Vote Up A Campaign Setting: Discussion Thread III

[Zeta Kai]

For that, you get a preview. Zeta's gonna be jealous!

I've been waiting months for a write up on Waharim. Feel special, Alteran.

[Alteran]

For that, you get a preview. Zeta's gonna be jealous!

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Waharim allows worshipers of any nonchaotic alignment. Most of his clergy are morally neutral. Waharim supports monks but does not support paladins.

Churches Waharim has one formal church and one looser faith:

Jabal is the organized following of Waharim's dogma, and the name of the religion according to its practitioners. Jabal initiates believe in the need for both intrinsic learning (the acquisition of new information) and conjectural learning (leaving oneself time to analyze and develop from that information). As such, their practices involve study, archiving and long meditation. More important rites include thesis, the presentation of conjecture built from study and meditation, and transcendence, in which they attempt to reenact their lord's first steps on his path to ultimate wisdom. Jabal considers the bar-headed goose (Hamsa) a sacred animal and the rhododendron a sacred plant. Their clerics often choose the Contemplation and Knowledge domains.

Ruwaid, sometimes called Ruwaid al'Jabal, is a looser spiritual tradition that has grown from the faith of Waharim. Focusing more on lifestyle and direct understanding, Ruwaid emphasizes meditative harmony and draws symbols from the wind and sky. Ruwaid practitioners teach others individually or in small groups, and devote time and attention to yoga-like movements and harmonious separation from the base needs of the world by means of personal relaxation. Sometimes confused with Jabal, Ruwaid has a very distant relationship with its parent faith and does not even normally mention Waharim's name. Ruwaid considers the bamboo a sacred plant. Their clerics often choose the Air and Contemplation domains.

Hooray!

Waharim is the LN one, isn't he? It would make sense. I don't have any questions, but that was a good writeup. I enjoyed reading it.

I've been waiting months for a write up on Waharim. Feel special, Alteran.

If you've been waiting so long, you should be happy!

[afroakuma]

I've been waiting months for a write up on Waharim. Feel special, Alteran.

Oh, don't be such a stick bug in the mud. You got what you wanted.

[Shadow_Elf]

Oh, don't be such a stick bug in the mud. You got what you wanted.

Its not done, though, as far as I can see, if you're aiming to have Waharim done in the same detail as the other Aspects. But its a good start .

[afroakuma]

Actually, I cranked the detail on all of them. To like 11 or something.

I sent you the finalized Waharim as well, Shadow. Take a look!

[Juhn]

He probably decided to give the most player-relevant parts, considering it was a spoiler for Alteran and not the rest of the Build Team.

Edit: Ninja'd by the man himself, it looks like.

[Shadow_Elf]

Actually, I cranked the detail on all of them. To like 11 or something.

I sent you the finalized Waharim as well, Shadow. Take a look!

Figured I'd comment here, to taunt/confuse/entice the audience
Fan-friggin'-tastic, afro. I applaud you. Waharim is my new favourite Aspect. Absolutely awesome job.

[Alteran]

Figured I'd comment here, to taunt/confuse/entice the audience

Truly, all members of the build team are villains and scoundrels of the highest order.

Except for Zeta. He's pretty cool.

[Athaniar]

Here's an interesting question: what do you audience members think the public should have been allowed to vote on that we did not include?

I said it back then and I'm saying it again:

Humans.

[lesser_minion]

Well, since I've been authorized to release both, here we go!

If you click on either spoiler box, you sign a contract that releases me from any particularly irritating questions regarding the demographics, climate, economy, religion or culture of any area on either map, no matter how intrigued you are.

I can think of at least two workarounds allowing the maps to be viewed without clicking on the spoiler box and thus bypassing your terms and conditions.

First, you can just view source, grab the image URL and type it directly into your browser

Second, you can quote the post, grab the image URL and type it directly into your browser

Third, you can quote the post, grab the image URLs and post them as links without attendent legalese

Fourth, you can go through your web browser cache and find the pictures there, because your browser downloads content under spoiler tags before you actually open the spoiler tags.

Luckily, I can't think of any irritating questions at this juncture.

[afroakuma]

If you view either image linked herein via any means, you sign a contract that releases me from any particularly irritating questions regarding the demographics, climate, economy, religion or culture of any area on either map, no matter how intrigued you are.

Siraaj

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Dead serious. You read the above first. Are you sure you agree?

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Najmah

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Dead serious. You read the above first. Are you sure you agree?

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Fixed it for you.

Xavius: what? We did have a human poll.

[lesser_minion]

Fixed it for you.

Xavius: what? We did have a human poll.

Well, that makes things a little harder. You could have just said "I will not answer irritating questions about X, Y and Z" rather than trying to contractually oblige people to do so.

Of course, what I should have done was added a clause compelling you to answer all questions in exchange for reading the helpful technical pointers.

