Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Daybreaker Jan 13, 2009 4:44:56	I'm just going to be posting the somewhat random(-seeming) thoughts that pop into my little head regarding the 4e campaign I'm working up to. I've got at least one other campaign to run first, but that means I've got time. My plan is to pillage Shadowrun a lot, Aliens a touch, 2001 to the greatest extent I can manage, and probably a little bit of Ultima. First, a little background: This campaign takes place on the world of Toril. It's got an alternate timeline, though, and it takes place several centuries later than a standard Realms camapaign. Also, it's going to start in one of those 'unknown lands' on the old maps. In this world, the Spellplague never occurred, because Mystra wasn't slain, because Cyric had already been imprisoned in an epic campaign way earlier. There was no great destructive cataclysm. Instead, there was a renaissance. Steam technology derived from the mass-production of the elemental engine (an arcane perpetual motion device that generates energy by opening small planar portals) leads to industry. Fig, a gnomish mathematician named for the fruit that fell out of a tree and hit him in the head, developed an entirely new set of physics called 'Fig Physics,' codifying such laws of science as, 'for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction,' and, 'an object in motion will stay in motion until acted upon by an outside force.' And so on. In addition to the Spellplague not happening, science developing and semi-magical technology flourishing, this campaign will also begin in one of those 'unknown lands' that you used to see on old maps of the Realms. So this is not what you'd call a classic Realms campaign. It'll begin on the (made-up) continent of Arcadia, north of Maztica, way west of Faerun and waaaaaaaaaay east of Kara-Tur. Colonies on Arcadia, such as the Amnians who attempted to treat the east coast as a slave farm, haven't fared so well. The Fey of the Apple Kingdom, who hold dominion in the northeast, turned the Amnian operation around and now they regularly raid the sword coast for humanoid slaves. The Amazons in the southeast still tend to kill any men who appear on their shores, hampering colonization. The patriarchal centaurs who rule the vast midwestern plains are powerful and difficult to dislodge. The southwestern desert nation of Oremor, also known as the lands of the dead, is actually quite friendly and open to trade, but it's a nation of undead and they creep everybody out. So the only colony that's surviving very well, after a century, is the city of Sealtha in the northwest, which is where the game will begin. What is now known as the city of Sealtha began as the colony of Logan's Fall. It seemed like the best, safest place to establish a harbor. The colonists were mostly from Wa and the Moonsea (after an enterprising deity established a magical train-route between the two locations). They had the services of Count Cenfaro, a powerful wizard who erected massive stone fortifications. Unfortunately, Count Cenfaro was one of the first to die of a mysterious plague that struck the colonists. Without his assistance, the colony was nearly overrun by the giant lycanthropes that prowled the thick forests west of the Celestine Mountain Range. It was only with the help of Prince Sealth, a brilliant musician-turned-philosopher-turned-politician, and a band of helpful adventurers, that peace was established between the colonists and the natives. Over the course of the last century, Logan's Fall has now become merely a well-fortified district in the thriving, cosmopolitan city of Sealtha, the main urban center of the young nation of Celestia. The giant lycanthropes have now become rarely-seen legends, keeping to themselves in the wild, while Celestia has encouraged immigration and developed an extremely diverse and resourceful population. Celestia has few rivals in terms of technological or magical advancement, vast natural resources, and they're the only country in Arcadia that seems to be able to get along with its neighbors. It's a pretty good place to live. Unfortunately, while Celestia has been doing well, much of the rest of the world has been having some problems. The Kingdom of Apples is run by Unseelie fey who have no qualms about enslaving (or in some cases eating) humanoids, and the Kingdom of Apples controls Amn, which is compelled along with a few allies to wage a war of conquest against all of the other humanoids on the continent of Faerun. The war is going in favor of the Kingdom of Apples, which is gaining momentum that could be turned against the rest of the Arcadian nations. Essentially, my campaign's version of Toril, with its alternate timeline and history, is about to put through a World War. It may also become a War of Worlds, as the Spelljamming Powers (those nations with access to interstellar trade) become dragged into the conflict. Thoughts? Suggestions? Please share! I've got a while to brainstorm, I might as well use it, right?
