New OOTS products from CafePress
New OOTS t-shirts, ornaments, mugs, bags, and more
Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 30 of 50
  1. - Top - End - #1
    Halfling in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jun 2007

    Default The Shattered world [Setting] Advice?Opinions?

    I would love to hear your opinions, ideas and advice on a campaign world I am designing. If you read this, please just drop me a line or two and tell me what you think, even if it is just to say "I hate it."

    Thanks in advance!
    Allen

    PS A Note in Advance: Much of the info here would not be common knowledge to players, such as how windriggers are created, and details on navigators and shard-keys.

    BASIC PREMISE:

    Oramis was once a solid world like any other. A millennium ago, a war sprang up between two formidable mages (who also happened to be twin brothers but of differing ethical beliefs). This war raged on for many days, but neither mage could seem to get the upper hand. The final blow of this Wizard War was so potent that neither mage was able to contain it, and as a result the world was shattered like a glass ball into a thousand pieces. Since both mages were far more powerful than the Wizards’ Guild could handle, it was powerless to stop the war. Luckily, however, the Guild (some of whom were diviners) was able to foresee this disaster months before it actually happened and was prepared. Though unable to completely prevent this event - now referred to as the Shattering - they were able at least to save the world from total destruction. After determining how the world would be shattered, the Guild - working feverishly - devised magical devices called shard-keys and placed one of them on each piece of land which would someday become a shard. These devices maintain each shard's gravity, atmosphere, climate, and stability. If a shard-key were ever to be removed from the shard it was designed to protect, that shard would lose all of these things and would pose a hazard to other shards as it spun out of control. All of these shards were suspended inside a large envelope of air and set to floating within it in random, ever-shifting patterns.

    Millions of people died in the ensuing chaos which followed the War’s conclusion. Common people, blaming mages for the destruction and death, hunted down and slew many wizards. Much knowledge of magic was lost. Modern mages have yet to duplicate many of the marvels that have been accredited to those ancient wizards - including the magic which created shard-keys! Even today, after one thousand years, mages are still feared, shunned, and - in many places - actively hunted, despite the fact that they were instrumental in saving the world from total destruction. Undaunted they have continued to be of great service to man, their greatest deed being the creation of windriggers, flying ships which provide transportation from shard to shard.

    (Selections from) A DICTIONARY OF COMMON ORAMIAN TERMS AND PHRASES:
    Air Traffic Controllers' Guild: The group which is now responsible for the creation and sale of windriggers. This Guild is rumored to be a branch of RASAMA-TAS. The Guild is completely neutral, and will sell windriggers to most anyone who has enough money to buy one. (See also: RASAMA-TAS; Windrigger.)

    Airship: See Windrigger.

    Children, The: See Children of the Light.

    Children of the Light: A militant organization composed of extremist Lawful Good members who are fanatically driven to further their own alignment. They use inquisition-like tactics to find and convert those who are not Lawful Good to their own system of beliefs. It is rumored that the radical group called the Witch Hunters is in some way connected to this organization, since the Children condemn mages and all things magical in nature. Based on the shard called Caemlyn. (See The Lexicon of Shards: Caemlyn. See also: Shard; Witch Hunters.)

    Compass: A compass is a portable magical device which can be used to locate any given shard from anywhere in the world. They are very expensive. (See also: Shard.)

    Darkfall: Oramian term for the brief periods of semi-darkness resulting from one shard passing between another shard and the sun, temporarily casting its shadow on the other shard. Darkfall may also occur when an individual shard’s rotation causes it to briefly turn away from the sun. Darkfall can last anywhere from a few minutes to several days, depending on many factors. At least one shard, the shard called Dark Haven, is known to remain in darkness all of the time because it is somehow linked to another, larger shard, which always blocks it from receiving sunlight. (See Lexicon of Shards: Dark Haven. See also: Shard.)

    Dragon: Dragons of the Shattered World are vastly different from those of other worlds. In the Shattered World, dragons are the primary components in the construction of windskiffs and windriggers. Thus dragons are heavily hunted and can bring high profits on the black market.

    Dragon females give birth to large clutches of eggs which the mother then abandons. As the young dragons begin to hatch from their eggs, those which are quicker and stronger begin to break the other eggs and eat their siblings. As the survivors grow, they leave the nest and begin to congregate with other immature grays in flocks. Flocks of grays (so-called because their hide has not yet developed a color and appears as a neutral gray) are a common sight. At this point they have no more than animal intelligence. When they reach adulthood, their hide begins to take on its color, intelligence begins to develop, and a breath weapon develops. At the mature adult stage all Oramian dragons gain the ability to polymorph self.

    The dragons of Oramis do not follow the same patterns of those of other worlds. Skin color is NOT indicative of alignment or of breath weapon! It is entirely possible to have a chaotic evil gold dragon with a flame breath weapon! Each mature Oramian dragon is unique and such creatures will NEVER be found as a random encounter!

    Dragon Lancers: Windrigger crews who actively hunt dragons to sell to the Air Traffic Controllers’ Guild. Rumor has it that living dragons are the major component used in the manufacture of windriggers. (See also: Air Traffic Controllers’ Guild; Dragon; Windrigger.)

    Dragoneers: Special windrigger crew members who specialize in protecting ships from dragon attacks. They often use special harpoons and lances especially enchanted for this purpose. Unlike Dragon Lancers, Dragoneers are only concerned with the protection of the windrigger they are currently working on, not with harvesting the bodies of dragons. (See also: Dragon; Dragon Lancers; Windrigger.)

