* shrugs *
That sort of thing we don't worry about until we have everything else down. Like Hydrography. :)
Okay. I volunteer for scribe if no one else wants the job. I have a background in writing and editing.
I might suggest a poll for a name for the setting, so when it is put in wiki form we have something to call it.
I figure the name should reflect the nature of the setting. It seems like the only things we know for certain are that it's based around a crusade of some kind, and focuses on a European nation (or nations) that has/have a pantheistic religion.
Can we have a poll for the tone/theme/mood and/or basic facts of this campaign? Is this a dark and gritty setting, how much is known about this world, is magic prevalent, do gods walk among mortals?
Should I stop asking questions and just start pitching ideas?
I figure the name should reflect the nature of the setting. It seems like the only things we know for certain are that it's based around a crusade of some kind, and focuses on a European nation (or nations) that has/have a pantheistic religion.
Can we have a poll for the tone/theme/mood and/or basic facts of this campaign? Is this a dark and gritty setting, how much is known about this world, is magic prevalent, do gods walk among mortals?
Should I stop asking questions and just start pitching ideas?
Since this is a joint effort, ideas will probably be appreciated. For myself, I might suggest that there's some holy place considered to be the center of the world and where the deities manifested in some way. Multiple sides are fighting for control of this region, which may or may not have an actual artifact.
Given the deities are a mix of Greek/Norse intervention style, they probably do walk among mortals, but they might not be obvious. They likely have avatars of various sorts. Perhaps the fighting was started by a quarrel among the deities themselves and some of them are trying to prove which side is 'right'. It's also possible it's a situation similar to the Trojan War, with different deities on different sides.
Paladins or something akin to them would probably be a good idea here.
Thoughts?
Potential idea:
The Glorious Reflection that was their god became a Shattered Mirror, its pieces divided among mankind and the cities that survived.
We could throw in a god or gods of the Unknown and have a Man/Nature/Supernatural tug-of-war between all three groups; Man relates to mortal concerns, Nature relates to primal concerns that generally man cannot control, and Supernatural/Unknown would involve the unnatural or foreign things that man could not explain (possibly magic, aberrations, or the undead).
I was also thinking that the god of death is somewhat separate from all the gods and has many aspects depending on how someone or something dies. The aspect responsible for violent deaths was defeated/destroyed/imprisoned somehow and that is why magic can restore the dead back to life. If someone dies of old age or a natural cause, they cannot be brought back.
@Indagare: All that is fairly generic, but I guess we've been starting fairly broad anyway.
What would make this holy place so special? Referring to my earlier suggestion, it could be where the God of Man was divided into however many lesser gods, or the first city where man gained an advantage over nature. It could also be a Mt. Olympus type place where the gods once lived/held council before they moved on for some reason. Is there any residual power from the gods there? Is the location what is important (trading nexus, mountain stronghold, resource rich area)? Has it been the seat of power for the mortal nations for the past seven hundred years?
Potential idea:
Gods of Man and Nature::
There were two gods originally, the God of Man and the God of Nature. Nature was the challenge, an indifferent, merciless, and unyielding foe to Man. Man fought with Nature and granted his people the wherewithal to withstand and even oppose nature. The gift of fire, the knowledge of tools and navigation was all given by the God of Man, and man prospered. Civilizations arose, and from safe within their walls Man’s children forgot to fear the primal forces; they divided their god, broke him into pieces, and worshiped his individual accomplishments, their own accomplishments: cities, commerce, community, conquest, exploration, all things great and small they attributed to the God of Man and thereby to themselves, for when man looks upon gods they see reflections of their own. They gave their gods names and took them wherever they went; they made cities in their honor. But the cities grew prideful and stubborn, believing only they knew the will of the gods, they began to fight and burn each others’ cities and their gods, gods they once shared.The Glorious Reflection that was their god became a Shattered Mirror, its pieces divided among mankind and the cities that survived.
We could throw in a god or gods of the Unknown and have a Man/Nature/Supernatural tug-of-war between all three groups; Man relates to mortal concerns, Nature relates to primal concerns that generally man cannot control, and Supernatural/Unknown would involve the unnatural or foreign things that man could not explain (possibly magic, aberrations, or the undead).
