I was hoping to create a minor homebrew world to take on The Rise of the Runelords. In this one, runelord magic is the start of all magic AND naturally tainted, meaning all magic has evil roots. I am not saying that is how magic actually is in pathfinder but I wanted a different sort of Campaign.
Magic is evil, and all the major races are actually colored by a vice.
Elves=Sloth
Kobolds=Pride
Orcs= Wrath
Dwarves=Greed
Halflings=Gluttony
Goblins=Envy
Gnomes= Lust(a lust for things and experience as well as the normal kind)
Humans are in the minority, and are actually the most Virtuous, naturally, not saying they can't fall, but they are not inclined to a certain vice at birth. Half breeds are the next, and have a chance.
No Alignments.
Of course the PCs don't know all that. They just know humans are scarce. Slowly as they defeat the runewells, magic starts to dry out. People of different races start to become more human. And the extra Paladin I added so there would be 4 members, not 3, is actually a Solar who has followed these ordinary PCs to decide whether the world should be destroyed. If they decide to not destroy the last runewell... the solar attacks or flees to herald the end unless he is killed, even if he is all humans die out and the world plunges into a world completely dominated by sin. If they do destroy the last runewell, all magic is destroyed, and you have... our world.
Once again I am not saying any of this should be a vanilla setting, but thinking on the different races while reading the Runelords, gave me this idea. Will certainly be a different change.
How depressing. Good luck.
Depressing? Too much? Any ideas on how to make it work better? i want it as a surprise, but not shoved down their throats. All the good NPCs are human. All bad NPCs are other races, or corrupted by other races. Also I think I will give rewards for each player who is another race to give into their vice(not being obvious about it, like if you are being a greedy dwarf I will throw in extra coin)
I want it to be a surprise, very much. It all started by thinking certain races are always certain traits, or even alignment, that didn't make any sense to me and the hardest to swallow about D&D as a whole, though I actually like alignments just not whole races of the same. I thought well what if all the preordained races were actually a type of sin, but some sin is better than others. We like sloth, so the elves are loved and slothful. (I mean they sing their houses into shape live thousands of years with little labour, do magic which is just a more simpler way of coping with your life, and are naturally pretty so they don't have to work to be liked)
Also was tired of the evil races are misunderstood angle, but really believed evil races whose sole personality is evil was silly. So all the races are evil! (more like tainted) Orcs are not evil, just born with wrath and rage, which is hard to fight. They can be hard workers, passionate, loyal, but more than anything they are angry and thus that is why we think they are evil, they burn and pillage, because it is who they are. Being angry takes energy so Orcs and Elves are opposite.
The hard part, is showing the PCs a corrupted world in which they live, while at the same time, giving them a choice. It would tie some loose ends for me, and might be a more meaningful story than we kill the big bad guy.
What yoou're doing is creating a crapsack world where the end result is either total destruction of existence or the end of all wonder in the world. And everyone is evil or at least eternally corrupted.
Like I said, depressing.
I know I would leave a game if it went in that direction. If I want a depressing crapsack world, I have real life.
Not destruction of the world, but a change to our world. It actually is a happy ending. I feel often there is a destruction of the world scenario if you beat up the bad guy lots of times. I could usher a third choice that maybe rise of the Humans to beat back the tide?
I actually am asking for advice. It was my way to deal with races tending to have personalities despite the region. Dwarves are dwarves, they are a sterotype, but humans are not. I played the the bad races are just different card but it is pretty hallow, and wanted to have a message of Humans are good. It makes no sense that elves are generally good, and Orcs bad than to have a sillified morality system that makes killing easier, here at least there is a sense of why they are like that.
It sounds... gritty. But otherwise, not that bad. I don't think I'd mind playing in such a campaign.
A crapsack world is only so terribly depressing if it stays that way, imo. If the heroes are gonna do something about it, that's... a good thing.
Seeing the end to all things fantastical at the end of the campaign (if not the actual end of all things) could be seen as sad, but it can also seem grand, especially if the PC's are the ones who brought about such a groundbreaking change. I don't know the first thing about your players, so I've got nothing to say about what they'll think of it though.
Overall though, I personally don't think the setting sounds bad. I wouldn't want it to be the norm in the games I play, but with a clear end in mind, I could totally see it being pretty cool for an adventure.
Just my opinion, of course.
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