Campaign builder-newb needs some advice [Archive] - Wizards Community

Campaign builder-newb needs some advice [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
OgreMonk
05-30-07, 08:32 AM Howdy,

I have been milling over some ideas for a new campaign world named Urdhajia. One of the most obvious aspects is that I will be disallowing all full caster classes for PC use. Other aspects are as follows...
-No bards as they just will not fit into my world vision
-No phb races except for humans and half-orcs. Many other races will be available, such as kobold, orc, lizardfolk, kenku, shifters, changelings, and a few others
-Competing monotheistic human religions
-Competing city-states at constant war with each other
-Mesopotamia/Assyria/Babylon inspired

While I know my ideas might not be world-shatteringly original, they are new to me and I want to know if anyone knows of anything that might help me put my vision to paper (or hard drive:)). Thanks for your time.
OgreMonk
05-30-07, 09:20 AM I have done some work on the races...

Humans- The dominant race of Urdhajia. Most of the rulers and nobles of Urdhajia are human. This does not mean that humans are not members of the lowest rungs of society, as they seem to outnumber all other races within the confines of the urban poor. There are many different kinds of humans, with no real difference stats or ability. Region of birth and religion are what determines the "kind" of human. The different human religions all seem to worship the same god but this has had no effect on the violence between sects.

Orc- A more primitive form of human that has adapted itself to the urban lifestyle in the last few decades. They tend to congregate among their own kind but often find humans to be natural allies and sometimes, as mates. No light sensitivity.

Half Orc- The result of human-orc copulation. Bonus feat at 1st level. They tend to feel at ease with either race.

Kobold- One of the draconic races of Urdhajia. Expert underground builders.
They foster a strong hatred for lizardfolk, and rarely are seen in the their company unless a fight is in progress. -2 Str instead of -4.

Lizardfolk- The other draconic race of Urdhajia. Superb hunters and trackers. Have a bad habit of eating live creatures in front of other races that find the practice barbaric. Especially enjoy kobold flesh.

Kenku- Birdmen from the southern jungles. Rarely trusted by those outside their race. Skilled rogues and assassins.

Shifter- Bestial humanoids from the southern jungles. Honorable warriors and monks. Will NEVER ally itself with a kenku except in dire circumstances.

Changeling- A race that descended from the sky on large stone platforms a few centuries ago. They had no memory of their origins and make no claims of celestial bloodlines. Most abhor violence but that is not to say that a changeling assassin is unheard of.

Necropolitan- Called "Azel", they are undead beings that populate Azel-Salar, the massive Spired City of the Dead. Outside the Spire, they are thought to be mostly mindless and reclusive. Unbeknown to most of of the peoples of Urdhajia, they have infiltrated nearly every level of society in nearly every city, town, and village. They take only what they need to sustain themselves and generally stay under the radar. They are responsible for all undead presence in this world but no one but themselves knows this. In this world, they are flesh eaters and have a preference for humans. Not available as a PC race, or I should say, not yet available.

Other races to come...
Elvez4ever
05-30-07, 09:54 AM So far it looks like you'll be having an interesting campaign! I have a few questions:

No spellcaster? Why so? (I'm not saying it isn't a good idea, I'm just curious why you chose it.)

What IS your world vision? You mention bards don't fit in and that it's Mesopotamia/Assyria/Babylon inspired. Do you have more fluff or is that what you're looking for help with?

Just as a side note I like the conflicting religions bit. Rather reflects our own world's past.

Good job, keep posting and I'm sure your questions will be answered!
OgreMonk
05-30-07, 10:08 AM No spellcaster? Why so? (I'm not saying it isn't a good idea, I'm just curious why you chose it.)
Only full spellcasting classes, like wizard, druid, favored soul, cleric, etc, are off limits. I want to try a more tactical game and I feel that many of these classes will hamper this play style. Another reason is that I want the higher levels of magic to be the sole means of power for many of the different city-state rulers.

What IS your world vision? You mention bards don't fit in and that it's Mesopotamia/Assyria/Babylon inspired. Do you have more fluff or is that what you're looking for help with?
I admit my fluff is lacking and that I am not to good at expressing my vision. I am looking to go in a sort of a Scorpion King-type of direction with heavy influence from the historical "cradle of civilization" and good use of the Sandstorm environment book. And the bard issue is rather personal, I just do not like them too much. I know that is a cruddy reason but hey, maybe one of my players will convince me otherwise. I am never absolute on any idea.

Just as a side note I like the conflicting religions bit. Rather reflects our own world's past.
Think of the eastern/western christian church split, times ten and much more violent. Each claims superiority and perverts the original ideals for their own benefit. Just as a side note, I am catholic and mean no sleight against RL Christianity.

Good job, keep posting and I'm sure your questions will be answered!
Thanks!
GoriceXII
05-30-07, 10:26 AM You might want to have different deities as rivals as well. I'm trying in my campaign to have the pantheons of deities make a certain sense, so in the one region I have for instance humanoids who worship deities from the same pantheon as the humans but ones of different influence.

