I recently started a new campaign in a homebrew world, and I'm looking for some feedback. I've been out of DMing for awhile, and can use all the help I can get. I have no trouble with the combat stuff, but I really struggle with the noncombat encounters and whatnot.
PCs:
Paladin
Ranger (Beastmaster)
Cleric
All are level 8
THE WORLD:
The area of the world that the campaign takes place in is largely Human, with small pockets of other races. I didn't allow any Arcane classes, and you'll see why below.
Map:
Please excuse the map. It is a poorly scaned mash-up of a 4 page (poorly) hand-drawn map I made lol. The edges don't quite line up in this scan either... It gets the point across though.
HISTORY:
The Age of Wonders
The oldest histories speak of a time before the Age of Kings when the gods walked among men, and ruled the mortal plane with no intermediary. Little is known about this time other than that its ending brought about the First Age of Darkness, a time of great sorrow and strife for mortals as they struggled to find direction without the direct rule of their gods. When the gods left, they took with them the knowledge of true magic, leaving mortals without the ability to channel the ancient elemental magics, or even to tap into the true magic of Creation. No one is certain what brought about the end of the Age of Wonder, but there are those who say the gods were beaten back to the astral sea in battle by an alliance of the primordials and the demon princes. Ever since, there have been those prophesying a second Age of Wonder, when the gods will return to rule the mortal plane.
The First Age of Darkness
After the gods abandoned the mortal realm, men lost their way. They descended into infighting and treachery, each trying to claim their own piece of the gods’ kingdoms as their own. Little history survives from this time, as men were more concerned with war than the preservation of knowledge. Many of the marvels from the Age of Wonder were destroyed during this period, as men saw them as monuments to their own failings, knowing that they would never be as powerful as the gods that preceded them.
The Age of Kings
Near the end of the First Age of Darkness, there were born three special mortals. These three men were to shake the world to its foundations.
Gan Keldynst was born to a family of nomads in the north, and by uniting his people he raised an army the likes of which had not been seen since the Age of Wonders. His conquests ran south all the way to the captured sea, and their northern boundary was never seen by any but the nomads he was born among. His army was unmatched in its prowess, sharpened by generations of living in the harsh northern climates. His enemies christened him Frostbane, and he took the title as a badge of honor, proclaiming to his enemies their fear of him. He would have continued south across the ocean, but the southern lands were already being claimed by the armies of Danrad Mos’at, and he knew he could not keep his holdings if he involved himself in such a war.
Mos’at was born in the mountains of the Spine. Little else is known of his early life other than that he ran away when he was but a boy, and began raising fighters from the towns around him, with the intent of ruling the entire world. He swept through the plains of the south like a wind, earning the title Windrunner, and united the warring kingdoms through the iron grip of force. Danrad Windrunner conquered the southern continent in less than a year, and had his sights set northward until he heard tales of Gan Frostbane from those who were fleeing from their northern homelands. He struck up a reluctant truce with Gan, and they both turned their eye to the island kingdoms of Rayis Lobok.
Rayis was born on a small island far out in the North Sea. He was a merchant and a trader for much of his early life, working his way up in the ranks of his peers, and gaining influence. He became ruler of his island at a relatively young age, and through his sound policies and harsh trade tactics, his nation prospered. He eventually convinced many of the other island nations to unite under his banner, citing the prosperity of his homeland to convince them. Those who would not be persuaded were set upon by fleets of brigands and mercenaries until they could no longer afford to refuse his offer. Through these tactics, he came to rule all the island nations of the North Sea, and even expanded his influence through the Captured Sea and into the East. His iron grip on the islanders gave him a large monopoly on trade, as most continental people were not shipbuilders or inclined to seafaring.
The alliance of Frostbane and Windrunner looked to break Lobok’s monopoly by conquering the islands with military might. For years, they built ships and sent them to the islands with troops, and for years Lobok’s privateers sunk them before they could reach their destination. Much of the combined might of the two nations was brought to bear on the islanders, and still there was no clear victory to be had. Eventually, The two great kings of the mainland agreed to meet with Lobok to discuss a treaty. The signing of this peace treaty marked the beginning of the Age of Kings.
