climate is mild temperate; technological level is early medieval. Wild elves, ogres, hill giants, centaurs and various types of fey can be found here.

To the south are the Arabian islands. Climate is tropical; technological level is medieval (as per the Arabian Nights). The southernmost islands are home to nomadic gnoll raiders, and there are also volcanic islands inhabited by fire giants.

To the west are the Asian islands, taking inspiration from this post (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=9975756). They are currently ruled by hobgoblin conquerors, who have a culture similar to Mongols or Huns. Other humanoid races include goblins, nezumi and ogre mages. Climate is tropical to mild temperate; technological level is mostly equivalent to feudal Japan, though the hobgoblins possess crossbows, Renaissance firearms and cannon.

To the southwest are the Orcish islands. The only humans found here are slavers (mostly Arabic and Spanish). The orcs have a Stone Age, quasi-Polynesian culture (volcano gods and so forth). Climate is tropical. These islands (and the southernmost Asian islands) are also home to lizardfolk.

To the east is a mostly uncharted region. Many wild tales have been told by explorers returning from this region (and many more have not returned). Basically, any of the locations described in the Odyssey or the voyages of Sinbad could exist here.

To the far north is a frigid region inhabited by a few scattered tribes of Stone-Age humans with an Inuit/Siberian culture, and many monsters. These region will be unexplored at the start of the campaign, however.

Of course, there's plenty of room to expand the setting with regions of other cultures.

Races

Dwarves are originally native to the Gaelic islands, and have a Teutonic culture. See Warhammer dwarves for inspiration. (No, not the ones with orange mohawks.) Dwarves born in other regions tend to adopt the local culture, though they may still use Germanic names.

Elves come in two varieties: high elves and wild elves. High elves are found mostly in the Spanish islands and tend to be urban dwellers and flamboyant swashbucklers. Their favored class is bard. Wild elves are exclusive to the Gaelic islands, and have a culture similar to the stereotype of Picts (i.e. woad-painted, xenophobic savages). Their favored class is barbarian, and they are not a suitable PC race. I'm also thinking about throwing in an Asian subrace. These may or may not be available as PCs, depending on how insular I decide to make them.

Gnomes are most common in the Spanish and Arabic islands, where they excel as scholars, craftsmen, bankers, traders, politicians and demagogues. They gain a +2 bonus to Intelligence instead of Constitution, and their favored class is wizard.

Half-elves are usually found in the Gaelic islands (if born of a wild elf) or the Spanish islands (if born of a high elf).

Half-orcs are the offspring of humans and orc slaves, and may be slaves (or escaped slaves) themselves. They are found most often in the Arabic and Spanish islands. (Hobgoblins practice slavery too, but most of their slaves are human, goblin or nezumi.)

Halflings have a Gypsy-like culture. They are believed to originate from the Spanish islands, but are now widespread.

Each region has its own language, in addition to the Trade tongue (i.e. Common). Humans, gnomes and half-elves speak their regional language and the Trade tongue, and may choose any of the other regional languages as bonus languages. Other languages are available as follows:
Dwarves native to the Gaelic islands speak Dwarven and Gaelic, and may learn Trade as a bonus language. Dwarves of other regions speak their regional language and Trade, and may learn Dwarven as a bonus language.
Halflings speak halfling and the Trade tongue, and may learn any regional language as a bonus language.
Half-orcs speak their regional language and Trade, and may learn Orcish as a bonus language.
High elves speak Spanish and Trade, having no racial language of their own. They may not take Wild Elven as a bonus language, though they may spend skill points to learn it if given the opportunity.
Arabic characters of any race may learn Gnollish and Orcish as bonus languages.
Asian characters of any race may learn Goblin and Nezumi as bonus languages.
Gaelic characters of any race may learn Dwarven, Giantish and Wild Elven as bonus languages.
Hobgoblins speak Asian and Goblin, and may learn Trade as a bonus language.
Wild Elves speak Wild Elven, Gaelic if they have an Int of 10+, and may learn Giantish and Trade as bonus languages.