    Fragments: There are seven of these shards which are actually almost large enough to be called continents. One of these is even large enough to enclose a large inland sea. (See also: Shard.)

    Globe: A puzzle/game popular with Oramian children. A three-dimensional glass ball which, when disassembled, becomes miniature models of all of the shards. Curiously, when the ball is reassembled, it is hollow. Magical versions of this game have been created which can be used as oracular devices. To use one the holder simply drops the solid ball on a semi-hard surface. The pattern the pieces land in is said to be able to predict future events. However, with one thousand pieces, the possible permutations are endless. It is nearly impossible to use an oracular globe without first consulting a Pattern Book. (See also: Pattern Book; Shard.)

    Gray: See Dragon.

    Key: See Shard-Key.

    Keystone: See Shard-Key.

    Moon: Before the Shattering, Oramis - like many other worlds - had a moon called Selene. It is theorized that when the world “exploded,” the sudden loss of gravity and the force of the explosion hurled it into space, leaving Oramis moonless. If this is true, then it becomes difficult to explain why the priestesses of Selene still revere the moon and - mysteriously - still retain their spell-casting ability and other granted powers! Some sages have theorized that this can be explained in one of two ways. First, perhaps some other power has adopted the moon’s portfolio and has “adopted” the priesthood as its own under the guise of Selene. Second, perhaps the moon was not lost at all, it just isn’t visible now because of the fact that there is no longer a true night. (See also: Oramis; Shattering, The.)

    Navigator: Navigators are strange and mysterious beings who are present on all windriggers. No one seems to know exactly who or what they are. It has been rumored that navigators are diviners, using their magic to know exactly where any given shard is located at any given time. Navigators appear as faceless humanoids wearing midnight-blue hooded robes and have never been known to speak. It is forbidden to touch a navigator. (DM'S NOTE: The following information is NOT considered general knowledge, and as such it should not be made available to the players unless and until they discover it on their own. The reason it is forbidden to touch a navigator is because the navigator is not really there at all: it is merely an illusion projected by the ship itself. Unknown to the general public, windriggers are actually living sentient beings - probably dragons - magically shaped by mages to look like ships. Somehow, possibly through a natural homing instinct or a natural magical ability, they are aware at all times of exactly where each shard is at any given moment and whether or not there are any other shards blocking a given route. The "navigator” illusion is used simply so that windrigger captains may have somewhere to direct their orders for destinations.) (See also: Shard; Windrigger.)

    Oramis: Setting for the Shattered World campaign. Once a solid world, Oramis was blown apart as the result of a Wizard War fought between twin brothers, both of whom were powerful mages. Due to a great deal of foresight and Foresight by diviners of the Wizards’ Guild, Oramis was saved but forever changed. Today, Oramis is composed of one thousand floating islands (called shards) suspended within an envelope of air which revolves around the Oramian sun in approximately the same position formerly occupied by the pre-Shattering world. True night is now unknown in the shards, though some shards experience brief twilight-like hours of semi-darkness (known as darkfall). Unfortunately, the moon is believed to have been blown from its orbit and is now nothing more than a fondly-remembered legend. (See also: Darkfall; Moon; Shard; Shattering, The; Wizard War; Wizards' Guild.)

    Night: A pre-Shattering myth. Supposedly when the world was solid, it would undergo periods of complete darkness, resulting from the world turning away from the sun. Sages say that such a thing is possible, but it is difficult for most Oramians to imagine such a concept.

    Seas: The seas of Oramis have changed, as has the rest of the world. When the Shattering occurred, seas and lakes which were not land-bound flooded off the shards into the Wind Ways. Today, the seas (and there are seven of these) resemble large, free-floating, amorphous globs of fluid. There are also several fresh water “lakes.” Some aquatic life still remains in the seas of Oramis, supported at its most basic level by plankton. Seas appear bluish-green from a distance, while lakes are blue. (See also: Oramis; Shattering, The; Wind Ways, The.)

    Selene: See Moon.

    Shard: Any of the one thousand floating remnants of what was once the world of Oramis, resembling free-floating islands. They are composed of three parts: topside, shard-edge, and shard-root. A shard’s stability, atmosphere, climate, and gravity are maintained by magical devices known as shard-keys the existence of which is a closely kept secret. Windriggers must approach a shard at the shardedge. Otherwise, the shard’s gravity could possibly pull them down and result in shipwrecks. Due to the lack of a large, solid world to block the sun’s rays, there is no true night. Most shards will occasionally experience temporary periods of twilight-like darkness (called “darkfall”) as another shard’s path prevents it from receiving the sun’s rays, or, if the shard rotates, it may turn “upside-down” away from the sun. Otherwise, the shard-world is stuck in a perpetual state of never-ending day. Obviously telling time is much more difficult here than on other worlds. Luckily, all of the inhabitants of the world of shards have developed strong internal clocks which lets everyone know when it is time to sleep. How this works is unknown, but it may be a side-effect of the same magic which provides each shard with its gravity and atmosphere.

    Magic varies from shard to shard. Some shards have normal magic, some have wild magic areas, and still others have dead magic areas, all of which are residual effects from the unleashing of the powerful magicks which caused the Shattering. (See also: Darkfall; Oramis, Shard-edge; Shard-Key; Shard-Root; Top-Side; Windrigger.)