#2 yellowdingo Jan 13, 2009 16:41:03	Essentially, my campaign's version of Toril, with its alternate timeline and history, is about to put through a World War. It may also become a War of Worlds, as the Spelljamming Powers (those nations with access to interstellar trade) become dragged into the conflict. Thoughts? Suggestions? Please share! I've got a while to brainstorm, I might as well use it, right? 1. If war is comming - then there will be those preparing for it. Warbands and Slavers will start preying on isolated communities seeking slaves to row warships, chop timber, build warships, mine, work quarries, repair and reoccupy ruined castles and keeps.
#3 Daybreaker Jan 14, 2009 0:01:33	Other Random Stuff: The Mount Olympus Starport, located near enough to Sealtha to be considered part of its extreme outskirts, quietly caters to interplanetary transport. Regular shuttles go back and forth between Olympus, Selune and Highport (an orbiting fortress). Most people don't really know about interplanetary travel, and if they saw any sort of starcraft they would think it one of the atmospheric flying machines they're accustomed to. In the middle of the Quiet Ocean, roughly analogous to the position of Hawaii in the Pacific, Tiamat has taken root. Each of her five heads has manifested a volcanic island (the eruptions taking the form of the appropriate energy types of each head's breath weapon). Dragons from around the world, and even other worlds, have been congregating in these islands and planning ... something. Gods are experimenting with new ways of manifesting. The gods been forbidden by Ao from manifesting in corporeal form in the physical world ever since the Avatar Crisis. However ... what about corporate form? Self-aware financial entities are becoming all the rage. There are no computers in this world, in spite of the relatively high level of technology, but there is arcane intelligence. It's possible to create a golem whose only function is to do math problems, and some of them are very good at it, if a bit slow in comparison to real-world computers. Warforged, brought to military consumers around the world by Tempus, Inc., are treated like cannon-fodder slaves in conflicts, but the question of whether or not it's acceptable to treat intelligent beings, even artificially-created ones, in this manner, is now being raised. Large shifter population in Celestia. I need to decide where Dragonborn come from. I kind of want to make them the analogous to either Japan (which is perhaps too obvious) or India.
#4 Daybreaker Jan 14, 2009 4:05:03	1. If war is comming - then there will be those preparing for it. Warbands and Slavers will start preying on isolated communities seeking slaves to row warships, chop timber, build warships, mine, work quarries, repair and reoccupy ruined castles and keeps. This is true. The Kingdom of Apples doesn't really have much technology, they rely on their extremely powerful magic. But that means that for any labor that doesn't quite merit an expenditure of magical resources, slaves are required. What tactics would they use to acquire slaves? Most of their slaves are actually gathered by Amn, so it's human against human. How do humans enslave humans in the real world? I suppose it's like you say, isolated communities being attacked with overwhelming force. Hmmm. Interesting dramatic possibility, to begin the game with the extinguishing of a point of light. It's a bit of a cliche, starting the campaign with a slaver raid, but a good twist might be to not let the PCs save their village, just themselves and maybe a few others. Make them choose who to rescue and who to leave behind. Nothing helps get players into character like a few sudden-crisis morality plays. Amn wouldn't do it personally, though -- they're at least a whole continent and an ocean away. They would have made allies, though. Let's say ... the centaurs in the central plains of Arcadia, just on the other side of the Celestine Mountains. They treat their females as slaves and have a tradition of raiding already. At least, the old guard does -- younger generations might be more inclined toward emancipation. The ancient defense pact that has the giant lycanthropes protecting Celestia still holds. They're still out there in the wilderness, watching for danger, sometimes encountering it. Most of the Celestians have no idea how often they're defended. The giant lycanthropes have been countered, however, with a fey spell that has forced them all to hibernate in the deep tunnels beneath the earth where they live. The Queen of Apples sent her Prince of the Hunt to bring back the heart of Lunalobos, High Chief of the Great Beasts (the giant lycanthropes). The Prince of the Hunt was successful, and returned with many scars and the old werewolf's giant heart. The Queen of Apples used it as a focus through which she cast the spell that put the Great Beasts to sleep. To wake them, it will be required for the PCs to eventually find the giant wolf's heart in the royal orchard in the Palace of Apples and pass it to the new High Chief, whomever that ends up being (I'll worry about it later). Suffice to say, the Great Beasts suddenly aren't protecting Celestia any more, which is when the centaur raids begin. Okay. Let's see. The PCs start in a rural village. Mostly just your usual farming folks. The necessary NPCs will be represented -- mentors, mostly, so that the PCs can be whatever class they would like to be. What are these old adventurers doing in this village? Well, most of them came