I was also thinking that the god of death is somewhat separate from all the gods and has many aspects depending on how someone or something dies. The aspect responsible for violent deaths was defeated/destroyed/imprisoned somehow and that is why magic can restore the dead back to life. If someone dies of old age or a natural cause, they cannot be brought back.
If we end up with a baker's dozen of deities, there could be six deities of 'civilization' and six of nature. Or we could do any combination of deities of various parts. It would probably be a good idea, however, if whatever represents civilization has a reason for creating multiple humanoids. It would also probably be a good idea for male and female to exist in each area. I'm not very fond of the undead, to be honest, and if we can keep them out I'm all for it. We also need to decide where evil comes from and what happens to bad people in the afterlife (if there is one).
@Indagare: All that is fairly generic, but I guess we've been starting fairly broad anyway.
What would make this holy place so special? Referring to my earlier suggestion, it could be where the God of Man was divided into however many lesser gods, or the first city where man gained an advantage over nature. It could also be a Mt. Olympus type place where the gods once lived/held council before they moved on for some reason. Is there any residual power from the gods there? Is the location what is important (trading nexus, mountain stronghold, resource rich area)? Has it been the seat of power for the mortal nations for the past seven hundred years?
Probably it would be a good idea to get some more input on the actual area and have a vote, that way even if everyone doesn't agree there's at least a consensus.
If we're going to get into deities, I have some suggestions below.
Sky, weather, the seasons, wisdom, magic, poetry, orators, bards, travelers
[[Earth Goddess]]
Earth, mountains, fertility, plants, animals, nature, just warfare, strength, prophecy
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[[Trickster God]]
Trickery, lies, thieves, freedom, magic, liberty, wit, wisdom, creativity, transformation
[[Winter Goddess]]
Bowhunting, skiing, winter, mountains, hunt, wild animals, wilderness, virginity, death
Deer and the cypress are sacred to her. Her hair is black and her eyes are silvery.
[[Inventor God]]
Technology, science, magic, research, innovation, mathematics, wisdom, knowledge, curiosity
[[Autumn Goddess]]
Earth, harvest, autumn, fertility, sanctity of marriage, farm animals, cycle of life and death, agriculture
[[Thunder God]]
Thunder, lightning, storms, hunt, strength, protection, fertility, war, weapons, death, victory
[[Summer Goddess]]
Love, beauty, summer, fertility, magic, procreation, childbirth, motherhood, pleasure, music, dance, joy
[[Healing God]]
Light, healing, music, poetry, truth, fertility, weather, archery, agriculture, prophecy
[[Spring Goddess]]
Youth, flowers, spring, dance, music, joy, hope, virginity, freedom, tame animals, rebirth
--------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Sea God]]
Sea, seafaring, wind, wisdom, fishing, wealth, crop fertility, water, prophecy
[[Star Goddess]]
Stars, wisdom, magic, truth, law, balance, order, justice, morality, prophecy
==========================================
[[Moon Goddess]]
Wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, magic, mathematics, strength, strategy, the arts, crafts, skill
[[Sun God]]
Architecture, astronomy, astrology, building, mathematics, surveying, wisdom, knowledge
[[Wind God]]
Wind, herald of the gods, patron of boundaries, travelers, weights, measures, invention, commerce, merchants
[[Rainbow Goddess]]
Rainbow, herald of the gods, peace, hope, prosperity, protection, literature, poetry, writing
[[Sports God]]
Athletics, athletes, sports, competition, strength, speed, agility, victory, strategic warfare
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[[Underworld Goddess]]
Arbitration of godly disputes, judgment of the dead, magic, wealth
[[Smith God]]
Blacksmiths, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, metals, metallurgy, fire, volcanoes, earthquakes
These are over the amount, and obviously as generic as possible.
Were there any other suggestions for the nature of the overgods, or were we just sticking with Creation/Stasis/Destruction?
Also, the poll on world shape missed one suggestion: multiple round worlds. I suppose it wouldn't fit the theme very well, but the lack of other worlds shouldn't necessarily be ignored. (Why is this the only inhabitable surface?)