    Shard-Edge: The rim of a shard; the point from which - if one continues walking - one will fall off the shard into the Wind Ways. (See also: Shard; Wind Ways, The.)

    Shard-Key: Magical devices which exist on each and every shard. These devices maintain a shard’s gravity, climate, atmosphere, and stability. If a key is ever destroyed or removed from the shard it was designed to maintain, the shard will become unstable and could pose a threat to other shards as it becomes uncontrolled and uncontrollable.

    No two shards’ keys are exactly alike, their forms being disguised so that you would not know what you were looking at even if you saw one. On shards which have ruling families, it is usual that this family will have the shard-key under its protection, since the possession of a key would basically give the holder complete control over the shard and its inhabitants. (An old Oramian proverb says, “He who holds the ability to destroy a thing controls a thing.”) In the hands of a tyrant or other person with less than pure motives, the possession of a shard-key would be equivalent to holding the entire shard - and everyone on it - hostage, since simply by breaking it he would be sentencing everyone and everything on the shard to death. Also known as “keystones,” or simply as “Keys.” (DM'S NOTE: The following information is NOT considered general knowledge and as such should not be made available to the players unless and until they discover it on their own. Shard-keys are actually sentient, intelligent artifacts that bond with their owners. They will not bond with anyone of chaotic or evil alignment. If such a person gains possession of a shard-key, the key will attempt to take over the mind of its new owner. If this fails, it will attempt to change the person’s alignment to something more fitting. It is up to the DM to decide what powers each individual key possesses, but each should have powers designed to prevent them from falling into the hands of the wrong person, as well as defensive powers in case they do.) (See also: Shard.)

    Shard-Root: The underside of a shard which hangs down much like the root of a tooth. Shard-Roots are popular nesting spots for dragons. (See also: Dragon; Shard.)

    Shattered World, The: See Oramis.

    Shattering, The: The final, catastrophic blow of the Wizard War which shattered the world of Oramis into one thousand pieces called shards. (See also: Oramis; Shard; Wizard War.)

    Shipkey: See Shipstone.

    Shipstone: A shipstone is a smaller, much less powerful version of a shard-key. It is this object which provides a windrigger with gravity. Navigators recognize the holder of a shipstone as captain and will obey only the holder’ commands. Also called “shipkeys.” (See also: Navigator; Shard-Key; Windrigger.)

    Skyship: Alternate name for a windrigger. (See also: Windrigger.)

    Skywyrm: Oramian term for a dragon. (See also: Dragon.)

    Topside: The upper portion of a shard. (See also: Shard.)

    ‘Ways, The: See Wind Ways, The.

    Wind Ways, The: The space that exists between the shards. A chaotic, wind-filled area dominated by strong air currents and buffeting winds. Sometimes referred to as simply as “the ‘Ways.” There is no gravity in the ‘Ways, so anything which falls into the ‘Ways without some means of self-propulsion will be buffeted haphazardly by the winds. It is nearly impossible to determine time and direction in the ‘Ways unaided. (See also: Shard.)

    Windrigger: Magical conveyances which resemble normal ships but have the ability to fly, allowing travel from shard to shard. Most windriggers may also land on water. Windriggers are built from the bones and hides of young skywyrms called Grays. All windriggers have a mysterious figure known simply as the Navigator onboard. Creation and sale of windriggers are controlled and regulated by the Air Traffic Controllers’ Guild. Rumor has it, however, that one of the mages who first learned how to create windriggers has gone rogue, and is helping the Sky Pirates of Gao-Den to create an armada of pirate windriggers. (See also: Air Traffic Controllers’ Guild; Dragon; Navigators; Rogue Mage; Shard; Shipstone; Sky Pirates of Gao-Den; Skywyrm; Wind Ways, The.)

    Windsailor: Sailors who are trained in the operation of windriggers. (See also: Windrigger.)

    Windship: See Windrigger.

    Windskiff: A windskiff is a small flying boat designed to accommodate no more than six people. Unlike windriggers, a windskiff is a man-made vessel. Because of this, it has no navigator, and therefore the pilot is on his own when determining direction, routes, etc. (See also: Navigator; Windrigger.)

    Windtamer: Windtamers are a special type of mage which can often be found on Windriggers. They have focused their abilities into harnessing and taming the Wind Ways, making travel therein much easier. (See also: Windrigger; Wind Ways)

    Wizard War: The catastrophic war in which the world of Oramis was shattered into myriad shards. (See also: Shard; Oramis.)

    Wyrm: A dragon. (See also: Dragon.)
    Last edited by WizardofOwls; 2007-06-20 at 11:35 AM.

  2. - Top - End - #2
    Dwarf in the Playground
     
    lacesmcawesome's Avatar

    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    America
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: The Shattered world [Setting] Advice?Opinions?

    I like it a lot, I would definitely play in the setting. I don't have much to say besides that. It would be sweet if you could get a map and more info posted.

    Keep up the good work.

    Spoiler
    Show
    I maded u some homebrew...but I eated it.
    (A.K.A. My homebrewin')


    Avatar by Evil_Pacifist, who is awarded awesome points.

    Coolest. Video. Ever.

  3. - Top - End - #3
    Ettin in the Playground
     
    GreenSorcererElf

    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Oregon
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: The Shattered world [Setting] Advice?Opinions?

