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Middle Eastern Themed Campaign

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
onehandedtyr
Apr 09, 2010 15:38:54
A friend and I are co-creating a Middle Eastern themed 3.5 campaign. To fit the theme, we are changing some of the fluff of classes and races and adding/subtracting others.

Right now, the world consists of a desert-based human kingdom on the brink of collapse. The relatively new sultan is struggling to maintain control as governors plot for their own benefit. The previous sultan instructed his priests to create the warforged, who were programed to serve only him, to keep the empire intact. His assassination left many of them aimless and without a purpose. To the north, dwarves inhabit the mountains, mining and serving as the main traders in the game. To the south lies the desert nomad tieflings. Elves have recently arrived in the East, coming from a far away land. They are modeled heavily off Mongols, as the Elves live in the Steppes as primarily ride on horseback. I still haven't figured out how halflings and gnomes will fit in.

The campaign will start in the royal court during a great festival celebrating recent peace between the elves and humans. Something of great value will have been stolen and everyone has been locked into the court until it is found. PC's will have to solve the crime to leave this area. Later in the campaign, I'm planning on having crusaders from another continent arrive as enemies.

Playable races atm:

Dwarves
Elves
Halflings
Humans
Gnomes
Tieflings
Warforged

Some of the things I'm considering changing:

- Druids will be turned into a class that focuses on creating and controlling a golem.
- Paladins and Monks will be dropped unless I can figure out how to Arab-ize them.
- Rangers will be more mounted combat based.
- Wizards will be called Priests and Sorcerers will be called Magicians.
- No half-orcs.
- Some skill names may be changed or additional ones like beg will be added.
- No one starts with heavy armor. It will require some pre-reqs to get and will be rare to find.
- There will be less focus on European weapons and instead be more Middle Eastern weapons.

Some areas I still haven't figured out:
- How to Arab-ize certain classes like Fighter and Cleric.
- General fluff about the world.
- How to work halflings and gnomes in.
- Details of certain classes.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
#2
ganryu
Apr 09, 2010 16:53:10 I think you should keep half-orcs. I don't think they clash with the theme.

I can easily picture halflings as some kind of travelling nomadic people. I've never been a fan of gnomes, so I can't picture them doing anything.

The fighter class is so neutral in terms of setting that I see no reason why you would even WANT to change it. Same with cleric where the only thing you need is a pantheon.

I see no reason why you would rename wizards and sorcerers, btw.

Fakirs. You need fakirs. Maybe not as a playable class, but one HAS to appear as an NPC at some point. No fakir, no fun.
#3
skio
Apr 10, 2010 5:14:13 - I could picture Paladins as robed holy warriors on camels, yielding scimitars, in the service of either the church or the Sultan. You could call the Mamelukes or something.

- Monks could be reflavored as Soufi scholars, living as hermits in the desert.

- Clerics could just be renamed to Imams.

- I could see Gnomes as Marco Polo-like merchants from afar, and halflings as wandering gypsie-like miracle workers and charlatans (or Fakirs, as Ganryu said).

- Two-weapon Rangers or Barbarians could be reflavored as Dervishes and Hashshashins.

I really like your approach to druids. As for the world, one word: Genies!

Good Luck!
#4
Krusk
Apr 10, 2010 10:43:56
I still haven't figured out how halflings and gnomes will fit in.
- Druids will be turned into a class that focuses on creating and controlling a golem.
- Paladins and Monks will be dropped unless I can figure out how to Arab-ize them.

- No one starts with heavy armor. It will require some pre-reqs to get and will be rare to find.

Some areas I still haven't figured out:
- How to Arab-ize certain classes like Fighter and Cleric.
.

Halflings and gnomes- The dwarves own the mines and run the city. Gnomes are the actual miners. Often times not willingly. Halflings represent the escaped gnomes, or gnomes who were born free. Halflings in non-dwarven towns are free and there is nothing the dwarves can do about it.

Druids- That sounds really cool.

Paladins- Heavy mounted combat dudes. They get a mount for free and all, and one of the choices (IIRC) is a camel. Give them a big scimitar and call it a day.