Of course, an irregularly shaped world would be more interesting (a disc-world maybe), but I like an infinite flat world best. It could even be a hyperbolic plane. Up close you wouldn't be able to tell the difference, but it'd screw with things over large distances (such as having a pentagon with straight sides and 4 right angles).
If we end up with a baker's dozen of deities, there could be six deities of 'civilization' and six of nature. Or we could do any combination of deities of various parts. It would probably be a good idea, however, if whatever represents civilization has a reason for creating multiple humanoids. It would also probably be a good idea for male and female to exist in each area. I'm not very fond of the undead, to be honest, and if we can keep them out I'm all for it. We also need to decide where evil comes from and what happens to bad people in the afterlife (if there is one).
I don't think the mortals really worship the Gods of Nature; they pray to the harvest god for a good crop, or the exploration/travel god for a safe journey. Some rural types might make the odd offering to a Primal God, but for the most part the humans pray to their own. I imagine they view the Gods of Nature as fickle as the wind and as indifferent as a bitter winter.
I was viewing this as purely the human religion, I find it hard to swallow that every major race shares the same religion, but I could see some small groups converting.
I think it would be more interesting to have the non-humans have their own beliefs, such as the orcs believing they were bled into this world by their one god or elves being more animistic/shamanic (the one-with-nature elf thing is overdone though). I also like the idea of gnomes being more cynical and believing that nothing really exists, it's all just one "Great Illusion".
And I wasn't talking about the undead; I was suggesting an explanation for why it is so easy for mortals to return to life through magic.
Also, and this goes out to everyone, I'd rather read a brief description (two or three sentences if suggesting multiples) of each proposed god and goddess than just a list of their portfolio. Show us what makes your rain god different from everyone else's.
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Were there any other suggestions for the nature of the overgods, or were we just sticking with Creation/Stasis/Destruction?
Also, the poll on world shape missed one suggestion: multiple round worlds. I suppose it wouldn't fit the theme very well, but the lack of other worlds shouldn't necessarily be ignored. (Why is this the only inhabitable surface?)
Of course, an irregularly shaped world would be more interesting (a disc-world maybe), but I like an infinite flat world best. It could even be a hyperbolic plane. Up close you wouldn't be able to tell the difference, but it'd screw with things over large distances (such as having a pentagon with straight sides and 4 right angles).
I was planning the set up of the Solar System to be on a separate poll. Having another habitable world is a good idea.
Although, if we are going to have multiple inhabited worlds, we might get a Spelljammer setup. AD&D in Space, as you know. Plus, that could also factor in exploration. And we could say some races are from the other world, their ship crashed, the people on our world dismantled their ship to prove they aren't Gods, that sort of thing.
Solar System Basics
If we are going to discuss a solar system, we need to know whats in it. The questions are: is the system a Heliocentric system (the planets revolve around a sun)? Is it a ptolemaic system, where the sun and the planets revolve around our world? Could their be one sun or multiple suns?
Plus you get into space physics. Besides using the Starshield system where physics can be different anywhere! We can have real life physics, wild space, or Aethereal Space, or something beyond that point.
Besides that, we need to choose how many planets are in our solar system. Whether some of them are rocky (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars), or failed stars -- Jupiter, Saturn (Saturn used to be a brown dwarf, by the way); or Icy planets -- Neptune, and Uranus. Or are classed as Kupier objects -- Pluto.
After that, we need to decide which are in the cozy zone where water (dihydrogen oxide) can exist at all three states of matter -- solid, liquid, and gaseous. We need to find out how many planets have moons and how many moons. And whether or not those moons are inhabited.
Then we run into Planar Cosmology. :)
Potential idea:
** spoiler omitted **
We could throw in a god or gods of the Unknown and have a Man/Nature/Supernatural tug-of-war between all three groups; Man relates to mortal concerns, Nature relates to primal concerns that generally man cannot control, and Supernatural/Unknown would involve the unnatural or foreign things that man could not explain (possibly magic, aberrations, or the undead).