seeking "the treasure," and they're still looking for it. "The treasure" is whatever people hope to find at the bottom or center or whatever of the Labyrinth, which is an enormous maze inside a deep, dark forest nearby. The Labyrinth is so old that not even the shifters (who make up most of the remaining indigenous population) are sure where it came from. It doesn't seem to have any lingering danger or magic, but archaeologists and treasure-hunters still pry about in its depths, hoping to find some uncovered clue or shiny object. The only real danger of the Labyrinth is that you can still very easily get lost in it. When the raid happens, I need to give the PCs some sort of victory as I try to herd them into the Labyrinth. How 'bout, they manage to rescue a few family members, but a couple of small children or someone else that at least a few of the PCs feel responsible for runs into the Labyrinth, which will hopefully lead them to follow. A fey advisor, who will hopefully become a recurring villain, notes that a few people have escaped into the Labyrinth, whereupon this advisor calls upon some old Faerie Magick and activates the Labyrinth's magical traps. This fey advisor believes that the Labyrinth is just an old arena where fey used to toss humans to watch them fight for their lives against terrible beasts that the fey had invented (like minotaurs and eventually lycanthropes). What this advisor doesn't know is that the Labyrinth is also a portal to the Feywild. When he activates the magic, he activates the portal, which means that if the PCs make it to the center of the Labyrinth they can escape into the Feywild. Of course, once there, they have to deal with the actual minotaur that lives there in the Labyrinth, which is present in the Feywild (though with a lot more leafy shrubbery). The Feywild is not a safe place for the PCs. They'll have to get back to their own world so that they can alert the high Celestian authority ... but that means that I need to start thinking about Celestian government and it's two o'clock in the morning. Peace out, y'all.
#5 Daybreaker Jan 18, 2009 4:14:00	Celestia, the country, was named after Celestia, the mountainous island in the astral sea where Torm, Ilmater and Bahamut dwell. The Celestine Mountain Range, which forms part of the eastern border of the country, is a reflection of the 120-mile long mountain range that makes up the plane of Celestia. Each of the mountains is represented, although it is said that reaching the top of the mountain in the mortal world can only take you as far as the bottom of the mountain in the realm of the gods. Whatever that means. There are temples high atop the Celestine Mountains, each dedicated to one of the three gods, Torm, Ilmater and Bahamut. Some people say that there's a secret temple that reveres all three gods, and that this temple is the hidden meeting place of the Celestial Knights. The Celestial Knights are an ancient religious order dedicated to law, justice and suffering (by which they mean self-sacrifice). They counted among their number a great many of the great beasts, until the great beasts were put to sleep. Another powerful faction in Celestia calls themselves the Wizards of the Coats. They're known not by their hats, as some wizards are, but by their coats, which are many-pocketed and often enchanted with pockets of holding. An extremely powerful corporation based in Sealtha, the Wizards of the Coats supplies the world with magical services. Often accused of shady dealings and government manipulation, the Wizards (the term by which they are usually known) are nevertheless seen as bringers of economic prosperity and arcane sophistication to the Celestian economy. The government itself is ... hmmm, let's see, something creative ... ah, I know. It's a democratic shogunate. The shogun is elected by national vote every twelve years. It's not uncommon for a shogun to be re-elected for a second term, but serving for longer than twenty-four years is almost unheard of. The shogun controls the national military of Celestia, and theoretically wields the greatest amount of political power invested in a single Celestian office. The shogun can veto legislation from the senate before it becomes law Celestia is divided into seven realms: Northwalk, the Isles, the Mountains, the Ocean, the Wilds, Olympus and the Shadow, all of which have a governor. Each of these realms elects two senators, so that the national senate consists of fourteen members. Each realm is also divided into a number of districts determined by the realm's population (the bigger the population the more districts a realm has), and each district elects a representative on the national council, which currently includes thirty-five members. The senate and the council together form a bicameral legislative body which has the power to create national laws, declare war, adopt a budget, and so on. A third branch of government is the judicial. The High Court interprets the laws created by the legislature. The current shogun is Yokai Takahashi, a veteran celestial knight who has held the position for ten years. Shogun Takahashi is well-regarded, even beloved by some segments of the population, though there are a number of expansionist political factions who say that some aggressive military campaigns and free trade agreements are needed, and think that Takahashi is too protectionist and isolationist. Y'know, I'm tempted to wipe all this government out with a zombie apocalypse ... might also be a good place to start the game ...
