Hey, this is my first post here, and the subject is my first, completely homebrewed campaign on a (largely) homebrewed world.
Our gaming group started playing rogue trader a few months ago, and so far things have been working really well (most of the time). As a result I was encouraged to try my hand at DM:ing, and after some thinking, I got an idea for a low-magic (not scarce; magic is rare-ish, but comes by reasonably often when adventuring) world. The most notable differences, however, are gods, races and nations.
In addition to humans, this campaign will sport Fae folk (old fairy-tales interpretation, whimsical but menacing creatures) and changelings (people influenced by magic, like snake-themed Lahmaarians, Elemental-themed Magelanders and Semi-undead Returned). The non-human races are created with race builder to be maybe a bit more powerful at start (example below) to compensate for the fact that they are heavily persecuted in this world (magic is rare and strange, so it is seen as a threat by many humans).
Gods are largely homebrewed, and written to be a mixture of various ancient/current religions. Most notably they resemble the gods of the ancient Greek in that most of them are not above political scheming, and many of them use their followers as pawns and justify their means in different ways (with varying levels of hypocrisy vs reason). There are 13 major gods, that all have 3 lesser demi-god followers, making a person who worships a demigod indirectly connected to other gods of the same "group".I plan to write them all down, domains and all, and I'm currently almost done. (20+ pages so far!)
Last, there is an existing map of the nations, and they all have a rough back story to them that connects them all in some way. For example, the Northern Continent is ruled by heavily European-themed human nations, Juland (nicknamed "The Blue Kingdom) being western Europe-themed LG country, very honorable, religious and knightly on the outside, but in reality deeply corrupted and suffering from internal conflict and political play. Grellmark (the Green Kingdom), on the other hand, is the viking-styled grim and gritty northern kingdom with numerous aggressive barbarian clans and mysterious druids, heavily influenced by their patron god Galug (description, including his demigod followers below). Then there is Tzarifia (the Red), a russian/transylvania-style, manipulative and spying-focused kingdom.
From southern, more exotic kingdoms, there is for example Lahmaar Empire, the only empire with a larger changeling population than human. This is the result of them being heavily influenced by Shedra, an ancient serpent goddess, who is not included in the description because some elements of her and her "god-group's" back story would be R-rated.
So... Any ideas/advice/suggestions? The game is set to be the weekend after the next weekend (sorry for poor wording, english is not my first language...) and I'm preparing to make the NPC's for the first few encounters during next week. I'm keeping the story pretty flexible and open, as I'm planning to improvise a lot, according to my group's actions and preferences. Luckily one of us a very knowledgeable and experienced in the game (The barbarian; others are a bard, a cleric and a ranger, from which the cleric is playing a Lahmaarian)
Attachment 1: An example of a major god, and his demigods. The major one is heavily Gorum-influenced, the rest are maybe a bit more original.
1. Galug, the Bloodmonger, The Lord of Battle
CN
God of strength, battle and weapons
Portrayed as a tall and muscular man with shaggy black hair and beard, with numerous scars on his bare chest and a huge greataxe, wearing a loincloth and a wolf-pelt
Symbol: Waraxe, split diagonally in two, a skull in the middle
Favored weapon: Greataxe
Domains: War, Destruction, Strength, Glory, Chaos
A barbarian god of bloodlust and excitement of battle. He has a primitive sense of honor, seeing fighting and killing as one great, glorious game. Favoring extreme feats of physical and mental strength, he gives his blessings only to the strongest and toughest of their kind. The patron deity of Grellmark, this god is mostly worshipped in the far north, including the legendary Everfrost islands. Some tribes of the Lahmaarian jungles and the Emerald islands have also worshipped Galug for a long time, and even some Caracasian desert-dwellers are known to worship his name (though in those countries he is portrayed wearing a tiger-pelt). His main worshipers are barbarians, brutal warriors and savages.
The Battleband of Galug:
1.1 Kassak, the Fireblade
CN
God of cruelty, pride and deception
Portrayed as an athletic, auburn-haired young man with a flaming sword in his left hand and a bronze shoulderguard on his right shoulder
Symbol: Shortsword (gladius), with flames dancing around the blade
Favored weapon: Gladius
Domains: Charm, Fire, Trickery, War
Galug’s strategist, and the most cunning of his demigods. He is known for playing cruel tricks that occasionally backfire on him in some way or other, as he also has a bad habit of targeting his superiors. His center of worship is the Tzarifian-controlled festival city of Eles Igna in the Southlands. He is mostly worshiped by gladiators (particularly Tzarifian blood performers), merciless leaders and sociopaths.
1.2 Nuorr, the Black Bear
CN
God of survival, willpower and wilderness
Portrayed as a huge black bear with two metal chains circling its chest
Symbol: Black, snarling bear’s head in a circle of broken chains
Favored Weapon: Cestus
Domains: Animals, Chaos, Destruction, Strength
Nuorr is the physically and mentally strongest of Galug’s band, and also the most stubborn; it is said that every new moon, he and Galug wrestle for the right to call themselves the lord of battle. He also broke free from the cursed chains of Xeroc during the demon wars, still wearing some of them as a reminder. He is especially popular among feral barbarians and ferocious druids.
