Help fine tune my world [PEACH]

[miinstrel]

Hi playgrounders,

I started a campaign for some friends about a year ago that fell apart because life got too busy. I'm finally at a place to consider running it again, but reading through all my notes it seems... disjointed. Like I'm trying to do too much at once. I'm hoping y'all can help me refine the ideas and bring everything together into a cohesive history and narrative that's easy for the players to get into. Some of my RL friends really enjoy lengthy world backstories, but others just want the basic points. I still feel like I need the historical context to inform my DMing though. So... here's the data dump of what I put together. Please peruse and offer whatever suggestions you may have whether that be cuts, additions, or alterations.

My vision for the campaign is a world that was plunged into chaos, nearly destroyed, recovered, and people are now beginning to understand the reasons the Madness struck in the first place. The importance of the soul/reincarnation is a key concept. Beyond that it's all fluff.

Link to world map: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B9...Wo0WXQ0b0xXYXM

For starters, here's the campaign packet I'll distribute to the players:

Spoiler: HISTORY OF THE WORLD

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One terrible day, the gods, without a single exception, went stark raving mad. A violent insanity overtook them and this madness infected their priesthood and those that drew heavily on the arcane weave that infused the world. Churches withered as previously devout saints and leaders turned heretic, forcing their faithful flock to burn them at the stake. The effect was different among each patron church. Scared and confused, people fled and hid as events previously unseen occurred around the world ushering in what many thought to be the end.

Wild hordes of the more primitive races rampaged across the world swept up in the violence and bloodlust. Towns were sacked and much of the world's population was lost between these skirmishes and in-fighting among the sentient races.

Unable to repair the damage that had been done, the few powerful spellcasters able to maintain their grip on reality banded together to at least prevent further catastrophe. Through a costly ritual, they erected a barrier around the material plane that shifted its unbreakable deific links to the moon, keeping the Madness from directly affecting us. As the final words were spoken, a pulse of shimmering energy funneled up from our world to the moon leaving a faint golden glow around that lifeless piece of sky rock. Silence and emptiness followed as these casters found themselves unable to ever again effect the world-changing spells they once knew. This day is known as The Sundering and occurred 120 years ago.

Since that day, tainted divinity leaks through to our world based on how much of the moon is visible on any given night. The darkest nights, that previously invoked discomfort, are now cherished as the safest from the chaos. Strange creatures have appeared in the world on nights with a full moon. Living trees, spirits, elemental beings, and aberrations of pure confusion and horror. All of these were previously unknown except through the most powerful of spells. Were-creatures no longer hold a monopoly on the power of moonlight.

With the atrocities their churches had committed, the people revolted, tearing down temples and outlawing priesthoods dedicated to most deities. Rumors exist that secret cults are still active for each of the eight gods, but their activities are closely kept. All who channel divine energies now pay homage to the guiding principles of their former gods. This paradigm shift brought about a rapid change in views of the afterlife. “Heaven” is no longer the goal, but rather merging into the eternal ideals and energies that are thought to have created the gods. If these primal forces are strengthened, perhaps the gods will return to right their wrongs. The older races are slow to adopt this new ideology as they more accurately remember the old ways.

As a side effect of the backlash of arcane power from Morran's death, several golems were released from the control of their creators. Filled with a newfound sentience, these beings have attempted to find their place in the world. All Warforged are 120 years old with only a rudimentary knowledge of life before The Madness (who their creator was, the general task they were built for, and perhaps one or two impactful memories).



Spoiler: TIMELINE

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Each day is 24 hours long. Each week is 7 days. Each month is 4 weeks, so 28 days per month and 336 days each year. There is a full moon on the 1st and 2nd night of each month. The 15th and 16th are completely dark.
While a bit meta, we will simply refer to days of the week as we know them (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc.) for simplicity.

TS = The Sundering, term implemented for reckoning purposes.
-400 TS: Four tyrants conquer and divide the land, people live in fear.
-379 TS: Lead by the Swiftwind brothers, a small group of men infiltrate the keep of Hagar, the tyrant of the west (what is now dragon/human/lizard territory), and slay him.
-372 TS: A resistance forms with thousands rallying to the brothers’ cause under the leadership of Tezzeret Swiftwind and his seven mighty warriors. Menessa plunges into a twenty year war.
-365 TS: Kilik, the tyrant of the south, is found dead by Tezzeret and Airth the Immortal (a young human woman) after they battled through his army. He took his own life rather than face their wrath. Tezzeret and Airth are married.
-357 TS: Dartedi Swiftwind slays Willis (tyrant of the east).
-356 TS: Sorin Markhov (tyrant of the north) retreats, disbanding much of his army. Tezzeret pursues him.
-352 TS: An assassination attempt on Tezzeret fails, but in the process Airth is slain.
-351 TS: In a final confrontation, Tezzeret fought his way to Sorin who challenged him to a duel. Sorin won, but before the killing blow could be dealt, Dartedi stepped in and negotiated Tezzeret’s exile instead.
-7 TS: Last known direct clerical contact with Droam. Being the god of secrets, divine messages were few and far between, so it was not unusual for any particular cleric to go months or even years without divine inspiration. It is only after the Madness the clergy realize no one has heard from her.
-5 TS: The Year of False Spring. Generally agreed upon by scholars as the first year of Madness. Plants flower even during late winter. Many thank Edra for this bounty at the time.
Tribal movements noted. Some 80% of primitive folk heed the call and convene in various significant locations.
As summer nears, the High Priest of Gemron declares a crusade to purge demon cults from major civilizations. Many innocents lose their lives during these inquisitions.
At the summer solstice the gods Imshi & Aleister manifest at the center of Ssin'Illisi, the largest city at the time, and declare the start of the "Festival of Passion" inviting all around to celebrate love and life. Ssin'Illisi quickly becomes THE place to be for all races.
Primitive tribes announce the coming of "The Great One" who will lead the tribes to bring the world to its knees. Claim the chosen is among them and encourage competition to determine the strongest. Same declaration is made at each of several different tribal gatherings around the world. Some tribes become increasingly concerned at the rising bloodthirst and flee, abandoning or killing their shamans soon after.
The harvest is particularly prosperous, but those more in tune with nature (primarily Elves) notice homes and streets are becoming overrun within days if weeds aren't dealt with and start to notice strange figures moving through the undergrowth.
As first snows approach, various tribes of Xymor select their champions. Immediately start attacking smaller tribes who left the gatherings (or never attended), driving them from ancestral lands. Displaced tribes raid poorly defended towns and villages in search of food while others simply seek refuge.
At midwinter the Gemron crusade burns Blackwater, a small coastal city, leaving no survivors for fear of "demonic influence." Another two cities follow, though the paladins begin voicing their doubts.

-4 TS:
Imshi & Aleister remain at the Festival which becomes increasingly depraved, though so slowly most don't notice. City has since doubled in size with tents and temporary structures. Few care that there isn't enough food; many of the poor choose to starve instead of leave.
In spring people first notice things are really wrong. Elementals manifest in high concentrations destroying several isolated communities. Forest realms are overrun by plant life forcing many inhabitants to flee. Plants take on strange forms in the deepest areas of wilderness where it's said the very rocks are growing wings.
Rumored Viyari is seen in many parts of the world to meet privately with priests of various faiths directly. Unprecedented as he usually travels incognito.
In late spring, high priest of Gemron is executed by the Scion / High Paladin of Ular'Bunduur whose followers imprison many priests before sealing the country's borders.
Over the summer, Tribes of Xymor assault and loot cities. Many appeal to the gods for help, but others begin seeing them as the cause of this insanity.
At the one year anniversary of the Festival, things devolve into outright debauchery. No desire goes unfulfilled, no dream unlived within the city. Little is known of exact events, but very few people survive. Most of those who do are haunted the rest of their lives. People still traveling there, lured by their dreams and curiosity.
By end of year much of the world is in chaos. A few wise sages start putting the pieces together, though no one knows how to respond yet. Some regions outlaw faith altogether, but most have too many other problems to deal with this.
-3 TS: Very similar to previous year with one other major event:
The Conquest of Hell: Gemron abandons his post at the Garden of Eternity and leads an army into Hell including the hosts of Droam, Imshi, Viyari, and Gemron himself. Demons are driven from the upper reaches and many flee to the mortal realm. A great fortress is established here where Gemron sets his throne.
-2 TS: Again, the same as two years ago with two other significant events:
Having lead their tribes on a path of blood for the last few years, the war leaders still devoted to Xymor and their closest servants are suddenly transformed into dragons and immediately turn on their own people. The tribes scatter. Dragons previously living in the world find themselves flightless and preyed upon by the newly transformed dragons that can still fly.
Later in the year, Morran, Viyari, and Liliya join forces to attack the Garden of Eternity for unknown reasons. They overwhelm the defensive forces left by Gemron, but he returns before they can accomplish their purpose. The three should have been able to defeat Gemron, but in the midst of battle Liliya turns on her partners.
Morran is slain by Gemron. His screams rattle the minds of those attuned to the arcane weave killing many and causing insanity in others. His remains fall to the mortal world where they are quickly seized by a cabal of archmagi working to save the world from the ravages of the gods.
Viyari is also thought to be slain. It's discovered years later he survived, but his divine essence was shattered into multiple parts including several artifacts that fell to the mortal realm.
-1 TS: An army of paladins from Ular'Bunduur join forces with the archmage cabal and march on Ssin'Illisi finding it almost unrecognizable. 90% of city population is dead or insane. Imshi & Aleister have combined into a single, nightmarish being and are banished by powerful magic. Using Morran's blood, the surviving archmagi work a spell to reroute the mortal plane's divine link to the moon since it cannot be completely broken. This ends the time of Madness; however, several decades pass before things return to a semblance of normality.
120 TS: The current year at the start of the campaign.



Spoiler: DEITIES

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8 gods exist in the pantheon. The gods are at best good and at worst neutral in regard to the mortals they (used to) rule over. The forces of evil are demonic in nature. Each god is the patron of a particular race as noted below. Since the pantheon is significantly smaller than in a standard game, favored weapons and clerical domains have been expanded. Generic favored weapons apply to all types of that weapon, i.e.: axes include battleaxes, great axes, and double axes.

You may choose any of these gods as your patron (though most are outlawed in various communities) or instead choose a specific ideology such as Law, Truth, Knowledge, or Travel. Please choose an appropriate domain if you go the ideology route. Favored weapons for ideologies are the same as the god the ideology most closely resembles. This is obviously mandatory for divine casters and optional for any other classes. Atheism is fine, and even common among the masses of shorter-lived races.