I was also thinking that the god of death is somewhat separate from all the gods and has many aspects depending on how someone or something dies. The aspect responsible for violent deaths was defeated/destroyed/imprisoned somehow and that is why magic can restore the dead back to life. If someone dies of old age or a natural cause, they cannot be brought back.
I like the versions where mother nature is a titan/Old one who sided with the children/gods. Humans and Orcs are the ones at war with nature, mostly. Proteus/Chthulihu is mostly controlled, never defeated.
As for the same gods being worshiped under different names, Zeus, meet Jupiter. Aries, meet Mars. Aphrodite meet Venus.
I was planning the set up of the Solar System to be on a separate poll. Having another habitable world is a good idea.
Although, if we are going to have multiple inhabited worlds, we might get a Spelljammer setup. AD&D in Space, as you know. Plus, that could also factor in exploration. And we could say some races are from the other world, their ship crashed, the people on our world dismantled their ship to prove they aren't Gods, that sort of thing.
Solar System Basics
If we are going to discuss a solar system, we need to know whats in it. The questions are: is the system a Heliocentric system (the planets revolve around a sun)? Is it a ptolemaic system, where the sun and the planets revolve around our world? Could their be one sun or multiple suns?
Plus you get into space physics. Besides using the Starshield system where physics can be different anywhere! We can have real life physics, wild space, or Aethereal Space, or something beyond that point.
Besides that, we need to choose how many planets are in our solar system. Whether some of them are rocky (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars), or failed stars -- Jupiter, Saturn (Saturn used to be a brown dwarf, by the way); or Icy planets -- Neptune, and Uranus. Or are classed as Kupier objects -- Pluto.
After that, we need to decide which are in the cozy zone where water (dihydrogen oxide) can exist at all three states of matter -- solid, liquid, and gaseous. We need to find out how many planets have moons and how many moons. And whether or not those moons are inhabited.
Then we run into Planar Cosmology. :)
Probably there should be multiple polls for the solar system. The universe itself might need explaining too. Here are things I can think of off the tip of my head:
Poll for planetary placement:
Is our world in a heliocentric or geocentric universe? If it's geocentric, is our world at the center or is some other world there? (This latter option could have a Jupiter-sized Earth-like world at the center of everything, with even a miniature sun revolving around it!)
Poll for moons:
The number of moons is up for debate. Does the planet have one or more? If the planet is geocentric, does that make every other world a 'moon' to it even though we might call it a planet or is the reverse true? (And don't forget, both the sun and moon were considered planets at one time).
Poll for habitable planets:
Once upon a time folks thought nearly every planet was habitable. With elemental beings and outsiders, this can still be true. Even the sun could be habitable for fire elementals. So the question, really, is how many worlds in the solar system could the average humanoid explore without needing protection.
Poll for planetary nature:
Are the worlds anything like what we know. Eberron's moons are all connected to inner and outer planes of various sorts. There's no reason that the sun couldn't be a portal to the elemental plane of fire, a Jupiter-like world is connected to elemental air, and so on. Heck, the Oort cloud zone could have a stable bleed that leads to the quazielemental plane of ice and the asteroid belt could have a stable bleed leading to the elemental plane of earth (there's gold in them thar asteroids!).
There is also the distinct possibility that some of the planets are connected to the various outer planes (though some moons could be too).
There are also more outlandish things as well. For instance, there's no reason the planets can't literally be gemstones or made entirely of a type of metal or even need to be round.
Poll for spelljamming:
Right now we're in a crusade. Of course, there's no reason that a particular planet can't be at the center (possibly literally) of a crusade instead of a section there-of (all of the races claim the same homeworld and are fighting over it), but this might change the flavor of things a bit. Alternatively, we might just want to stick to having one world with a lot of different areas - even demiplanes attached to it for more exploration as needed.
Poll for the stars:
Astrology/astronomy played a huge role in history. It always upsets me when there's no attempt at constellations in a setting. That said, the nature of the stars is important. Are they holes in the dark dome at the edge of the solar system, showing the light of the astral plane? Are they gems infused with lights and placed by the deities? Are they illusions? Are they gateways to other realities? Are they huge balls of plasma light-years away?