Monks- Unarmed grapplers. Totally a middle eastern theme.

Heavy armor. I would let it be just as easy to use as normal. BUT I would make it rarer for merchants to carry. Also (IIRC) it increases the DC for the endurance checks in the desert. Maybe the sultans guards wear it, and it can be a sign of wealth or that you don't have to go into the desert (wealth).

Do you have sandstorm? Super valuable for you, even if it is mostly Egypt themed.
#5
Grimbus
Apr 10, 2010 18:28:04 You may wish to take a look at the Al-Quadim setting TSR published for 2nd edition. It is a lovely book and will probably do half the work for you.

#6
AbdulAlhazred
Apr 11, 2010 1:00:42 As for paladins, what could be MORE arabian? You do realize the very word "paladin" is literally an arabic word? Some reading on medieval arabian legends and folk lore could be really useful. Admittedly 4e is pretty western in its fluff for the most part but it seems to me that the majority of classes can fit in quite nicely. Monks might be pretty tough, but then again they don't really fit into western lore either.

Honestly I don't know of any real equivalent of 'little people' in middle eastern lore. Dwarves, halflings, gnomes, just not really traditional in that form. You'll run into a lot more legends of evil spirit type beings, the djinn and such. Dwarves might benefit from having some sort of fluff that makes them some kind of elemental spirits that have been trapped in the world or something. Overall you can probably work most anything in by giving it the right skin.
#7
ADHadh
Apr 12, 2010 4:11:52
As for paladins, what could be MORE arabian? You do realize the very word "paladin" is literally an arabic word?

No, it's not. It comes from Latin.

"Assassin" however...
#8
Hippolyte
Apr 13, 2010 7:12:44 Perhaps paladins could be ghazi, the mediaeval Turkish warriors of the jihad, or janissaries, the elite soldiers of the Ottoman Sultan.

Chainmail and scale were definitely Middle Eastern types of armour. Plate armour would be right out.
#9
strand0
Apr 15, 2010 23:00:54 In pre-islamic arabia, the people had a polytheistic system.
One of the dieties was named Allah.
... I just heard this today in history class. It's all I know.
#10
vman3force
Apr 16, 2010 9:56:33
I think you should keep half-orcs. I don't think they clash with the theme.
I've never been a fan of gnomes, so I can't picture them doing anything.

... you realise that your avatar is a gnome?
#11
mieorabloodsong
Apr 16, 2010 13:31:19 Some interesting fluff about middle eastern cultures:

They are an Honor and Shame culture. The most interesting and applicable bit of this for a dnd game is through challenges. If I were to compliment you, I am challenging you, and you must reply in kind or you are accepting my superiority. If you compliment me twice then you are uping the ante so to speak. The same applies for insults and gifts. If you fail to answer these challenges you are bringing shame to your family, and that is not acceptable.

In some honor shame cultures, who ever resorts to violence first is the loser, this means they can no longer answer the challenges with their wits. If you bring enough shame to your trive or family then THEY can kill you, in order to stop you from bringing further shame to the tribe.

Just some thoughts that might make your skill challenges and NPCs more interesting.

(in case you are wondering, western cultures tend to be guilt based, we know what is right and wrong and we feel guilty when we have disobeyed that code)
#12
Rhineglade_
Apr 17, 2010 15:37:54 Middle-Eastern/Arabic themes are actually one of my favorites to include in game worlds. Always love the richness of the culture as well as the lore. I do have more of the Al-Qadim materials and I second the suggestion to take a look at that. Not only does it include a basic dictionary and pronunciation guide for the Arabic language but it also goes into GREAT detail about daily life in general including the concepts of honor, faith, tradition and hospitality.