Deities

I've opted to use the core Greyhawk gods from the PHB rather than create an entirely new pantheon. However, I've changed the way some of them are portrayed, and I may eventually give some of them new names more appropriate to their culture of origin.

The most popular deity is Fharlanghn, aka the Wayfarer. Although he was originally a Gaelic god, he is now worshiped everywhere as a patron of sailors. His domains are Air (aka Wind), Water and Travel.

The chief deity of the Spanish islands is Pelor. The Pelorist religion has trappings similar to the Catholic church -- not the negative stereotype of oppressive, hidebound medieval Catholicism, but the benevolent variety as portrayed in Zorro and similar movies -- stucco chapels, missions, orphanages, etc.

Moradin takes on aspects of Odin, specifically his reputation for wisdom and shrewdness. His temples resemble Gothic cathedrals.

Yondalla's alignment is changed to chaotic good, and her domains are Luck, Protection and Travel.

Orcish slaves have a religion reminiscent of Voodoo, with Gruumsh as the chief loa, whom they pray to for liberation. His alignment is changed to chaotic netural, and his domains are Chaos, Liberation, Protection and Strength.

Correllon Larethian is the archetypal swashbuckler; his favored weapon is the rapier and he has the Luck domain in place of the War domain.

Garl Glittergold is a patron of gnomish scholars and craftsmen. His favored weapon is the light hammer, and his domains are Artifice, Knowledge and Trickery.

Hextor is the god of the hobgoblins.

Ehlonna is an agricultural goddess worshiped mainly by Asian peasants. Her favored weapon is the sickle or kama.

Other deities are essentially unchanged, but their influence is minor compared to Fharlanghn, Pelor and Hextor. Their cultures of origin are as follows:
Gaelic - Kord, Obad Hai (chief god of the wild elves) and Nerull (secret cults of Nerull are found throughout the known world)
Spanish - Olidammara (also popular in the Arabic islands, where his favored weapon is the scimitar)
Arabic - Boccob, St. Cuthbert and Erythnul (mostly worshiped by gnolls)
Asian - Heironeous (former god of samurai, worship outlawed by the hogoblins), Wee Jas (also worshiped in the Spanish islands)
Vecna is too closely associated with Greyhawk in my mind, and I couldn't find a place where he really seemed to fit, so I just left him out.
Return of the Flumph
05-04-07, 04:14 PM Come up with names for the islands.

In general, try to be less gimmicky. Don't have the orcs be "green Africans" or the dwarves be "short Germans." Make them a bit less historically dependent.
Sarrazon
05-04-07, 05:53 PM If you don't already have Stormwrack, I suggest you get it as it has alot of rules for something like this.
taradusis
05-04-07, 07:02 PM On the DnD general board I have a thread called "Random aquatic notes".I've devised/described a few islands you might want to borrow for your campaign.I myself have always loved the island campaigns ever since basic DnD and think it gives you the flavor of Star trek.Good luck in your campaign.
Wyvern76
05-04-07, 10:54 PM Come up with names for the islands.

In general, try to be less gimmicky. Don't have the orcs be "green Africans" or the dwarves be "short Germans." Make them a bit less historically dependent.Ouch!

I'm not trying to create a fully fleshed-out and original setting -- it's just a framework to allow me to toss whatever I want into the mix. As I said, I plan on making it up as I go along. I chose historical analogues to give the players a handle on what to expect and minimize their learning curve. Plus, there are plenty of precedents for this kind of culture-stealing: 7th Sea, Warhammer FRP, Furry Pirates... hey, even the Forgotten Realms borrows from historical cultures.

As for the names, I'm working on it. I'm thinking about "Chetney Islands" for the Gaelic region, and "Shen-ju" for the Asian.