Poll for other features:
Are there comets? What are the nature of comets? Are there any unusual features in the sky, like an area that looks like a continuous storm cloud or perhaps strange figures that dance across the sky and occasionally move the stars? Hollow moons or planets, glittering clouds, rainbows, or other odd features could exist as night time features - if this is a fantasy setting. Harder scifi settings will get into the considerations you mentioned above about placement. Fantasy settings tend not to need such explanations, since the deities can literally just make it so.
Also, there seems to be a working assumption that our world is a world and not some virtual reality on an interstellar voyage or similar.
Here's an odd one:
The Toroidal Plane
The world is flat. Not only that, it has no edges. As with a round world, if you go West far enough you end up returning to your starting location from the East. However, in a world built on the Toroidal Plane, the very same thing happens if you go North far enough - you return from the South.
In such a world, the vertical dimension is likely to encompass distinct layers of different environments and even spaces that correspond to other planes.
Here's an odd one:
The Toroidal Plane
The world is flat. Not only that, it has no edges. As with a round world, if you go West far enough you end up returning to your starting location from the East. However, in a world built on the Toroidal Plane, the very same thing happens if you go North far enough - you return from the South.
In such a world, the vertical dimension is likely to encompass distinct layers of different environments and even spaces that correspond to other planes.
That's actually a pretty cool idea. The Land of the Lost series took it even further - the lowest and highest regions of the realm were linked!
I really don't care what the solar system is like unless it directly relates to the main world, such as multiple suns (Tatooine), extremely long or harsh seasons or weather conditions (A Song of Ice and Fire), or crazy solar phenomena (Aurora Borealis, comets striking often, constant moondogs, etc.).
I'm opposed to multiple inhabitable planets, there are already various planes and demiplanes, though I could potentially see portals connecting the main world to a Sisterworld.
I'd rather start zooming in than out (after we finish the pantheon) and let the people of our world decide what they think the stars/planets/universe are/is.
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New Poll having to do with the Solar System is up. I used a different browser to login. :)
-- Okay, results of the Pantheon poll --
Dokecatheon -- 12 gods -- 20%
A gaggle of Gods -- 7 -- 0%
A baker's dozen -- 13 -- 50%
A triad -- 3 -- 10%
A set of Worthies -- 9 -- 20%
A pentatheon -- 5 -- 0%.
The poll results are closed and we have a Pantheon of 13 major gods.
Lets get the pantheon down first.
Well, since the 13 deities are locked in, how would you like to handle their creation? The Leaping Gnome and I have already made suggestions, but a format for entry would be helpful. Also, is it just 13 major deities or 13 deities total - that is, are there more demigods, Lesser and Intermediate deities running around or are our 13 it?
There are lesser deities running around, and that's up to every designer of their individual kingdom .
Okay, how many kingdoms are there again?
I would gladly lend a hand, or 3 if it's needed. I have a ton of semi finished worlds/kingdoms/setting is folders from since I began playing longer now then I care to admit.
An infinite flat world would bypass the need for solar system questions. Of course, you need to be a bit creative to have a day/night cycle.
Alternately, if we do stick with a roundworld, it doesn't need to be heliocentric or geocentric. It could just be that there are an infinite number of orbs of various kinds drifting through the void. It raises interesting possibilities if the nearest star is drifting away.
As for deities, I think that there should really only be 13 major deities for all races, but as suggested, they aren't interpreted the same way by each race.
Here's a suggestion regarding deities and portfolios:
Death is associated with one of the major deities representing natural things and elements, while undeath is under the purview of some time and space-focused, Yog-Sothoth character.
Greater deities would have what? Four domains? Or should I think more abstractly...
I'd like to suggest a single deity in charge of the four elements and magic as a fifth element, perhaps the progenitor of the genie and elemental races.
We could always make a list of 39-52 domains and then shuffle them into threes or fours and see what we get.
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We could always make a list of 39-52 domains and then shuffle them into threes or fours and see what we get.