The first three kings each built a great palace in their lands. They were built into the side of three great mountains, and their height was such that each could see the other two on a clear day. These great fortress palaces were the seats of power for their kingdoms for generations, as their descendants ruled with as much might and intelligence as their forefathers. The Age of Kings was a time of unmatched peace and prosperity in the mortal realm. A man could freely travel between lands, and there was no great war for men to go and die in. Peace had settled on the land, and it eventually brought with it a resurgence of the true magics, taken from men so long ago by the departure of the gods. This marked the beginning of the Age of Magic.
The Age of Magic
During the time when the land was united by the Three Kingdoms, knowledge of the true magics returned to mortals. Those who were able to channel the true powers of creation and the elements were highly praised by men, and at first there were few enough that the great kings made them special advisers. The Age of Magic saw the creation of many wonders, including the great Gates that span the Captured Sea. These gates were made to allow caravans of traders to pass through the lands freely, without the need for boats to cross the ocean. Many other things were created, and many of them still stand. The Age of Magic was a time that many said must surely be better than the Age of Wonders, for there people were at peace, and wanted for nothing. Magic made the lives of the people much easier, allowing them to do even complex tasks in less time of they could get a channeler to help them.
As time passed, channeling became more common. Eventually, most people found that they had the ability, if just in a small amount. This brought about a time of great decadence, as the people used magic for more and more tasks.
Eventually, a small group of those able to channel came together with the intention of uniting the Three Kingdoms. They approached the three kings of the time, and all agreed that it would be better if there was but one seat of power. A great project was commissioned by the kings, to create an island exactly between the three palaces, and create a fortress mountain in the middle of it, with the most ornate palace ever seen at its peak. For two generations the kings’ channelers labored to see this vision realized, and when it was done it was christened The Pinnacle.
With the original commissioners long dead, the three kings disputed who should sit on its throne. They fought amongst themselves for weeks, until the northern king decided to set his armies against the other two to force them to cede to his power. So began the Great War.
The war lasted for many years, with no advantage gained by any side. Eventually, each king’s army was nearly depleted, and there were no people willing to fight such a pointless war. The kings met on the field of battle, each intent on being the last man standing. Each king brought with him his personal guard, consisting of the most powerful channelers in his lands. They clashed in battle that day, and brought about the Shattering.
The Shattering
The channelers who fought at the side of the last great kings were the most powerful that the world had ever seen. Each commanded the full power of the Elemental Chaos, and to a man they could harness the magic of Creation that had been so long forgotten. Their magics met on the field of battle that day, and the world groaned under their might. Offshoots from the battle destroyed great swaths of the land, creating blasted wastes where no living thing could grow. in other places, what was once great plains became rotting mires of swamps and worse, and the sweeping fields of the south were destroyed and turned to desert under the power of the magic. The world was nearly destroyed, until something intervened. Legends say that the gods returned from the Astral Sea to stop the magic as it was formed, others say that the primordials destroyed the source of the elemental magics within the Chaos, and still others say that the demon princes struck down the channelers to a man. What is known is that the battle was ended before the world was completely destroyed, and that knowledge of the true magics was once again lost to mortals.
At the end of the day, all three kings lay dead, and most of their kingdoms destroyed by the powerful magics they had sought to destroy others with. The world was broken, and the people without leaders.
The Second Age of Darkness
The world descended into darkness in the absence of the kings. Many noblemen and generals sought to make their own kingdom, and war overtook the world once more.
Eventually, there were those who managed to carve out slices of the old kingdoms for their own. Each was a shadow of the former glory of the Three Kingdoms, and each constantly sought to conquer its neighbors. After many generations, there grew to be an uneasy peace between nations as their people grew tired of war. Each got by as they could, and eventually even the small power of those kings faded. There remains the kingdoms on a map, but no king truly has the power to control all the land he lays claim to anymore. The people are weary from generations of fighting, and mostly live as they can. There are those who whisper of the return of the Three Kingdoms, and say that each of the Three Kings will rise again to take their thrones, but they are the same who speak of the return of the Age of Wonders, and say that men are again learning to channel the true magics. Much is said, and much is dreamed, but to those who live without those fantasies of wonder, the world is as it is, a fading memory of ancient marvels and forgotten kings.