If you don't already have Stormwrack, I suggest you get it as it has alot of rules for something like this.Thanks for the tip, but I don't have much disposable income at the moment. Besides, I'm not currently planning to focus much on the seafaring aspect of the campaign; it's just a means to take the PCs from one adventure location to another, unconnected one (as taradusis observed, it's like Star Trek); plus it adds a little bit of a different flavor to the campaign world.

On the DnD general board I have a thread called "Random aquatic notes".I've devised/described a few islands you might want to borrow for your campaign.I myself have always loved the island campaigns ever since basic DnD and think it gives you the flavor of Star trek.Good luck in your campaign.Thanks! Do you have a link for that thread?

Wyvern

P.S. I realized that I forgot to add a link in the description of the "Asian" islands. That's been fixed now.
calprinicus
05-05-07, 02:58 PM I started a campaign like this once, what made it fun to me as I dmed was slowly coming up with a map of all the islands. naming the islands really does help. I was in more of a magical campiagn and we acually started in a city since I just got cityscape and eventually the PC bought a boat. I only played the campaign from level 4-10. every island was from a difference book and between the islands there were ship fights. I think i got though a thick jungle, oriental adventures, sandstorm, my favorite to DM was frost burn where the sea froze over and they had to abandon ship and search for land while creatures where popping up from under the ice. in all a great overall idea. I hope it works out for you as it did me.
taradusis
05-11-07, 12:59 PM I beleive it's 771660 though I may be wrong.
die
05-11-07, 07:59 PM Just to throw in some random ideas

Maybe the orcish headhunters pay tribute to the lizardfolk who are thought to be the areas dominant civilization. The lizardfolks crudely built zigguarats are actually pale shadows of their masters temples, an underwater aztec-like civilization of sahuagin. Their dark shark goddess hungers for more and more hearts.

Maybe only gnomes can practice arcane magic in the Spainish Islands and there is a darker cult that enforces it, sort of an assassins guild/Inquisition kinda thing.

Maybe some of the fire giant kings in the Arabian Islands are fond of wargames and they use 'miniatures' (captured adventurers and slaves of course). The upside is the finely crafted armor and weapons they make for their 'miniatures', the downside is that they like to trade with other kings and don't want to part with their collectibles.

Half-ogre harpooners from the Gaelic islands might sign on whaling ships. Maybe some Forest Ogres live on one of the islands
The reclusive Forest Ogre is not as aggressive as your typical ogre, but just as hungry, also there is a strong sexual dimorphism, the females are medium sized, not as stupid and are sometimes confused with elven females. The young forest ogre maidens occasionally fall in love with a hunter or woodsman or shipwrecked sailor and the male offspring is a half-ogre, female children resemble normal half-elves if the dad was a human, if dad was an elf the female offspring resemble their mom (i.e. wood elf).

Forest Ogre males use standard ogre stats and the environment for them is of course temperate forest instead of temperate hills, females use wood elf stats. And both are usually Chaotic Neutral instead of CE or CG.

And thanks for reading my Tako Bell (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?p=9975756#post9975756) post :D
queenfange
05-12-07, 07:12 AM I think Die has some good ideas, and I like the overall setting. As long as you don't call orcs "green Africans" in front of your players, just use that as a starting point to help you determine how to describe them, that shouldn't be any problem.

The orcs seem really fun. If their islands are formed from volcanos, eruptions may still occur from time to time. There could be beaches with black sand, and the orc language might have thirty different terms for different types of volcanic ash and eruptions. If the islands have natural resources, perhaps more powerful cultures may attempt colonization, especially the Spanish- with cannons, they'd have a serious advantage.

One thing to consider is that while each area may have its own level of technology, items will inevitably travel from high to low technology, even if very slowly. That said, firearms might be extremely valuable to the Arabian people (who recognize their value and rarity, and cannot yet produce their own), while to the orcs, firearms are so alien, no one would ever consider getting close to one, much less buying one. This could present some interesting trading opportunities and dilemmas.
RedRory
05-12-07, 03:44 PM I like the framework you've set up as yeah you get that Star Trek vibe with new cultures/peoples each adventure. One other thought since its a group of islands what about underwater civilizations? Sea elves and of course Sahuagin?
Wyvern76
05-12-07, 07:56 PM I beleive it's 771660 though I may be wrong.Thanks.