A thought: the lizardfolk and kobolds could be rival descendants of Tiamat's dragon children. In my campaign I'm depicting Tiamat a little more like her mythological self as opposed to D&D tradition so that might be an interesting take for you.
OgreMonk
05-30-07, 10:41 AM That is pretty close to my ideas on the origins of the dragon-descended races. The lizardfolk worship Bahumat while the kobold worship Tiamat. In this world, the two dragons are highly competitive siblings, with neither as inherently good or evil. Members of either religion have been known to both commit awful atrocities and the saintliest of deeds.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
OgreMonk 05-30-07, 08:32 AM	Howdy, I have been milling over some ideas for a new campaign world named Urdhajia. One of the most obvious aspects is that I will be disallowing all full caster classes for PC use. Other aspects are as follows... -No bards as they just will not fit into my world vision -No phb races except for humans and half-orcs. Many other races will be available, such as kobold, orc, lizardfolk, kenku, shifters, changelings, and a few others -Competing monotheistic human religions -Competing city-states at constant war with each other -Mesopotamia/Assyria/Babylon inspired While I know my ideas might not be world-shatteringly original, they are new to me and I want to know if anyone knows of anything that might help me put my vision to paper (or hard drive:)). Thanks for your time.
OgreMonk 05-30-07, 09:20 AM	I have done some work on the races... Humans- The dominant race of Urdhajia. Most of the rulers and nobles of Urdhajia are human. This does not mean that humans are not members of the lowest rungs of society, as they seem to outnumber all other races within the confines of the urban poor. There are many different kinds of humans, with no real difference stats or ability. Region of birth and religion are what determines the "kind" of human. The different human religions all seem to worship the same god but this has had no effect on the violence between sects. Orc- A more primitive form of human that has adapted itself to the urban lifestyle in the last few decades. They tend to congregate among their own kind but often find humans to be natural allies and sometimes, as mates. No light sensitivity. Half Orc- The result of human-orc copulation. Bonus feat at 1st level. They tend to feel at ease with either race. Kobold- One of the draconic races of Urdhajia. Expert underground builders. They foster a strong hatred for lizardfolk, and rarely are seen in the their company unless a fight is in progress. -2 Str instead of -4. Lizardfolk- The other draconic race of Urdhajia. Superb hunters and trackers. Have a bad habit of eating live creatures in front of other races that find the practice barbaric. Especially enjoy kobold flesh. Kenku- Birdmen from the southern jungles. Rarely trusted by those outside their race. Skilled rogues and assassins. Shifter- Bestial humanoids from the southern jungles. Honorable warriors and monks. Will NEVER ally itself with a kenku except in dire circumstances. Changeling- A race that descended from the sky on large stone platforms a few centuries ago. They had no memory of their origins and make no claims of celestial bloodlines. Most abhor violence but that is not to say that a changeling assassin is unheard of. Necropolitan- Called "Azel", they are undead beings that populate Azel-Salar, the massive Spired City of the Dead. Outside the Spire, they are thought to be mostly mindless and reclusive. Unbeknown to most of of the peoples of Urdhajia, they have infiltrated nearly every level of society in nearly every city, town, and village. They take only what they need to sustain themselves and generally stay under the radar. They are responsible for all undead presence in this world but no one but themselves knows this. In this world, they are flesh eaters and have a preference for humans. Not available as a PC race, or I should say, not yet available. Other races to come...
Elvez4ever 05-30-07, 09:54 AM	So far it looks like you'll be having an interesting campaign! I have a few questions: No spellcaster? Why so? (I'm not saying it isn't a good idea, I'm just curious why you chose it.) What IS your world vision? You mention bards don't fit in and that it's Mesopotamia/Assyria/Babylon inspired. Do you have more fluff or is that what you're looking for help with? Just as a side note I like the conflicting religions bit. Rather reflects our own world's past. Good job, keep posting and I'm sure your questions will be answered!
OgreMonk 05-30-07, 10:08 AM	No spellcaster? Why so? (I'm not saying it isn't a good idea, I'm just curious why you chose it.) Only full spellcasting classes, like wizard, druid, favored soul, cleric, etc, are off limits. I want to try a more tactical game and I feel that many of these classes will hamper this play style. Another reason is that I want the higher levels of magic to be the sole means of power for many of the different city-state rulers. What IS your world vision? You mention bards don't fit in and that it's Mesopotamia/Assyria/Babylon inspired. Do you have more fluff or is that what you're looking for help with? I admit my fluff is lacking and that I am not to good at expressing my vision. I am looking to go in a sort of a Scorpion King-type of direction with heavy influence from the historical "cradle of civilization" and good use of the Sandstorm environment book. And the bard issue is rather personal, I just do not like them too much. I know that is a cruddy reason but hey, maybe one of my players will convince me otherwise. I am never absolute on any idea. Just as a side note I like the conflicting religions bit. Rather reflects our own world's past. Think of the eastern/western christian church split, times ten and much more violent. Each claims superiority and perverts the original ideals for their own benefit. Just as a side note, I am catholic and mean no sleight against RL Christianity. Good job, keep posting and I'm sure your questions will be answered! Thanks!
GoriceXII 05-30-07, 10:26 AM	You might want to have different deities as rivals as well. I'm trying in my campaign to have the pantheons of deities make a certain sense, so in the one region I have for instance humanoids who worship deities from the same pantheon as the humans but ones of different influence. A thought: the lizardfolk and kobolds could be rival descendants of Tiamat's dragon children. In my campaign I'm depicting Tiamat a little more like her mythological self as opposed to D&D tradition so that might be an interesting take for you.
OgreMonk 05-30-07, 10:41 AM	That is pretty close to my ideas on the origins of the dragon-descended races. The lizardfolk worship Bahumat while the kobold worship Tiamat. In this world, the two dragons are highly competitive siblings, with neither as inherently good or evil. Members of either religion have been known to both commit awful atrocities and the saintliest of deeds.