Ways to find homebrew ideas

[inuyasha]

Hello playground, I would like to make a list of ways to find homebrew ideas, as sometimes I'm lacking in them. Yes I have heard you cannot force an idea, but I have realized sometimes you can "push" one into existence using a generator. Does anyone have any other ways that they find homebrew ideas. Submit it and it will be added to the list

1. Chaoticshiny (http://chaoticshiny.com/)
2. Seventhsanctum (http://www.seventhsanctum.com)

Thanks

[Amechra]

3. Insomnia.
4. The incoherent nightmares and dreamscapes.

[TheFamilarRaven]

Hello playground, I would like to make a list of ways to find homebrew ideas, as sometimes I'm lacking in them. Yes I have heard you cannot force an idea, but I have realized sometimes you can "push" one into existence using a generator. Does anyone have any other ways that they find homebrew ideas. Submit it and it will be added to the list

Thanks

Edit: After re-reading your post I realized I had completely misread it :smalltongue:, but Istill hope you find my post helpful t osome degree

Not sure if you're asking for links to 3rd party Generators like the ones you posted or not ... or if you're asking specifically for campaign setting homebrew, Class building homebrew or just any type of Homebrew. So the best I can do is just post some things I do as an amateur homebrewer.

For general Inspiration:
-DMG has a section for world building with some guidelines to follow. sometimes helps to re-read that.
-No one is expecting you to create the most ground breaking thing ever. Take things that you like from books, comics, movies, other worlds/classes, video games or something someone said, then alter and adapt it to what you're trying to do. All you have to do is see something and then ask "How can I put that into DnD?"
-Ask silly questions to yourself, like: "what if there was a race of sharks in my world that shot laser beams from their eyes?"
-Try to think of an overall "Theme", (yes i know this is what everyone says to do), like underground, undead, monty python, the list is endless.

For Class building:
-Pick a number of things (1-3 to start) that you want to accomplish with the class in question.
-Find other classes that are either similar, or come close enough to what you want to do to find a starting point for building abilities, skills etc. (E.G you want to make a melee class? Well look at what the fighter, ranger, paladin and barbarian can do in terms of Class Features, skills, armor/wep prof and HD)
- If it has a lot of options for customization, it's probably a base class, if not, then it's most likely a PrC (but not necessarily).
-Finally come up with some class features (don't worry about balance too much)
-When in doubt, or need some help with ideas, post on the homebrew forums :smallwink:

World Building: This can be a little trickier
-Check out the most popular (i use the term loosely), campaign settings (E.G greyhawke, Forgotten Realms, Ebberon etc.) Then do 1 or some of the following.
-Figure out what you like and ask "how can I adapt this?", remembering no one expects you to be the messiah of homebrewing
-Look over every detail of the world and ask "how can I make my world different and unique?"
-try to break at least 1 stereotype of DnD worlds (E.G multiple active deities, humans are dominant race, good guys live in cities etc)
-When in doubt, ask in the forums

And that's about it. Hope that's what you were asking for.

Edit: I should also add, that if you weave in enough inspiration from multiple sources into your homebrew, chances are the end product will be different than the original sources.

[The Mentalist]

Media is a good way to jog ideas, for example I'm writing a feat or ranger ACF for each line in Aragorn's Poem from LoTR. It's just a matter of keeping your mind open to things and trying to spin them a little.

[Djinn_in_Tonic]

I tend to avoid generators and the like, as they tend to be fairly cliche in my experience.

My favorite methods of inspiration are...well, a little strange.


Wikipedia's Random Article Button
Opening a dictionary to a random page
Picking a single word that relates to the theme I'd sort of like to design something for
Browsing DeviantArt or Google Image Search for random keywords, or for whatever strikes my fancy
Put on Pandora or just listen to random music from YouTube or my music library


I then tend to toss around the word/article/whatever in my mind until it begins to take some cohesive shape. This shape is often incredibly tangentially related: I'll just follow through any train of thought I happen to have until I start to find the edges of an idea I like.

[inuyasha]

I tend to avoid generators and the like, as they tend to be fairly cliche in my experience.

My favorite methods of inspiration are...well, a little strange.


Wikipedia's Random Article Button
Opening a dictionary to a random page
Picking a single word that relates to the theme I'd sort of like to design something for
Browsing DeviantArt or Google Image Search for random keywords, or for whatever strikes my fancy
Put on Pandora or just listen to random music from YouTube or my music library


I then tend to toss around the word/article/whatever in my mind until it begins to take some cohesive shape. This shape is often incredibly tangentially related: I'll just follow through any train of thought I happen to have until I start to find the edges of an idea I like.

all I get from random Wikipedia articles is small European villages, football players, or indian business men

[ArcturusV]

As odd as it sounds? I like to look at a lot of the ____ chef challenges here on this forum. The build ones in the 3/3.5/d20 forum like Zinc Saucier. Or the Base Class build challenges in this forum. I never enter them myself, mostly because I'm sure I'd just lose out anyway. But they often inspire an idea that I can run with. Like the current Zinc Saucier which is "Make a level 20 build that is as much like an Illithid as possible without actually being one in any way".