Maybe the orcish headhunters pay tribute to the lizardfolk who are thought to be the areas dominant civilization. The lizardfolks crudely built zigguarats are actually pale shadows of their masters temples, an underwater aztec-like civilization of sahuagin. Their dark shark goddess hungers for more and more hearts.I like the idea of lizardfolk having a (fallen) Aztec civilization; I wouldn't connect it to the sahuagin, though. A shark goddess sounds like more of an Polynesian thing, which would connect it to the orcs. I hadn't really pictured the orcs as headhunters, although I suppose some of them might be.

Maybe only gnomes can practice arcane magic in the Spainish Islands and there is a darker cult that enforces it, sort of an assassins guild/Inquisition kinda thing.That's an interesting idea, but I don't think I want to impose that sort of limitation on the campaign. Also, I'm leaning towards Garl Glittergold being more of a patron of scholarship and invention, to contrast him with Boccob. I'd like to replace GG's Trickery domain with something else (right now he and Boccob share two out of three domains), but I can't think of a more appropriate one. Any suggestions?

(Tangent: I've being picturing Arabian mages as daring and flamboyant (like the Taftani in Mage: the Sorcerer's Crusade), but it occured to me as I was writing this that the traditional Arabian Nights/Thief of Baghdad image is of the sinister, power-hungry master of occult lore. Then it occurred to me that the first stereotype could be typical of Arabian sorcerers, while the second represents Arabian wizards.)

Half-ogre harpooners from the Gaelic islands might sign on whaling ships.I can see the Gaelic islands having half-ogres. Maybe firbolgs too; can anyone tell me which book has 3e stats for firbolgs?

I think Die has some good ideas, and I like the overall setting. As long as you don't call orcs "green Africans" in front of your players, just use that as a starting point to help you determine how to describe them, that shouldn't be any problem.Well as I said, I imagined the original orc culture as being more Polynesian than African. The only really "African" aspects are the slavery and the voodoo (which I believe was as much a product of slave culture as African traditions).

One thing to consider is that while each area may have its own level of technology, items will inevitably travel from high to low technology, even if very slowly.Oh, absolutely. I thought about mentioning that in my original post. I can definitely see the "Arabians" adopting firearms more readily than the "Gaels"; perhaps the latter are too bound by tradition and resistant to change.

One other thought since its a group of islands what about underwater civilizations? Sea elves and of course Sahuagin?The thought occurred to me, of course, but I hadn't really given it any deep consideration yet. The modules I have are mostly land-based, so if I want to run an actual nautical adventure I'll have to make it up myself, and I don't have much experience with that. I do have homemade rules for half-merfolk that I considered using, though.

Wyvern
taradusis
05-12-07, 09:32 PM If you go to the downloads section they have the 2 Ed Maztica setting available as a free download?
Wyvern76
05-14-07, 05:41 PM If you go to the downloads section they have the 2 Ed Maztica setting available as a free download?Yeah, I downloaded it years ago; I've just never gotten around to reading it yet.