[afroakuma]

Well, that makes things a little harder. You could have just said "I will not answer irritating questions about X, Y and Z" rather than trying to contractually oblige people to do so.

I could have, but it's not true.

Of course, what I should have done was added a clause compelling you to answer all questions in exchange for reading the helpful technical pointers.

Yes, because I'm clearly not chaotic neutral. Evil...

[lesser_minion]

If we're pulling out the Chaos doesn't care about contracts thing here:

Who said I had a lawful alignment?

Aren't you Lawful Evil in any event?

[Zeta Kai]

Aren't you Lawful Evil in any event?

POWER has no alignment. Arrogance, however... ;P

[SwordGoddess]

Oh, a god write-up! I confess, during all my readings of the threads, several things wound up intruiging me more than others--the Aspects, certainly, and to a lesser extent the gnolls.

For those who haven't seen the maps--I really encourage you to do so. You're missing out on some quality work there--not to mention the look of the setting itself!

[afroakuma]

POWER has no alignment. Arrogance, however... ;P

There is no scalp under afroakuma's afro. There is only another POWER.

Elminster's alignment is chaotic good. POWER's alignment is afroakuma.

I do hope that arrogance is occasionally justified...

[Sereg]

I do hope that arrogance is occasionally justified...

That it is.

Incidently SwordGoddess, I'd love to do as you asked but for some reason my university's service provider never lets me look at any of Zeta's maps that are posted here.

Pity me!

[SwordGoddess]

Oh no! I wonder why it doesn't display them?

[Zeta Kai]

Incidently SwordGoddess, I'd love to do as you asked but for some reason my university's service provider never lets me look at any of Zeta's maps that are posted here.

Pity me!

Well, if that's the case, then you have two options:

1. Wait for the inevitable PDF, & download the whole thing, maps & all. Or...
2. PM me your email address, & I'll send you a copy of the two maps.

Take your pick.

[Alteran]

Xavius: what? We did have a human poll.

I think he wanted the option of having no humans.

Personally, I think that humans (or some variation of them) should exist in any setting. In 4e (and I think 3.X) they serve as a race that can do well in any class. This is particularly useful when you have classes that can use many different combinations of ability scores, and a limited number of races. If there were no humans, I think we would need a similarly adaptable race to take their place.

[afroakuma]

I think he wanted the option of having no humans.

We played that game once before. I think I offered up the "Snamuh" as replacements.

[Juhn]

I still prefer snamuh for having a phonetically-superior name.

[afroakuma]

What, no comments on my unveiling of such detail about the mysterious Waharim?

[Athaniar]

Yeah, Waharim is cool.

Concerning humans, I have one problem: they are almost always depicted as being everywhere and doing everything, while the other races are made to fit specific niches. Also, humans are, as said, the stat-wise general race, the Mario of races. I'm not too fond of those. Two problems: they fill every niche, they are very bland, and I don't want to play my own race. Three problems:

OK, I'll stop there.

That being said, I'm not terribly upset there are humans in this setting. They can stay if they want to.

[Alteran]

Concerning humans, I have one problem: they are almost always depicted as being everywhere and doing everything, while the other races are made to fit specific niches. Also, humans are, as said, the stat-wise general race, the Mario of races. I'm not too fond of those.

Like I said, this is generally desirable from a mechanical point of view. That way no class can have no race that works with it, and almost every class will have at least two races that can work. It's good to know that a player will always have good choices. While Humans may not always be the ideal race, they're always a good race.

Also, as long as we're including Humans I don't know what else they can be. Realistically, races are much more diverse than they tend to be in D&D if we use Humans as a baseline. It's not easy to pin them down and give them specific attributes like we do with other races. However, when you tell somebody that all (or at least, most) Elves are like this they can accept it. Elves don't exist, so anything reasonable can be accepted. But Humans? Humans exist. If you try to tell people that they tend to be [SPECIFIC ATTRIBUTE], then you're going to get a lot of disagreement. It makes sense that they'll be the most diverse and mechanically adaptable race, because otherwise they wouldn't correspond well to real Humans.

[Athaniar]

It makes sense that they'll be the most diverse and mechanically adaptable race, because otherwise they wouldn't correspond well to real Humans.

And that is my problem. Real life humans are diverse, so if humans are in a fantasy setting, they have to be diverse. My solution is to not have real life humans in a fantasy setting at all.

[afroakuma]

And that is my problem. Real life humans are diverse, so if humans are in a fantasy setting, they have to be diverse.

I don't follow why this is a problem...

My solution is to not have real life humans in a fantasy setting at all.

And our solution was that all races are diverse. Your point?

[Athaniar]

And our solution was that all races are diverse. Your point?

Your solution is the second-best one. I'm content with it. I just felt like ranting.

[afroakuma]

Your solution is the second-best one. I'm content with it. I just felt like ranting.

You'll pardon me if I don't share your opinion; I simply fail to see how introducing greater diversity and a more organic feel to the setting is the second-best option.