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  1. - Top - End - #511
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    I'll start with MM V And work my way back, then hit the splats.

    These things are in:

    Banshrae - Creepy musical fey? Works for me.

    Blackwing - Dependent on necromancy. Could be an evil bound spirit forced into a bird, could be an ancient mount of a famous and powerful Wightspeaker, returned with him to defend the Vallheim. Undead =/= evil, but they aren't always good.

    Burrow Roots - Eh, sure, why not. Deep forest, not in Mr. Roger's backyard.

    Ember Guard - Sure, like a fire elemental spirit thing. Sounds good. Just ditch the evil parts.

    Fetid Fungus - Ummm... Ok. Sure. It won't hurt anything.

    Frostwind Virago - Yeah, fey are good. This one especially.

    Golem, Magmacore - I imagine these are built by Solerian priests to guard their holy temples.

    Graveyard Sludge - This is the tool of eeeevil necromancers. No hero-caller would use this.

    Haunt, Bridge - The perfect sort of undead. I love it.

    Haunt, Forest - This is also good.

    Haunt, Taunting - Creepy, a little funny, all around decent.

    Jaebrins - I suppose these guys deserve a little more inclusion. Wildwood men, lots of potential there.

    Ruin Chanter - Oh my goodness, fey ruins sound like such a cool idea. This guy can guard them.

    Shaedling - Tiny evil fey. I can dig it.

    Spectral Rider - Very cool. I like creepy undead that aren't just dumb.

    Thrym Hound - Maybe a wolf from the far north? I like these. Just lose the extraplanar crap.

    Vampires - I'm iffy on these guys. Still pondering.

    Verdant Reaver - Ok, yeah. Plant thing animated by the fey. Cool.

    Wild Hunt - This is what epic levels should be. This is a god of the Vallheim, or something. The kind of thing you hear about in stories and that only comes out once every hundred years to hunt heroes.... Yes. It's freaking in.

    So, that's MMV. MMIV Comes later today, probably.
    Guess who's good at avatars? Thormag. That's who.

    A Campaign Setting more than a year in the making, Patria!

  2. - Top - End - #512
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    On Silver and Magical Creatures.

    I've always wondered why silver hurts therianthropes, defacers and other things. Game design reasons aside, it's a fun thing to think about.

    So, at its heart, silver is a metal. A cold, hard, metal. In Patria, this is what makes it powerful. It holds magic, like anything else, but it is so pure, so cold, so clean, that it organizes its magic like the waves that surround a magnet. Most things, like therianthropes, defacers, what have you, are at least nominally organic. This requires a degree of chaos, of disorganization. Silver, with its perfectly aligned aura, passes through this field of magical chaos, and where a normal weapon would be ignored like a blunt knife on skin, it slices like a scalpel.

    Now back to your regularly scheduled monsters, courtesy of MMIV.

    Avatars of Elemental Evil - Can we keep the cool elemental spirits and get rid of the "servants of evil elemental gods" thing? Yes we can. We just did.

    Bloodsilk Spider - Every Wolf Clan hunter knows to give these guys a wide berth when you're deep in the woods.

    Clockroach - I'm trying to decide how I feel abut clockwork constructs. It could work in the Affariata, but it would mess with the feel of the setting. Maybe if they're used very sparingly, and given a magical feel. These guys, for example, have a very minor spirit bound into their command amulets to control them.

    Defacer - Truly messed up people call these things from across the Veil. Not frequently. It's not a good idea, in most cases. These things scare me.

    Dwarf Ancestor - Our dwarves don't do much in the way of mining or masonry, but these stats are too cool to pass up. This fits the Vallheim pretty decently, maybe Sunshan, with their forms of ancestor worship.

    Inferno Spider - Another fire spirit. Probably not a nice one, either.

    Joystealer - I like fey for this setting. Let's just use this one too.

    Lunar Ravager - Sure, sure. Evil hunter-fey. I like.

    Oaken Defender - Another critter linked to dryads. Those ladies have it good, all these good folk to look after them.

    Sailsnake - Yeah, they're cool.

    Tombspider - Yeah, creepy but good. Good for Vallheim barrows or other tombs.

    Verdant Prince - Is there a single good fey? I like these guys, but come on.

    Wizened Elder - Cool old stump dude. All's well, move along.

    So, that's MMIV. MMIII next, maybe tonight.
    Guess who's good at avatars? Thormag. That's who.

    A Campaign Setting more than a year in the making, Patria!

  3. - Top - End - #513
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    Now for MMMIII

    Bearhound - Remember those Lightwood Rangers? Pet wolfbearthings.

    Boneclaw - Somebody's been messing around with dead folks. Nobody's going to appreciate that.

    Changeling - I imagine there's a couple of these guys wandering around the urban centers. Who's to say?

    Cinder Swarm - Evil fire spirit. Mmmhhmm.

    Deathshrieker - There's stories about one of these floating around above a Vallheim Civil War battlefield.

    Drowned - Now this is some undead. Very nice.

    Storm Elemental - Ok, from now on, wherever you see "Elemental", read "Spirit".

    Glaistig - Eeeeyuh, hot fey woman who drinks blood. Eeeeew.