Wyvern
taradusis
05-17-07, 12:44 PM It's a bit much to read thru.You might want to focus on the trade items and weapons and not try to adapt Pluma magic into your campaign,gave me a headache.The illustrations are nice,though.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Wyvern76 05-04-07, 03:59 PM	I may be DMing in the near future, and was trying to decide what to do for a setting -- I wanted something that I could make up as I went along, and that would provide a means of transition between otherwise unconnected published modules. Then it occurred to me that an archipelago would be ideal for this sort of campaign. PCs could be seafaring explorers/treasure hunters, with each adventure taking them to a new port or uncharted island. Possible sources of inspiration/flavor include the Earthsea series, the Odyssey, Sinbad the Sailor, the Voyage of St. Brendan, pirate movies, and the Red Steel campaign setting. In the beginning I had only a vague concept that the predominant culture in the starting region would resemble medieval Spain, with the possibility of travelers originating from other cultures analogous to Arabia, China, etc. (no Vikings, though!). However, last Sunday, as I pondered how different races and deities might fit into the setting, it began to gel into something much more clearly-defined. At this point, I've divided the map up into various regions according to culture. I'll use the names of their real-world analogues, pending the creation of original names. Geography The Spanish islands are the default starting point, and the "centre" of the map; all compass directions mentioned below are relative to this region. Climate is subtropical/Mediterranean. Technological level is (late?) Renaissance - cannon are becoming increasingly widespread; Renaissance firearms are available but still rare. To the north are the Gaelic islands. Climate is mild temperate; technological level is early medieval. Wild elves, ogres, hill giants, centaurs and various types of fey can be found here. To the south are the Arabian islands. Climate is tropical; technological level is medieval (as per the Arabian Nights). The southernmost islands are home to nomadic gnoll raiders, and there are also volcanic islands inhabited by fire giants. To the west are the Asian islands, taking inspiration from this post (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=9975756). They are currently ruled by hobgoblin conquerors, who have a culture similar to Mongols or Huns. Other humanoid races include goblins, nezumi and ogre mages. Climate is tropical to mild temperate; technological level is mostly equivalent to feudal Japan, though the hobgoblins possess crossbows, Renaissance firearms and cannon. To the southwest are the Orcish islands. The only humans found here are slavers (mostly Arabic and Spanish). The orcs have a Stone Age, quasi-Polynesian culture (volcano gods and so forth). Climate is tropical. These islands (and the southernmost Asian islands) are also home to lizardfolk. To the east is a mostly uncharted region. Many wild tales have been told by explorers returning from this region (and many more have not returned). Basically, any of the locations described in the Odyssey or the voyages of Sinbad could exist here. To the far north is a frigid region inhabited by a few scattered tribes of Stone-Age humans with an Inuit/Siberian culture, and many monsters. These region will be unexplored at the start of the campaign, however. Of course, there's plenty of room to expand the setting with regions of other cultures. Races Dwarves are originally native to the Gaelic islands, and have a Teutonic culture. See Warhammer dwarves for inspiration. (No, not the ones with orange mohawks.) Dwarves born in other regions tend to adopt the local culture, though they may still use Germanic names. Elves come in two varieties: high elves and wild elves. High elves are found mostly in the Spanish islands and tend to be urban dwellers and flamboyant swashbucklers. Their favored class is bard. Wild elves are exclusive to the Gaelic islands, and have a culture similar to the stereotype of Picts (i.e. woad-painted, xenophobic savages). Their favored class is barbarian, and they are not a suitable PC race. I'm also thinking about throwing in an Asian subrace. These may or may not be available as PCs, depending on how insular I decide to make them. Gnomes are most common in the Spanish and Arabic islands, where they excel as scholars, craftsmen, bankers, traders, politicians and demagogues. They gain a +2 bonus to Intelligence instead of Constitution, and their favored class is wizard. Half-elves are usually found in the Gaelic islands (if born of a wild elf) or the Spanish islands (if born of a high elf). Half-orcs are the offspring of humans and