The Age of Wonders
The oldest histories speak of a time before the Age of Kings when the gods walked among men, and ruled the mortal plane with no intermediary. Little is known about this time other than that its ending brought about the First Age of Darkness, a time of great sorrow and strife for mortals as they struggled to find direction without the direct rule of their gods. When the gods left, they took with them the knowledge of true magic, leaving mortals without the ability to channel the ancient elemental magics, or even to tap into the true magic of Creation. No one is certain what brought about the end of the Age of Wonder, but there are those who say the gods were beaten back to the astral sea in battle by an alliance of the primordials and the demon princes. Ever since, there have been those prophesying a second Age of Wonder, when the gods will return to rule the mortal plane.
The First Age of Darkness
After the gods abandoned the mortal realm, men lost their way. They descended into infighting and treachery, each trying to claim their own piece of the gods’ kingdoms as their own. Little history survives from this time, as men were more concerned with war than the preservation of knowledge. Many of the marvels from the Age of Wonder were destroyed during this period, as men saw them as monuments to their own failings, knowing that they would never be as powerful as the gods that preceded them.
The Age of Kings
Near the end of the First Age of Darkness, there were born three special mortals. These three men were to shake the world to its foundations.
Gan Keldynst was born to a family of nomads in the north, and by uniting his people he raised an army the likes of which had not been seen since the Age of Wonders. His conquests ran south all the way to the captured sea, and their northern boundary was never seen by any but the nomads he was born among. His army was unmatched in its prowess, sharpened by generations of living in the harsh northern climates. His enemies christened him Frostbane, and he took the title as a badge of honor, proclaiming to his enemies their fear of him. He would have continued south across the ocean, but the southern lands were already being claimed by the armies of Danrad Mos’at, and he knew he could not keep his holdings if he involved himself in such a war.
Mos’at was born in the mountains of the Spine. Little else is known of his early life other than that he ran away when he was but a boy, and began raising fighters from the towns around him, with the intent of ruling the entire world. He swept through the plains of the south like a wind, earning the title Windrunner, and united the warring kingdoms through the iron grip of force. Danrad Windrunner conquered the southern continent in less than a year, and had his sights set northward until he heard tales of Gan Frostbane from those who were fleeing from their northern homelands. He struck up a reluctant truce with Gan, and they both turned their eye to the island kingdoms of Rayis Lobok.
Rayis was born on a small island far out in the North Sea. He was a merchant and a trader for much of his early life, working his way up in the ranks of his peers, and gaining influence. He became ruler of his island at a relatively young age, and through his sound policies and harsh trade tactics, his nation prospered. He eventually convinced many of the other island nations to unite under his banner, citing the prosperity of his homeland to convince them. Those who would not be persuaded were set upon by fleets of brigands and mercenaries until they could no longer afford to refuse his offer. Through these tactics, he came to rule all the island nations of the North Sea, and even expanded his influence through the Captured Sea and into the East. His iron grip on the islanders gave him a large monopoly on trade, as most continental people were not shipbuilders or inclined to seafaring.
The alliance of Frostbane and Windrunner looked to break Lobok’s monopoly by conquering the islands with military might. For years, they built ships and sent them to the islands with troops, and for years Lobok’s privateers sunk them before they could reach their destination. Much of the combined might of the two nations was brought to bear on the islanders, and still there was no clear victory to be had. Eventually, The two great kings of the mainland agreed to meet with Lobok to discuss a treaty. The signing of this peace treaty marked the beginning of the Age of Kings.