    Forestkith Goblins - Sure. They're nothing more than vaguely intelligent monkeys. No eerily intelligent artificers or merchants from these guys.

    Golem, Hangman - Oh yes.

    Golem, Mud - Some old witch probably made one at some point.

    Kenku - Sorta. They're corrupt spirits of First People who chose not to make it across the river. Their people cursed them for their greed, making them look like crows. Stats are the same, though. Very much non-playable.

    Mastodon - Far enough north you can see giants hunting these guys.

    Nycter - In the deep caverns under the Goliath and Dwarves mountains, there might be a couple tribes of these little bat-dudes. Non-playable.

    Phoera/Pheolarches - There may be a single one of these, traveling around Patria. The stuff of legends.

    Redcap - Yup, we got those. Creepy little buggers.

    Shifters - Yes, as a playable race. They can pass as normal human easily enough.

    Thorn - Yay little fey dudes!

    Wood Woad - Fey Guardian type. Jolly good.
    Guess who's good at avatars? Thormag. That's who.

    A Campaign Setting more than a year in the making, Patria!

  4. - Top - End - #514
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    Quote Originally Posted by Wyntonian View Post
    Kenku - Sorta. They're corrupt spirits of First People who chose not to make it across the river. Their people cursed them for their greed, making them look like crows. Stats are the same, though. Very much non-playable.
    Was that my idea? I remember at least thinking about something like that...

    I think having a Giant Raven as a mount wouldn't be a problem. It's just a really big animal, doesn't stretch belief as much as a rock floating on air or a magic train.
    LGBTA+itP

  5. - Top - End - #515
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    Quote Originally Posted by Eldest View Post
    Was that my idea? I remember at least thinking about something like that...
    I'm not married to the curse, but in general, yeah, something like that.
    Guess who's good at avatars? Thormag. That's who.

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  6. - Top - End - #516
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    Ok, before I finish MMII, what opinions do we have on vampires? Eldest, Yora, Byz?

    Our options are kinda like this:

    1. Not having them.

    2. Bloodthirsty animals, live in the woods and feast of the foolish woodsmen who they can catch.

    3. Cultured aristocrats who happen to drink people's blood.

    4. Normal folks.... Until they smell blood, when they go all full-out crazy.

    Honestly, I'm leaning towards 1. I'm trying to think of a way in which they'd improve the setting and not finding much of anything.
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  7. - Top - End - #517
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    Quote Originally Posted by Wyntonian View Post
    Ok, before I finish MMII, what opinions do we have on vampires? Eldest, Yora, Byz?

    Our options are kinda like this:

    1. Not having them.

    2. Bloodthirsty animals, live in the woods and feast of the foolish woodsmen who they can catch.

    3. Cultured aristocrats who happen to drink people's blood.

    4. Normal folks.... Until they smell blood, when they go all full-out crazy.
    I actually intended to write off only number three, but really all of them seem iffy. Not having them would be nice for a change.
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  8. - Top - End - #518
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    MMII

    Ash Rat- Sure, why not. They're fine.

    Asperi - On par with unicorns in terms of mythologicalness, you don't see every mid-level schmuck on the street riding one. Maybe one visits the Chief of Horse Clan in times of great need, or that sort of thing.

    Banshee - Yeah, I guess. They gather to mourn the deaths of heroes. Be careful wandering through graveyards after a heroes funeral. They're not all that painfully aggressive, but they dislike being interrupted.

    Boggle - Little sneaky bastard? Sure, I guess. Call them fey, though.

    Bogun - Minor fairy servant? Sure, easily in.

    Breathdrinker - Oh, yeah, totally in.

    Guardinals - Make them good-ish fey, very rare.

    Lupinals - Same as above, equally rare.

    Chain Golem - An earth spirit bound to chains? Sounds good.

    Cloaked Ape - Sure, just the right amount of magic in my magical beast.

    Clockwork Horrors - Eeeh, I dunno. On one hand, read the SilverClawShift campaign log that uses these. On the other hand, this level of technology is a little inappropriate. I'll call it a soft no, but if a creative DM can make it work without making me want to shoot myself, sure.

    Corollax - Oh, yeah, totally in. Could be adapted to be different sorts of birds, like a hawk or raven or something. I could see Sunshani nobles keeping these as pets.

    Crimson Death - Oooh, creepy undead spirits. I like.

    Darktentacles - How can I say no to the Watcher in the Waters? Oh yeah, because it has a dumbass name. Please, for the love of the Good God of the Affariata, call it something else.

    Deathbringer - Bring on the deathcalled heroes. Or twisted spirits of war squeezed into a human shell. Call it what you want.

    Desmodu - Well, there's some caves and such in the Appalachians, where the dwarves and goliaths duke it out. I suppose these guys could live under there with the nycter.

    Dire Animals - Yes to all of them.

    Dread Guard - Yeah, why not.

    Effigy - I doubt any good necromancer would use this. Leave it to the bad ones.

    Elemental Wierds - Ok, I love these. However, you can't have a portal to the plane of fire or whatever when it's actually impossible to go to any other plane but the Hedge, and that only rarely. Remove that and we have some awesomeness.

    Felldrakes - I'd be ok with a couple of these living up in the mountains. The kind of thing that Urgal (warrior-caste) goliaths go test their heroism against.

    Firbolg - Probably the most common type of giant close to human lands, north of the Vallheim. They're generally peaceable, but don't take kindly to armed folks coming too close.

    Fire Bat - Eh, ok. Fire spirits are all good.

    Forest Sloth - I'd be ok with these being a rare sight, found close to the Fogwall River. Maybe some nobles try to keep them as pets.

    Frost Salamander - Yeah, up north there's probably a couple of these.

    Galeb Dhur - Oh, yeah, I like these guys. I'd be cool even using the default fluff.

    Forest Giants - Ok, yeah, there's forests in the north, across the sea-that-needs-a-name.

    Mountain Giants - Yeah, where giants go.

    Ocean Giants - Sure, mostly in myths, but they might help out the odd struggling ship - or sink it.

    Glimmerskin - They'd be a good fey.

    Stained Glass Golem - I imagine there's a contingent spell in some Soleh churches to create these when the church is under attack.

    Brass Golem - Earth spirit bound to a brass statue? Mmmkay.

    Gravorg - This thing's picture scares me, but it looks kinda weirdly cool.

    Grimalkin - I like this sort of thing.

    Grizzly Mastodon - Up there with the regular mastodons.

    Immoth - Great fluff, they're in.

    Jahi - See? Undead with a purpose. That's what we need more of.

    Jermalaine - I see these in the Iron Chef competitions a lot. Non-playable.

    Legendary Animals - Totally in.

    Moonrat - It could be a little silly, but it's well though-out, so I'll include it.

    Myconids - Down with the Desmodu under the hills.

    Nethersight Mastiff - I'm not one to turn down anthropomorphic spirits. They're good.

    Nimblewright- Ooooh, these are awfully cool.

    Phoenix - Oh, yeah, totally. They're in.

    Ragewind - Call them undead, call them elementals, do what you want.

    Runic Guardian - Ok, these are under-CR'd, but I still think they should be ok. I recommend using them for NPC's and the guards thereof.

    Sirine - Did you honestly think I'd pass up a chance to use fey?

    Spirit of the Land - Mmmmhm. It's in.

    Stone Spike - Aggressive earth spirit. Yeah.

    Swamplight Lynx - Ok, these are pretty cool. I like vaguely magical animals.

    Sylph - Yay, more fey!

    Tempests - Um yes.

    Twig Blight - Yeah, aggressive plant spirits are good.

    Razor Boar - I imagine Boar Clan keeps a couple of these as mounts.

    So, there's MMII. I'm home sick today, so I'll probably get two more books done today.
    Guess who's good at avatars? Thormag. That's who.

    A Campaign Setting more than a year in the making, Patria!

  9. - Top - End - #519
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    Now we get to MMI, courtesy of the SRD. Various splats come next.

    Allip - A spirit of insanity never hurt anyone. Well. You know what I mean.

    Animated Object - Sure, if you want to play Beauty and the Beast.

    Assassin Vine - Ok, yeah, evil plants are fine.

    Azer - Let's say you can summon these. Fire spirits are always good.

    Barghest - I'm iffy on demons/devils/whatevers. They could be refluffed as evil spirits, but I don't know...

    Belker - Evil air spirit? Mmmmkay.

    Blink Dog - Yes, I like. They'd be awfully rare.

    Bulette - I could see these being a rare Apex Predator.

    Centaur - They live in the plains east of the Fogbound River with the First People.

    Choker - These are weird... Maybe an underground thing, rarely seen above ground. I don't like them particularly, but I don't want to cut them out entirely.

    Cloaker - Pretty much the same as above. I could see them inhabiting fey and other ruins, barrows and that sort of thing.

    Cockatrices - Eh, I guess...

    Darkmantle - They seem vaguely batlike. I could see them hunting in forests at night.

    Dire Animals - Yes, all of them are in.

    Dryad - Oh, yeah, totally.

    Dwarf - Yeah, but +2 Con -2 Dex, as a gold dwarves. Playable race, with bonuses and penalties listed on the front page.

    Giant Eagle - Um yes.

    Elemental - Yeah, all of them.

    Ettercap - Yeah, up north and in the deep forests. Goliath hunt them whenever they can.

    Ettin - Where do giants go? Up north? Right! Now, these are pure dumbness, so they're nearly extinct from competition with the other, more intelligent giants up there.

    Frost Worm - Way further up north, you might see one.

    Fungus - Eh, ok.

    Gargoyle - Oh, totally yes, but let's not have them be universally evil. I could see a good one protecting a church or something.

    Genie - All varieties, as various spirits of the elements.

    Ghost - Derp. Yes.

    Ghoul - Yeah, generally evil undead animated or naturally occurring.

    Giants - We made a land specifically for them. They're in, bro.

    Girallon - Ok, sure. I imagine they live north of the gnomes swamplands.

    Gnome - Yes, as a playable race. They're enslaved in three countries, but free in the Vallheim and with the dwarves.

    Goblin - Just the forestkith. Not the regular ones, they're overused.

    Golems - Yes. Flesh ones are probably made by an evil SOB, but the rest are fine.

    Gray Render - The live in the marshes north of the Affariata with the gnomes, sometimes adopt them. They unsurprisingly make a great defense against slavers.

    Griffon - They'd be a mountain-dwelling apex predator, but yeah, ok.

    Grimlock - Underground mean nasty goblin-things? Ok, I can dig it.

    Hags - I liked Macbeth, so yeah, they're in.

    Harpy - I could see them living on cliffs along the coast or something. I dunno.

    Hell Hound - Yeah, I guess. A doglike fire spirit doesn't need to be evil, though, does it?

    Hippogriff - Yeah, I assume there's some legend about the son of the chiefs of Horse and Hawk Clan riding one of these into battle. That'd be badass.

    Hydra - The kind of thing you hear about in legends. I don't know if they really fit, but they're cool.

    Invisible Stalker - Do I really even need to explain why this works?

    Kraken - Yeah, sure, why not.

    Lich - I don't want to cut them out entirely, but I'm not sure I like them. Let's go with a soft no.

    Lycanthrope - I'm using the aforementioned Therianthrope version, but it's important enough to warrant mention.

    Magmin - Yeah, little firey bastard? He's in.

    Medusa - Soft Yes. I can't think where they'd fit in, but I suppose they could.

    Mephits - Yes, all of them are good.

    Merfolk - Yeah, in the ocean. Duh. They're elusive and don't spend much time with humans.

    Minotaur - I'm tempted to include these, but again, I can't think how they'd fit in.

    Mohrg - They're a solid enemy. They're in.

    Mummy - None of the cultures mummify their dead, but they could still fit in somehow.

    Night Hag - Totes Def. I like these a lot.

    Nymph - Oh, yeah, totally.

    Ogre - Maybe they got kicked over the strait by the other giants and are trying to carve out a piece of the Vallheim for themselves? I dunno.

    Giant Owl - Yeahuh.

    Owlbear - How could I say no?

    Pegasus - Ok, fine. They're rare, though.

    Pseudodragon - Yeah, I guess. Closest thing to dragons anyone's likely to find.

    Razor Boar - Yes, although I already said so.

    Satyr - Yeah, totally.

    Shadow - Yes, for the same reasons are pretty much every other intelligent undead.

    Shadow Mastiff - Can we just get rid of absolute evilness altogether? I'm sure there are some good ones.

    Shambling Mound - Ok, fine.

    Shield Guardian - Yeah, they're probably ok. They'd freak people out, though.

    Shocker Lizard - Yeah, they're solid.

    Skeleton - For chrissake, can we be done with "It's evil cuz it's undead"? Please? They can be good, they can be evil, depends on who's using them.

    Spectre - Yeah, ghosty spirits are good in my book.

    Sprites - Same thing I said to all the other fey.

    Stirges - Sure, why not.

    Swarms - Derr.

    Treant - Oh, yeah, of course.

    Unicorn - Ok, yeah, these work great.

    Wight - Yes. Just yes.

    Will o' the Wisp - Oh my yes. I like these guys.

    Winter Wolf - Let's make them neutral. I imagine the Chief of Wolf Clan has one as a pet.

    Worg - Again, make 'em neutral

    Wraith - Yes.

    Zombie - Yeah, definitely.

    Animals - I trust the DM's to use these as appropriate.

    Vermin - The only one I'm really ok with is the spiders. Rest are out.

    Now onward to the splats!
    Guess who's good at avatars? Thormag. That's who.

    A Campaign Setting more than a year in the making, Patria!

  10. - Top - End - #520
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    Champions of Ruin

    Living Zombie - Yeah, that's fine

    Cityscape

    Siege Golem - These are pretty cool, but they aren't in common usage. Maybe if a city of the Affariata had a powerful Black mage rise up, but not just any mercenary band.

    Sepulchral Thief - I like this, yeah. It's in.

    Zeitgeist - This is really cool, but I can't imagine it being remembered in recent history. More of a hypothetical option than anything else.

    Expanded Psionic Handbook

    Caller in the Darkness - Very cool, a somewhat creative sort of undead.

    Half-Giants - Y'know, if we have giants, I am tempted to include these. What's your thoughts?

    More to come.
    Guess who's good at avatars? Thormag. That's who.

    A Campaign Setting more than a year in the making, Patria!

  11. - Top - End - #521
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    Quote Originally Posted by Wyntonian View Post
    Half-Giants - Y'know, if we have giants, I am tempted to include these. What's your thoughts?
    I actually don't think giants and mortals should be able to interbreed. I imagine giants being heirs of a great civilization that fell a long, long time ago, and they resent the petty mortals who now overrun the earth. But I just generally pick a handful of types of creatures to have in a setting, not the massive hodge-podge that D&D has by default. You have giants, mortals, fey (and the elemental spirits if they aren't part of the fey, I'm not entirely clear on that).
    LGBTA+itP

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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    The elemental spirits are from the Spirit Realm (It needs a better name), where they live alongside dead people, people who aren't yet born and everything that neither fey nor mortal. I do like your ideas about the giants, though.
    Guess who's good at avatars? Thormag. That's who.

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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    So there are mortals, spirits, fey, and giants. As well as animals, random magical animals, undead, etc that aren't really formed into specific areas/groups. Thank you about the giants.
    Last edited by Eldest; 2012-02-10 at 04:28 PM.
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  14. - Top - End - #524
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    Quote Originally Posted by Eldest View Post
    So there are mortals, spirits, fey, and giants. As well as animals, random magical animals, undead, etc that aren't really formed into specific areas/groups. Thank you about the giants.
    Eh, undead are spirits put into bodies. Whether they've been there before or not depends on the undead and who makes them and how.
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    Hey all! I've been a very lazy creep on this thread for a while now, checking up on the OP to see how things are developing and occasionally reading posts here and there. First off, let me say that this is a VERY intriguing setting, and I'm really excited to see the finished product. Way to go!

    Second, I'm working on a few settings myself (one on the board and another in private) and the latter has a lot of cosmological similarities with yours. Specifically, I'm planning on only including a "spirit realm," prime material plane, and some sort of Fey plane. When I saw that your own layout was similar to my own--and especially considering that my setting is just a part of a larger, open-for-development world--I wondered what you guys might think about joining forces down the road to create a full globe of "patchwork" settings, each created as their own entities, but still compatible enough with each other to make up a single world.

    Third, I just did a quick search through the thread, and I didn't find much about why you chose the planes you did. Have you guys thought much about in-game reasoning behind those planes?
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    Here we go, Fiend Folio. Something actually full of monsters!

    Ahuizotl - Eh, not sure. I suppose they're ok.

    Bloodbloater Ooze - Eeehhyew. Like leech oozes. They're in.

    Bacchae - Let's call them fey, not Outsiders.

    Bhut - This is a pretty evil undead spirit.

    Blood Hawk - Yeah, ok, sure.

    Carytid Column - Animated statues are always nice. I recommend these for Sunshan.

    Crypt Thing - Yeah, nothing wrong with these. A good sort of undead.

    Death Dog - Two heads is weird, but ok.

    Dire Rhinoceros - Yeah, fine.

    Fensir - Where do out giants go? Remember? Yeah.

    Feytouched - I'm willing to consider these as a playable race. They're in, either way.

    Flame Snake - They're totally fine.

    Fossergrim - I wish there were more creatures like this. Perfect.

    Huecuva - Yeah, why not?

    Ironmaw - Tree-critters are good in my book.

    Kelp Angler - These are fine.

    Kelpie - Ok, I guess.

    Living Holocaust - Ok, fire spirits are fine.

    Megatherium - Let's put this big sloth guy up north.

    Octopus Tree - See: Ironmaw

    Oread - Hell yes. GIVE MOAR.

    Selkie - Yeah, definitely.

    Shadar-Kai - Yes yes yes.

    Shadow Asp - I wish there were more cool critters like this.

    Spirit of the Air - Ok, so they look really, really dumb, but eh. If you want to use one, I won't stop you.

    Spriggan - Call them gnomes touched by evil fey and we could be good.

    Swordwraith - They're solid. Good undead, evil undead, take your pick.

    Thunder Worm - It's weird, but ok.

    Vine Horror - Oh yes.

    Wendigo - Yup, put them in the northern bits of the Vallheim and across the strait.

    Zodar - These are pretty dang cool.

    And there's the Fiend Folio.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Zap Dynamic View Post
    Hey all! I've been a very lazy creep on this thread for a while now, checking up on the OP to see how things are developing and occasionally reading posts here and there. First off, let me say that this is a VERY intriguing setting, and I'm really excited to see the finished product. Way to go!
    Thanks!

    Second, I'm working on a few settings myself (one on the board and another in private) and the latter has a lot of cosmological similarities with yours. Specifically, I'm planning on only including a "spirit realm," prime material plane, and some sort of Fey plane. When I saw that your own layout was similar to my own--and especially considering that my setting is just a part of a larger, open-for-development world--I wondered what you guys might think about joining forces down the road to create a full globe of "patchwork" settings, each created as their own entities, but still compatible enough with each other to make up a single world.
    My... That's an interesting concept. I'll take a look at yours, see what I think. I'll PM you about it.

    Third, I just did a quick search through the thread, and I didn't find much about why you chose the planes you did. Have you guys thought much about in-game reasoning behind those planes?
    Well, honestly, I thought more about what there wasn't an in-game reason for. One of the cornerstones of this project is breaking away from the default black/white, demons and angels precedent of d&d morality. Every religion in this world is just that. A religion no more or less powerful or true than the ones on our earth. As for the cosmology, well, we need a place for us to be - Prime Material. We need a place for everything that isn't us to be, namely spirits of various sorts - Spirit Realm. We need something special for the Fey. They don't need a plane, so the can be content with breaking the laws of three-dimensional physics to make a kingdom in the bottom of a well or something. We don't need anything else, so we don't have anything else.

    Thanks for commenting, and feel free to keep throwing in feedback! I work best when
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    Quote Originally Posted by Wyntonian View Post
    My... That's an interesting concept. I'll take a look at yours, see what I think. I'll PM you about it.
    The setting in my sig isn't the one I'd be interested in merging with yours. My sig leads to a setting I'm creating based on American mythology and folklore, and the one that I'd be interested in merging with yours is based on German folklore, like the Brothers Grimm. I'm working on it offline, but when I get a map finished (probably later today) I'll start collecting my thoughts to put it on these boards. It's still pretty well in its infancy, but I want to make sure I have a clear vision for it before I put it on the forums. I don't want it to creep away from me.

    Well, honestly, I thought more about what there wasn't an in-game reason for. One of the cornerstones of this project is breaking away from the default black/white, demons and angels precedent of d&d morality. Every religion in this world is just that. A religion no more or less powerful or true than the ones on our earth. As for the cosmology, well, we need a place for us to be - Prime Material. We need a place for everything that isn't us to be, namely spirits of various sorts - Spirit Realm. We need something special for the Fey. They don't need a plane, so the can be content with breaking the laws of three-dimensional physics to make a kingdom in the bottom of a well or something. We don't need anything else, so we don't have anything else.
    I think this is a solid design goal. I'm really not a fan of the "catch-all" nature of most D&D material these days, and my own world is another attempt to curb this. I ask myself "what is necessary to create the vision in my head?" and everything else is excluded.

    But what I'm asking is this: why not just lump the Fey into the Spirit Realm? Historically, cultures have considered most fairies, dryads, elves, gnomes, etc. to be "spirits" in some form or another, so why have the distinction?

    For my own world (and you're free to use this if you'd like), since the whole place is based on German folklore, I looked at what they had: lots of allusion to corpses coming to life, vengeful ghosts, and mischievous forest creatures. I knew I would need some kind of Land of the Dead, and I thought "wouldn't it be cool if these mischievous forest creatures were the opposite of the Dead?"

    So I've got the Land of the Dead, where souls rest for eternity (and powerful spirits and demons masquerade as gods unbeknownst to the populace) and The Weald, where these creatures are the embodiment of life to the point where they are immortal. The Land of the Dead is bleak and barren, whereas The Weald is overgrown and tangled. They are coexistent with The Midst (my in-game term for the Prime Material), which has a mixture of both of their properties.
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    Sounds good on the other project. I just read through the American one and I was honestly a little confused how it was supposed to mix with mine.

    As for the spirit/fey distinction:

    Spirit is a massively catch-all term that covers elementals, the things that go into undead, dead people, as-yet-unborn people and the small gods (That's just a name, they aren't really deities) that humans and the world as a whole inadvertently create. Some casters call upon spirits by reaching through the Veil and summoning them. This could be a "Summon monster X) spell, or the creation of undead by binding them into a body, whether it was their or someone else's. If they don't need a body, they're one of those incorporeal undead things.

    The small gods, which the Vallheimers call wights, are little spirits, little bits of sentience, that crop up around other living things. Land-Wights are little motes of sentience that are a part of the land. They are sometimes unwelcoming to people, but they frequently enjoy having people tend the land respectfully and well. Hall-wights are more people-focused, and are created by people living in a place for extended periods of time. Their spirits after their death tend to hang around the place where they lived, separated by the Veil, where they watch over their descendants. Trained people, generally religious officials like the Vallheim Wightspeakers, can contact the wights for guidance, but this is a rare and dangerous act saved for important matters.

    In general, the average person knows about the existence of spirits only through folk stories their gramma told them. They might leave a saucer of milk or something for the Land-Wights on full moons, but the cats don't mind that a little spirit gets the credit for emptying it. Small gods have a hell of a time trying to influence the world as we see it, and as such, I feel no need to stat them up.

    Stronger spirits, like haunts or undead or other things, may be the remnants of powerful heroes, or people with a personality or spirit strong enough to stick around on this side of the Veil after their death. They're not fey, but they can affect the greater world as we see it. This group covers undead and other non-elemental spirits.

    Fey, on the other hand aren't dead, and they aren't spirits. They live on our side of the Veil, though they have powers that mortals can't really understand. They operate on a subtly different wavelength than humans, and have a tendency to forget that, say, being underwater for extended periods of time makes us dead. They can also move through the world in ways that makes Euclidean geometry sit in a corner and cry. For example, a person being aided by a fairy could sit at the bottom of a pond until they lost consciousness, and float to the surface somewhere else entirely.

    Fey have a connection to the land, yes, but they aren't land spirits or anything like that.

    Sorry if my logic boils down to fey and spirits are different because fey and spirits are different, but that's essentially it.
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    Quote Originally Posted by Wyntonian View Post
    Sounds good on the other project. I just read through the American one and I was honestly a little confused how it was supposed to mix with mine.
    Yeah, they're pretty far sundered.

    I like that spirit/fey distinction. Both can grant aid in certain circumstances, but both have a unique flavor. It seems like Spirits are powerful in that they follow the rules of the cosmology but have access to the power beyond The Veil (whatever that might be), whereas Fey are powerful because they don't follow the rules of the cosmology. Right?
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    Quote Originally Posted by Zap Dynamic View Post
    Yeah, they're pretty far sundered.