orc slaves, and may be slaves (or escaped slaves) themselves. They are found most often in the Arabic and Spanish islands. (Hobgoblins practice slavery too, but most of their slaves are human, goblin or nezumi.) Halflings have a Gypsy-like culture. They are believed to originate from the Spanish islands, but are now widespread. Each region has its own language, in addition to the Trade tongue (i.e. Common). Humans, gnomes and half-elves speak their regional language and the Trade tongue, and may choose any of the other regional languages as bonus languages. Other languages are available as follows: Dwarves native to the Gaelic islands speak Dwarven and Gaelic, and may learn Trade as a bonus language. Dwarves of other regions speak their regional language and Trade, and may learn Dwarven as a bonus language. Halflings speak halfling and the Trade tongue, and may learn any regional language as a bonus language. Half-orcs speak their regional language and Trade, and may learn Orcish as a bonus language. High elves speak Spanish and Trade, having no racial language of their own. They may not take Wild Elven as a bonus language, though they may spend skill points to learn it if given the opportunity. Arabic characters of any race may learn Gnollish and Orcish as bonus languages. Asian characters of any race may learn Goblin and Nezumi as bonus languages. Gaelic characters of any race may learn Dwarven, Giantish and Wild Elven as bonus languages. Hobgoblins speak Asian and Goblin, and may learn Trade as a bonus language. Wild Elves speak Wild Elven, Gaelic if they have an Int of 10+, and may learn Giantish and Trade as bonus languages. Deities I've opted to use the core Greyhawk gods from the PHB rather than create an entirely new pantheon. However, I've changed the way some of them are portrayed, and I may eventually give some of them new names more appropriate to their culture of origin. The most popular deity is Fharlanghn, aka the Wayfarer. Although he was originally a Gaelic god, he is now worshiped everywhere as a patron of sailors. His domains are Air (aka Wind), Water and Travel. The chief deity of the Spanish islands is Pelor. The Pelorist religion has trappings similar to the Catholic church -- not the negative stereotype of oppressive, hidebound medieval Catholicism, but the benevolent variety as portrayed in Zorro and similar movies -- stucco chapels, missions, orphanages, etc. Moradin takes on aspects of Odin, specifically his reputation for wisdom and shrewdness. His temples resemble Gothic cathedrals. Yondalla's alignment is changed to chaotic good, and her domains are Luck, Protection and Travel. Orcish slaves have a religion reminiscent of Voodoo, with Gruumsh as the chief loa, whom they pray to for liberation. His alignment is changed to chaotic netural, and his domains are Chaos, Liberation, Protection and Strength. Correllon Larethian is the archetypal swashbuckler; his favored weapon is the rapier and he has the Luck domain in place of the War domain. Garl Glittergold is a patron of gnomish scholars and craftsmen. His favored weapon is the light hammer, and his domains are Artifice, Knowledge and Trickery. Hextor is the god of the hobgoblins. Ehlonna is an agricultural goddess worshiped mainly by Asian peasants. Her favored weapon is the sickle or kama. Other deities are essentially unchanged, but their influence is minor compared to Fharlanghn, Pelor and Hextor. Their cultures of origin are as follows: Gaelic - Kord, Obad Hai (chief god of the wild elves) and Nerull (secret cults of Nerull are found throughout the known world) Spanish - Olidammara (also popular in the Arabic islands, where his favored weapon is the scimitar) Arabic - Boccob, St. Cuthbert and Erythnul (mostly worshiped by gnolls) Asian - Heironeous (former god of samurai, worship outlawed by the hogoblins), Wee Jas (also worshiped in the Spanish islands) Vecna is too closely associated with Greyhawk in my mind, and I couldn't find a place where he really seemed to fit, so I just left him out.
Return of the Flumph 05-04-07, 04:14 PM	Come up with names for the islands. In general, try to be less gimmicky. Don't have the orcs be "green Africans" or the dwarves be "short Germans." Make them a bit less historically dependent.
Sarrazon 05-04-07, 05:53 PM	If you don't already have Stormwrack, I suggest you get it as it has alot of rules for something like this.
taradusis 05-04-07, 07:02 PM	On the DnD general board I have a thread called "Random aquatic notes".I've devised/described a few islands you might want to borrow for your campaign.I myself have always loved the island campaigns ever since basic DnD and think it gives you the flavor of Star trek.Good luck in your campaign.