Gemron (Lawful Good)
The god of valor, righteous combat, and protection. Also called Heaven's General and The Invincible. He promotes justice, valor, chivalry, and honor. Worshiped by paladins, fighters, and monks.
RACE: Dwarves
OUTLAWED: Everywhere.
FAVORED WEAPONS: Flails and Longswords
DOMAINS: Courage (CWar 114), Glory (CDiv 139), Good (PHB 187), Inquisition (CDiv 139), Law (PHB 187), Protection (PHB 188), Truth (RoE 181)

Morran (Lawful Neutral)
The god of magic. His titles include the Uncaring, Lord of All Magics, and Archmage of the Deities. Morran is a distant deity who promotes no special agenda in the world of mortals. As a god of magic and knowledge, he is worshiped by wizards, sorcerers, and sages.
RACE: Hobgoblins
OUTLAWED: Nowhere. Rarely worshipped directly since his death; however, many archmages do pay tribute to him.
FAVORED WEAPONS: Quarterstaves and Crossbows
DOMAINS: Artifice (Eberron 104), Force (CDiv 138), Knowledge (PHB 187), Magic (PHB 188), Planning (CWar 115), Spell (PGF 91), Time (PGF 91), Transformation (RoE 180)

Viyari (Neutral Good)
God of the sun, fire, and travel. His titles include the Radiant, the Wanderer, and the Helping Hand. Viyari is the creator of many good things, a supporter of those in need, and an adversary of all that is evil. He is most commonly worshiped by clerics, rangers, and bards. He is fond of traveling the world, often ignoring his godly duties to take on the guise of an ordinary man enjoying the outdoors and the good life.
RACE: Giants
OUTLAWED: Lizard lands. Dwarven lands.
FAVORED WEAPONS: Maces, Hammers, and Mauls
DOMAINS: Commerce (Eberron 105), Feast (Eberron 106), Herald (CDiv 136), Liberation (CDiv 139), Sky (RotW 174), Sun (PHB 188), Travel (PHB 188)

Edra (True Neutral)
The goddess of nature and the four remaining elements (Air, Earth, Water, and Soul) and thus also associated with birth since she breaths the soul into each newborn. She is known as the Mother and She Who Bears Us. Edra rules nature and the wilderness and is a friend to all who live in harmony with the natural world. She harbors some resentment toward Viyari for his control over fire as she feels the elements should ALL be her domain. Barbarians, rangers, and druids sometimes worship her. It has long been believed the world is her actual body.
RACE: Elves
OUTLAWED: All lands containing forests + Dwarven lands.
FAVORED WEAPONS: Shortswords, Sickles, and Spears
DOMAINS: Animal (PHB 186), Creation (CDiv 138), Healing (PHB 187), Life (Eberron 106), Moon (PGF 88), Plant (PHB 188), Storm (PGF 91), Weather (CDiv 141)

Droam (True Neutral)
The goddess of death, the afterlife, and secrets. Her titles are the Witch Goddess, the Dark Sorceress, the Stern Lady, and Death's Guardian. Her temples are few and far between, but she counts many sorcerers and wizards among her worshipers. Droam is rumored to be the oldest of the gods.
RACE: Humans
OUTLAWED: Nowhere, but rarely worshiped directly since her absence.
FAVORED WEAPONS: Daggers and Scythes
DOMAINS: Cold (CDiv 137), Darkness (FR 62), Death (PHB 186), Pact (CDiv 140), Purification (CDiv 141), Shadow (Eberron 108), Suffering (PGF 91)

Imshi & Aleister (Chaotic Good)
The divine consorts and patrons of love, lust, and loyalty. Imshi is female, and Aleister is male, though both are somewhat androgynous. Their titles include the Twin Gods and the Eternal Pair. It's said that Edra was their first born and they once ruled supreme over the other gods but gave up a great deal of their power when the creation of the world was finished.
RACE: Lizardfolk
OUTLAWED: Everywhere except halflings.
FAVORED WEAPONS: Reach weapons
DOMAINS: Charm (Eberron 105), Dream (CDiv 138), Family (PGF 86), Hunger (LM 60), Joy (BoED 87), Passion (Eberron 107), Pleasure (BoED 87)

Liliya (Chaotic Neutral)
The god of rogues, luck, and fate, also called the Laughing Rogue and the Crooked Finger. Liliya delights in wine, debauchery, and song. She is a vagabond, a prankster, and a master of disguise. Her temples are few, but many people are willing to raise a glass in her honor. Rogues and bards are frequently among her worshipers. Other gods often called her mad even before The Madness. Despite her unpredictability, she was always able to worm her way into their good graces by virtue of her charm.
RACE: Gnomes & Halflings
OUTLAWED: Everywhere except halflings
FAVORED WEAPONS: Bows, Daggers, and Shortswords
DOMAINS: Chaos (PHB 186), City (RoD 162), Fate (CWar 114), Illusion (PGF 87), Luck (PHB 187), Madness (CDiv 139), Trickery (PHB 189)

Xymor (Chaotic Neutral)
The god of strength. Also known as the Dragon God and the Brawler. Xymor is the patron deity of athletes and champions, and a good number of fighters, barbarians, and rogues pay him homage. Xymor believes in rule by might alone and is worshipped heavily by many primitive tribes.
RACE: Dragons
OUTLAWED: Everywhere.
FAVORED WEAPONS: Axes and Greatswords
DOMAINS: Competition (CDiv 138), Destruction (PHB 186), Endurance (BoED 86), Retribution (FR 65), Strength (PHB 188), War (PHB 189), Wrath (BoED 87)



Spoiler: RACES

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There are 8 primary races in the world though many others exist. Each god is the patron of one of these primary races. Each god also selects a Scion, a member of the mortal race, as a chosen speaker / leader.

Gemron: Dwarves
The dwarves established mighty fortresses around the world but only really control a single territory larger than a few miles across, Ular'Bunduur. Their civilization was dominated by priests and paladins of Gemron, and since the Madness most of their holds have been sealed off to the outside world with no one knowing the fate of the Dwarves within. Activity does appear to have increased as the decades pass, however, and it seems we will likely see what they make of the new world very soon.
SCION: Appointed by the High Priest of Gemron and traditionally served as head of an order of paladins. It was the Scion who executed the last High Priest during the Madness, and it seems likely this individual has ruled ever since, although their motives are unknown.

Morran: Goblinoids
The third nation-building race alongside the humans and lizardfolk. The Hobgoblins were a democratic magocracy renowned for their feats of arcane engineering, creating entire races of goblins to fill specific roles in their society. They did not suffer fools and were prone to responding to perceived insults with overwhelming force. During the Madness many of their magics failed and the death of Morran drove many of the strongest mages mad as his screams reverberated through their minds. The Hobgoblin military provided a sort of order in the chaos backed up as they were with many magical items. The goblins, however, escaped, and many Hobgoblins were warped beyond recognition. As with the lizardfolk, the Hobgoblins are a shadow of their former power, but unlike the lizardfolk they rarely fight among themselves, instead presenting a unified face to the world. Hobgoblins age like humans.
SCION: Morran's Scion was elected by the Hobgoblin archmagi. The last holder of the title was the leader of the cabal that ultimately severed the divine link to the world and ended the Madness.

Viyari: Giants
The children of Viyari roamed the land never truly settling anywhere or leaving signs of their passing beyond large footprints in the ground. Their wanderlust was due to most areas being unable to peacefully feed even one giant for more than a few days, but they seemed happy with their lot. Many structures around civilized lands were raised by giant hands whose only payment was a hearty stew and shelter from the weather for a few nights. Since the Madness they have continued much as before, still wandering and helping the little folk where they can. Giants age like dwarves.
SCION: Viyari himself is typically recognized as the Scion of his faith as he spent much time wandering the land alongside his people.

Edra: Elves
Elves were formally divided into several kingdoms, each living in a particular region and closely tied to a specific element. These kingdoms overlapped with the realms of other races, though the Elves typically only viewed their settlements as "theirs"; all creatures are born of Edra after all. Several centuries before the Madness, a faction of Elven traders began resenting the established monarchies and sparked a civil war that resulted in their own exile. As all lands were viewed as part of one kingdom or another, they were forced to live underground and became known as the Drow.
While some elves fled the forests to escape the encroaching vegetation, most saw this as a sign and have embraced the new Edra. These “true” Elves mostly ignore the elementals that have appeared, but treants and other monstrous plants and beasts are under their protection. Some of these Elves even started gaining plant-like features, roots growing from their toes, skin toughening like bark, and even cut off limbs slowly regenerating.
In contrast, the Drow do not share the same affinity for nature and sunlight and have not undergone the same changes. Many violently oppose the plant-like Elves considering it unnatural and an abomination on their pure form. While a bit racist, they are not inherently evil and one of the few races that have thrived since The Madness. The higher yield on their mushroom and other agricultural plantations have lead to an economic boom as surface races struggle to feed themselves. Several trade houses and alliances have been established on the surface offering support and military strength.
SCION: Was passed through the royal bloodlines of the Elves, though it passed between different kingdoms with every generation. In this way, a balance was maintained as each ruler deferred to the scion regardless of his or her origin. It is assumed the Scion still rules the surface Elves, although no outsider can know for sure.

Droam: Humans
Humans were one of the more prosperous races and felt the imminent touch of their god in their daily lives. Without an obvious divine mandate they forged their own realms which mostly rose and fell in a matter of centuries. The Madness was hard on them, but humans are creatures of change, and their recovery has been stronger than most.
In an attempt to more ethically mimic the breeding feats of the Hobgoblins, Human mages created a fleet of golems to serve as laborers and for other specific tasks. While many simply stopped functioning during the Madness, some obtained sentience through the arcane backlash of Morran's death. Scholars are unsure if Edra was at all involved in this process by giving Warforged genuine souls or if their intelligence is merely a fluke of magic.
SCION: It is unknown if there was ever a Scion of Droam. Certain legendary figures throughout history have been pointed to as touched by their god, but none ever claimed authority over the faith. The church has never been formally banned in most nations, but it has fallen out of favor with few even remembering the god of secrets now.
Droam's general absence from the lives of mortals is what leads humans to have a more widespread faith base than most other races. While each race houses worshippers of each god, the humans are less centralized in their beliefs.

Imshi & Aleister: Lizardfolk
The lizardfolk were one of the most prominent civilizations before the Madness, rightly pleased with their prosperous and regimented society that allowed all to engage in the pleasures of life and love. Their cities were (and in many cases still are) wonders of canals and temples ruled exclusively by the female priestly class.
Their capital city was the site of the Festival of Passion and was completely destroyed by it. This once unified nation split into several rival factions, and their formally ordered breeding cycle has fallen apart without Imshi and Aleister to guide them. The race is a now a shadow of its former glory. Lizardfolk age like humans.
SCION: These dual gods opted to recognize two Scions, one female and one male. The pair were regularly featured in celebrations, their devotion to one another held aloft as a symbol of Lizardfolk loyalty. With their race abandoned by their gods, it is presumed the Scions similarly abandoned their titles implying the loyalty may not have run as deep as previously imagined.

Liliya: Gnomes & Halflings
The people of Liliya wandered the plains either on horseback or in great caravans. They trusted to luck to feed them and take them where they should be, generally gently mocking the civilizations of other races but thankful for their friendship and protection when it was needed.Tragically, the curse of lycanthropy runs strong in their veins (about 30%) with the afflicted being termed "Luckless" and required to have a non-lycanthrope member take responsibility for them rather than being allowed any rights for themselves (formally even outside of a full moon, though in practice they are only restricted around those dangerous nights).
During the Madness, the lycanthropic small folk claimed they regained their luck with many of them gaining the ability to control their shapeshifting. They rose against their guardians and slaughtered many of the non-lycanthropes. In the post-Madness world they have split into several loose nations, typically divided by old family lines, and are starting to settle more. The lycanthropes have no nostalgia for their old way of life and have seen the benefits of more established races. With greater need for food now that they've settled down, many have formed partnerships (and thus, reliance) on the Drow. They trade various items for food but mostly hire themselves out as mercenaries. Lycanthropes now dominate their ranks (about 75%) with non-lycanthropes often enslaved, ridiculed, or in extreme cases simply eaten.
SCION: The Scion of Liliya was selected annually by a lottery of all non-lycanthropic small folk. This individual was among the first killed when the lycanthropes rose up against their people. The position has not been refilled.