    Niiice. I see either influence from a bunch of different video games and books, or some wacky coincidences. I especially like the possibility of a moral conundrum if the players find out how their skyships work, or attack the navigator at some point. I'd like to hear more on how the skiff's work, and just where each shard gets it's water nowadays.
    Fizban's Tweaks and Brew: Google Drive (PDF), Thread
    A collection of over 200 pages of individually small bans, tweaks, brews, and rule changes, usable piecemeal or nearly altogether, and even some convenient lists. Everything I've done that I'd call done enough to use in one place (plus a number of things I'm working on that aren't quite done, of course).
    Quote Originally Posted by Violet Octopus View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Fizban View Post
    sheer awesomeness

  4. - Top - End - #4
    Halfling in the Playground
     
    GnomePirate

    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    England
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: The Shattered world [Setting] Advice?Opinions?

    I like the idea, and this all seems to be very well thought out, I havent read it all but if you could elborate on mages and wether this is a med or low magic setting it would be great, also more information on the windriggers and the special qualities of the dragons would be useful.

  5. - Top - End - #5
    Halfling in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jun 2007

    Default Re: The Shattered world [Setting] Advice?Opinions?

    Thanks for the warm reception everyone! I will try to answer your questions.

    I like it a lot, I would definitely play in the setting. I don't have much to say besides that. It would be sweet if you could get a map and more info posted

    Thanks. It would be very difficult to post a map since there is no longer a solid world. I would have to post 1,000 individual shard maps.....

    Niiice. I see either influence from a bunch of different video games and books, or some wacky coincidences. I especially like the possibility of a moral conundrum if the players find out how their skyships work, or attack the navigator at some point. I'd like to hear more on how the skiff's work, and just where each shard gets it's water nowadays.

    Again, thanks. Much of this was original, but I did borrow a few concepts form some fantasy books and rpgs I have used. Nothing came from computer games though...

    Unlike windriggers, windskiffs do not have a navigator, so occupants are on their own when it comes to finding their way around. A compass comes in vvveeerrrryyyy handy for this.

    I like the idea, and this all seems to be very well thought out, I havent read it all but if you could elborate on mages and wether this is a med or low magic setting it would be great, also more information on the windriggers and the special qualities of the dragons would be useful.

    Once again, thanks. Actually mgaic vaires from shard to shard. Most shards normal when it comes to magic, however the forces that were unleashed during the Shattering did result in some wild magic shards as well as a few magic-dead shards.

    Now, here is some more info on the Shattered World, this time concentrating mostly on mages in the Shards. Hope you enjoy!

    (More Selections from) A DICTIONARY OF COMMON ORAMIAN TERMS AND PHRASES:

    Cabal, The: A group of rogue wizards who study the art of necromancy. They have banded together for the sole purpose of self-preservation, and are believed to have a covert shard base hidden somewhere. The name of this shard and its location are kept secret by members of the Cabal. They believe that the Restoration is a hopeless goal, a fool's errand, and are more interested in their own studies and goals - primarily the destruction of RASAMA-TAS. (See also: RASAMA-TAS, Restoration, The; Rogue Wizard; Shard.)

    Circle, The: A group of rogue wizards (mostly demon conjurers, wild mages, and necromancers) who believe in the goals of RASAMA-TAS, but believe that the solution to the problem of the Restoration lies within the forbidden schools of magic (since the Guild has obviously had no luck using the more widely accepted schools). This group desires a shard-key to study in order to unlock its secrets in the hope of achieving this goal, and will pay HANDSOMELY to get their hands on one. (See also: Demon Conjurer; RASAMA-TAS; Restoration, The; Rogue Wizard; Shard-Key.)

    Demon Conjurer: A type of conjurer specialty mage who specializes in the summoning of demons. Demon conjuring is considered a forbidden art, and all such conjurers are considered rogue mages. (See also: Rogue Mage.)


    Guild, The: See Wizards’ Guild.

    Guild Mages: Because of the Wizard War, which resulted in the Shattering of the world of Oramis, the general public is fearful of mages. As a result, the Wizards’ Guild has had to become an underground organization. Even so, the Wizards’ Guild is a powerful organization.

    One of the main purposes of the Guild is to seek out new mages and try to convince them to join the Guild. There are two main reasons for this. First and foremost, it allows the Guild to keep tabs on all Guild mages. If these mages do anything to jeopardize the Guild or any of its members or goals (by the open use of magic, following forbidden schools of magic, etc.), they may be dealt with by the Guild. Second, in return for joining the Guild, a mage gets certain benefits. He has a place to go to get supplies and training if they become needed. He may recruit other mages to help in an adventure or other endeavor. He is welcome to use the Guild’s laboratories and libraries to further his own studies (as long as these do not interfere with the Guild’s objectives).

    One of the conditions of joining the Wizards' Guild is that the mage must agree under a binding oath that he will not create any new spells or magic items without the expressed approval of the Guild. Also, any magic items found by the mage must be viewed and approved by the Guild before they may become anyone's personal property (thus the Guild may weed out any items deemed too powerful or dangerous for use). Any mage who refuses to join the Guild is branded a rogue mage, and is actively hunted by Guild mages.

    The term “The Wizards’ Guild” is somewhat misleading. It is actually just another name for RASAMA-TAS. (See also: Oramis; RASAMA-TAS; Rogue Wizard; Shattering, The; Wizard War; Wizards’ Guild.)