    I like that spirit/fey distinction. Both can grant aid in certain circumstances, but both have a unique flavor. It seems like Spirits are powerful in that they follow the rules of the cosmology but have access to the power beyond The Veil (whatever that might be), whereas Fey are powerful because they don't follow the rules of the cosmology. Right?
    More or less, yeah. Spirits are (usually) just powerful by nature. Like a spirit of fire on this side of the Veil would be a powerful fire elemental or some such. Fey, though, you're pretty close. They mirror humanity in strange ways, like appearing (usually) to be incredibly beautiful by our standards and being charming as hell (Feytouched have a 1/day Charm Person SLA), but they're... not. They are certainly not mortal.
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    Now on to Frostburn...

    Note that pretty much everything here belongs in the far north.

    Branta - Sure.

    Dire Polar Bear - Yup.

    Megaloceros - These could actually be ok on the mainland, maybe.

    Smilodon - Derp yes.

    Wooly Mammoth - Yerp.

    Domovoi - Yes, everywhere, including the mainland. One might come and live with a master smith or something.

    Glacier Dwarf - I'm sure some dwarves live up north. They'd be the only ones with beards, though. In fact, they're probably closer to humans than dwarves, genetically.

    Midgard Dwarf - I love these more than I can say. Maybe a couple of reclusive craftsmen of the frostlands, where brave heroes seek them out for their gifts of magical... stuff.

    Elemental Weirds - North or on the Mainland, they're in either way.

    Entombed - Yeah, sure. Even in parts of the Vallheim, they're probably good.

    Frost Folk - Yes, as an evil sort of fey that hunts down people who try to make it across the Strait. Non-playable. Maybe when he strait freezes over they come south to hunt...

    Genie, Qorrashi - Oh yeah, sure.

    Frostfell Ghost - By now you should be able to tell that I'd say yes.

    Frost Giant - Do I need to say anything?

    Ice Golem - Yup.

    Icegaunt - Uh-huh.

    Marzanna - Oh goodness yes. I like this one.

    Giant Raven - Yes. Raven Clan Wightspeakers can call these south to serve the Vallheim. Sometimes the choose to stay after they've been released.

    Rusalka - Yeah, naked fey ladies are always solid.

    Snow Spider - Ok, sure.

    Spirit Animals - Can I get a resounding "hell yes"? I've been looking for something like this forever!

    Tlalusk - I guess...?

    Uldra - I'm always down for fey. They're in. Non-playable, though.

    Vodyanoi - Yeah, why not? They're fine.

    Winterspawn - Totes, dawg.

    Yeti - Mmmmm... Yes.

    Yuki-On-Na - Certainly!

    Animals - Yeah, all of them, used reasonably.
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    Manifest Ho! Monster selection visits Ghostwalk!

    Dread Ram - Sure, sure.

    Fire Spectre - Eeeyup.

    Spectral Steed - Tentative yes.

    Spirit Tree - Yersh.

    Undead Martyr - Why the evil restriction? Why can't you give your life to save a good being and come back? I don't understand this ****...

    EEEK! It's Heroes of Horror!

    Bane Wraith - Angry (un)dead guy? He's a VIP in this club. Right up there with cool fey.

    Bog Imp - Goodness yes.

    Dusk Giant - Oh, these are interesting... Let's say that the northern giants chased them south, into the northern parts of the Vallheim. They'd be a serious threat. And fun adventure hook too, I guess.

    Gray Jester - Oh yay! Perfect for the Affariata.

    Now continuing out journey, we meet our friend the Totemist in the Magic of Incarnum!


    Duskling - Fey are solid, these would generally be found as Totemists.

    Totem Giant - Boom, yes. Giants AND Totemists? Why, that's two great tastes that taste great together!

    Lost - Oh, god, I like these so much... It's a hard choice. Let's sever them from their incarnum roots, shall we? Turns out the crunch allows that perfectly well, too.

    Let's hike up into the mountains with Races of Stone!

    Earth Whisper - Elemental spirits of the earth? Oh, yes please.

    Yes, that was the only appropriate one. Hammer Angles and Stone-Eating giant worms don't do it for me.

    We don't have any of these races in our game, but let's look at the Races of the Wild Anyway.

    Brixashulty - It's a goat. I'm not going to say no to a goat.

    Chordevoc - Replace the "Goat" from above with "Bird"

    Elven Hound - Yes, we don't have elves, but they're still cool.

    We don't have deserts, but we can still crack open Sandstorm.

    Ashen Husk - If a dead guy is really, really dry, this could make sense.

    Dire Critters - Yes, all of them

    Mephits - Yes, all of them.

    Sand Golem - It could just as easily be dust for the plains of Soleh.

    And that's it for tonight. I'm making cookies for Valentine's Day, so I'll continue this later. Let me know if you have any comments?
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    Well, looks like the only book with usable monsters we have left is the Tome of Magic.

    Deadly Dancer - Let's make them homicidal fey. Aberrations don't really have a place here.

    Horned Beast - Dumb name, cool critter.

    Karsite - I'd even be cool with these being playable.

    Murder of Crows - I'm not going to say no to birds.

    Khayal Genie - Of course!