Xymor: Dragons
As befits the god of strength, they were by far the mightiest of the mortal races pre-Madness. Their numbers are low due to slow breeding rates and frequently fatal contests of strength and greed. Many races worshipped these dragons, and in turn, Xymor. The post-Madness tribal champions turned dragon are strongly hated by the true dragons as they have not earned the power given them. In-fighting is common and most have opted to leave them to their internal war as few can compete with their power. True dragons are also very bitter and jealous about their loss of flight and are working to correct the problem.
SCION: An ancient wyrm thought to be the oldest dragon in existence. She was torn apart at the height of the Madness by the newly transformed dragons, although she killed several before they could take her down. No other has since assumed the mantle of Scion, or at least no one had before the worship of Xymor was outlawed in all civilized realms.



Spoiler: IMPORTANT NOTES

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RACIAL OUTLOOKS
Keep in mind the longer-lived races (Elves, Dwarves, and Gnomes) will have a vastly different outlook on the state of the world than Humans, Halflings, etc. They remember a time when all life was devoted to the worship of the gods. When they had a higher power to call on in desperate times. The fact that this has not been righted for over a century is likely to leave them with some semblance of defeat about ever re-connecting with the gods as they knew them and fear for what awaits them after death.

Some younger races, on the other hand, have begun to adopt a new outlook along the lines of reincarnation. They view our time on the mortal plane as a chrysalis where we grow ever closer to perfection in our chosen ideals as we achieve our life’s purpose. Upon reaching perfection (after many such reincarnations), we are thought to be consumed by our chosen ideology and become one with it, strengthening its power and meaning in the world. Rumors occasionally surface of witnesses to such an event, though no accounts of ascension have been formally recorded. This is as close to "Heaven” as many think to be achievable now. Premature death before completing “this life’s purpose” is undesirable as it sets you back an entire lifetime.

MONSTERS
Many monsters were largely absent from the pre-Madness world. Treants, elementals, nature spirits, and aberrations are a few examples. As such, identifying certain creatures and their abilities with Knowledge checks will be more challenging as there have only been 120 years for legends and information to become “common” knowledge. This applies to pretty much all Aberrations, Elementals, Fey, Oozes, Outsiders, Plants, and many Undead.

Older dragons can no longer fly as Xymor stripped them of the magic that allowed such freedom in favor of the newly formed dragons from the tribal competitions. All dragons can still at least glide. Most of these ancient creatures are now desperately trying to find a way to restore their power as they are hunted down by the younger dragons with flight. Note there are both metallic and chromatic dragons with and without flight, so nothing is certain upon meeting one of these fearsome beings.

UNDEAD
Before The Madness, undead were viewed as horrors and abominations, to be slain for their perversion of nature and the danger they posed to society. With the “reincarnation” ideology gaining popularity, some are beginning to pity the undead as their natural cycle has been interrupted. It still requires a "soul" to animate the undead, so they are often slain out of pity for the essence trapped within the lifeless shell and kept from achieving perfection. Those alive since pre-Madness have been much slower to adopt this “silly” concept than those raised in the new, godless world.

DEATH
Death will be significant in this campaign. Raise Dead has been changed to a 3rd level divine spell and appears on all the same class spell lists as before. It still requires the powdered diamond component. Diamonds are very rare at baseline, but also due to the Dwarves sealing their gates which prevents new gems from entering the markets.

Animate Dead has been reduced to a 3rd level spell and appears on all the same class spell lists as before.

Rumors of undeath being used as punishment for the most egregious crimes circulate among taverns now and then. "I sentence you to eternal life" are words to dread at a hearing.

Also... spells to communicate with spirits or the dead do not exist. All instances of “Speak With Dead” on clerical domain lists are replaced with Prayer. If you have a suggestion for a more appropriate replacement for your desired domain talk to me.

ITEM CREATION / AVAILABILITY
Magic Arms/Armor require a caster level of 3x the total equivalent enhancement bonus (+1 = 1, +2 = 6, +3 = 9)
Ability enhancement items require a caster level of 3x the total bonus (+1 = 3, +2 = 6, +3 = 9)
Skill bonuses require a caster level of 2x the total bonus (+1 = 2, +2 = 4, +3 = 6, +4 = 8)

Spoiler: CAMPAIGN START: Bel’Vance

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Humans have always been relatively self-centered, so it’s no surprise Bel’Vance is situated on the sole trade route between the neighboring Lizardfolk and Hobgoblin nations. The prime location of their emipre is responsible for much of their meteoric rise in the last few centuries. The current king, Beldane IV, is a just man, but the strain of leadership seems to be taking its toll. His appearances from the balcony of the castle to address the people have diminished greatly in recent months. Some believe him simply busy while others suspect foul play.

A large consort of advisors and enforcers assist Beldane in running the city and the kingdom, though this comes with its own challenges. Being a trade capital, crime runs rampant if not kept in check. Two thieves guilds currently vie for control of the black market: The Syndicate and House Borath. The former is lead by a slippery little man that goes by the deceptively innocent name The Dollmaker, while the latter is a uniquely Drow enterprise presumably with ties to the Do’Rillyn trading post. A third thieves’ guild existed until about twenty years ago when they were wiped out by the city guard. Many survivors flocked to one of the two surviving regimes.

Despite the criminal underbelly of the city, merchants thrive here with goods arriving from all across the land almost daily. Even a few giants have taken up residence in the hills outside town and across the river. Many of these gentle creatures are regularly found in the lake fishing for “the big fishie.” The dull oafs don’t even seem to know exactly what they’re fishing for, but few locals believe anything lives down there besides carp, trout, and the occasional crocodile.

In addition to its internal struggles, the city has faced outside challenges of late as well. The storm that travels endlessly back and forth along the Path of Fire occasionally spits out fiery elementals and undead that ravage the countryside. The river keeps the elementals at bay, but the odd skeleton does arrive at the city wall now and then. A small barracks is stationed on the bridge to deal with these pitiful creatures. The smallfolk don’t seem particularly worried about it and only seem to help when their Vy’Mullin settlement is threatened.

While Bel’Vance’s leadership will not admit it, many believe the barracks is also intended to keep the were-folk at bay. Outlying farms have reported raids by packs of wild beasts lately. Unrest seems to be brewing in the communities of The Great Plains adding tension to the already strained political landscape. Relations with the Hobgoblins have not been ideal lately, and there is currently a disagreement between the Twin Cities (Bel’Wymore and Kor’Derrek, each built on opposite shores of the river) resulting in an awkward trade and travel embargo. The cause is unclear, but the situation has not escalated to violence… yet. Those wishing to pass into hobgoblin lands must do so through the dwarven stronghold of Ular’Gaeroth.

On the south side of Bel’Vance lies the swampy Feymire. Few dare to venture into this festering jungle as sinkholes, living vines, and other terrors await those foolish enough to wander more than a few feet in. The watery elves have mostly kept to themselves; however, while the tree line has remained stationary, the brush seem to be creeping ever forward. Sightings of tiny flying lights and movement in the ground cover have been noted by nearby settlements. The Drow trading post of Do’Rillyn has not claimed any issue with this encroachment, though any who visit their tower may think otherwise given the vine-choked walls and mossy stones.

Travelers heading north to the dwarven fort of Ular’Dorath find their entry heavily monitored by the paladins of Gemron. Despite their god’s absence, they have upheld the name of their order and continue to live by its guiding principles. No one seems willing to discuss the status of the dwarven Scion with outsiders. For the curious, the ruined town of Blackford lies a day’s journey northwest along the mountains’ edge to the water. The earth and buildings are still scorched from the “demon purge” during the Time of Madness. Rumors of spirits haunting these ruins are endless and some claim to have seen dragons roaming nearby as well.

For the truly brave, and perhaps stupid, Wyrmsrest lies to the northwest of the human lands. This is the burial site of the ancient mother wyrm slain by so many of Xymor’s newly spawned dragons. It is considered a holy site to most of their breed and more than one adventurer bent on raiding the hoard there have added their bones to the pile.

West of Bel’Vance lies Ssin’Kozaka, the northernmost of the Lizardfolk settlements. As with many of their cities, this scaly race has diverted water from the river to create a stunning series of canals and pools to more adequately suit their lifestyle. Those lacking a penchant for swimming can still get around on the many roads and bridges.
Ssin’Kozaka is probably the most civilized city in the lizard nation and is ruled by a pair of lizardfolk named Garai and Khepri. These lovers are fair but harsh and do not take insults lightly. Each of their parents survived the Festival of Passion giving these two a unique legacy and connection to the race’s tragic history.



Spoiler: WHERE DID YOU COME FROM?

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The campaign begins in Bel’Vance which begs the question: are you a native or did events conspire to bring you here? After you have selected an origin, either work the details into your back story or talk with me for further brainstorming. This list is simply for inspiration, so if nothing strikes your fancy please do come up with your own.

NON-LOCALS
You Brought a Warning
Having lived in the Twin Cities or some of the hobgoblin lands for much of your life you felt secure there until you began to notice conversations taking a decidedly more aggressive turn with regards to non-hobgoblin races. Something is brewing, and you brought your concerns to the leadership in Bel’Wymore with the hope of saving lives by avoiding war. They dismissed you, so now you’ve come to the center of the Human empire to plead your case despite the lack of hard evidence.

You Escaped Slavery (non-werecreature Gnome/Halfling only)
One of the lucky ones, you were born without the curse… unluckily, your malevolent lord enslaved you and forced you to tend his land. Supplies ran short and a revolt broke out. You escaped in the chaos, shackles and all. Whether or not you still wear the shackles, you made your way to Bel’Vance to find help for the loved ones you left behind.

You Followed Your Dreams
Literally. For the last few months you have been dreaming about an elderly man. Each night he walks further down the road outside Bel’Vance. In the most recent dream he stopped at the gate and looked right at you before venturing inside the city walls. You feel a deep urge to find him though you know nothing about him beyond his haggard yet cheerful appearance. He walks with a staff and his cloak is bound across his chest with a braided metal chain.

Tragedy Struck Your Family
Your heard a ruckus outside your home one evening and soon after everything was ablaze. Whether the rest of your family survived or not, you remember a pair of inhumanly yellow eyes looking at you through the smoke as they shouted in what can only be described as a “dark” language. You are certain it was a demon of some kind and have traveled to Bel’Vance in search of answers and perhaps survivors of the Blackford massacre to verify your story.

Searching for Home
You were either exiled from your native land or fled one of the forests many years ago. You want a home, but will it be in a new place or will you take back the old one? Why were you exiled?

Your Guardian Needs Help
Many years ago a dragon took kindly to one of your ancestors. Your family has been under his/her protection ever since, but now your patron has requested a favor. A special reagent is needed for a ritual, and you have been tasked with retrieving it. Demon blood, a lock of king’s hair, living fragments of the four elements… you may select the reagent, but it should be something equally obscure and difficult to acquire.

LOCALS
A Local Took You In
You grew up an orphan, but eventually earned the adoration of a kindly old woman named Emeline who runs a tavern and inn near the center of town. While you still come and go as you please, there is always a bed made for you in the back with a cup of stew waiting on the night stand. You sense you remind her of something, or someone, she lost in years past.

Justice Must Be Served
Your father’s business is constantly extorted by the local thieves, and it’s becoming too much. He’s weary, hopeless, and perhaps a sickness has befallen him. You know something must be done, but you can’t do it alone and the guards don’t seem to be any help.

Prove Your Mettle
Your father, Lord Walden, has deemed you unfit to inherit his fortune. He claims you don’t have the sense or stomach to fight for the family’s legacy. In an admittedly brash attempt to prove him wrong, you have set out to prove your worth by either presenting him with a sizable cache you made on your own or by demonstrating your physical prowess and ability to defend your birthright.

Fight For Your Loved Ones
A friend or family member was wrongfully imprisoned by the city guard. All of the evidence pointed to them during the trial, but they swore to you they’re innocent and you believed them. You have made it your mission to set things right by finding those responsible and freeing your loved one.