Domains (Paizo)
Air DomainCloud
Wind
Animal Domain
Feather
Fur
Artifice Domain
Construct
Toil
Chaos Domain
Azata
Demon
Entropy
Protean
Whimsy
Charm Domain
Love
Lust
Community Domain
Family
Home
Darkness Domain
Loss
Moon
Night
Death Domain
Murder
Undead
Destruction Domain
Catastrophe
Rage
Torture
Earth Domain
Caves
Metal
Evil Domain
Daemon
Demon
Devil
Fear
Fire Domain
Arson
Ash
Smoke
Glory Domain
Heroism
Honor
Good Domain
Agathion
Archon
Azata
Friendship
Healing Domain
Restoration
Resurrection
Knowledge Domain
Memory
Thought
Law Domain
Archon
Devil
Inevitable
Loyalty
Slavery
Tyranny
Liberation Domain
Freedom
Revolution
Luck Domain
Curse
Fate
Madness Domain
Insanity
Nightmare
Magic Domain
Arcane
Divine
Nobility Domain
Leadership
Martyr
Plant Domain
Decay
Growth
Protection Domain
Defense
Purity
Repose Domain
Ancestors
Souls
Rune Domain
Language
Wards
Scalykind Domain
Dragon
Saurian
Strength Domain
Ferocity
Resolve
Sun Domain
Day
Light
Travel Domain
Exploration
Trade
Trickery Domain
Deception
Thievery
Void Domain
Dark Tapestry
Stars
War Domain
Blood
Tactics
Water Domain
Flotsam
Ice
Oceans
Weather Domain
Seasons
Storms
3rd Party:
4 Winds Fantasy Gaming - Domains
Dream Domain
Dwarf Domain
Elf Domain
Fate Domain
Gnome Domain
Halfling Domain
Ocean Domain
Orc Domain
Pleasure Domain
Renewal Domain
Retribution Domain
Song Domain
Time domain
Alluria Publishing - Domains
Preservation Domain
Frog God Games - Domains
Serpent Domain
Super Genius Games - Domains
Cold Iron Domain
Ice Domain
Wind Domain
---------------
God domain makeups:
Skyfather -- Air, Healing, Good, Glory, Law, Weather
Earthmother -- Chaos, Destruction, Earth, Healing, Plant
Sun -- Chaos, Healing, Good, Knowledge, Magic, Sun
Moon -- Darkness, Good, Nobility, Protection
The Tender Passions -- Charm, Community, Good, Pleasure
War -- Death, Evil, Law, Trickery, War
Underworld -- Earth, Law, Death
Invention -- Artifice, Fire, Knowledge
Sea -- Chaos, Destruction, Water
Dragon Goddess -- Evil, Law, Scalykind
Spider Goddess -- Chaos, Evil, Magic, Rune
Secrets -- Evil, Death (Undeath), Madness, Magic, Rune
Some ideas. :)
In an infinite plane, you can have celestial bodies rotating around the planet. The thing is, no matter where you are in the world, the sun is always at the same angle at a given time. It's the same time everywhere. You can keep walking towards it, but the angle doesn't change in the sky (except where it changes due to progression of time). It is infinitely far away yet operates as a light in the sky nonetheless. Same deal with the stars and moon(s).
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I was looking into the polls, like I usually do, and so far most people want something really weird for the solar system. Although I know you really want to express your creativity, keep in mind that "Really Weird" can wreck havoc for the inhabitants of a world.
Since our world is:
a. Careening through space around a G2 star in excess of 29 m/s. OR
b. the Sun is careening through space around Earth in excess of 29 m/s.
There has to be a reason for this and why we aren't in an Aetherial Nebula without Gravity. :) Things happen according to order and for a reason. Planets are built in Suns. At least our Earth was, that's partly why so many of Mankind remember an Age of Saturn.
However, the votes can't be rescinded, so I'm reserving my vote in case I have to break a tie. I just wanted to remind you that the Universe is in perfect order, and having something really weird for a solar system is inconsistent with the equilibrium of the Universe. After all, no one has observed a really weird solar system. Yet.
A rogue planet would not be conducive to life.
At least our Earth was, that's partly why so many of Mankind remember an Age of Saturn.
???
I was looking into the polls, like I usually do, and so far most people want something really weird for the solar system. Although I know you really want to express your creativity, keep in mind that "Really Weird" can wreck havoc for the inhabitants of a world.