Wyvern76 05-04-07, 10:54 PM	Come up with names for the islands. In general, try to be less gimmicky. Don't have the orcs be "green Africans" or the dwarves be "short Germans." Make them a bit less historically dependent.Ouch! I'm not trying to create a fully fleshed-out and original setting -- it's just a framework to allow me to toss whatever I want into the mix. As I said, I plan on making it up as I go along. I chose historical analogues to give the players a handle on what to expect and minimize their learning curve. Plus, there are plenty of precedents for this kind of culture-stealing: 7th Sea, Warhammer FRP, Furry Pirates... hey, even the Forgotten Realms borrows from historical cultures. As for the names, I'm working on it. I'm thinking about "Chetney Islands" for the Gaelic region, and "Shen-ju" for the Asian. If you don't already have Stormwrack, I suggest you get it as it has alot of rules for something like this.Thanks for the tip, but I don't have much disposable income at the moment. Besides, I'm not currently planning to focus much on the seafaring aspect of the campaign; it's just a means to take the PCs from one adventure location to another, unconnected one (as taradusis observed, it's like Star Trek); plus it adds a little bit of a different flavor to the campaign world. On the DnD general board I have a thread called "Random aquatic notes".I've devised/described a few islands you might want to borrow for your campaign.I myself have always loved the island campaigns ever since basic DnD and think it gives you the flavor of Star trek.Good luck in your campaign.Thanks! Do you have a link for that thread? Wyvern P.S. I realized that I forgot to add a link in the description of the "Asian" islands. That's been fixed now.
calprinicus 05-05-07, 02:58 PM	I started a campaign like this once, what made it fun to me as I dmed was slowly coming up with a map of all the islands. naming the islands really does help. I was in more of a magical campiagn and we acually started in a city since I just got cityscape and eventually the PC bought a boat. I only played the campaign from level 4-10. every island was from a difference book and between the islands there were ship fights. I think i got though a thick jungle, oriental adventures, sandstorm, my favorite to DM was frost burn where the sea froze over and they had to abandon ship and search for land while creatures where popping up from under the ice. in all a great overall idea. I hope it works out for you as it did me.
taradusis 05-11-07, 12:59 PM	I beleive it's 771660 though I may be wrong.
die 05-11-07, 07:59 PM	Just to throw in some random ideas Maybe the orcish headhunters pay tribute to the lizardfolk who are thought to be the areas dominant civilization. The lizardfolks crudely built zigguarats are actually pale shadows of their masters temples, an underwater aztec-like civilization of sahuagin. Their dark shark goddess hungers for more and more hearts. Maybe only gnomes can practice arcane magic in the Spainish Islands and there is a darker cult that enforces it, sort of an assassins guild/Inquisition kinda thing. Maybe some of the fire giant kings in the Arabian Islands are fond of wargames and they use 'miniatures' (captured adventurers and slaves of course). The upside is the finely crafted armor and weapons they make for their 'miniatures', the downside is that they like to trade with other kings and don't want to part with their collectibles. Half-ogre harpooners from the Gaelic islands might sign on whaling ships. Maybe some Forest Ogres live on one of the islands The reclusive Forest Ogre is not as aggressive as your typical ogre, but just as hungry, also there is a strong sexual dimorphism, the females are medium sized, not as stupid and are sometimes confused with elven females. The young forest ogre maidens occasionally fall in love with a hunter or woodsman or shipwrecked sailor and the male offspring is a half-ogre, female children resemble normal half-elves if the dad was a human, if dad was an elf the female offspring resemble their mom (i.e. wood elf). Forest Ogre males use standard ogre stats and the environment for them is of course temperate forest instead of temperate hills, females use wood elf stats. And both are usually Chaotic Neutral instead of CE or CG. And thanks for reading my Tako Bell (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?p=9975756#post9975756) post :D