EITHER
Knowledge From Beyond
A secret died with someone you know, and you desperately need the answer. You have heard the elves of the Spirit Grove may be able to speak to the dead. It’s a long and dangerous journey, so you’ve come to the big city in the hopes of finding aid.

You Had a Flash of Insight
Recently you touched a carriage and had a unique feeling of deja vu, as though you were seeing the world through another’s eyes. This happened again while eating a leg of mutton some days or weeks later. Your local cleric offered no guidance, so you have sought out the high priests in Bel’Vance to find answers.

You Obeyed an Order
For years your family has acted as servants for another house. You were instructed to go to Bel’Vance and deliver a package and letter to the proprietor of the Wet Whistle Tavern. You’re not sure what’s inside the heavy box, but you daren’t open it out of fear for what might be done to your loved ones if you fail in your mission.

[miinstrel]

And next up comes some of my notes on the setting and behind the scenes stuff:

Spoiler: META PLOT

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The gods made the world.
Each god made their patroned races at various times throughout history. Ancient civilizations were races created by now deceased gods.
People of a given race are truly A PART OF their deity regardless of who they worship. Illusion of choice in their worship is a man-made concept.
The deity is similarly a part of their races. If none of their mortals are left, a god perishes.
Creating a race is like a cosmic bet among the gods, a way for them to settle disputes.
Ancient "dead" civilizations were just previous gods who didn't have what it took.
Number of gods has slowly shrunk since dawn of time. New gods are VERY rarely born.
The 7 alive are the only ones remaining.
They aren't able to directly influence events, but can send messages and guidance to their people.
If people knew about this they would be in quite a bind:
Do I help the god whose ideals I favor?
Or do I help the god that will keep my race alive?
Droam has a leg up on the others… being the harvester of souls, he created beings that can "slip into" mortals other gods created, but only at the time of their "creation".
They sit like parasites on the host's soul, waiting to act. Retain memories of their former "lives". They're essentially eternal.
They can jump to nearby empty vessels if needed, though with much effort.
Droam used these creatures to manipulate events in his favor.
All of the major political shifts have been Droam "rigging the game" in his bets with the other gods.
Droam has steadily grown very strong.
If it continues indefinitely, Droam will acquire enough power to destroy the 7 other gods.
If Droam is the only one left, his domains will be all that exist and all that affect the world.
10,000 years could pass before another rises that could challenge him.
The gods recently learned about Droam's soul hoppers.
Some of the gods want to stop it to defeat Droam.
Others want to learn how to create them thinking it's the only way to combat them since they dwell on the material plane and gods can't directly interfere.
This division is what caused the wars in the heavens.
Morran, Viyari, Aleister = Stop it from happening
Gemron, Liliya, Imshi = Learn how to do it too
Edra = neutral, she facilitates the cleansing of these deific soul fragments between uses. works equally with all gods.
Xymor = Opportunistic, believing if everyone is dead but him it won't matter
Imshi & Aleister's avatars have parts of each of them. When they went separate ways, their avatars didn't know what to do and clung to each other for dear life.
That's why the weird mixture of the two appeared in Ssin'Illisi
Viyari, Morran, and Liliya steal Droam's medallion, thinking it was how he created these things (-7 TS).
Droam goes into hiding (-7 TS).
Liliya tried to unravel the secrets of soul hopping from the amulet but it backfired and sent the 7 gods crazy (-5 TS).
Viyari hid the medallion on the plane of youth so the pro soul hop gods couldn't get it for now (-4 TS).
After the gods' chaos affected mortals, mortals cast a spell to block out the gods' power.
This eliminated their ability to "cleanse" the souls before re-using them. Souls retain "memories" of previous lives.
The strange new creatures are half-assed attempts at a fix from the gods. Most gods drop them near another civilization.
Since divine power routed to the moon, can only spawn monsters and agents on full moons.
People are just now becoming aware of how reincarnation works (that the gods reuse parts of themselves), thanks to the divine barrier.
Have learned souls are "renewable energy".
While other gods bicker, Droam is trying to shut this research and knowledge down so mortals don't find the soul hoppers and learn how to make them.
There's an organization she created dedicated to this. It's the cult hunting the other cults. It's run by the soul hoppers.
No one really knows what happens to a person's soul if their god is dead. Usually the mortals die first.
Since Morran died, those enlightened to this whole thing have experimented on hobgoblins to see what happens to their soul when they die.
Since it's suspected Droam may also be dead (since no one's heard from her), they also experiment on humans to compare results to the hobgoblins.
Demons are having a field day with the deity cults desperately wanting more power to bring their gods back.

Spoiler: STORY ARCS

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I typically come up with a few major storylines that weave together throughout the campaign. There's a whole color coded thing I do to help tie the campaign and character arcs together, but that's too complicated to do on here. Here's a very rough outline of what's in store:

CAMPAIGN

Step #	Restore Viyari's Power	Stop Droam's Soul Hoppers	Stop the Cults	Elves Turning Into Plants	Defeat Tribes of Xymor	Hobgoblin Takeover
1	Follow trail of religious leaders	Obtain Medallion of the Deathless	Find where they're hiding	Defend against Feymire attack	Defend Dwarves from tribe attack	Deliver plans to human king
2	Retrieve artifacts	Create soul cage	Infiltrate and dismantle a cult	Markhov are keeping Etherwood at bay	Understand how vast the tribes are	Attempt peaceful negotiation
3	Find Viyari	Locate the Keepers	Follow the conspiracy	Collect focus from each forest	Unite the races against the tribes	Defend Twin Cities from riots/attack
4	Restore his fire domain	Trap a soul hopper	Obtain Morran's blood	Use Medallion to absorb excess life pouring into Elves from Edra	Turn dragons back to mortals	Infiltrate/sabotage arcane forge
5	Combine artifacts in firestorm	Destroy the medallion	DECISION: Stop cults or destroy divine barrier	Reconcile Elves and Markhovs	Epic battle	Epic battle

CHARACTERS
Quizbath's column is empty because he never sent me his backstory... All I know is he has a tattoo branded on his chest (believes it's related to the cults) and doesn't recall anything that happened from the years -2 to 115. He "woke up" in any asylum in Bel'Vance.

Step #	Quizbath (gnome archivist)	Ero (human monk)	Tezzeret (elf bard)	Ethne (dwarf dragonfire adept)	Dr. Todd (gnome dread necro)	Zane (human sorcerer)	Sorin (human rogue)	Kytheon (human knight)
1	?	Learns there's a new duke but still attacks	Farila dies, asks him to watch over Ethne	Farila dies, tells Ethne to visit Wyrmrest	Complete his thesis on life and souls, prove loyalty to asylum	Meet a Keeper who's a Hobgoblin gov't whistle blower (this is Ero's dad)	Brother finds him / find relic in his family sword	Follow clues to deity cult (who killed his former lord)
2	?	Uncover advisor conspiracy with Hobgobs	Find how to separate tyrant spirit from Sorin	Good dragon sends on dream journey	Retrieve a live demon for experiments	?	Struggle with tyrant's memories	Learn lord's death was joint effort with Hobgobs
3	?	Help father's rebellion	Create soul cage	Turn father back into a dwarf (currently a dragon)	Assist mentor or stop her from creating a soul	Learn Hobgobs are creating a new Morran	Confront brother / learn mother is alive	Harrington is nobility (actually a lie)
4	?	Rescue Corvo OR father	Trap soul hopper	Confront father	Use moon to speak to a deity	Obtain Morran's blood (keep or use)	Find mother (hostage maybe?)	Revenge
5	?	Rebuild temple of the crescent wind	Return home to Etherwood	Defeat Xymor tribes	Assist or stop from using soul power to change the world	Infiltrate/sabotage arcane forge	Confront father	King names as lord

Initial thoughts for revisions:
- I initially planned to run this using 3.5e, E6 rules. "The Sundering" served as the reason for there not being high level magic. Now for simplicity's sake I'm considering starting it up again using 5e. Thoughts? SOLVED
- How does "The Sundering" play into this if we go from level 1-20 in 5e? SOLVED

- The "banned worship of deities in certain lands" is unnecessary. If this is going to be a thing it should be a blanket ban of religion to keep it simple.
- You'll notice the uninspired names of a few characters... these came from my players' backstories (Sorin, Tezzeret, etc.). Not really a revision, just something that annoys me . Various other names/titles have been pinched from other sources as well. I plan to replace these as soon as inspiration strikes. If you have ideas please share.
- High priests + Scions... why both? What purpose does each serve specifically?
- Are there too many races / nations? Can this be simplified?
- No player created a warforged, so I may just remove these from the setting. One less thing to keep track of.
- Soul hoppers need a better name.
- Maybe this whole thing is too big for one campaign? Would it be better to break it all down into more manageable segments?

- Side idea re: soul splicing... Someone experiments to combine souls / borrow parts of a soul and graft onto another or onto an animal to achieve sentience. Never considered what happened to the soul borrowed from. All PCs are half souls, drawn toward the other half (TBD). Boss wizard has so many souls he can "hop" between patients. Kind of like horcruxes. If he dies he can partially take over the other part's body? Someone he cares about was cursed to never have their soul enter a body again. He's trying to find her without dying himself.

If I can clarify anything please let me know. There are some gaps that could be filled in via the players' backstories but I'll add that info as needed. I really appreciate your time chiming in and helping me make this a superb experience for my table. Happy gaming!

[miinstrel]

reserved for just in cases.

[tantric]

you are a competent writer. i abandoned dnd because it restricted my creativity -you have made art from that. seriously, well done. gimmie a minute...

[miinstrel]

Kind of forgot I posted this as RL continues to unfold crazily this year. Need to get back in the habit of checking in on the forums every few days...

Thanks, tantric. I tend to ignore rules systems when building the setting, but I love it for actually playing to keep things clear and fair. Did you come up with any critiques (if you're hopefully still subbed)? Any other takers for some guidance and streamlining of this massive plot?

[Zorku]

Ooh, I hardly ever see "do I spread my genes or my memes?" conflicts (or at least, not since the internet ran away with that term.)

So, when you say that you want to bring this together into a cohesive narrative... what are you actually asking for? How should the end result differ from what you have?

[miinstrel]

I like the overall story and content, but looking at this from a DM's perspective, where I know everything that is going to happen, even then it seems challenging to get my head around all of it. I'm worried from a player's point of view, where they are getting info/plot in pieces, it will be too difficult to keep track of everything and understand the full scope.

I'm also struggling with how to relay all of this cosmic activity that's happening in parallel with the campaign to the players in a setting that is effectively cut off from deific intervention. I guess with the "gods drop monsters on full moons" thing they could potentially inject emissaries that can info dump on the PCs.

So I guess my plea for help boils down to:
1. Are there any elements mentioned above that unnecessarily complicate matters or detract from the main theme?
2. Are there too many story arcs? Should some of them be combined to reduce the complexity?
3. How do I reconcile the "barrier" severing connections to magic with a transition to 5e where progression will be from lvl 1-20 instead of a 3.5-E6 rule set?
4. More questions for discussion in the "Initial thoughts" part of my 2nd post.
5. If you have any other brilliant ideas that complement what's already been presented (story hooks, plot twists, etc.) throw them out too.


EDIT: Like for example, the random monsters that appear during the full moon will weaken as the moonlight wanes, eventually dying of their own accord when the new moon begins (when no moon is visible). So when confronted with these creatures, the party can either face a more difficult fight and kill it early or let it rampage and wreak havoc for a while before dealing with it but suffer whatever consequences may occur because of the destruction it caused.

[Zorku]

So then you want to run all of those story arcs in a single campaign? In a world I don't usually picture the party being involved in every change that takes place in the world, but rather get really involved in what they choose to deal with, and medium-involved in problems that pop up in front of them.

It seems like the moon monster situation is obvious enough god intervention, and you wouldn't really need to talk about what the gods were up to, since they're crazy and only acting indirectly, but that you could convey a lot of that via the human elements. There are a number of cults, some of them working on basically the same thing their gods wanted, and the party can get much of the backstory information by foiling those schemes.


As for the barrier, my first impulse is to just screw with the world about the time the party hits level 7 (maybe double the xp to progress out of that particular level?) You would have something happen with the moon. Maybe there's some catastrophe and "Oh gods!? Why is it staying full all of the time!?" or it physically moves much closer to the world and really dominates the sky. Various cult actions or god schemes could bring this about (maybe they weren't bound from acting upon the material plane so much as the world, but they were all so nuts by the time their influence changed that it took them a long time to realize, and then gather up the magic they would need, to move the moon.) If you want to make the calendar tracking much worse you could do something like split the moon into 6 moons, and now one of the damn things is always full, and you get a lot more influence from the respective god, except for the human and goblinoid moons which are strangely silent, for obviously different reasons.

If you don't want to make such drastic moon-changes (since that does water down the arch mage super-spell,) then the most fitting explanation for your cosmology, is that a new god has been born. This one doesn't have any involvement in that amulet and the moon ritual would have only targeted the current gods. You need to square away why they're on the same page about the racial-proxy-war thing that all the other gods did, but it seems like that was kind of an innate thing and they just agreed not to nuke each other with constant divine intervention. Newbie wouldn't be entirely beholden to that restriction, but as a new god they would also be quite weak.

You haven't explicitly stated that spellcasting or spell slots or any such are due to each person being a part of their true patron god, but if that is what you had in mind, then I would suggest that the new god be patron to Yuan'ti. For whatever reason (mainly that moon situation,) they have some potential to assimilate the souls of other races, gradually making them more serpentine. Anyone tapping into that god's power would take on at least some serpentine traits, but again, this is a newbie god, so they're not necessarily good at making this happen quickly or fully.

If I understand correctly the amulet backfire thing didn't drive Droam insane (or am I wrong in thinking that was some trap he planted?) so he'd be more aware of the newbie, and either put more effort into resisting that effort or simply rush forward with his other plans so he can crush all the gods (the implications of which would be up to you.) How much all of this would complicate your story depends on what the player involvement is supposed to be, but you can spin this sort of thing into lots of directions so it should be at least functional no matter what route they're going down. Notably, although probability doesn't actually work this way, this makes it seem like it would be even longer before any new gods might challenge Droam if he gets his way.

For even less world altering methods, maybe more of the total essence of the gods is trickling down into the many souls that comprise them, and between exiling them to the moon and folks worshiping principles, you've got some of those aspects of the gods solidifying and slowly being leeched back from the moon... or maybe take that more directly and the good bits have genuinely cleaved themselves off into a distinct being (or at least, as distinct as any person is in this setting,) and those demigods have finally managed to enter the material plane, all doin stuff... and things. I picture a similar newbie situation, except they're trying to fill the vacuum that was left, and they're largely bluffing about their power and exactly who they are, as well as refusing to speak on the madness. Although this reshapes the pantheon comparably little, it probably has one of the larger effects on the setting, by essentially introducing a bunch of god-kings.


Pretty much any strong explanation for removing the E6 limits seems like it would reshape the plot arcs as much as these do, or be kind of a cop out that doesn't really explain the change better than a slightly disguised version of "because I said so."

I'd like to get your thoughts on those kinds of options for going E20, before I invest too much thought into how to streamline them or the general story.

Also, are your players diving in at whatever level they were before, as kind of a continuation of the old campaign, or is this closer to a reboot of the setting?

[miinstrel]

So then you want to run all of those story arcs in a single campaign? In a world I don't usually picture the party being involved in every change that takes place in the world, but rather get really involved in what they choose to deal with, and medium-involved in problems that pop up in front of them.

My campaigns tend to run in the 1-2 year range and we play pretty much weekly so... I can cover quite a bit of content :). I prefer to have several different story lines they can work on and bounce between at their leisure to give the world more of a living, breathing feel. Stuff happens without them if they ignore certain things for too long.

It seems like the moon monster situation is obvious enough god intervention, and you wouldn't really need to talk about what the gods were up to, since they're crazy and only acting indirectly, but that you could convey a lot of that via the human elements. There are a number of cults, some of them working on basically the same thing their gods wanted, and the party can get much of the backstory information by foiling those schemes.

The cults are certainly another good outlet for info gathering. Maybe I'll have agents work through the PCs to play out the cosmic events. Demons could have the party help them with something or other as a step toward getting Gemron out of Hell. If they help he gets booted, if they don't he stays (for now), etc.

As for the barrier, my first impulse is to just screw with the world about the time the party hits level 7 (maybe double the xp to progress out of that particular level?) You would have something happen with the moon. Maybe there's some catastrophe and "Oh gods!? Why is it staying full all of the time!?" or it physically moves much closer to the world and really dominates the sky. Various cult actions or god schemes could bring this about (maybe they weren't bound from acting upon the material plane so much as the world, but they were all so nuts by the time their influence changed that it took them a long time to realize, and then gather up the magic they would need, to move the moon.) If you want to make the calendar tracking much worse you could do something like split the moon into 6 moons, and now one of the damn things is always full, and you get a lot more influence from the respective god, except for the human and goblinoid moons which are strangely silent, for obviously different reasons.

I love that. Screwing with PC assumptions is among my favorite activities haha. One moon always being full sounds much more manageable, but maybe splitting the moon into separate pieces later on would be fun too. oooh maybe there's some dormant portal in Ssin'Illisi from where the cabal created the barrier that transports the party to the moon and they somehow blow it apart themselves?

If you don't want to make such drastic moon-changes (since that does water down the arch mage super-spell,) then the most fitting explanation for your cosmology, is that a new god has been born. This one doesn't have any involvement in that amulet and the moon ritual would have only targeted the current gods. You need to square away why they're on the same page about the racial-proxy-war thing that all the other gods did, but it seems like that was kind of an innate thing and they just agreed not to nuke each other with constant divine intervention. Newbie wouldn't be entirely beholden to that restriction, but as a new god they would also be quite weak.

You haven't explicitly stated that spellcasting or spell slots or any such are due to each person being a part of their true patron god, but if that is what you had in mind, then I would suggest that the new god be patron to Yuan'ti. For whatever reason (mainly that moon situation,) they have some potential to assimilate the souls of other races, gradually making them more serpentine. Anyone tapping into that god's power would take on at least some serpentine traits, but again, this is a newbie god, so they're not necessarily good at making this happen quickly or fully.

That would make sense, but I feel like this may be a better "next chapter" to the setting's chronicle (aka, another campaign). if they decide to keep the barrier intact at the end of the game this might form the basis of the next campaign. Besides, the moon funkiness is very fun.

If I understand correctly the amulet backfire thing didn't drive Droam insane (or am I wrong in thinking that was some trap he planted?) so he'd be more aware of the newbie, and either put more effort into resisting that effort or simply rush forward with his other plans so he can crush all the gods (the implications of which would be up to you.) How much all of this would complicate your story depends on what the player involvement is supposed to be, but you can spin this sort of thing into lots of directions so it should be at least functional no matter what route they're going down. Notably, although probability doesn't actually work this way, this makes it seem like it would be even longer before any new gods might challenge Droam if he gets his way.

Ya know I actually never settled on why the amulet backfired. I guess I didn't envision it making Droam crazy because it was a part of her, but she's significantly weaker without it. While we're on the topic, I don't seem Droam as aggressively pursuing the other gods' destruction, but more along the lines of "this is the inevitable outcome. all things tend toward entropy."

Thinking this through I'm inclined against the new god direction for two reasons:
1. primarily because I have "restore Viyari" as a main story line. So the re-introduction of a god to help right matters is already present and we needn't do that twice with this newcomer.
2. yuan'ti and lizardfolk are fairly similar and I already have far too many factions to reasonably keep track of without adding another. :P

For even less world altering methods, maybe more of the total essence of the gods is trickling down into the many souls that comprise them, and between exiling them to the moon and folks worshiping principles, you've got some of those aspects of the gods solidifying and slowly being leeched back from the moon... or maybe take that more directly and the good bits have genuinely cleaved themselves off into a distinct being (or at least, as distinct as any person is in this setting,) and those demigods have finally managed to enter the material plane, all doin stuff... and things. I picture a similar newbie situation, except they're trying to fill the vacuum that was left, and they're largely bluffing about their power and exactly who they are, as well as refusing to speak on the madness. Although this reshapes the pantheon comparably little, it probably has one of the larger effects on the setting, by essentially introducing a bunch of god-kings.

to clarify: are you suggesting the gods have essentially ceased to be and their power is broken down and spread among the souls that make up their being? So essentially, they BECOME their race?
or the gods are still separate entities, but a portion of their essence has leached back through the moon connection?
or the gods are still separate entities, but these entities are consumed by the madness, and the "actual" gods have essentially abandoned their "physical" shells and are seeking to reassemble elsewhere (in this case, as the demigod beings)?

this could be interesting, especially juxtaposed against the tyrants mentioned early in the timeline (those were part of one of the PC's backstories). The older races would probably be resistant to accepting a god-king ruler, etc.

Pretty much any strong explanation for removing the E6 limits seems like it would reshape the plot arcs as much as these do, or be kind of a cop out that doesn't really explain the change better than a slightly disguised version of "because I said so."

I'd like to get your thoughts on those kinds of options for going E20, before I invest too much thought into how to streamline them or the general story.

Definitely trying to avoid "DM fiat" as the answer for the inconsistency. Maybe around level 7 the barrier shatters somehow opening up the level cap to everyone? Older archmages could re-surface introducing a slew of ex-powerful NPCs, some of which may work their way back to archmagedom.
If I went this route the "Cults" storyline ending would just flip flop to "re-build the barrier" or "leave things as they are".

Also, are your players diving in at whatever level they were before, as kind of a continuation of the old campaign, or is this closer to a reboot of the setting?

Well we only played 3 sessions last time I started this campaign up, so really just enough to intro the PCs and explore the starting city a little. I imagine some will want to run with the same characters and others will want brand new characters. I'm probably going to try to pick up where we left off and just introduce any new PCs as needed.

[Zorku]

Thinking this through I'm inclined against the new god direction for two reasons:
1. primarily because I have "restore Viyari" as a main story line. So the re-introduction of a god to help right matters is already present and we needn't do that twice with this newcomer.

I don't think I caught what it means to restore Viyari

2. yuan'ti and lizardfolk are fairly similar and I already have far too many factions to reasonably keep track of without adding another. :P

At some point my headcanon for the two went in really different directions, but I don't have the new Volo's Guide yet so I'm not 100% sure what the forgotten realms take on them is. I was having fun picturing some of the lizardmen's disgust at their atrophying legs and... what is this soft pink scale-bald patch?

to clarify: are you suggesting the gods have essentially ceased to be and their power is broken down and spread among the souls that make up their being? So essentially, they BECOME their race?
or the gods are still separate entities, but a portion of their essence has leached back through the moon connection?
or the gods are still separate entities, but these entities are consumed by the madness, and the "actual" gods have essentially abandoned their "physical" shells and are seeking to reassemble elsewhere (in this case, as the demigod beings)?

Yes, exactly.

...

I went a little rapidfire with options there, so it's any of those, or some combination of them. The only one that seems to differ from the way I meant it would be the last one, since I was suggesting that the demigods were sort of weak imposters that lack confidence, but have the old conviction nonetheless.