1.3 Swerda, the Forger of War
N
Goddess of metalcrafting, stoneworking and professional pride
Portrayed as a muscular, red-haired woman with freckled cheeks and a heavy hammer, wearing a blacksmith’s apron
Symbol: Crimson warhammer in front of a black anvil
Favored weapon: Warhammer
Domains: Artifice, Earth, Glory, Strength
The barbarian goddess of smithing, building and toil, Swerda is seen as a prime example of a typical barbarian: stoic, hard-working, proud of her creations and terrifying when angered. She is in a friendly rivalry with Vulcas, the Lord of Steel, and they frequently hold contests to determine which one’s metalwork is superior. Though some rumors have indicated that this relationship goes much deeper than simple friendliness, Swerda has claimed in response that her trusty hammer is the only husband she will ever need.
Attachment 2: An example of a home-brewed race. One of the players loves snakes :)
Serpentfolk/Lahmia
Serpentfolk or, as they call themselves, Lahmians are native to the Lahmaar Empire. Blessed by their serpentine goddess Shedra, they have received a multitude of reptilian traits, including their dexterity, charm and natural weapons. Both feared and admired for their mysterious culture and exotic appearance, they are sure to gather attention from other races when traveling outside their large Empire – especially from Zenians, who hate them like plague as a result of the recent war. Serpentfolk clerics tend to focus on their signature gods (Shedra, Naja, Kistross, Hzitzha), though this is not mandatory for a PC.
+2 to Dexterity, +2 to Charisma, -2 to Strength
(Serpenfolk are dexterous and charming as snakes, but their bodies tend to be less muscular by comparison to humans.)
Bite: Serpentfolk characters have sharp fangs, gaining them a natural bite attack that deals 1d3 damage. The bite is a primary attack, or a secondary attack if the creature is wielding manufactured weapons. This attack is always considered to be toxic with Shedra’s Venom, unless it is used to envenom a weapon, in which case the venom is transferred to the weapon instead. Serpentfolk with higher constitution can produce additional venom from their teeth as a swift action, in which case they can use their toxic bite/envenom abilities again.
Carrion Sense: Members of this race have a natural ability to sniff out carrion. This functions like the scent ability, but only for corpses and badly wounded creatures (creatures with 25% or fewer hit points).
(It is said that lahmians can taste blood and death in the air with their forked tongues. Whether this is a defense mechanism or a tool for finding easy prey is unknown.)
Dreamspeaker: Serpentfolk characters gain a +1 bonus to the saving throw DCs of spells of the divination school and spells that produce sleep effects that they cast. In addition, members of this race with a Charisma score of 15 or higher may use Dream once per day as a spell-like ability (caster level is equal to the user’s character level).
(Serpentfolk are known for their prophets and seers, who see the future in a dream-like trance.)
Fleet-Footed: Members of this race receive Run as a bonus feat and a +2 racial bonus on initiative checks.
Prehensile Tail: Serpentfolk characters have a long, flexible tail that can be used to carry objects. They cannot wield weapons with their tails, but they can retrieve small, stowed objects carried on their persons as a swift action.
(Tails are treated like hair among Lahmian; they decorate them, paint them and carry them proudly. All tail-less lahmians are often ridiculed, for they have lost their honor with their tail.)
Shedra’s Venom: Serpentfolk characters gain the following extraordinary ability: A number of times per day equal to its Constitution modifier (minimum 1/day), a member of this race can envenom a weapon that it wields with its poison. Applying venom in this way is a swift action. Shedra’s Venom has the following properties: Life-stealing Venom: Injury; save Fort DC 10 + the 1/2 user’s Hit Dice + the user’s Constitution modifier; frequency 1/ round for 6 rounds; effect 1 Con; cure 1 save.
Whew, that was a long post. I hope someone has the patience to read this thing and give some constructive feedback.
One important note: I also use the alignments more as guidelines for the NPC:s morals, and occasionally to show how bizarre some ethical problems can go. For example, a lawful good paladin can, and should, define the legality and morality of her actions according to her god's stand on the subject at hand; for example, if an LG religion is especially supportive to defending cities from attackers, it is perfectly OK to gather reinforcements for that purpose by almost any means necessary (forced recruitment, for example). However, only those who actively and purposefully oppose a god's ideals are considered "evil" for the purposes of spells like "Detect Evil" - A peasant who dislikes being forcibly recruited, but is not yet plotting to rebel is thus not evil, but a peasant who is hiding her children so that they would not be recruited is detected as "evil". This allows players to question the morality of their supposedly "good" gods, and for some followers of good gods to turn into ruthless zealots.