Here are some of the basic notions from Al-Qadim:

Fighters-
Askar- most common, includes armed citizens of settlements
Corsair- seafaring warriors
Desert Rider- askars adapted to the deserts
Faris- holy warriors
Mamluk- warrior slaves
Mercenary Barbarian- non-natives hired for their martial prowess
Outland Warrior- fighters from foreign lands

Wizards-
Sorcerer- most common form of mage
Elemental Mage- specialist in one of the four elements of sand, sea, wind or flame
Sha'ir- genie binders and advisors to chieftains
Ajami- wizards from foreign lands

Rogues-
Sa'luk- most common rogue, free men and women owing allegiance to no one
Barber- cunning and streetwise showmen of the bazaar
Beggar-Thief- lowest level rogue
Holy Slayer- also called assassins operating as the anti-paladin
Matrud- desert thieves and outcasts
Merchant-Rogue- business folk who sell their wares while robbing you blind
Rawun- bards of the desert

Clerics-
Pragmatist- most liberal of all clerics believing in importance of all gods
Ethoist- conservative clerics
Moralist- most narrow minded of clerics with firm belief in power of only one deity
Hakima- wise woman
Kahin- idol priests similar to druids
Mystic- recluses who live in isolation
Outland Priest- clerics of foreign deities
#13
el_shawno
Apr 22, 2010 23:19:43 Well, if you want to run with a Middle Eastern theme, remember that when the Muslim Jihad swept out of the Arabian Peninsula that it came into conflict with three much, much older civilizations (or at least their remnants): the Persians, the Romans (the Byzantines at this point in time), and the Egyptians (who were under Byzantine rule at this point). While only Byzantium survived the onslaught, you could pick any one of the three civilizations to remain intact. As befits an ancient, exotic, and cultured society, not to mention one seen as effeminate and decadent by many, make this kingdom an Eladrin one.

Also, as the words Jinn and Ifrit (sic?) are of Arabic extraction, make the kingdom a place with strong ties to the Elemental Chaos. Perhaps Genasi can be seen as an especially blessed or cursed people.

Make tales of India into talk of a far-off, fabulously wealthy land to the east where people believe that the most pious among them return as Deva holy men or women (sadhus). Perhaps the best among them are even considered to avatars of the gods. Think of Krishna as a high-level Deva, for example.
#14
therion666
Apr 24, 2010 15:06:15

A friend and I are co-creating a Middle Eastern themed 3.5 campaign. To fit the theme, we are changing some of the fluff of classes and races and adding/subtracting others.

Right now, the world consists of a desert-based human kingdom on the brink of collapse. The relatively new sultan is struggling to maintain control as governors plot for their own benefit. The previous sultan instructed his priests to create the warforged, who were programed to serve only him, to keep the empire intact. His assassination left many of them aimless and without a purpose. To the north, dwarves inhabit the mountains, mining and serving as the main traders in the game. To the south lies the desert nomad tieflings. Elves have recently arrived in the East, coming from a far away land. They are modeled heavily off Mongols, as the Elves live in the Steppes as primarily ride on horseback. I still haven't figured out how halflings and gnomes will fit in.

The campaign will start in the royal court during a great festival celebrating recent peace between the elves and humans. Something of great value will have been stolen and everyone has been locked into the court until it is found. PC's will have to solve the crime to leave this area. Later in the campaign, I'm planning on having crusaders from another continent arrive as enemies.

Playable races atm:

Dwarves
Elves
Halflings
Humans
Gnomes
Tieflings
Warforged

Some of the things I'm considering changing:

- Druids will be turned into a class that focuses on creating and controlling a golem.
- Paladins and Monks will be dropped unless I can figure out how to Arab-ize them.
- Rangers will be more mounted combat based.
- Wizards will be called Priests and Sorcerers will be called Magicians.
- No half-orcs.
- Some skill names may be changed or additional ones like beg will be added.
- No one starts with heavy armor. It will require some pre-reqs to get and will be rare to find.
- There will be less focus on European weapons and instead be more Middle Eastern weapons.