Definitely trying to avoid "DM fiat" as the answer for the inconsistency. Maybe around level 7 the barrier shatters somehow opening up the level cap to everyone? Older archmages could re-surface introducing a slew of ex-powerful NPCs, some of which may work their way back to archmagedom.
If I went this route the "Cults" storyline ending would just flip flop to "re-build the barrier" or "leave things as they are".

It seemed like you already rather liked sending the party to the moon, so you could let the result ride on what the party does. I presume the moon would be fairly crazy with a bunch of pent up and insane gods having full dominion over it, but which cults they've interacted with up to that point would give them some context for a bunch of optional tasks to pursue up there. If they fail/ignore all of them then the moon splits six ways and the barrier weakens, if they succeed at some, then one of the cults (and sort of the affiliated race?) gets a serious boon from the ordeal, and they probably weaken the barrier further, and suffer whatever madness seems appropriate for how they did so. If the party stops everyone... well, uhh... make them too rushed to stop everyone so we don't have to think about that? Nah, I've got it. The moon splits two ways, one for all the failed gods, and one for the dead god Morran. Huh, who would have thought the dead god could still have dominion over anything, and what does it mean for him to have a separate moon? Was this his race's doing or is this just a backfire effect from how the other cults machinations failed? Only time will tell.

Before I had just imagined the moons magically appearing at different points in the sky, but now I'm rather liking the imagery of actually cleaving the moon and having a big debris ring form round the planet. Perhaps the little meteorites that constantly streak through the sky would be the explanation for E20, since the moon rocks are literally coming to the people. Might even have the various artisans start making artifacts from lunar iron.

Well we only played 3 sessions last time I started this campaign up, so really just enough to intro the PCs and explore the starting city a little. I imagine some will want to run with the same characters and others will want brand new characters. I'm probably going to try to pick up where we left off and just introduce any new PCs as needed.

Ok, that makes things easier, mainly in that you've got a fair deal of time.

Do take a look at the xp thresholds chart and make sure that this is all still going to go at the pace you expect (if you haven't already.) A number of the middling levels pass a little bit faster than I expected in this edition.

[miinstrel]

I don't think I caught what it means to restore Viyari

In the "Story Arcs" spoiler the first one is "restore Viyari's power". I see the players collecting various artifacts (shards of Viyari's divine essence) and then performing some ritual inside the fire storm traveling back and forth on the map. Viyari is wandering the countryside as a kindly old human with no knowledge of his divine side. The ritual will restore his power/sanity and I guess he'll play a key role in stopping Droam. Haven't worked out all the details yet.

At some point my headcanon for the two went in really different directions, but I don't have the new Volo's Guide yet so I'm not 100% sure what the forgotten realms take on them is. I was having fun picturing some of the lizardmen's disgust at their atrophying legs and... what is this soft pink scale-bald patch?

Heh, could be fun. I'll set this aside as a potential side quest, just maybe sans the yuan-ti deity part.

Yes, exactly.

...

I went a little rapidfire with options there, so it's any of those, or some combination of them. The only one that seems to differ from the way I meant it would be the last one, since I was suggesting that the demigods were sort of weak imposters that lack confidence, but have the old conviction nonetheless.


It seemed like you already rather liked sending the party to the moon, so you could let the result ride on what the party does. I presume the moon would be fairly crazy with a bunch of pent up and insane gods having full dominion over it, but which cults they've interacted with up to that point would give them some context for a bunch of optional tasks to pursue up there. If they fail/ignore all of them then the moon splits six ways and the barrier weakens, if they succeed at some, then one of the cults (and sort of the affiliated race?) gets a serious boon from the ordeal, and they probably weaken the barrier further, and suffer whatever madness seems appropriate for how they did so. If the party stops everyone... well, uhh... make them too rushed to stop everyone so we don't have to think about that? Nah, I've got it. The moon splits two ways, one for all the failed gods, and one for the dead god Morran. Huh, who would have thought the dead god could still have dominion over anything, and what does it mean for him to have a separate moon? Was this his race's doing or is this just a backfire effect from how the other cults machinations failed? Only time will tell.

Gotcha. I guess option #2 is kind of how I see the world working already. The demigod angle seems like it would kind of take over the campaign, so I'm disinclined to follow that path at the start, but it could be an interesting development for after the moon quest...

BTW I'm really liking this moon quest. that's going to be a really cool, pivotal point in the story. The problem with that is it could go one of several different ways depending on what they do which makes it difficult to plan from level 8 forward.
The Morran moon is a great idea and could reinvigorate the hobgoblin arcana machine somehow. Since he was the god of magic maybe he can never TRULY die? Idk, but the moon's definitely going to explode somehow while they're up there.

Before I had just imagined the moons magically appearing at different points in the sky, but now I'm rather liking the imagery of actually cleaving the moon and having a big debris ring form round the planet. Perhaps the little meteorites that constantly streak through the sky would be the explanation for E20, since the moon rocks are literally coming to the people. Might even have the various artisans start making artifacts from lunar iron.

Agreed. And yes to lunar weapons, also a great idea.

Ok, that makes things easier, mainly in that you've got a fair deal of time.

Do take a look at the xp thresholds chart and make sure that this is all still going to go at the pace you expect (if you haven't already.) A number of the middling levels pass a little bit faster than I expected in this edition.

The nice part about pacing is our group doesn't use xp. We frequently have 1-2 people missing (6 players total), so we found it easier for the DM to just dictate when the group levels. Typically it's every 3-4 sessions, so I can compress/expand that as needed to make the levels match the story points.

[Zorku]

sanity

Key word there. That makes a big difference.

BTW I'm really liking this moon quest. that's going to be a really cool, pivotal point in the story. The problem with that is it could go one of several different ways depending on what they do which makes it difficult to plan from level 8 forward.

The names and faces will obviously change, but you can probably plan out a few dungeons and such that make sense regardless of who's controlling the place.

I kind of use this metaphorical locked door and key diagram in my head. Basically whenever the party runs into a locked door (as in, some kind of obstruction that must pass to get to the other side,) then there has to be a 'key' available in the space that they can access before they've chronologically made it to the other side of that door (even if that means the key is behind some other locked door which needs its own key.)

Applying this to the plots you had running;

Spoiler: plots and plotted door keys

Show

Restore Viyari doesn't seem like it has to be impacted at all. If the artifacts are all collecting dust somewheres then this just happens parallel to it. If the artifacts are in someone's possession, and that changes based on how the moon goes, then that's the only bit you have to deal with.

Stop the soul hoppers could work out a lot of ways, depending on what's supposed to be involved in any particular step there. How the moon goes might place the soul hoppers in drastically different locations or even drive them into hiding. I've got no idea what's involved in making a soul cage so maybe that moves or maybe it doesn't. What's going on with the keepers and where the medallion is may or may not change drastically. Povided that you haven't set any of that in stone, this is as stochastic as you want it to be.

Stop the cults is kind of the natural plot line for taking the party to the moon anyway, so who succeeds and who fails should definitely have a big impact on this one. Luckily the steps are pretty broad in general so you're going to mostly deal with how they influence the world when their power shifts, and whatever kinds of hideouts they had before probably just get upgraded or abandoned as appropriate (or if they gain enough power in the moon situation they step into the open and start running local affairs.)

Elves turning into plants doesn't seem like it should be impacted too heavily. The respective cult succeeding might make the issue more urgent though.

Xymor stuff could be impacted, but if you've got more full moons that's probably just more monsters showing up to keep them occupied.

And the hobgobs have that one option that potentially impacts them... somehow. I've kind of swung the other way and feel like their moon should show up no matter what. Depending on what's already been revealed about them they might have had much slower plans in mind before any moon business, but with the influence of a dead god washing over them they either decide to push forward sooner or they're empowered enough to make it much more serious than it would have been.

The Morran moon is a great idea and could reinvigorate the hobgoblin arcana machine somehow. Since he was the god of magic maybe he can never TRULY die? Idk, but the moon's definitely going to explode somehow while they're up there.

I generally like the idea of gods having their domains because they claimed those things, so in that case I would expect some other god to (normally) take over magic before too long (at least on deity time scales.) In terms of narrative I think I'd make this have a lot more to do with his species still being around.

Agreed. And yes to lunar weapons, also a great idea.

Got a whole lot of faerie tropes about cold iron you can play with (and much better, that you can twist to apply to other things.)

[jqavins]

Great Good Gods, sane and mad alike, that is one heck of a data dump!

I just started reading the thread, and am not through the first post but my lunch hour is over. I'll be back.

[miinstrel]

Stop the cults is kind of the natural plot line for taking the party to the moon anyway, so who succeeds and who fails should definitely have a big impact on this one. Luckily the steps are pretty broad in general so you're going to mostly deal with how they influence the world when their power shifts, and whatever kinds of hideouts they had before probably just get upgraded or abandoned as appropriate (or if they gain enough power in the moon situation they step into the open and start running local affairs.)

I guess you're right, most of these plot lines will be relatively independent of whatever happens on the moon. Note to self, that battle is going to need an epic map... 3d if possible. need to take advantage of the lower gravity :). Maybe they encounter that shmoshed Imshi/Aleister creatur

And the hobgobs have that one option that potentially impacts them... somehow. I've kind of swung the other way and feel like their moon should show up no matter what. Depending on what's already been revealed about them they might have had much slower plans in mind before any moon business, but with the influence of a dead god washing over them they either decide to push forward sooner or they're empowered enough to make it much more serious than it would have been.

With Morran's moon power, Hobgobs are going to take a central role in at least the mid-tier storyboard. Another note to self... At some point (when we're done with making this a more cohesive story) I need to decide at roughly what level (or at least what tier) each of these plot points is going to happen.

I generally like the idea of gods having their domains because they claimed those things, so in that case I would expect some other god to (normally) take over magic before too long (at least on deity time scales.) In terms of narrative I think I'd make this have a lot more to do with his species still being around.

It's been 120 years since The Sundering / Morran's death. That seems sufficiently long for another deity to absorb the magic domain. No, hold on. The archmagi used Morran's blood as a catalyst for their barrier ritual. So Morran's essence was preserved inside the moon when that spell was completed. The party's exploding the moon released it and that backlash is what allows for higher level spells. Magic for everyone! That allows the barrier to remain intact (which means the cults still have their original motive to tear the barrier down in order to get in touch with their gods / bring them back to life) + the level cap is no longer an issue.
I need to drill into the players from the start that 3rd lvl spells are the highest people can cast in the world. this expedition to the moon needs to happen at level 6. When they return they ding to 7 and get 4th lvl spells.

Got a whole lot of faerie tropes about cold iron you can play with (and much better, that you can twist to apply to other things.)

Yep. So what properties should this moon metal have? Lighter than other metals. bypass DR of "full moon" monsters. maybe enhances any light producing effects (reflects the light the way the moon does the sun's rays)?

Great Good Gods, sane and mad alike, that is one heck of a data dump!

I just started reading the thread, and am not through the first post but my lunch hour is over. I'll be back.

Welcome to the discussion! Look forward to your thoughts/contributions.

*****

Other points that still need to be discussed:
- High priests + Scions... Do I need both?
- Should each race's nation have different bans on religion? Blanket ban across the whole land (except maybe Elves who remember the old times)?
- Better name for soul hoppers
- Soul splicing idea mentioned in post #2... good? should each PC be a half soul? Detract from the main story?
- What DID happen to Droam? Where has she been?
- Why did Viyari, Morran, and Liliya attack the Garden of Eternity in the first place?
- I have a note there are 3 deity cults: Imshi/Aleister, Xymor, and Gemron. Should there be more? Fewer? Does each have a unique goal or are they all trying to reunite with their god / tear down the barrier?