The first three kings each built a great palace in their lands. They were built into the side of three great mountains, and their height was such that each could see the other two on a clear day. These great fortress palaces were the seats of power for their kingdoms for generations, as their descendants ruled with as much might and intelligence as their forefathers. The Age of Kings was a time of unmatched peace and prosperity in the mortal realm. A man could freely travel between lands, and there was no great war for men to go and die in. Peace had settled on the land, and it eventually brought with it a resurgence of the true magics, taken from men so long ago by the departure of the gods. This marked the beginning of the Age of Magic.
The Age of Magic
During the time when the land was united by the Three Kingdoms, knowledge of the true magics returned to mortals. Those who were able to channel the true powers of creation and the elements were highly praised by men, and at first there were few enough that the great kings made them special advisers. The Age of Magic saw the creation of many wonders, including the great Gates that span the Captured Sea. These gates were made to allow caravans of traders to pass through the lands freely, without the need for boats to cross the ocean. Many other things were created, and many of them still stand. The Age of Magic was a time that many said must surely be better than the Age of Wonders, for there people were at peace, and wanted for nothing. Magic made the lives of the people much easier, allowing them to do even complex tasks in less time of they could get a channeler to help them.
As time passed, channeling became more common. Eventually, most people found that they had the ability, if just in a small amount. This brought about a time of great decadence, as the people used magic for more and more tasks.
Eventually, a small group of those able to channel came together with the intention of uniting the Three Kingdoms. They approached the three kings of the time, and all agreed that it would be better if there was but one seat of power. A great project was commissioned by the kings, to create an island exactly between the three palaces, and create a fortress mountain in the middle of it, with the most ornate palace ever seen at its peak. For two generations the kings’ channelers labored to see this vision realized, and when it was done it was christened The Pinnacle.
With the original commissioners long dead, the three kings disputed who should sit on its throne. They fought amongst themselves for weeks, until the northern king decided to set his armies against the other two to force them to cede to his power. So began the Great War.
The war lasted for many years, with no advantage gained by any side. Eventually, each king’s army was nearly depleted, and there were no people willing to fight such a pointless war. The kings met on the field of battle, each intent on being the last man standing. Each king brought with him his personal guard, consisting of the most powerful channelers in his lands. They clashed in battle that day, and brought about the Shattering.
The Shattering
The channelers who fought at the side of the last great kings were the most powerful that the world had ever seen. Each commanded the full power of the Elemental Chaos, and to a man they could harness the magic of Creation that had been so long forgotten. Their magics met on the field of battle that day, and the world groaned under their might. Offshoots from the battle destroyed great swaths of the land, creating blasted wastes where no living thing could grow. in other places, what was once great plains became rotting mires of swamps and worse, and the sweeping fields of the south were destroyed and turned to desert under the power of the magic. The world was nearly destroyed, until something intervened. Legends say that the gods returned from the Astral Sea to stop the magic as it was formed, others say that the primordials destroyed the source of the elemental magics within the Chaos, and still others say that the demon princes struck down the channelers to a man. What is known is that the battle was ended before the world was completely destroyed, and that knowledge of the true magics was once again lost to mortals.
At the end of the day, all three kings lay dead, and most of their kingdoms destroyed by the powerful magics they had sought to destroy others with. The world was broken, and the people without leaders.
The Second Age of Darkness
The world descended into darkness in the absence of the kings. Many noblemen and generals sought to make their own kingdom, and war overtook the world once more.
Eventually, there were those who managed to carve out slices of the old kingdoms for their own. Each was a shadow of the former glory of the Three Kingdoms, and each constantly sought to conquer its neighbors. After many generations, there grew to be an uneasy peace between nations as their people grew tired of war. Each got by as they could, and eventually even the small power of those kings faded. There remains the kingdoms on a map, but no king truly has the power to control all the land he lays claim to anymore. The people are weary from generations of fighting, and mostly live as they can. There are those who whisper of the return of the Three Kingdoms, and say that each of the Three Kings will rise again to take their thrones, but they are the same who speak of the return of the Age of Wonders, and say that men are again learning to channel the true magics. Much is said, and much is dreamed, but to those who live without those fantasies of wonder, the world is as it is, a fading memory of ancient marvels and forgotten kings.