Some areas I still haven't figured out:
- How to Arab-ize certain classes like Fighter and Cleric.
- General fluff about the world.
- How to work halflings and gnomes in.
- Details of certain classes.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Get a hold of an old copy or PDF of Al-Quadim.
This'll provide all the fluff you need with adjustments to class's needed.
Race means nothing in the setting, your standing is what defines you from what I can remember. Even goblinoids and orcs are in the setting and not as an enemy race either.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 onehandedtyr Apr 09, 2010 15:38:54	A friend and I are co-creating a Middle Eastern themed 3.5 campaign. To fit the theme, we are changing some of the fluff of classes and races and adding/subtracting others. Right now, the world consists of a desert-based human kingdom on the brink of collapse. The relatively new sultan is struggling to maintain control as governors plot for their own benefit. The previous sultan instructed his priests to create the warforged, who were programed to serve only him, to keep the empire intact. His assassination left many of them aimless and without a purpose. To the north, dwarves inhabit the mountains, mining and serving as the main traders in the game. To the south lies the desert nomad tieflings. Elves have recently arrived in the East, coming from a far away land. They are modeled heavily off Mongols, as the Elves live in the Steppes as primarily ride on horseback. I still haven't figured out how halflings and gnomes will fit in. The campaign will start in the royal court during a great festival celebrating recent peace between the elves and humans. Something of great value will have been stolen and everyone has been locked into the court until it is found. PC's will have to solve the crime to leave this area. Later in the campaign, I'm planning on having crusaders from another continent arrive as enemies. Playable races atm: Dwarves Elves Halflings Humans Gnomes Tieflings Warforged Some of the things I'm considering changing: - Druids will be turned into a class that focuses on creating and controlling a golem. - Paladins and Monks will be dropped unless I can figure out how to Arab-ize them. - Rangers will be more mounted combat based. - Wizards will be called Priests and Sorcerers will be called Magicians. - No half-orcs. - Some skill names may be changed or additional ones like beg will be added. - No one starts with heavy armor. It will require some pre-reqs to get and will be rare to find. - There will be less focus on European weapons and instead be more Middle Eastern weapons. Some areas I still haven't figured out: - How to Arab-ize certain classes like Fighter and Cleric. - General fluff about the world. - How to work halflings and gnomes in. - Details of certain classes. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
#2 ganryu Apr 09, 2010 16:53:10	I think you should keep half-orcs. I don't think they clash with the theme. I can easily picture halflings as some kind of travelling nomadic people. I've never been a fan of gnomes, so I can't picture them doing anything. The fighter class is so neutral in terms of setting that I see no reason why you would even WANT to change it. Same with cleric where the only thing you need is a pantheon. I see no reason why you would rename wizards and sorcerers, btw. Fakirs. You need fakirs. Maybe not as a playable class, but one HAS to appear as an NPC at some point. No fakir, no fun.
#3 skio Apr 10, 2010 5:14:13	- I could picture Paladins as robed holy warriors on camels, yielding scimitars, in the service of either the church or the Sultan. You could call the Mamelukes or something. - Monks could be reflavored as Soufi scholars, living as hermits in the desert. - Clerics could just be renamed to Imams. - I could see Gnomes as Marco Polo-like merchants from afar, and halflings as wandering gypsie-like miracle workers and charlatans (or Fakirs, as Ganryu said). - Two-weapon Rangers or Barbarians could be reflavored as Dervishes and Hashshashins. I really like your approach to druids. As for the world, one word: Genies! Good Luck!