The other, and obvious suggestion, is just noticing niches or failings in current material. And the source of about 80% of the homebrew and kitbashing I've ever done. Like the Vampire Class I just did. In part because I've had players who would love to play vampires, but have had such a hard time between high LA and the crippling weaknesses of being a Vampire, that eventually it just wasn't fun for them. So lets fix that.

The other great source of it is breaking stereotypes. Like the game presumes that if you're going to play an Arcanist of some ilk, you aren't going to pick Half-Orc, at all. The two dings to the primary casting stats of Arcanist classes, the bonuses that pretty much give no advantage to casting at all, and just a lack luster race without any real support out there for it, unlike the dozens of ACFs for things like Elf Wizards or Dwarven Sorcerers. But hey, what if someone wants to play a Half-Orc sorcerer? Why should "natural magical talent" be something that, when it shows up in their bloodline is strictly worse in every way than any other sorcerer in the world (Yeah, Dwarves take a Cha hit too, but they get ACFs that make them a better Sorcerer, so I feel founded in saying this out of the various stock player races).

So I kitbash to "Fix" that. I guess it comes down to fixing things again. But the difference being there just usually isn't an example that makes me want to fix it. No player came to me, rolled up a Half-Orc Sorcerer, had a bad time with it and complained. It's just a desire to see it happen, sans player experience/input.

[Djinn_in_Tonic]

all I get from random Wikipedia articles is small European villages, football players, or indian business men

That's fine. The trick is to pick an idea, concept, or whatever from the page and just let your mind wander in any direction it happens to take.

[Zaydos]

Music.

Well actually I use a lot of these, but I've found that music (specifically heavy metal such as Manowar, Sabotan, Dragonforce, and Blue Oyster Cult) really gets my creative juices flowing.

That and insomnia, but someone else got to it first.

[Amechra]

You people use such soft methods of inspiration.

Sometimes, you just need to run into the woods for a week, consisting only on twigs and the blood of that bear you slew with your makeshift bow and arrow, to realize truly inspired homebrew.

Then come back and watch your 'brew fall of the front page with nary a comment, when that other 'brew gets like a million views and ALL THE LOVE.

Then you cry yourself to sleep.

I'm not bitter. Not bitter at all.

[inuyasha]

You people use such soft methods of inspiration.

Sometimes, you just need to run into the woods for a week, consisting only on twigs and the blood of that bear you slew with your makeshift bow and arrow, to realize truly inspired homebrew.

Then come back and watch your 'brew fall of the front page with nary a comment, when that other 'brew gets like a million views and ALL THE LOVE.

Then you cry yourself to sleep.

I'm not bitter. Not bitter at all.

cant run through the woods when you're stuck in a hospital bed for the next 2 days (Im coming home Thursday YAAY!) :p

[TheFamilarRaven]

cant run through the woods when you're stuck in a hospital bed for the next 2 days (Im coming home Thursday YAAY!) :p

There you go... how about a base class that summons an essence of himself to do things, but his physical body becomes incapacitated, just like you're stuck for two days incapacitated

See, you needent run thru the woods to let real life inspire you! Anything can inspire you!

(Also I'd like to say that's a ballin' idea for a class, but this isn't the thread)

[ArcturusV]

Wouldn't that be the Void Disciple? Sitting in a bed somewhere while a projection goes and does everything?

[TheFamilarRaven]

Wouldn't that be the Void Disciple? Sitting in a bed somewhere while a projection goes and does everything?


Well, there goes my awesome idea:smallfrown:

Edit: Doesn't dissuade my point though

[inuyasha]

yea it was a cool idea, :p

...whoa I just now realized you changed your avatar lol

[ArcturusV]

Course we could always kitbash up a Base Class version or a "fix". :smallwink:

[TheFamilarRaven]

Love to, but 2 things...

1) this is not the thread :smalltongue:

2) sounds like as psionic type class (I'm imagining professor X), and I havn't read ANY of the material for those types of classes. If any one of you starts the there I'll be there to toss ideas around though :smallwink:

[Milo v3]

Your Insanity and Horrible Experiences
+1 to Insomnia
Tvtropes
Looking at stuff I made already for inspiration

[Zaydos]

Also sometimes dreams

Let's see if I can remember the ones I got inspired for tonight.


Legendary hero PrC with a talking weapon
Pseudo-psionic far realm channeling base class
Kyojin adaptation to the Kyodai class I made.


It's probably a bad sign when my dreams are inspiring me by having someone building a character using a lot of homebrew (another base class was involved and someone was playing a bard) instead of by having neat ideas.

[Amechra]

Heh.

I once dreamed up a setting element (that I have never actually written down.)

How did I dream it up?

I dreamed I read it in a post by Xefas of all people.

It was really cool, too; it was this one guy who essentially started a religion based on a whisper in his native tongue coming out of a wall in a distant city.

And he's really starting to worry, because now he's being granted spells...

[Morph Bark]

all I get from random Wikipedia articles is small European villages, football players, or indian business men

What I got from this is monstrous constructs shaped like houses that eat people and they can only escape by winning a game against other people it has trapped.

Go.


3. Insomnia.
4. The incoherent nightmares and dreamscapes.

If I did that with my most recent dreams I'd end up with a Crossplayer class and a pink reality-warping triceratops.

[TuggyNE]

I dreamed I read it in a post by Xefas of all people.

Xefas has some good ideas! Even when it's not Xefas. :smallbiggrin: