Creating a new island kingdom [Archive] - Wizards Community

Creating a new island kingdom [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Preternatural
03-10-05, 07:10 PM Hello everyone, I'm new to the forum, but have been reading on for the last few weeks and found it a very nice place to check in on every now and then.

I've suddenly found myself DMing a game for some friends who are new to D&D and Forgotten Realms. After some discussion with them I thought about creating a new island kingdom for my game, a way to introduce them slowly to the realms, but also allows me options to create new things that aren't found in the book if need be.

Briefly looking at the map, near the northern Sword Coast I see a few scattered isles, but haven't been able to find any information on them, cities, countries, peoples, etc. I was wondering if they were inhabited and if so, where I could find information on them.
Alac Luin
03-10-05, 09:34 PM If you are talking about what I think you are talking about, that would probably be things like "purple isles".

They are Inhabited by pirate / Viking like Illuskans. (Tall, fair colored people)
Some info can be had on this area from the old books…
Volo’s Guide to the North
Savage Frontiers
The North

The last is probably the best bet from this list.
All 3 books can be downloaded for free on this page…
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/downloads
Preternatural
03-10-05, 10:35 PM Thanks, those books you suggested did clear things up a lot.

I just looked over those sources. The Uttersea, the Purple Rocks and Gundarlun are all inhabited by Norse-like Illuskan. Actually, after reading The North book, I'm surprised no official sources have updated Gundarlun, it seems like a fairly important settlement with it's strategic position and all. I think the population of the port city there is equivalent to some of the smaller cities on the Sword Coast

This makes it more difficult to do what I planned, I can't just plug in any settlements and such into those islands, not without contradict anything established in a noticeable way, which I don't want to do. What would be the feasibility of just saying there's a moderate sized island beyond even these lands?
BrianCritchley
03-10-05, 10:46 PM very fesiable. I've got a "Elzebethian england" type island I set up in my game. worked well. especially as faerun kinda lacks a MAJOR sea power.
Preternatural
03-10-05, 11:08 PM That's cool, the level of technology and development in the Realms is about that era. It's kind of true, there doesn't seem to be any major island sea powers along the sword coast.

I guess I can go about fitting in some of the bits and pieces I have worked up into an island in the northern coast. My players suggested a Norse feel to the game anyway. Seems to fit in the area.

Anyone have an idea of what sort of powers a leader of a nation should have? Levels and resources? Seems like every ruler is a pretty powerful heavyweight in the major nations. Even the more mild countries have fairly leveled NPCs in charge.
Preternatural
03-17-05, 12:21 AM Figured I shouldn't go about starting new threads for every questions I had, and it is related anyway.

I was talking to one of my players, with a sorceress character, and they wanted to become the apprentice/ward of one of the council members who rule the nation. The NPC I had in mind was a half-fey sorceress or bard of some sort, some combination of that. She's a flighty and flirtatious personality and sort of a local storytelling celebrity, not someone you would immediately expect to be a member of a ruling council. While the other members of the council are low profile.

It is pointless to fully stat her out, don't forsee players fighting her, but I would like to have a rough idea of her capabilities. I'm struggling to figure out how to work in the bard angle, which seems to fit the character, but also want to make her rather spellcasting intensive, since the council is a magocracy. Having her be a bard for a few levels then mostly sorceress is sort of like having it as just a diversion, but I also don't need or want these NPCs to go into higher epic levels like the Chosen or what not. A level around 20ish should be more than enough. She is in the top three out of a council of nine after all.

Anyone have any ideas, I would appreciate it.
Nyat
03-17-05, 12:31 AM I thought Evermeet was supposed to be a major naval power, its just not aggressive, although I guess they did take heavy damage in recent years.
BrianCritchley
03-17-05, 12:59 AM prenatural, try the bard prestige class prestened in unearthed arcana. :)
Brom Greenstar
03-17-05, 06:47 AM add to Evermeet, Waterdeep, Ruathvym(is it writen correctly?), Amn, the Nelanthers (a loose nation of pirates!)
About the councilwoman i'd say: multiclass!
Preternatural
03-17-05, 02:00 PM Waterdeep and Amn are the human naval powers of the Sword Coast, true, but they don't depend entirely on trade from the sea.

The Nelanthers are pirates, while fun (necessary) to have around, aren't quite a unitfied nation it doesn't feel.

Evermeet is sort of in an isolationist mood, and too far away to really affect anything unless they really try. Until recently, there's been a lot of ships going to Evermeet and few leaving it due to the Retreat. That probably is changing now, with their return, then again, I bet a bunch of elves are returning by portals anyway.

Rauthym is kind of in the same league as the Nelanthers.

Maybe the Moonshaes, but they seem to be content with just hanging around.
---------------------
Brian, thanks for the tip. I went on a covert mission to liberate Unearthed Arcana from a dorm-mate, took me a bit to track down a person with that book. The Prestige bard fits perfectly, better than I had hoped even. Was basically just looking for a magic heavy PrC for a bard or what not. The Prestige Bard goes a step beyond that. And multiclassing I shall go:

Astraee Faedautir Female Half-fey Human Rog2/Sor7/Prestige Bard 15
CR 26 (I think, never quite understood CRs) Casts spells as an 18th level sorceress, just able to get 9th level spells.