#6 Daybreaker Jan 24, 2009 19:26:19	I usually like to keep things fairly open in terms of character creation. Just because I've got a campaign where some races are more prevalent doesn't mean that the PCs have to fit some kind of demographic curve. At the same time, I'm thinking of putting together a player's guide for this campaign at some point, and I should probably touch on the races that you're most likely to be or interact with. Also, the ones that might be expected and aren't present should probably get some mention, too. Humans make up a lot of the population. The indigenous humans were forced to live mostly underground for a few centuries, because the Thayans had turned the Great Beasts against them. The Great Beasts have been protecting them for about a century now, though, and humans have emerged from the darkness. Also, there are the colonists. You've got humans from the Moonsea region and humans from Wa, both in roughly equal numbers. Culture-wise, the folks from Wa have had more influence on Celestia because people from Wa like the culture of Wa more than people from the Moonsea like the culture of the Moonsea. However, there's still a strong streak of ruthless, chaotic Moonsea-ness among the colonists. It's a combination of warrior culture (Wa) with scoundrel culture (Moonsea). You don't want to mess with the colonists if you can avoid it. Really, the way to describe humans in Celestia is ... tough. One way or another, they've been through a lot, and not only have they survived, they've thrived. Dwarves are not exactly common in Celestia, but they're an influential bunch. They've got a lot of money, and they invented financial corporations when they started united the business interests of different dwarven clans under common banners. Chief Executive Officer Unfred Tongsburn, head of the Moradin Foundation, is a well-known philanthrophist and religious leader. Elves and Eladrin are almost unheard of in Celestia. If you want to find an elf, you generally have to travel to the Old Country (what people in Celestia call Faerun) and find the most remote wilderness you possibly can, and then hope they don't kill you for trespassing. If you want to find an eladrin, it's best to look in places that can only be reached by magic, like frozen mountaintops scattered sparsely about the world. These two races have retreated from this world, for the most part. The only real concentration of them is in Evermeet. Half-Elves, on the other hand, are reasonably common. Before the elves left they boinked a lot of humans. Half-elves in this campaign are probably not the result of elven and human parents, but rather the result of two half-elven parents. Half-elves from the Moonsea made up a large percentage of colonists (or refugees if you will), and formed their own distinct ethnic group in Celestia. Their culture is probably the closest to your standard D&D pseudo-European arrangement. Most people think of them as just another human ethnic group. Half-elves tend to find positions of leadership, and are commonly found in the political and corporate spheres. Drow are not common in Celestia, but neither are they unheard of. When the elves and eladrin left, unaligned drow boiled up to the surface world and spread out as quick and as far as they could, filling a vacuum of sorts. Celestia, which locates most of its urban sprawl underground, and where different ethnic groups deal with each other regardless of old cultural enmities, is a natural fit for drow looking to make a place for themselves. Of course, Celestia has only existed for a single drow generation, and most of the drow living there arrived well into the nation's development, so while drow make many efforts to blend in, they tend to think of themselves as an immigrant culture that has yet to produce a large natural-born population. Most of the drow live in a huge underground cavern of their own making that they call Unnzennisaxa and everyone calls Drowtown. In spite of their small numbers, the drow are responsible for a lot of the magical advancement of Celestia. They fill a niche left unoccupied by the eladrin. Shifters are quite common in Celestia, and like the half-elves they are commonly thought of as an ethnic sub-group of humans. They are the result of interbreeding between humans and the Great Beasts, and they are highly regarded by most of the natives. Especially in the wilds, where the Great Beasts once prowled, the Shifters that feel an obligation to live up to what they perceive as the duties of their bloodline are trying to take up the slack and be the defenders of the region and its people. At the same time, there remains a lingering resentment among some of the natives toward the colonists that they see as invaders. And wherever you find talk of armed resistance, you will find Shifters in charge. After all, they see themselves as both the defenders of the region and the natural leaders of its population -- isn't it their duty to drive out the encroachers from beyond the Quiet Ocean? Doppelgangers are rare, but not nearly as rare as people think they are. There is a sizable Doppelganger population living in and around Olympus. Of