    Shadow Elemental - Ok, it works all right. I'm not sure how I feel about the Plane of Shadow references, but it's ok.

    Painspeaker - Undead are always solid. Well, usually.

    You thought that was all? Nope. Chuck Testa. We still have Oriental Adventures!

    Note: The Spirit subtype is something I'd like to encourage DM's to apply liberally to appropriate monsters. That means undead, elementals, etc. Not fey, though. They're different.

    Bisan - Asian Dryad. They're in.

    Bog Hag - Naturally, naturally.

    Doc Cu'o'c - Protector spirits are good.

    Gaki - All of them. Self-motivated undead are great.

    Hebi-No-Onna - Let's call them evil, narcissistic fey.

    Hengeyokai - I'm iffy on these guys. I like them, but I dunno. Maybe as a rare sort of Therianthopism given as a gift rather than a curse.

    Kappa - Yeah, they're fine.

    Nat - Little mischievous fey are fine.

    Nature Spirits - Yeah, definitely.

    Yuki-On-Na - Oh yes. Jolly good.
    Last edited by Wyntonian; 2012-02-13 at 07:25 PM.
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    Now that we're done with our monsters, we can move on to something a little more interesting. Like... Religions? Factions within governments? Interesting Locales?
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    It may work best if you summarize each of the existing countries, then we can suggest factions.
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    I'll do summaries between now and monday. It's surprisingly difficult to put my thoughts and mental images of these places on paper.

    Also, what's this? A playtest? Yessirree, I'm going to run a low-key, relaxed solo game in Patria. I know there's still a hell of a long way to go, but I figured this could help get my creative juices flowing. It should be fun, too.
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    Girl troubles and drama make me want to write about Patria. Call it an escapist fantasy, I still feel like I'm doing some decent work.

    Anyway, summaries of nations and what I have in the way of preexisting factions.

    Vallheim:

    Spoiler
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    We all know the Eleven Clans:

    Elk: Leaders of the Vallheim. Also known as the Clan of Kings, although the previous king was of Wolf Clan.

    Sub-Factions: Diplomat's guild, mayors, small-scale military leaders, maybe a shadow government of some sort?

    Wolf: Outdoorsy folk. Hunters, rangers, wilderness guides.

    Sub-Factions: Fey-friends, Goliath hunters, wilderness guards that prevent any pesky Solerians from sneaking in, monster hunters, etc.

    Bear: The fighters, elite troops and resident ass-kickers-in-chief.

    Sub-Factions: The Palace Guards, the raging badasses, the military leadership.

    Hawk: Shneaky Shneaky Shpies.

    Sub-Factions: The Talon, the assassination team, the deep-cover spies in various locales, the Lightwood Ranger, Goliath and Dwarf liaisons, the fey-blooded spies (I imagine they might bargain for the services of a changeling, or some such, to impersonate people)

    Beaver: Builders, fortification experts and infrastructure maintenance specialists

    Sub-Factions: The King's Surveyors, who make maps and lay roads and such, the fortification builders who travel with the army, the siege engineers, a group of magical tinkerers and a small, secretive band that makes golems.

    Horse: Horse-guys, breeders and cavalry.

    Sub-Factions: A racing troupe that travels around and bets people on their horses, an elite cavalry troop, a group like the Rohirrim that patrols the border with the plains of Soleh, the Horse-Breeder's guild.

    Dove: Healers, medics and psychologist-types.

    Sub-Factions: Traveling healers who may be attached to Fox caravans, battle-medics, maybe some Plague Doctors, a band of mind-healers and possibly a Hannibal Lecter-esque secret society of malicious mindrapists.

    Owl: Historians and the more scientific-ish of the magical folks.

    Sub-Factions: The truenamer/lexeme/necronomist colleges, a group of First People historians, some chroniclers of fey politics, a couple battle-sages (gish types).

    Raven: Creatives and religious leaders.

    Sub-Factions: A fringe religious sect, a group of messenger-bards, a group that works with Owl Clan to remember the history of the Vallheim, a group of hero-callers. (Necromancers who summon willing spirits).

    Boar: Police, guards, judges, that sort of thing.

    Sub-Factions: Hmm... Maybe an elite SWAT-type group? Busting lawbreakers, maybe renegade spellcasters, that sort of thing?

    Fox: Merchants, caravaneers and travelers. Vaguely gypsy-like

    Sub-Factions: Maybe a faction of separatists who believe that the Foxes were never wrangled into place by Brenyn's Grampa, and as such aren't subject to Vallheim laws or taxes. That's about all I got.
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    An update:

    I have updated the Races section of the OP. There are now seven, count them, SEVEN playable races in Patria! Y'know, if you count a woods-dwelling giant who all humans would essentially kill on sight or a magical midget slave playable.
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    Default Re: A complete N00bz first try at world-building...

    Maybe for all of them, have a criminal syndicate named the Maple Syndicate, that renounce the clan ties and works on smuggling. Most of the harm will be to other nations, though, so it doesn't actually get hunted by the clans that much. there is a faction within Boar that is arguing that the law applies to everyone, no exceptions. Hawk clan is very against this, because they are the main backers of this Maple Syndicate.
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