queenfange 05-12-07, 07:12 AM	I think Die has some good ideas, and I like the overall setting. As long as you don't call orcs "green Africans" in front of your players, just use that as a starting point to help you determine how to describe them, that shouldn't be any problem. The orcs seem really fun. If their islands are formed from volcanos, eruptions may still occur from time to time. There could be beaches with black sand, and the orc language might have thirty different terms for different types of volcanic ash and eruptions. If the islands have natural resources, perhaps more powerful cultures may attempt colonization, especially the Spanish- with cannons, they'd have a serious advantage. One thing to consider is that while each area may have its own level of technology, items will inevitably travel from high to low technology, even if very slowly. That said, firearms might be extremely valuable to the Arabian people (who recognize their value and rarity, and cannot yet produce their own), while to the orcs, firearms are so alien, no one would ever consider getting close to one, much less buying one. This could present some interesting trading opportunities and dilemmas.
RedRory 05-12-07, 03:44 PM	I like the framework you've set up as yeah you get that Star Trek vibe with new cultures/peoples each adventure. One other thought since its a group of islands what about underwater civilizations? Sea elves and of course Sahuagin?
Wyvern76 05-12-07, 07:56 PM	I beleive it's 771660 though I may be wrong.Thanks. Maybe the orcish headhunters pay tribute to the lizardfolk who are thought to be the areas dominant civilization. The lizardfolks crudely built zigguarats are actually pale shadows of their masters temples, an underwater aztec-like civilization of sahuagin. Their dark shark goddess hungers for more and more hearts.I like the idea of lizardfolk having a (fallen) Aztec civilization; I wouldn't connect it to the sahuagin, though. A shark goddess sounds like more of an Polynesian thing, which would connect it to the orcs. I hadn't really pictured the orcs as headhunters, although I suppose some of them might be. Maybe only gnomes can practice arcane magic in the Spainish Islands and there is a darker cult that enforces it, sort of an assassins guild/Inquisition kinda thing.That's an interesting idea, but I don't think I want to impose that sort of limitation on the campaign. Also, I'm leaning towards Garl Glittergold being more of a patron of scholarship and invention, to contrast him with Boccob. I'd like to replace GG's Trickery domain with something else (right now he and Boccob share two out of three domains), but I can't think of a more appropriate one. Any suggestions? (Tangent: I've being picturing Arabian mages as daring and flamboyant (like the Taftani in Mage: the Sorcerer's Crusade), but it occured to me as I was writing this that the traditional Arabian Nights/Thief of Baghdad image is of the sinister, power-hungry master of occult lore. Then it occurred to me that the first stereotype could be typical of Arabian sorcerers, while the second represents Arabian wizards.) Half-ogre harpooners from the Gaelic islands might sign on whaling ships.I can see the Gaelic islands having half-ogres. Maybe firbolgs too; can anyone tell me which book has 3e stats for firbolgs? I think Die has some good ideas, and I like the overall setting. As long as you don't call orcs "green Africans" in front of your players, just use that as a starting point to help you determine how to describe them, that shouldn't be any problem.Well as I said, I imagined the original orc culture as being more Polynesian than African. The only really "African" aspects are the slavery and the voodoo (which I believe was as much a product of slave culture as African traditions). One thing to consider is that while each area may have its own level of technology, items will inevitably travel from high to low technology, even if very slowly.Oh, absolutely. I thought about mentioning that in my original post. I can definitely see the "Arabians" adopting firearms more readily than the "Gaels"; perhaps the latter are too bound by tradition and resistant to change. One other thought since its a group of islands what about underwater civilizations? Sea elves and of course Sahuagin?The thought occurred to me, of course, but I hadn't really given it any deep consideration yet. The modules I have are mostly land-based, so if I want to run an actual nautical adventure I'll have to make it up myself, and I don't have much experience with that. I do have homemade rules for half-merfolk that I considered using, though. Wyvern
taradusis 05-12-07, 09:32 PM	If you go to the downloads section they have the 2 Ed Maztica setting available as a free download?
Wyvern76 05-14-07, 05:41 PM	If you go to the downloads section they have the 2 Ed Maztica setting available as a free download?Yeah, I downloaded it years ago; I've just never gotten around to reading it yet. Wyvern
taradusis 05-17-07, 12:44 PM	It's a bit much to read thru.You might want to focus on the trade items and weapons and not try to adapt Pluma magic into your campaign,gave me a headache.The illustrations are nice,though.