[Landis963]

For the soul hoppers, my sleep-deprived brain is thinking "dreamers" for the entities themselves and "moon-hearted" for their hosts. Can they ever leave their current hosts if need be? Because if you get a new cast, you can say they all used to be moon-hearted, but the dreamers vacated the premises at a crucial moment. When and where that moment took place would of course be negotiated with the PCs.

Also, Imshi-Aleister's cult should be trying to breed a new pair of vessels for their gods.

[Zorku]

I need to drill into the players from the start that 3rd lvl spells are the highest people can cast in the world. this expedition to the moon needs to happen at level 6. When they return they ding to 7 and get 4th lvl spells.

My only concern there is that arcane magic is usually treated like matters of extreme study. The game seems to handwave this somewhat with learning spells when you level up (did you already mostly know how to do it but just finish the final puzzle piece at that milestone?) but a wizard doesn't merely create her own spells so much as archive all the spells she can get her hands on. Are there a bunch of old scrolls kicking around from over a century ago that were just inert until the moon business, or will wizards be substantially worse off than sorcerers for the world having almost forgotten how to do all of this?

At the very least I'd suggest taking all the old school D&D names in spells and renaming them to the archmages of the setting. Maybe a few of the elder types would pay some reverence to Mordenakainen (but how did you spell his name? Damn, all my notes on that were in that water damaged tome from 60 years ago!) but that name's gonna draw blank stares from most people and they'd pretty much think of that spell as Archmage B'Ob's magnificent mansion.

Yep. So what properties should this moon metal have? Lighter than other metals. bypass DR of "full moon" monsters. maybe enhances any light producing effects (reflects the light the way the moon does the sun's rays)?

Moon dust is very reflective, but that's not necessarily going to apply to iron from the moon. On the other hand, the smiths might come to favor any technique that brought out such traits, thinking they were producing a purer product (similar to preemptive steel production.) I kind of picture anything remotely like meteoric iron as being heavier, in fantasy narratives anyway. If you split the moon there's gonna be a lot of it, so the rich could get rather heavy armor and weapons in short order.

Actually, within this narrative I'd expect it to be rather powerful against mortals (maybe even leaving scars that don't show up until they reincarnate?) but less effective against moon monsters (and maybe causing your various lycanthropes to transform out of sequence,) so that it would be of specialty applications rather than an all around upgrade. I'm a huge fan of trade offs like that though, so it may not be your cup of tea.

Other points that still need to be discussed:
- High priests + Scions... Do I need both?

You could probably consolidate them, but if you want to simplify it actually pair them up. Sort of a warrior and cleric team for each race (in the cases where both are known to the public.)

- Should each race's nation have different bans on religion? Blanket ban across the whole land (except maybe Elves who remember the old times)?

I'd expect a blanket ban, but the authorities in an area would only clearly recognize and hunt down worship of their most familiar gods. Aint nobody gonna recognize how you worship the elf god in a giant's community. The warforged probably don't worship squat, but if they do nobody's gonna realize wtf they're doing.

- Better name for soul hoppers

For fantasy reasons you'd probably go with changeling or doppleganger. The classic versions of those aren't quite describing spirit entities, but they're right on target for the manchurian candidate elements are right on spec.

Otherwise you'd probably go for a name similar to leech or tick.

- Soul splicing idea mentioned in post #2... good? should each PC be a half soul? Detract from the main story?

I'd cut that or leave it for the sequel.

- What DID happen to Droam? Where has she been?

What does it mean for a god to be somewhere in the first place? (Other than Viyari.)

- Why did Viyari, Morran, and Liliya attack the Garden of Eternity in the first place?
- I have a note there are 3 deity cults: Imshi/Aleister, Xymor, and Gemron. Should there be more? Fewer? Does each have a unique goal or are they all trying to reunite with their god / tear down the barrier?

For simplicity I'd suggest they all have basically the same goal, but for world building reasons they would have such different takes on it that they don't recognize what the other cults are doing (though the distinction is paper thin to the party.)

[miinstrel]

My only concern there is that arcane magic is usually treated like matters of extreme study. The game seems to handwave this somewhat with learning spells when you level up (did you already mostly know how to do it but just finish the final puzzle piece at that milestone?) but a wizard doesn't merely create her own spells so much as archive all the spells she can get her hands on. Are there a bunch of old scrolls kicking around from over a century ago that were just inert until the moon business, or will wizards be substantially worse off than sorcerers for the world having almost forgotten how to do all of this?

I see the level up spells as exactly that. You've been working on it and this is the "light bulb" moment that opens up the spell. When I play a caster I usually RP this during the game (since I have more/less planned out the spells I'm going to take at any given level).

Old scrolls seems very plausible. Maybe there's a museum or something of ancient unusable arcana. It's not like the practices / methods were lost just the able to actually utilize enough magical energy to effect the spell. Seems reasonable that people would continue theoretical research on ways to make 4th+ spells work. I'm okay with somewhat hand-waving this aspect of the game. Though a magical history museum heist could be a fun session...

At the very least I'd suggest taking all the old school D&D names in spells and renaming them to the archmages of the setting. Maybe a few of the elder types would pay some reverence to Mordenakainen (but how did you spell his name? Damn, all my notes on that were in that water damaged tome from 60 years ago!) but that name's gonna draw blank stares from most people and they'd pretty much think of that spell as Archmage B'Ob's magnificent mansion.

Fun idea that I personally would be totally into... but I see my particular group glossing over this element and just calling it Mord's Mansion anyway. There's 1 player that likes this much detail, but I don't see the others playing along.

Moon dust is very reflective, but that's not necessarily going to apply to iron from the moon. On the other hand, the smiths might come to favor any technique that brought out such traits, thinking they were producing a purer product (similar to preemptive steel production.) I kind of picture anything remotely like meteoric iron as being heavier, in fantasy narratives anyway. If you split the moon there's gonna be a lot of it, so the rich could get rather heavy armor and weapons in short order.

Actually, within this narrative I'd expect it to be rather powerful against mortals (maybe even leaving scars that don't show up until they reincarnate?) but less effective against moon monsters (and maybe causing your various lycanthropes to transform out of sequence,) so that it would be of specialty applications rather than an all around upgrade. I'm a huge fan of trade offs like that though, so it may not be your cup of tea.

Scars after reincarnation, while cool, probably will not come up that often here, though could potentially occur with key bad guys / soul hoppers.
Why do you see less effective vs. moon monsters? I'd think more effective because it has lingering god energy in it compared to standard mortal weaponry.
I do like it potentially triggering a lycanthrope's change though. Save on hit kind of thing probably.

You could probably consolidate them, but if you want to simplify it actually pair them up. Sort of a warrior and cleric team for each race (in the cases where both are known to the public.)

I guess I want to keep both. The High Priest is the mortal chosen leader and the Scion is the deity chosen leader, acting in tandem. I'll probably just keep them together most of the time instead of having separate agendas. I'm sure there'll be an exception to that at some point though. Like when Gemron's Scion executed the High Priest because of the crusades.

I'd expect a blanket ban, but the authorities in an area would only clearly recognize and hunt down worship of their most familiar gods. Aint nobody gonna recognize how you worship the elf god in a giant's community. The warforged probably don't worship squat, but if they do nobody's gonna realize wtf they're doing.

I'm leaning toward a blanket ban too, just easier to manage. I'm removing warforged from the setting. While they play perfectly into the "importance of the soul" element of the game, since I have no PC warforged that internal struggle will be significantly less interesting.

]For fantasy reasons you'd probably go with changeling or doppleganger. The classic versions of those aren't quite describing spirit entities, but they're right on target for the manchurian candidate elements are right on spec.

Otherwise you'd probably go for a name similar to leech or tick.

I'm liking Dreamers so far (courtesy of Landis). Dormant, guiding their hosts from the background. Then they become a nightmare when they awake, probably heavy on illusion magic, etc.
Not sure I'm going to name their hosts though as I envision them being undetectable - at least at first.

I'd cut that or leave it for the sequel.

Yeah, I think i agree. Already doing a lot with this campaign.

What does it mean for a god to be somewhere in the first place? (Other than Viyari.)

Viyari's on earth because his divine essence was stripped during the Gemron fight (somehow). So he kind of bypasses the "no gods on earth" rule.
I guess Droam's just been hiding somewhere in the Astral Sea. She's put her plan into motion via the Dreamers, so is in hiding until she can reclaim her Medallion... and will probably step up those efforts after the moon shatters and weakens the barrier.

For simplicity I'd suggest they all have basically the same goal, but for world building reasons they would have such different takes on it that they don't recognize what the other cults are doing (though the distinction is paper thin to the party.)

Agreed. Going to need good names for the 3 cults. *puts on thinking cap*
Also need a name for the soul hopper (Dreamer) cult that's trying to shut down mortal research on using soul's as a power source and understanding the whole "soul recycling" thing going on.

[Zorku]

I see the level up spells as exactly that. You've been working on it and this is the "light bulb" moment that opens up the spell. When I play a caster I usually RP this during the game (since I have more/less planned out the spells I'm going to take at any given level).

Old scrolls seems very plausible. Maybe there's a museum or something of ancient unusable arcana. It's not like the practices / methods were lost just the able to actually utilize enough magical energy to effect the spell. Seems reasonable that people would continue theoretical research on ways to make 4th+ spells work. I'm okay with somewhat hand-waving this aspect of the game. Though a magical history museum heist could be a fun session...

The problem there is that you run really low on people that have appropriate hands on experience after awhile, and some big school is going to wither on the vine pretty quick if it's not spitting out talented individuals (3rd level spells are still some potent stuff, but there's little way to distinguish yourself past that point.) You can draft up some idea and get a bunch of colleagues to nod in agreement or even argue over the validity of it, but when you actually do it all of the little quirks and oddities that you didn't expect then prompt the questions that lead to the next breakthrough.

Fun idea that I personally would be totally into... but I see my particular group glossing over this element and just calling it Mord's Mansion anyway. There's 1 player that likes this much detail, but I don't see the others playing along.

Reflavor it harder then. Su'san's Spectacular Spa- still nice for relaxation, but not exactly somewhere you're going to sleep for the night (or maybe it is, I can't say I'm fully aware of the variety of spas out there.)

Scars after reincarnation, while cool, probably will not come up that often here, though could potentially occur with key bad guys / soul hoppers.

You'd probably want to establish it with some retroactive details. "yadda yadda yadda man with a moon scar yadda yadda." "What's a moon scar?" "Your character would recognize that as the mark that people are reborn with when they were injured by lunar iron in their last life."

It's not like there are zero rocks available from the Moon before you sunder it.

Why do you see less effective vs. moon monsters? I'd think more effective because it has lingering god energy in it compared to standard mortal weaponry.

That's exactly the reason though. The gods have domain over the moon, and are also the source of these monstrosities. Seems like saying that a red hot sword would be more useful against a fire elemental cuz who wants to touch a red hot sword?

I do like it potentially triggering a lycanthrope's change though. Save on hit kind of thing probably.

With the CR for werewolves in the MM that particular curse is almost trivial, but I always liked thinking of them as being close to vampire level, and all around as difficult to deal with. If they're kind of rare and in almost exclusively in your Transylvania area then it's a pretty high CR to resist that, but I don't know what they're like in your setting.

I guess I want to keep both. The High Priest is the mortal chosen leader and the Scion is the deity chosen leader, acting in tandem. I'll probably just keep them together most of the time instead of having separate agendas. I'm sure there'll be an exception to that at some point though. Like when Gemron's Scion executed the High Priest because of the crusades.