Who is "L" by the way? Why is this person or creature out in the wastes?
Anyway. Non-combat encounters are always fun for different reasons. Start by preparing a handful of roleplaying scenarios of different varieties, that give players the freedom to just be in character. Create some based around the PCs themselves, around certain NPCs that are important, or even just nonspecific ones. Try to mix up the tone, too; in one of my games, our DM gave us free roam around a city in what was basically purgatory, during a carnival. We got to gamble, explore, and most importantly, we got to show our characters' personalities. Mix and match levity and drama. In that same game, our party began to fight amongst ourselves when we encountered several roaming warriors who wanted us to disarm and follow them, and one character refused to; there was a lot of tension. This tension was later relieved when we found out the warriors were guards to the purgatory-city and were instantly rezzed after having been killed by the one PC, and had actually enjoyed fighting with that one PC; it was a comedic moment to see the same guys stroll in, thoroughly enjoying the ass-kicking they had received.
You said you don't really have any NPCs, and that's a problem. You do need to have some other people, so the characters aren't all alone in the world, even if it's just one or two other people who become characters and not just baddies.
That said, roleplaying encounters between the characters can often be really satisfying. If those three heroes only have one another to rely on, then their dynamic surely is worth exploring. Roleplaying can become heavily introspective and cathartic when you only have two people you can even talk to. Think about James Sunderland from Silent Hill 2, or better yet, Will Smith's characterization in I Am Legend; the only man left, as far as he knew, and his character was defined by how he coped with that and interacted with his world. And it was powerful to watch, because those moments of isolation, when there is really nobody else to turn to, force the characters to take a long, hard look at themselves.
You should keep in mind that the heart of non-combat encounters is characterization. These moments should be opportunities for the players and the DM to explore the characters they've created, and be rewarded as a result; often times these moments can be their own reward (although every player enjoys XP and money, too). This is half the fun, because you truly get to take on a different persona and make the characters real.
Hope this helps.
What to fill the holes of the campaign over-arching plot? Well, here I would normally tell you to talk to the players about their character backgrounds . . . HOWEVER you have pretty much dumped them in unfamiliar territory far from anything they know. Which means just about anything can be new and unusual to them, in a certain way. Local laws or customs could be interesting enough to be small diversions . . .
. . . but the old D&D adage might still apply. When in doubt? Thumb open the Monster Manual and look for something of their rough power level and throw it in their path.
The history is not a problem, reads like Nicomanchean ethics. You aren't writing with a character in mind. Just .... notes? really. Nothing to worry about How about a god? or a group of travelers to save? Both?
The other thing to do is provide the players with a really chewy in character conundrum (with no overt die roll resolution) to spark in character conversation. PC to PC conversations are really glowing moments of games. When you have provided the players with enough scenario and personal history to provoke them into an hour long *in character* conversation ~ you *know* you have done your job! I once created a poetry/puzzle that the players spent signifigant time discussing, perhaps not as 'in character' as all *that* but still allot of play time was spent between die rolls.
A Monstrous Creature that the PCs might help in order to gain shelter, or a neat little treasure (something exotic). A waste dwelling Giant that was exiled from his tribe is set upon by monstrous animals from the wastes...or a creature of legend (like a unicorn, or a Griffon, on wasteland flavored) is a good way of providing a boon...they might be able to use the creature to lead them to L.
Scavenging Gone Awry the Ranger, while foraging for food mistakenly selects some flora that induces hallucinations and a dream like trance state. Think of the Vision quest. As they journey through a world of dreams and omens, facing their internal demons and what have you, they also progress through the wastes. This can give you an opprotunity to drop hints and clues about the past and the potential future, as well as provide an adventure that is highly unusual.
Think Primal An NPC druid might be willing to help the PCs find L, but only if they help the druid with some task. A Primal spirit of Wind is trapped in a certain area, causing a hazard that the PCs must over come...if they manage to free the spirit, it might help them in some way.
So...those are a few ideas for RP opprotunities.