#4 Krusk Apr 10, 2010 10:43:56	I still haven't figured out how halflings and gnomes will fit in. - Druids will be turned into a class that focuses on creating and controlling a golem. - Paladins and Monks will be dropped unless I can figure out how to Arab-ize them. - No one starts with heavy armor. It will require some pre-reqs to get and will be rare to find. Some areas I still haven't figured out: - How to Arab-ize certain classes like Fighter and Cleric. . Halflings and gnomes- The dwarves own the mines and run the city. Gnomes are the actual miners. Often times not willingly. Halflings represent the escaped gnomes, or gnomes who were born free. Halflings in non-dwarven towns are free and there is nothing the dwarves can do about it. Druids- That sounds really cool. Paladins- Heavy mounted combat dudes. They get a mount for free and all, and one of the choices (IIRC) is a camel. Give them a big scimitar and call it a day. Monks- Unarmed grapplers. Totally a middle eastern theme. Heavy armor. I would let it be just as easy to use as normal. BUT I would make it rarer for merchants to carry. Also (IIRC) it increases the DC for the endurance checks in the desert. Maybe the sultans guards wear it, and it can be a sign of wealth or that you don't have to go into the desert (wealth). Do you have sandstorm? Super valuable for you, even if it is mostly Egypt themed.
#5 Grimbus Apr 10, 2010 18:28:04	You may wish to take a look at the Al-Quadim setting TSR published for 2nd edition. It is a lovely book and will probably do half the work for you.
#6 AbdulAlhazred Apr 11, 2010 1:00:42	As for paladins, what could be MORE arabian? You do realize the very word "paladin" is literally an arabic word? Some reading on medieval arabian legends and folk lore could be really useful. Admittedly 4e is pretty western in its fluff for the most part but it seems to me that the majority of classes can fit in quite nicely. Monks might be pretty tough, but then again they don't really fit into western lore either. Honestly I don't know of any real equivalent of 'little people' in middle eastern lore. Dwarves, halflings, gnomes, just not really traditional in that form. You'll run into a lot more legends of evil spirit type beings, the djinn and such. Dwarves might benefit from having some sort of fluff that makes them some kind of elemental spirits that have been trapped in the world or something. Overall you can probably work most anything in by giving it the right skin.
#7 ADHadh Apr 12, 2010 4:11:52	As for paladins, what could be MORE arabian? You do realize the very word "paladin" is literally an arabic word? No, it's not. It comes from Latin. "Assassin" however...
#8 Hippolyte Apr 13, 2010 7:12:44	Perhaps paladins could be ghazi, the mediaeval Turkish warriors of the jihad, or janissaries, the elite soldiers of the Ottoman Sultan. Chainmail and scale were definitely Middle Eastern types of armour. Plate armour would be right out.
#9 strand0 Apr 15, 2010 23:00:54	In pre-islamic arabia, the people had a polytheistic system. One of the dieties was named Allah. ... I just heard this today in history class. It's all I know.
#10 vman3force Apr 16, 2010 9:56:33	I think you should keep half-orcs. I don't think they clash with the theme. I've never been a fan of gnomes, so I can't picture them doing anything. ... you realise that your avatar is a gnome?
#11 mieorabloodsong Apr 16, 2010 13:31:19	Some interesting fluff about middle eastern cultures: They are an Honor and Shame culture. The most interesting and applicable bit of this for a dnd game is through challenges. If I were to compliment you, I am challenging you, and you must reply in kind or you are accepting my superiority. If you compliment me twice then you are uping the ante so to speak. The same applies for insults and gifts. If you fail to answer these challenges you are bringing shame to your family, and that is not acceptable. In some honor shame cultures, who ever resorts to violence first is the loser, this means they can no longer answer the challenges with their wits. If you bring enough shame to your trive or family then THEY can kill you, in order to stop you from bringing further shame to the tribe. Just some thoughts that might make your skill challenges and NPCs more interesting. (in case you are wondering, western cultures tend to be guilt based, we know what is right and wrong and we feel guilty when we have disobeyed that code)
#12 Rhineglade_ Apr 17, 2010 15:37:54	Middle-Eastern/Arabic themes are actually one of my favorites to include in game worlds. Always love the richness of the culture as well as the lore. I do have more of the Al-Qadim materials and I second the suggestion to take a look at that. Not only does it include a basic dictionary and pronunciation guide for the Arabic language but it also goes into GREAT detail about daily life in general including the concepts of honor, faith, tradition and hospitality. Here are some of the basic notions from Al-Qadim: Fighters- Askar- most common, includes armed citizens of settlements Corsair- seafaring warriors Desert Rider- askars adapted to the deserts Faris- holy warriors Mamluk- warrior slaves Mercenary Barbarian- non-natives hired for their martial prowess