course, most people have no idea when they're talking to a Doppelganger because it looks like something else while they're talking to it. The Doppelgangers are actually just an enclave of a spacefaring civilization. The Doppelgangers are expert shipbuilders, excelling in the construction of transforming vessels (imagine an elven man o' war that transforms into a giant robot). They've made a lot of money as Torilian factions expand into space. The Boing Corporation, the financial manifestation of Boing, the Doppelganger god of invention, is one of the most powerful influential corporations in Celestia. In wildspace, Boing Corp is even more influential. Most of the citizens of Celestia think of Boing Corp as builders of atmospheric military aerocraft, not realizing that they make most of their money building spacecraft. Halflings are well-represented in Celestia, but not as well thought-of as they are in most places. Yondalla Corp, which is outwardly benevolent, is considered nothing more than a front for the Halfling Syndicate, which muscles its way into every business and organization it can extort anything from. While the rest of the world sees halflings as peaceful little cherubs, in Celestia the halfling stereotype is that of a tiny thug. Your average halfling may just be another hard-working citizen, but the stereotype persists to the point that halflings often find themselves forced to turn to the syndicate for employment. Dragonborn are very rare in Celestia, more likely to have arrived as raiders from the northern wastes. The sight of a dragonborn tends to send most citizens either running in terror or reaching for their weapons. However, there is a dragonborn clan that wishes to defect from their draconic masters, and their honorable nature may make it possible for them to deal with the current shogun and his Wa (Japanese) sensibilities. Tieflings come from Cormyr in this campaign (long story), so they're not likely to show up much. Let's see ... what's left ... Oh, yeah! Warforged, not necessarily invented by but produced in large quantities by Tempus, Inc. At this point in the campaign, Warforged are not considered living beings and aren't afforded citizenship. However, that may change as the campaign progresses, depending on what the PCs do. They're going to encounter at least one warforged prophet who will claim sentient status and try to earn emancipation for his people. Of course, this will create serious problems for the war effort, since they're going to be mass-producing warforged to try to make up for the loss of the Great Beasts. Even if warforged are sentient, can they be drafted? I think that covers the basic PC races. So what I should put into the player's guide would be: Humans Dwarves Half-Elves Drow Shifters Halflings Warforged In my DM's guide, only shown to characters who are playing the appropriate race, would be: Doppelgangers Dragonborn
#7 Daybreaker Jan 25, 2009 19:37:26	Clerics are the agents and representatives of the god-corporations, the most common of which are as follows: The Moradin Foundation: This church takes tithes from the dwarven community and donations from the rest of Celestia and then funds charitable organizations throughout the nation. Tempus, Inc.: All of the Arcadian nations spend too much time fighting each other not to invest heavily in Tempus, Inc. Tempus is perfectly unaligned and will sell to anybody. And does, to everybody. Torm: This god-corp has been under private contract with the Democratic Shogunate of Celestia since just prior to the signing of the national declaration. It functions like a private sheriff's department, serving and protecting the people, usually dealing with problems too dangerous for the police. Bahamut: A subsidiary of Torm. Sort of like Torm's S.W.A.T. teams. Ilmater: Another subsidiary of Torm, though not everyone realizes this. Ilmater's clerics work in free clinics and soup kitchens across Celestia. Torm invests a lot of money in Ilmater, one pay-off being that they end up being privy to all kinds of street gossip, which is extremely useful in law enforcement. Silvanus Enterprises (a subsidiary of Silvanus Corp): This one took me a minute. What happens when trees form their own corporation? They trade with all the other citizens of Celestia, of course (not that anybody else actually recognizes trees as citizens -- but the trees see this as a stepping stone). What do they have to trade? The bodies of their dead, of course. They make great furniture and houses and firewood. What do they want in return? The bodies the humanoid dead, of course. We make great furniture and houses and mulch. Meilikkitech (a subsidiary of Silvanus Corp): A technological institute that develops ways for humanoids and the forests to co-exist. Oghma Celestia: The Celestian branch of Oghmacorp, which has established universities and libraries all over the world. Macrogond: Dedicated to Gond, these are the makers of the utilitarian golems that make modern life possible, and the complicated instructions that guide them. Wizards of the Coats: Still trying to make magic look fashionable. Dedicated to Mystra, who isn't dead in this campaign.