    High Magus: The leader of RASAMA-TAS. The current High Magus is a female human named Salandra Norfressa. (See Who’s Who in the Shattered World: Salandra Norfressa. See also: RASAMA-TAS)

    Holy Order of the Skywyrm Riders: An order of paladins who are dedicated to the protection of the mages of RASAMA-TAS. These men and women believe in the possibility of the Restoration and have dedicated their lives to ensuring that the mages have the opportunity to continue work that they believe is vital to the survival of Oramis. Each Skywyrm Rider is chosen at dedication by a dragon and spends all of his or her training time with that wyrm. By the time the Rider is ready to join the Order, the two have developed a telepathic bond. The greatest threats facing RASAMA-TAS today include (but are not limited to): The Cabal, The Children of the Light, The Circle, the Sky-Pirates of Gao-Den, and the Witch-Hunters. (See also: Cabal, The; Children of the Light; Circle, The; Oramis; RASAMA-TAS; Restoration, The; Sky-Pirates of Gao-Den; Skywyrm; Witch-Hunters.)

    Kusaran Alliance: An alliance of four shards: Kusara, Carbuncle, Sheranda, and Tartassos. Guild mages from RASAMA-TAS have found a way to magically tie the four shards together so that they are always near each other. The four shards that make up the alliance are probably the most accepting of mages of all of the shards. (See Lexicon of Shards: Carbuncle, Kusara, Sheranda, Tartassos. See also: Guild Mages; RASAMA-TAS; Shard.)

    Library at Tartassos, The: The legendary Library at Tartassos is a mysterious place. It is large beyond belief and so old that it is believed to predate even the Dragon Lords. (See Lexicon of Shards: Tartassos. See also: Dragon Lords.)

    Mageslayers: See Witch Hunters.

    Mundane: Wizard slang for anyone who is unable to harness the power of magic.

    Pirates of Gao-Den: Plague of the Wind Ways, they are known to harry caravans of the Sky Merchants. (See Lexicon of Shards: Gao Den. See also: Sky Merchants’ Guild; Wind Ways, The.)

    RASAMA-TAS: An acronym which stands for The Royal Academy for the Study and Advancement of the Mystical Arts and Thaumaturgical Analysis School. This is the formal name of the Wizards’ Guild. The Guild formally and openly receives the endorsement of the shards comprising the Kusaran Alliance, since its main goal is the Restoration of the world to its former solid shape. Branches of RASAMA-TAS, also known less commonly as the Wizards’ Guild, are known (at least to mages) to exist on many shards, however most -except for the University on Tartassos - exist in secret owing to the paranoia most mundanes feel toward mages. (See Lexicon of Shards: Tartassos. See also: Kusaran Alliance; Mundane; Restoration, The; Shard; University on Tartassos; Wizards’ Guild.)

    Restoration, The: The name applied by Guild Mages to the major goal of RASAMA-TAS - the restoration of Oramis into a solid whole. (See also: Guild Mages; Oramis; RASAMA-TAS.)

    Rogue Wizard: A wizard who has refused to join the Wizards’ Guild. Such mages are hunted by Guild mages. It is rumored that the Wizards’ Guild sometimes sells information concerning known rogue wizards to the radical organization known as the Witch Hunters. (See also: Guild Mages; Witch Hunters; Wizards’ Guild.)

    Sky Merchants' Guild: Guild of merchants responsible for most inter-shard commerce. (See also: Shard.)

    Sky-Pirates of Gao-Den: Plague of the Wind Ways, they are known to harry caravans of the Sky Merchant’s Guild. It is believed that one of the Guild mages who first learned how to create windriggers has gone rogue, and is now helping the sky-pirates to create an armada of pirate windriggers. (See Lexicon of Shards: Gao-Den. See also: Guild Mages; Rogue Mage; Sky Merchants’ Guild; Wind Ways, The; Windrigger.)

    University on Tartassos: Home of RASAMA-TAS. (See Lexicon of Shards: Tartassos. See also:
    RASAMA-TAS.)

    Wind Wraiths: It IS possible to fall off the edge of a shard. Doing this is a terrible way to die. Unless one is rescued by a windrigger or other benevolent inhabitant of the Wind Ways, crash-lands on a shard, is devoured by skywyrms, or meets his demise in some other way, one drifts aimlessly about the ‘Ways with no control over direction or speed. One simply floats about until one dies of thirst or starvation. Many of those who die in this fashion become Wind Wraiths. These horrid undead creatures have no fear of the sun. Being formless entities like ghosts or common wraiths, they are immaterial, and can pass through the walls of an windrigger. They are most often identified by their terrible moaning which is often mistaken for the sound of the wind blowing. Sometimes called “Lost Ones.” (See also: Shard; Skywyrm; Wind Ways, The; Windrigger.)

    Witch Hunters: Because of the fear the general public has of wizards, Witch Hunters have become very popular. These men and women seek out and slay known mages, even Guild mages if they can do so without getting caught. Witch Hunters have an innate magic sense which they use to track down and slay wizards. It is known that the Wizards’ Guild often sells information about known rogue wizards to Witch Hunters. It is rumored that the Witch Hunters are a branch of the Children of the Light. Also referred to as Mageslayers. (See also: Children of the Light; Guild Mages; Rogue Wizard; Wizards’ Guild.)