And that seems fine. You've got the general pattern that's clear enough to the players, and then when they happen upon something that breaks the pattern that's a good reason to go into detail about it.

I'm leaning toward a blanket ban too, just easier to manage. I'm removing warforged from the setting. While they play perfectly into the "importance of the soul" element of the game, since I have no PC warforged that internal struggle will be significantly less interesting.

Without any players to upset, they could also be re-enslaved and put to use for enemy variety in the big hobgob kebob knob... thing.

I'm liking Dreamers so far (courtesy of Landis). Dormant, guiding their hosts from the background. Then they become a nightmare when they awake, probably heavy on illusion magic, etc.
Not sure I'm going to name their hosts though as I envision them being undetectable - at least at first.

Now that you've called them a nightmare it feels more like they should be called Dreams and the hosts Dreamers.

I guess Droam's just been hiding somewhere in the Astral Sea. She's put her plan into motion via the Dreamers, so is in hiding until she can reclaim her Medallion... and will probably step up those efforts after the moon shatters and weakens the barrier.

Oh. Have you got the same planar system from FR or is it just a few that you've found most relevant to your purposes?

Agreed. Going to need good names for the 3 cults. *puts on thinking cap*
Also need a name for the soul hopper (Dreamer) cult that's trying to shut down mortal research on using soul's as a power source and understanding the whole "soul recycling" thing going on.

The Long Arm of the Law,taken too literally of course.
Fertile Labyrinth
The Elm Fall Order
The Awakening (and later Waking Nightmare.)

[miinstrel]

The problem there is that you run really low on people that have appropriate hands on experience after awhile, and some big school is going to wither on the vine pretty quick if it's not spitting out talented individuals (3rd level spells are still some potent stuff, but there's little way to distinguish yourself past that point.) You can draft up some idea and get a bunch of colleagues to nod in agreement or even argue over the validity of it, but when you actually do it all of the little quirks and oddities that you didn't expect then prompt the questions that lead to the next breakthrough.

I guess the elves will be the go to since them, and maybe some dwarves, would be the only ones potentially experienced enough pre-Sundering to have been casting these spells. Or any lich-like characters.
There are probably some more or less abandoned magic schools around, not nearly the same draw for students as pre-Sundering. Hobgobs and Humans probably have the only two good ones still standing. The humans also have an asylum where my PC dread necro is learning about... stuff.

You'd probably want to establish it with some retroactive details. "yadda yadda yadda man with a moon scar yadda yadda." "What's a moon scar?" "Your character would recognize that as the mark that people are reborn with when they were injured by lunar iron in their last life."

It's not like there are zero rocks available from the Moon before you sunder it.

True, shards could definitely have fallen previously. Hmm... which NPCs get moon weapons...

That's exactly the reason though. The gods have domain over the moon, and are also the source of these monstrosities. Seems like saying that a red hot sword would be more useful against a fire elemental cuz who wants to touch a red hot sword?

Ahh I see where you're coming from. I look at it more as the monsters are fortified by the gods' magic, so much so that human weapons don't work as well. But moon rocks are also infused with that god power so they're able to cut through. Like Independence Day aliens will deflect bullets/missiles but not lasers.

With the CR for werewolves in the MM that particular curse is almost trivial, but I always liked thinking of them as being close to vampire level, and all around as difficult to deal with. If they're kind of rare and in almost exclusively in your Transylvania area then it's a pretty high CR to resist that, but I don't know what they're like in your setting.

Same. Not an especially rare condition in this setting though as the curse is on a majority of the halfling population (they live in the central plains).

Without any players to upset, they could also be re-enslaved and put to use for enemy variety in the big hobgob kebob knob... thing.

True... I also have a note about the Dreams being able to hop to nearby "empty vessels", so taking over a handy dandy warforged body (whether alive or dead) will bring up some good philosophical questions too.

Now that you've called them a nightmare it feels more like they should be called Dreams and the hosts Dreamers.

That ties together nicely. So then to find the Dreams they have to awaken the dreamers, etc. Yeah I think I'll run with that for now. Feels right.

Oh. Have you got the same planar system from FR or is it just a few that you've found most relevant to your purposes?

I'm not planning on taking the players to any others planes (except the moon), so haven't given it a ton of thought. By default I assumed FR cosmology, but mortals don't really have access to any of those realms. Since Plane Shift & Gate haven't been used for over a century, most people probably have no idea what the planes are like. Only the oldest and most powerful spellcasters pre-Sundering would potentially have any knowledge of that.

The Long Arm of the Law,taken too literally of course.
Fertile Labyrinth
The Elm Fall Order
The Awakening (and later Waking Nightmare.)

I'm going to need to make these simple and memorable, preferably tied into the cults' goals so I can layout the backstory at some point to solidify it in their minds. Something that rolls nicely off the tongue. Let's lay out some detail on the cults' motivations for inspiration.
I like Elm Fall Order, but it doesn't fit any of these groups imo.

Imshi/Aleister
The last thing these gods did on earth was the Festival of Passion, so they went out on a pretty good note. I imagine the cultists are probably some of the survivors of that event and are seeking eternal bliss again, hence tear down the barrier so I/A can return. Lizardfolk leadership.
The Rapture?
Bliss Seekers?
Sin Feast?

Xymor
The tribes banded together under this premise of conquest. Xymor turned some of them into dragons and then... vanished. Their leadership disappeared and the tribes devolved into the same old conflicts. This cult wants Xymor to lead them to victory, hence tear down the barrier. Dragon leadership. Possibly a demon manipulating from the shadows.
Clutch of Death?
Fatal Flight?
The Chosen Ones?

Gemron
Gemron is the god of protection. With the moon monsters dropping in, demons claiming the NE peninsula, and the other global chaos he's the only one that can protect them. So somewhat altruistic, but in an "at any cost" kind of way which tips them toward the crazy/bad side. Dwarven leadership, possibly human.
Iron March?
Cult of Cleansing?
The Invincibles?
Heaven's Gate?

Droam's Dreams (hah, i just noticed the similarity)
Contrary to "The Awakening" this group wants to stifle knowledge. They're actively trying to PREVENT the world from "awakening" to the inner workings of the gods' soul battery thing. Something cryptic and/or suppressive is in order.
I'd like to try and stay away from the obvious stuff like "blind" "secret" "mystery" "veil"
The Curators?
The Coterie?
Or maybe make it a noun. so when they're referenced the party thinks they're looking for an object, not an organization.
The Blank Page?
Clay Soldiers?
Something Focus?
Maybe a gemstone?
Clouded Eye? Misty ___?

Idk, will keep pondering this.

Also, really appreciate the feedback from y'all so far, mainly Zorku. Keep the ideas rolling!

[Zorku]

Ahh I see where you're coming from. I look at it more as the monsters are fortified by the gods' magic, so much so that human weapons don't work as well. But moon rocks are also infused with that god power so they're able to cut through. Like Independence Day aliens will deflect bullets/missiles but not lasers.

We're really screwed if the moon monsters get a jacket.

But yeah, I tried to make it clear that I like it when specialty weapons can be a detriment, but your own tastes should dominate your setting, so it works if you want these to be pure upgrades.

Same. Not an especially rare condition in this setting though as the curse is on a majority of the halfling population (they live in the central plains).

"You're not worth it, and besides, I'm only carrying lunar iron tonight, pipsqueak."

I'm not planning on taking the players to any others planes (except the moon), so haven't given it a ton of thought. By default I assumed FR cosmology, but mortals don't really have access to any of those realms. Since Plane Shift & Gate haven't been used for over a century, most people probably have no idea what the planes are like. Only the oldest and most powerful spellcasters pre-Sundering would potentially have any knowledge of that.

Do you know what you'll to do if one of your casters learns plane shift on level up?

I like Elm Fall Order, but it doesn't fit any of these groups imo.

I came up with it thinking about strength and axes, traits listed right on Xymor. Still sort of fits if you associate the destruction of forests with gearing up for war, and the flightless dragons probably topple quite a few trees just to get around.

Also, really appreciate the feedback from y'all so far, mainly Zorku. Keep the ideas rolling!

I just don't let topics rest because I get bored :b

[miinstrel]

We're really screwed if the moon monsters get a jacket.

But yeah, I tried to make it clear that I like it when specialty weapons can be a detriment, but your own tastes should dominate your setting, so it works if you want these to be pure upgrades.

"You're not worth it, and besides, I'm only carrying lunar iron tonight, pipsqueak."

I like tradeoffs too, just feels more right this way. Maybe it'll give a boost vs. moon monsters but also make any lycanthropes the party faces stronger in its presence.

Do you know what you'll to do if one of your casters learns plane shift on level up?

This wasn't even an issue in E6, so no. I'll probably just remove Plane Shift from the game since I want the story to be focused on the prime material. Deities have control over the planes and don't allow mortals in their realms, blah blah blah. If planar travel seems appropriate for the story they'll come across a portal or something during their journey.

[jqavins]

Two days later, still working my way through. I like what I've read so far or it wouldn't be worth slogging through. And when I say "slogging" I don't mean it's difficult because it's dry or boring, just that it's dense and long.

To help future readers (i.e. new players) with the slog, I'd suggest rearranging the information. Put the Deities and Races sections ahead of the History section; that would make the History much easier to follow. If this were a novel I could see setting out the narrative without all the background; as they say, "show, don't tell." But this is background and reference material, not a novel, and in my opinion calls for a style more akin to technical writing, which means defining your terms up front, among other things.

When "the war leaders still devoted to Xymor and their closest servants [were] suddenly transformed into dragons," there obviously were a limited number of them. How many, about? Are they breeding amongst themselves, and does the ability to fly breed true? Have there been instances of new dragons mating with the old? I would expect so if you've got new dragons wanting to demonstrate their dominance over the old. So are these matings fertile, and do these offspring fly? Have you already covered this is posts I haven't got to yet? Last, if I were one of the old dragons, I'd try to get my claws on a ring of flying.

[miinstrel]

To help future readers (i.e. new players) with the slog, I'd suggest rearranging the information. Put the Deities and Races sections ahead of the History section; that would make the History much easier to follow. If this were a novel I could see setting out the narrative without all the background; as they say, "show, don't tell." But this is background and reference material, not a novel, and in my opinion calls for a style more akin to technical writing, which means defining your terms up front, among other things.

Good point, thank you. I guess it's important to know who they're reading about when I mention the gods' names lol.

When "the war leaders still devoted to Xymor and their closest servants [were] suddenly transformed into dragons," there obviously were a limited number of them. How many, about? Are they breeding amongst themselves, and does the ability to fly breed true? Have there been instances of new dragons mating with the old? I would expect so if you've got new dragons wanting to demonstrate their dominance over the old. So are these matings fertile, and do these offspring fly? Have you already covered this is posts I haven't got to yet? Last, if I were one of the old dragons, I'd try to get my claws on a ring of flying.

Haven't thought about this in the slightest.
Yes, limited # but have not determined that value. Not all of them would be organized and on the warpath, I figure most have settled into their newfound power and staked their claim on some corner of the world.
Have given zero thought to breeding or viability of the offspring. Thoughts?
I do have one old dragon NPC that has a Ring of Air Elemental Command for a fly speed but is searching for something more permanent.

[Zorku]

Yeah, I opened up the first spoiler and read a few lines, then left. When I came back I just read other entries in an order that was more to my liking.

Now that you mention it, I'm unclear on who these war leaders were. They shouldn't have souls connected to the dragon god, as they weren't already dragons, but has this transformation changed anything more to their core? If they are slain do they reincarnate as a hatchling in some nest, or return to their original race? Do the people of the world perhaps believe this to work in a different way than it actually does?