#8 Daybreaker Feb 03, 2009 0:12:58	Somewhat randomly ... I was playing some Ultima V: Lazarus today and it was making me think about philosophy in RPGs in general. I like the way Richard Garriott wrote the Ultima series. Basically, he came up with a philosophical lexicon/system and then wrote a bunch of discussions on the system and called that dialogue. It works better than it sounds, in my opinion. The three primary gods of Celestia are (at least in the Forgotten Realms) Torm, Bahamut and Ilmater. That's Law, Justice and Suffering. Law and Justice are fairly close concepts, but not identical -- I would say that Law is the attempt to put Justice into action. Law is Lawful Good, whereas (according to the Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide) Justice is Good, but not necessarily Lawful. Suffering is also (apparently) Good. What exactly is the difference between Suffering (Ilmater, Good) and Pain (Loviatar, Evil)? Fortunately, I happened to have an emo teenager on hand, who helped to explain the difference: Pain is a physical sensastion, whereas Suffering is a metaphysical feeling. Or, as a Buddhist would put it, life is suffering and life is good so suffering is good. Or something. Whereas pain is a distraction from the spiritual -- nobody's mind is on God (or a god) when they stub their toe. Not sure I really have a handle on that, but my questions are something I can channel into the story, somehow, I suppose.
#9 Daybreaker Feb 08, 2009 20:20:59	The region of Celestia is a mirror of the plane of Celestia because of an ancient pact between the Celestial gods (Torm, Bahamut and Ilmater) and Tiamat. The pact predates Tiamat's transformation by Bane into an evil goddess. In this cosmology, Io was split into Tiamat and Bahamut, but neither of them were inherently good or evil when they first came into being. They were unaligned and still worked together for a time. Both gods were torn between two other gods to whom they were, by nature, closely aligned -- Torm and Bane. Bahamut chose to be swayed by Torm, and became Good, and took up arms against Bane. Bane punished Bahamut by inflicting terrible evil on Tiamat, such that her own alignment became twisted and evil. Ever since, Bahamut and Tiamat have been the bitterest of enemies. But before Tiamat was evil, she was known as ... dum dum dum ... Celestia. She was a goddess not of greed but of the elemental chaos, as opposed to Bahamut, who was then known as Astra, god of the astral sea. When aligned with good, Astra became Bahamut, god of justice, and when aligned with evil Celestia became Tiamat, goddess of greed. Following? Three gods knew Celestia before Bane turned her into Tiamat. They loved her and created a mountain garden for her in the astral sea, but when she became evil they lived there without her and named their plane after her. And in an attempt to redeem her and rescue her from Bane's evil hold, they mirrored this plane, which is built out of their loving memories of her, in the physical world. The plan of these three gods is that Tiamat will undergo a ritual of healing. This will be accomplished by the invocation of Tiamat into an exarch, who the party will accompany as she undergoes personally transforming experiences of law, justice and suffering. At the end of the campaign, if the PCs have done their jobs, Tiamat will have transformed back to Celestia. That sounds like a good epic goal. Now I just have to think more about the early levels of the campaign, and how to foreshadow that ...