    Wizards’ Guild: Unlike the guilds of most worlds, the Wizards’ Guild is a secret organization. Because of the effect the Wizard War had on the world of Oramis, the general public is frightened of wizards. Because of this, all wizards MUST be Guild mages. Those who are not are branded rogues and are hunted down by Guild mages. The primary goal of the Guild is to find a way to reunite the shards back into a solid, whole world again, and thus regain the confidence of the general public (referred to as “the Restoration”). The term “Wizards’ Guild” is misleading. The Wizards’ Guilds are actually local branches of RASAMA-TAS, a magical university based on the shard Tartassos, a member-shard of the Kusaran Alliance. (See also: Guild Mages; Kusaran Alliance; Oramis; RASAMA-TAS; Restoration, The; Rogue Mage; Shard; University on Tartassos; Wizard War.)

  6. - Top - End - #6
    Dwarf in the Playground
     
    SydneyLosstarot's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Gender
    Male

    Thumbs up Re: The Shattered world [Setting] Advice?Opinions?

    great work indeed)

    thanks, really enjoyed the idea

  7. - Top - End - #7
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    NC

    Default Re: The Shattered world [Setting] Advice?Opinions?

    It has potential of being a dynamic, compelling world. You've departed from Reaves' original story line some but that will help differentiate your world from the fictional. Have you started to consider the mechanics of windships and travel? Or the political dynamics caused by the void between shards? I'd be interested in seeing your finished product once you get there. Good Luck!
    -
    I laugh at myself first, before anyone else can.
    -- Paraphrased from Elsa Maxwell
    -
    The more labels you have for yourself, the dumber they make you.
    -- Paul Graham in Keep Your Identity Small

  8. - Top - End - #8
    Dwarf in the Playground
     
    stolenchariot's Avatar

    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    ensia
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: The Shattered world [Setting] Advice?Opinions?

    I like the concept and I think it's definitely playable, but do you have any ideas of the major shards or any major cities. I was just thinking it's goodthat there is a lot of room for creating your own direction for a campaign using the setting, but I think a few placeholders so to speak would be helpful as well.
    Twelve Gates Campaign setting

    Help, feedback, and contributions gladly accepted.

    Currently working on: Races.

  9. - Top - End - #9
    Halfling in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jun 2007

    Default Re: The Shattered world [Setting] Advice?Opinions?

    Hello StolenChariot!

    Here are some of the shards that I have created.

    THE LEXICON OF SHARDS:

    Caemlyn: Home shard of the Children of the Light.
    Callendula: A wealthy shard. Many of the inhabitants are either supporters or members of the Mageslayers.
    Carbuncle: One of the four shards in the Kusaran Alliance. The city of Carbuncle fills the shard completely, from shard-edge to shard-edge, with buildings and streets filling nearly every available space. To anyone approaching Carbuncle by windrigger, it appears so full that the buildings close to the shard-edge look as if they are in danger of falling off into the Wind Ways. In fact, some buildings have actually been built so that they DO hang over the edge. Carbuncle is considered a holy city to almost every deity in the large Oramian pantheon. Thus, Carbuncle’s major economic income is derived from tourism and pilgrimage. Despite the fact that it is considered such a holy city, several deities (mostly those of evil alignment) are denied temples here, though it is rumored that priesthoods of several of these banned gods have underground congregations anyway.
    Dark Haven: A mysterious shard about which little is known. Because it is somehow linked to another shard, Dark Haven remains in a perpetual state of darkfall. Observers from windriggers have noted that almost all of the space on the shard is filled by a huge, gothic castle. The name of the creator of this castle - and whether or not he or she still lives there - is not known. The name of Dark Haven is often brought up when possible locations of the Cabal's hidden base are discussed.
    Dwarfmoot: Home of the dwarves. The dwarves call this shard Ostoria.
    Elvandar: Legendary home-shard of the elves. Its existence is denied by elves.
    Gao-Den: Base of operations for the sky-pirates who plague the ‘Ways. It is believed that one of the Guild wizards who first leaned how to create windriggers went rogue, and is now helping the sky-pirates to create an armada of pirate windriggers.
    Kusara: The governing shard of the four shards which comprise the Kusaran Alliance and home of the Kusaran King.
    Magus: (DM 'S NOTE: The very existence of this shard, much less its purpose, is NOT considered general knowledge and as such should not be made available to the players unless and until they discover it on their own.) One of the best kept secrets of Oramis, this shard is believed to be a “graveyard” for those magic items the Wizards’ Guild has branded too powerful for use. Its location is known only to the High Magus of RASAMA-TAS and his (or her) appointed successors. Magus is one of the most highly guarded and shielded locations in the world. Obviously its very existence is not known to the general public. It is rumored to be a desert shard and an area of “dead” magic. No known spell or magic item will work here. How it retains its gravity and atmosphere are not known, since obviously a shard-key won’t (or at least shouldn’t) work here.
    Ostoria: Dwarven name for the shard called Dwarfmoot.
    Sheranda: The only shard of the four which comprise the Kusaran Alliance which was not originally a part of the Kusaran Empire. An agricultural shard with few fighters and little protection, the Sherandans petitioned for entry into the alliance for this purpose. In addition, they now have a ready market for the agricultural products which they produce, which obviously was one of the deciding factors for the alliance in permitting them to join. Sheranda, besides being home to a large population of human farmers, is also home to the largest known concentration of halflings.
    Tartassos: One of the four shards which comprise the Kusaran Empire. Home of RASAMA-TAS (The Royal Academy for the Study and Advancement of the Mystical Arts and Thaumaturgical Analysis School). Tartassos is an ancient site with a mystical and mysterious history. Home of the legendary Library at Tartassos, which was known to exist even before the coming of the Dragon Lords!
    Last edited by WizardofOwls; 2007-06-20 at 06:29 PM.