Outland Warrior- fighters from foreign lands Wizards- Sorcerer- most common form of mage Elemental Mage- specialist in one of the four elements of sand, sea, wind or flame Sha'ir- genie binders and advisors to chieftains Ajami- wizards from foreign lands Rogues- Sa'luk- most common rogue, free men and women owing allegiance to no one Barber- cunning and streetwise showmen of the bazaar Beggar-Thief- lowest level rogue Holy Slayer- also called assassins operating as the anti-paladin Matrud- desert thieves and outcasts Merchant-Rogue- business folk who sell their wares while robbing you blind Rawun- bards of the desert Clerics- Pragmatist- most liberal of all clerics believing in importance of all gods Ethoist- conservative clerics Moralist- most narrow minded of clerics with firm belief in power of only one deity Hakima- wise woman Kahin- idol priests similar to druids Mystic- recluses who live in isolation Outland Priest- clerics of foreign deities
#13 el_shawno Apr 22, 2010 23:19:43	Well, if you want to run with a Middle Eastern theme, remember that when the Muslim Jihad swept out of the Arabian Peninsula that it came into conflict with three much, much older civilizations (or at least their remnants): the Persians, the Romans (the Byzantines at this point in time), and the Egyptians (who were under Byzantine rule at this point). While only Byzantium survived the onslaught, you could pick any one of the three civilizations to remain intact. As befits an ancient, exotic, and cultured society, not to mention one seen as effeminate and decadent by many, make this kingdom an Eladrin one. Also, as the words Jinn and Ifrit (sic?) are of Arabic extraction, make the kingdom a place with strong ties to the Elemental Chaos. Perhaps Genasi can be seen as an especially blessed or cursed people. Make tales of India into talk of a far-off, fabulously wealthy land to the east where people believe that the most pious among them return as Deva holy men or women (sadhus). Perhaps the best among them are even considered to avatars of the gods. Think of Krishna as a high-level Deva, for example.
#14 therion666 Apr 24, 2010 15:06:15	A friend and I are co-creating a Middle Eastern themed 3.5 campaign. To fit the theme, we are changing some of the fluff of classes and races and adding/subtracting others. Right now, the world consists of a desert-based human kingdom on the brink of collapse. The relatively new sultan is struggling to maintain control as governors plot for their own benefit. The previous sultan instructed his priests to create the warforged, who were programed to serve only him, to keep the empire intact. His assassination left many of them aimless and without a purpose. To the north, dwarves inhabit the mountains, mining and serving as the main traders in the game. To the south lies the desert nomad tieflings. Elves have recently arrived in the East, coming from a far away land. They are modeled heavily off Mongols, as the Elves live in the Steppes as primarily ride on horseback. I still haven't figured out how halflings and gnomes will fit in. The campaign will start in the royal court during a great festival celebrating recent peace between the elves and humans. Something of great value will have been stolen and everyone has been locked into the court until it is found. PC's will have to solve the crime to leave this area. Later in the campaign, I'm planning on having crusaders from another continent arrive as enemies. Playable races atm: Dwarves Elves Halflings Humans Gnomes Tieflings Warforged Some of the things I'm considering changing: - Druids will be turned into a class that focuses on creating and controlling a golem. - Paladins and Monks will be dropped unless I can figure out how to Arab-ize them. - Rangers will be more mounted combat based. - Wizards will be called Priests and Sorcerers will be called Magicians. - No half-orcs. - Some skill names may be changed or additional ones like beg will be added. - No one starts with heavy armor. It will require some pre-reqs to get and will be rare to find. - There will be less focus on European weapons and instead be more Middle Eastern weapons. Some areas I still haven't figured out: - How to Arab-ize certain classes like Fighter and Cleric. - General fluff about the world. - How to work halflings and gnomes in. - Details of certain classes. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Get a hold of an old copy or PDF of Al-Quadim. This'll provide all the fluff you need with adjustments to class's needed. Race means nothing in the setting, your standing is what defines you from what I can remember. Even goblinoids and orcs are in the setting and not as an enemy race either.