Since our world is:
a. Careening through space around a G2 star in excess of 29 m/s. OR
b. the Sun is careening through space around Earth in excess of 29 m/s.
There has to be a reason for this and why we aren't in an Aetherial Nebula without Gravity. :) Things happen according to order and for a reason. Planets are built in Suns. At least our Earth was, that's partly why so many of Mankind remember an Age of Saturn.
However, the votes can't be rescinded, so I'm reserving my vote in case I have to break a tie. I just wanted to remind you that the Universe is in perfect order, and having something really weird for a solar system is inconsistent with the equilibrium of the Universe. After all, no one has observed a really weird solar system. Yet.
A rogue planet would not be conducive to life.
Um, but this is physics in our universe. Pathfinder and D&D have magic. "Really weird" does not mean it won't be habitable, it just means it'd be very different from what occurs in our universe. Discworld, for instance, could be considered "really weird". Perhaps those voting for the "really weird" solar system ought to post what they want to see here?
I think the planet should be floating in a giant planetarium, maybe hung by a huge chain, and the gods watch the planet from the seats. Sometimes they decide to get down and boogie and use the planet as a disco-ball.
As far as worlds go, I always like to stick close to what our world is like but always add in twists. I will prob catch some serious fire over this, but maybe a world like Outlands from WoW?
It's been broken up and is floating in a aether which can then allow for all kinds of exotic things as well as "normal" things as well.
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As far as worlds go, I always like to stick close to what our world is like but always add in twists. I will prob catch some serious fire over this, but maybe a world like Outlands from WoW?
It's been broken up and is floating in a aether which can then allow for all kinds of exotic things as well as "normal" things as well.
I like that! :) I really do. Because I thought of it myself, a world that sort of keeps itself together with gravity but broken into pieces. Now if that only really happened when the Earth was actually divided . . . hmmm . . .
I agree with Tark about sticking close to the real world, but I'm not familiar with Outlands. The idea of scattered masses of land floating in aether is pretty cool (that's sort of how I imagined the astral plane and the plane of air anyway), though I'd just as soon start with a normal, medieval earth setting and build up from there. I would be all for a floating island or continent however, such as Laputa in Gulliver's Travels or the flying windmill from Feel Good Inc.), I could see it inhabited by cloud giants, djinn, or some less friendly race. There could even be a myth that it is flying islands populated by evil creatures that brings storms to the kingdom. Maybe these creatures used to rule the world but now are mostly concerned with their own affairs and haven't set foot on earth for 300 years. Potential avenue of discussion.
I would also be interested in talking about where magic comes from and how it is viewed and used, namely arcane magic. Is it a common tool or a dangerous weapon? Do peasants benefit from magic as well as the elite? Is it feared and shunned or esoteric and rarely seen? If divine magic comes from deities or the land, does arcane power flow from more dangerous places? Or is it simply another force of the universe, hiding just behind the surface of reality?
I like that! :) I really do. Because I thought of it myself, a world that sort of keeps itself together with gravity but broken into pieces. Now if that only really happened when the Earth was actually divided . . . hmmm . . .As far as worlds go, I always like to stick close to what our world is like but always add in twists. I will prob catch some serious fire over this, but maybe a world like Outlands from WoW?
It's been broken up and is floating in a aether which can then allow for all kinds of exotic things as well as "normal" things as well.
Perhaps we can call the setting the Archipelago of Reality? We could have it where the reality of the world trails off like islands in an archipelago. The Crusades could happen in the area with the largest bits of reality known - though they may not be the only large bits of reality around.
If you want, we could include an ancient battle between Primordals and Deities, one that cause things to fracture and break. All Primordials and major deities except out 13 died (though their broken essences may still be around, trying to pull themselves back together). Other Intermediary, Lesser and Demi-gods might be around in each kingdom.
Thoughts?
Perhaps our world isn't on the Material Plane at all, whether an odd one or not. Maybe it's on an "Outer Plane" and that's why the gods are so meddlesome, the world exists on their Plane of Existence! Maybe the world is on a planet-sized chunk of rock on the Plane of Air or a planet-sized cavern on the Plane of Earth. Maybe it's some kind of demiplane. Just throwing it out there for you're consideration, this isn't necessarily my preference.