A bit higher than I originally intended, but still not too bad. Right now, she's a bit higher in CR than the leader of the council, but that sort of suites her personality, too much responsibility isn't fun.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Preternatural 03-10-05, 07:10 PM	Hello everyone, I'm new to the forum, but have been reading on for the last few weeks and found it a very nice place to check in on every now and then. I've suddenly found myself DMing a game for some friends who are new to D&D and Forgotten Realms. After some discussion with them I thought about creating a new island kingdom for my game, a way to introduce them slowly to the realms, but also allows me options to create new things that aren't found in the book if need be. Briefly looking at the map, near the northern Sword Coast I see a few scattered isles, but haven't been able to find any information on them, cities, countries, peoples, etc. I was wondering if they were inhabited and if so, where I could find information on them.
Alac Luin 03-10-05, 09:34 PM	If you are talking about what I think you are talking about, that would probably be things like "purple isles". They are Inhabited by pirate / Viking like Illuskans. (Tall, fair colored people) Some info can be had on this area from the old books… Volo’s Guide to the North Savage Frontiers The North The last is probably the best bet from this list. All 3 books can be downloaded for free on this page… http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/downloads
Preternatural 03-10-05, 10:35 PM	Thanks, those books you suggested did clear things up a lot. I just looked over those sources. The Uttersea, the Purple Rocks and Gundarlun are all inhabited by Norse-like Illuskan. Actually, after reading The North book, I'm surprised no official sources have updated Gundarlun, it seems like a fairly important settlement with it's strategic position and all. I think the population of the port city there is equivalent to some of the smaller cities on the Sword Coast This makes it more difficult to do what I planned, I can't just plug in any settlements and such into those islands, not without contradict anything established in a noticeable way, which I don't want to do. What would be the feasibility of just saying there's a moderate sized island beyond even these lands?
BrianCritchley 03-10-05, 10:46 PM	very fesiable. I've got a "Elzebethian england" type island I set up in my game. worked well. especially as faerun kinda lacks a MAJOR sea power.
Preternatural 03-10-05, 11:08 PM	That's cool, the level of technology and development in the Realms is about that era. It's kind of true, there doesn't seem to be any major island sea powers along the sword coast. I guess I can go about fitting in some of the bits and pieces I have worked up into an island in the northern coast. My players suggested a Norse feel to the game anyway. Seems to fit in the area. Anyone have an idea of what sort of powers a leader of a nation should have? Levels and resources? Seems like every ruler is a pretty powerful heavyweight in the major nations. Even the more mild countries have fairly leveled NPCs in charge.
Preternatural 03-17-05, 12:21 AM	Figured I shouldn't go about starting new threads for every questions I had, and it is related anyway. I was talking to one of my players, with a sorceress character, and they wanted to become the apprentice/ward of one of the council members who rule the nation. The NPC I had in mind was a half-fey sorceress or bard of some sort, some combination of that. She's a flighty and flirtatious personality and sort of a local storytelling celebrity, not someone you would immediately expect to be a member of a ruling council. While the other members of the council are low profile. It is pointless to fully stat her out, don't forsee players fighting her, but I would like to have a rough idea of her capabilities. I'm struggling to figure out how to work in the bard angle, which seems to fit the character, but also want to make her rather spellcasting intensive, since the council is a magocracy. Having her be a bard for a few levels then mostly sorceress is sort of like having it as just a diversion, but I also don't need or want these NPCs to go into higher epic levels like the Chosen or what not. A level around 20ish should be more than enough. She is in the top three out of a council of nine after all. Anyone have any ideas, I would appreciate it.
Nyat 03-17-05, 12:31 AM	I thought Evermeet was supposed to be a major naval power, its just not aggressive, although I guess they did take heavy damage in recent years.
BrianCritchley 03-17-05, 12:59 AM	prenatural, try the bard prestige class prestened in unearthed arcana. :)
Brom Greenstar 03-17-05, 06:47 AM	add to Evermeet, Waterdeep, Ruathvym(is it writen correctly?), Amn, the Nelanthers (a loose nation of pirates!) About the councilwoman i'd say: multiclass!
Preternatural 03-17-05, 02:00 PM	Waterdeep and Amn are the human naval powers of the Sword Coast, true, but they don't depend entirely on trade from the sea. The Nelanthers are pirates, while fun (necessary) to have around, aren't quite a unitfied nation it doesn't feel. Evermeet is sort of in an isolationist mood, and too far away to really affect anything unless they really try. Until recently, there's been a lot of ships going to Evermeet and few leaving it due to the Retreat. That probably is changing now, with their return, then again, I bet a bunch of elves are returning by portals anyway. Rauthym is kind of in the same league as the Nelanthers. Maybe the Moonshaes, but they seem to be content with just hanging around. --------------------- Brian, thanks for the tip. I went on a covert mission to liberate Unearthed Arcana from a dorm-mate, took me a bit to track down a person with that book. The Prestige bard fits perfectly, better than I had hoped even. Was basically just looking for a magic heavy PrC for a bard or what not. The Prestige Bard goes a step beyond that. And multiclassing I shall go: Astraee Faedautir Female Half-fey Human Rog2/Sor7/Prestige Bard 15 CR 26 (I think, never quite understood CRs) Casts spells as an 18th level sorceress, just able to get 9th level spells. A bit higher than I originally intended, but still not too bad. Right now, she's a bit higher in CR than the leader of the council, but that sort of suites her personality, too much responsibility isn't fun.