Yet again I see a reason to add something... While I at the start talk about rogue trader, this campaign is obviously created with pathfinder rules. Sorry for being a bit misleading.
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Here is what I always tell everyone:
A good setting is not about places, history, and special rules. At the heart of every good setting is a strong theme. At the very start, try to nail down the theme as specific as possible.
With everything you create later on, you should consider if it really supports the theme you envision, or if you want to alter the theme in some way. If something does not fit the theme, then let it go and don't force it in, even though it's unneccessary or doesn't really fit.
People won't care if you have a cool dungeon, cool legendary NPC, or complex history. All that really wins people over is when the setting is strong and interesting, even when their characters are sitting in some unnamed backwater where none of the great heroes ever came by and there are no demonic hordes invading.
Take for example Dark Sun, PlaneScape, or even Star Wars. Even without any of the iconic places and characters appearing, at a completely different time than the well known stories, these worlds have their own unique environments and dynamics.
If greek style goods, fae folk, and changelings are the main hook of your setting, then make it so that they actually have a major influence on almost everything and in all places. If it's just a generic world in which everything exist and fae folk and changelings as well, then it will still be just a generic world.
Which brings me to a sub-point: Identify what role the Player Characters are assumed to have. You can make settings in which players can play everything they like, but again that results in generic settings that are like any others.
Planescape is about adventurers stubling into weird places on the outer and inner planes. Dark Sun is about a bunch of bad-asses battling the dangers and monsters of the deserts, as well as all the other people trying to kill them for their stuff.
Here is what I always tell everyone:
A good setting is not about places, history, and special rules. At the heart of every good setting is a strong theme. At the very start, try to nail down the theme as specific as possible.
With everything you create later on, you should consider if it really supports the theme you envision, or if you want to alter the theme in some way. If something does not fit the theme, then let it go and don't force it in, even though it's unneccessary or doesn't really fit.People won't care if you have a cool dungeon, cool legendary NPC, or complex history. All that really wins people over is when the setting is strong and interesting, even when their characters are sitting in some unnamed backwater where none of the great heroes ever came by and there are no demonic hordes invading.
Take for example Dark Sun, PlaneScape, or even Star Wars. Even without any of the iconic places and characters appearing, at a completely different time than the well known stories, these worlds have their own unique environments and dynamics.If greek style goods, fae folk, and changelings are the main hook of your setting, then make it so that they actually have a major influence on almost everything and in all places. If it's just a generic world in which everything exist and fae folk and changelings as well, then it will still be just a generic world.
Which brings me to a sub-point: Identify what role the Player Characters are assumed to have. You can make settings in which players can play everything they like, but again that results in generic settings that are like any others.
Planescape is about adventurers stubling into weird places on the outer and inner planes. Dark Sun is about a bunch of bad-asses battling the dangers and monsters of the deserts, as well as all the other people trying to kill them for their stuff.
Thanks for you're advice, I understand what you're meaning and agree whole-heartedly. The theme is very heavily mundane vs magical with political schemes, represented in the prejudice all magical beings (and classes) need to face and the manipulative nature of the gods. One big influence i had when writing this was game of thrones and, in deed, star wars. Planescape I'm not familiar with.
Thanks for you're advice, I understand what you're meaning and agree whole-heartedly. The theme is very heavily mundane vs magical with...Here is what I always tell everyone:
A good setting is not about places, history, and special rules. At the heart of every good setting is a strong theme. At the very start, try to nail down the theme as specific as possible.
With everything you create later on, you should consider if it really supports the theme you envision, or if you want to alter the theme in some way. If something does not fit the theme, then let it go and don't force it in, even though it's unneccessary or doesn't really fit.People won't care if you have a cool dungeon, cool legendary NPC, or complex history. All that really wins people over is when the setting is strong and interesting, even when their characters are sitting in some unnamed backwater where none of the great heroes ever came by and there are no demonic hordes invading.
Take for example Dark Sun, PlaneScape, or even Star Wars. Even without any of the iconic places and characters appearing, at a completely different time than the well known stories, these worlds have their own unique environments and dynamics.If greek style goods, fae folk, and changelings are the main hook of your setting, then make it so that they actually have a major influence on almost everything and in all places. If it's just a generic world in which everything exist and fae folk and changelings as well, then it will still be just a generic world.
Which brings me to a sub-point: Identify what role the Player Characters are assumed to have. You can make settings in which players can play everything they like, but again that results in generic settings that are like any others.
Planescape is about adventurers stubling into weird places on the outer and inner planes. Dark Sun is about a bunch of bad-asses battling the dangers and monsters of the deserts, as well as all the other people trying to kill them for their stuff.
Planescape is actually about exploring the vast reaches of the outer planes, giving GMs the ability to come up with concepts even stranger than those presented in the source material.
Dark Sun is about an environmental disaster thanks to magic gone unchecked. Survival is the most important theme with personal freedom a close second.