I don't see the need to have an intermediate category of deities, unless we're using the rules for deity stats from Deities and Demigods or something where that would actually matter mechanically. Pathfinder only has major deities, minor deities and demigods. Major deities have five domains, minor and demigods have four, with some exceptions (I think some demigods have only three domains). In addition there is relgion involving things other than gods, such as veneration of spirits, including ancestors. Many pantheistic religions also have an element of animism, including Japan and ancient Rome.
Also, I think we should have a distinction between deities and religions. A religion might be devoted to several deities, instead of having separate religions for each deity as many D&D worlds do. Also we should consider if various demon lords, arch devils and empyreal lords are known on this world and if so what role they have in religion. We should also consider whether clerics need to have a specific patron deity or if they can worship the whole pantheon or a group of allied/related deities.
Finally we might consider whether or not deities can be slain and who is capable of such a deed. I prefer deities to be vulnerable to mortal attacks. This is an idea that has some basis in certain Mythologies, for instance Ares was wounded in the Trojan War, though with divine assistance.
Been toying with a world event known as "the Sundering" in which a evil god is killed, but before the forces of good could rejoice, his death throes cause mass devastation and tear the world asunder.
From there, the world is trying to recover. (a cheap and easy reason to have floating lands)
Or perhaps a primordial died in the area, and caused the lands to erupt upwards and due to some odd quirk of nature, they just never came crashing back down, but hang suspended.
I finally got to watch all of Avatar and Pandora was exactly how I have always seen this idea in my head when making floating lands.
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Okay, the results of the planet's shape is --
35% go for the outside of a spherical planet.
5% (1) want it set in the Earth's Core.
5% (1) want the planet to be a flat plane, like terra firma.
10% (2) want the planet to be irregular in shape.
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5 (25%) wanted a planet as large as our Earth's.
1 (5%) wanted a planet as large as Mars (Diameter of 4,000 miles).
1 (5%) wanted a planet with a diameter of 10,000 miles.
1 (5%) wanted a planet with 16,000 miles.
The Sphere and a diameter of 8,000 miles win.
As far as worlds go, I always like to stick close to what our world is like but always add in twists. I will prob catch some serious fire over this, but maybe a world like Outlands from WoW?
It's been broken up and is floating in a aether which can then allow for all kinds of exotic things as well as "normal" things as well.
The Shattered Earth novel had the whole mess kept habitable by runestones made by necromancy.
I want one sun but multiple moons. The were tigers will thank Bast for that.I'm thinking the Elven forrests, the gnome hills, the halfling villages, and others formed an alliance. The Sylvian alliance is more concerned with fighting the orcs and goblinoids than the human's political squabbles.
Should we, perhaps, start to vote on a name for the setting as well as one or more scribes? It would help to have the information gathered in one place like a wiki.
If the wiki is openly editable a scribe might not be needed. If it is not editable, I think more than one scribe might be a good idea so if someone can't work on it there are others. Also, this looks like it's going to be a fairly large wiki at the end, so having more than one person writing on it could be helpful.
Been toying with a world event known as "the Sundering" in which a evil god is killed, but before the forces of good could rejoice, his death throes cause mass devastation and tear the world asunder.
From there, the world is trying to recover. (a cheap and easy reason to have floating lands)
Damn, that is almost exactly like a setting I've been working on. Disappointment.
Damn, that is almost exactly like a setting I've been working on. Disappointment.Been toying with a world event known as "the Sundering" in which a evil god is killed, but before the forces of good could rejoice, his death throes cause mass devastation and tear the world asunder.
From there, the world is trying to recover. (a cheap and easy reason to have floating lands)
great minds think alike? I have a massive folder filled with over 20 years worth of ideas for settings and stuff. That was a newer addition after sitting down and reading some lore on the Outlands, as well as some lore for the game Aion.
How about your busted up world has survived by opening up gates to the one we are all making. Near the gates are areas where gravity stops working, because it's being drained to busted up world. :)
I vote we name it OTW because they think theirs is the One True World.