  10. - Top - End - #10
    Halfling in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jun 2007

    Default Re: The Shattered world [Setting] Advice?Opinions?

    Hello everyone!

    Just wanted to drop you a line and let you know that I am gong to be afk for a couple of days... going camping... but I will answer questions when I get back. Please feel free to use this however you please. However I jsut have one small request... if you create any new rules for the setting or creatures/spells etc please post them here so that I can incorporate them into my world.

    Well have fun and see ya soon!

  11. - Top - End - #11
    Halfling in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jun 2007

    Default Re: The Shattered world [Setting] Advice?Opinions?

    Hello Raum! I am just getting back into D&D after a long departure from role-playing. 3E had only just been released, so most of my ideas are still based on 2E rules. I dont have some books I need just now to base things on, like air travel or combat. I dont yet have the DMG or any of the new MMs. Any suggestions on where I might could find some published rules on these things?

  12. - Top - End - #12
    Orc in the Playground
    Join Date
    Nov 2006

    Default Re: The Shattered world [Setting] Advice?Opinions?

    I like this idea but I'd recommend making a few changes to make it a little bit less stereotypical fantasy.

    1) Twin Evil/Good wizards destroying the world: Been there done that. My personal recommendation is to leave exactly why the world was destroyed a mystery.

    2) Children of the Light: To Robert Jordan. Why not go something a bit more ironic and call them the Peoples Democratic Republic of xxxxx (Africa inspired). Nothing says horrible dictatorship like your countries name saying you aren’t a horrible dictatorship.

    3) Wizards mistrusted but really good: This is the case in about half the worlds out there. If you want to make wizards have a new and interesting relationship with the world you'll have to come up with something else.


    One idea I had while reading this was the Moon could have exploded before hand and the shards of stability are actually based on chunks of the moon. The shards are sentient because each contains a portion of the moon goddesses mind.
    Looking for a low magic high fantasy world to use for your next campaign? Send me a private message as I'm currently looking for play test groups.

  13. - Top - End - #13
    Dwarf in the Playground
     
    ClericGuy

    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Upstate New York
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: The Shattered world [Setting] Advice?Opinions?

    I like this setting, and some of the images it inspires. I can see what darkfall would look like on a shard, with the sun illuminating other shards and making them similar to stars, but a lot closer, possibly visible. A also like the idea that people could be hunting dragons and selling them to people but not really knowing what their for. I could see a group of PCs coming to the conclusion that they are being used to build up an army or something, and then launching a raid on the traders' base. I would play/DM this setting.

    And, regarding Magus, it seems that the keys would be able to function here because their magic is so powerful that it can not be dampened by whatever anti-magic field there is (or, perhaps the shard itself projects an anti-magic field). Just some thoughts.
    Metagaming - Inappropriate For All Ages

    A Conversation Explaining D&D To A Friend:
    Me: You can also always get a bag of holding.
    Him: Aren't all bags technically of holding?
    Me: Yeah... but...

    We are here on this Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you different. R.I.P. Mr. Vonnegut. Kurt's in heaven too.

    Sign The World Petition! Save the world!

  14. - Top - End - #14
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Matthew's Avatar

    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Kanagawa, Japan
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: The Shattered world [Setting] Advice?Opinions?

    Quote Originally Posted by Raum View Post
    It has potential of being a dynamic, compelling world. You've departed from Reaves' original story line some but that will help differentiate your world from the fictional. Have you started to consider the mechanics of windships and travel? Or the political dynamics caused by the void between shards? I'd be interested in seeing your finished product once you get there. Good Luck!
    Hey Raum, who is this Reave guy you're referring to? Is this campaign setting inspired by a Fantasy Author?
    It is a joyful thing indeed to hold intimate converse with a man after one’s own heart, chatting without reserve about things of interest or the fleeting topics of the world; but such, alas, are few and far between.

    – Yoshida Kenko (1283-1350), Tsurezure-Gusa (1340)

  15. - Top - End - #15
    Halfling in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jun 2007

    Default Re: The Shattered world [Setting] Advice?Opinions?

    Michael C. Reaves wrote the fantasy doulolgy on which I have loosely based this world. The books are The Shattered World and The Burning Realms. Highly recommended reading.

    The following are some half-formed ideas I am contemplating. I am only just reacquainting myself with 3E rules after a LONG absence, and don't have most of the books yet, so any recommendations/help you can give on fleshing these out would be greatly appreciated.

    MISC. NOTES
    Hazards of Sailing the Wind Ways:

    Air Elementals:
    Cloud Serpents:
    Dragons:
    Electrical Storms:
    Ghost Ships:
    Griffons:
    Manticores:
    Pirates:
    Rocs:
    Storm Children:
    Vortex:
    Wind Demons: Horned, winged apes
    Wind Wraiths:
    Wyverns:

    Possible Means of Moving Through the Shards Without the Use of a Windrigger:
    Potions/Wings of Flying/Spells of Flying
    Carpets/Brooms/Rings of Flying
    Pegasus/Hippogriff/Griffin/Asperii
    Giant Eagles/Rocs
    Winged Elves/Half-Dragons
    Teleportation Grids
    Waygates (NOT recommended)
    Gnomish Clockwork Ships
    Hot Air Balloons
    Hang gliders/Kites
    Windboards

    Possible New Skills and/or Spells:
    Find/Locate Shard
    Predict Shard Path
    Shard Lore
    Windboarding
    Pilot Windrigger/Windskiff

    Miscellaneous:
    Wild Navigational Ability
    Dragon-kin

  16. - Top - End - #16
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    NC

    Default Re: The Shattered world [Setting] Advice?Opinions?

    @ Matthew: As WizardofOwls mentions, Michael Reaves wrote The Shattered World among other novels. He writes more screenplays than novels, but all of his books I've read (only three) were unique and memorable.

    -----

    WizardofOwls, have you considered what you want your Shattered World to look and feel like? For example, do you want the ability to teleport between shards or has the difficulty of traveling between them via airship made travelers rare and potentially powerful? Or something in between? You've already stated magic is central and powerful yet mistrusted, is it necessary enough for citizens to put up with limited use in spite of mistrust?

    Considering your list of items to consider for the future, I'd recommend checking off those you can use from existing sources. Air Elementals, for example, probably don't need to change much - maybe just some fluff text on how the elemental magic required to create air around the shards loosed uncontrolled air elementals into the world? Or possibly the elementals are needed for renewal of breathable air? Or neither, maybe they are just summoned from the plane of air.

    Shrug, just running a stream of consciousness through the keyboard...
    Last edited by Raum; 2007-06-29 at 05:52 PM.
    -
    I laugh at myself first, before anyone else can.
    -- Paraphrased from Elsa Maxwell
    -
    The more labels you have for yourself, the dumber they make you.
    -- Paul Graham in Keep Your Identity Small

  17. - Top - End - #17
    Halfling in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jun 2007

    Default Re: The Shattered world [Setting] Advice?Opinions?

    Right now, I am planning on using mostly standard races:

    Human
    Elf/Half-elf
    Dwarf/Mul
    Gnome
    Halfling

    with the additions of

    Half-dragon
    Avariel
    Possibly a psionic race of somesort
    a shapeshifting race
    and possibly one or two others.

    Half-orcs are not allowed, since in my world, humanoids (orcs, kobolds, etc.) are not true races... they are player races which have been horribly changed by the evil magis of the enemy. For instance, a kobold is actually a halfling that has been irrevocably altered. Orcs were once dwarves, and so on.
    Slàn agus beannachd,
    Allen R. Alderman

    'S i Alba tìr mo chridhe. 'S i Gàidhlig cànan m' anama.
    Scotland is the land of my heart. Gaelic is the language of my soul.

    Visit my Shattered World Wiki!

    Shattered World: a campaign setting under construction:
    main, premise, dwarfs, elves and fey, gnomes and halflings, dragons, spells.

  18. - Top - End - #18
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Matthew's Avatar

    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Kanagawa, Japan
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: The Shattered world [Setting] Advice?Opinions?

    Quote Originally Posted by WizardofOwls View Post
    Michael C. Reaves wrote the fantasy doulolgy on which I have loosely based this world. The books are The Shattered World and The Burning Realms. Highly recommended reading.
    Quote Originally Posted by Raum View Post
    @ Matthew: As WizardofOwls mentions, Michael Reaves wrote The Shattered World among other novels. He writes more screenplays than novels, but all of his books I've read (only three) were unique and memorable.
    Right. Thanks, I will keep it in mind.
    It is a joyful thing indeed to hold intimate converse with a man after one’s own heart, chatting without reserve about things of interest or the fleeting topics of the world; but such, alas, are few and far between.

    – Yoshida Kenko (1283-1350), Tsurezure-Gusa (1340)

  19. - Top - End - #19
    Halfling in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jun 2007

    Default Re: The Shattered world [Setting] Advice?Opinions?

    Here is a point that I'm afraid that my basic premise did not make clear. The original world was basically earth-sized. The sky-sphere - the envelope which holds in the air - is much larger (how large I have not yet decided - maybe Jupiter sized?) Inside the sky-sphere the 1000 shards move about in no predetermined manner. They do not have set orbit - they were set to floating within it in random, ever-shifting patterns. However the shard-keys alos prevent any two shards from coming within one mile of each other. They simply move out of the way (think of the repulsion fields set up by two magnets.)

    The shard-keys provide each shard with gravity, atmosphere and preserve climate at its pre-Shattering state. Temperature in the Wind Ways (the air spaces between shards) does not vary much. It is typically a balmy 65-85 degrees farenheit, regardless of where you are in sky-sphere. Whether you were at a place closer to the sun or farther away, temperature varies very little - all effects of the sky-sphere. In appearance, the Wind Ways look like blue sky, no matter where you look. You may see large clouds/storms, other shards in the distance, flocks of grays, windriggers, etc.
    Slàn agus beannachd,
    Allen R. Alderman

    'S i Alba tìr mo chridhe. 'S i Gàidhlig cànan m' anama.
    Scotland is the land of my heart. Gaelic is the language of my soul.

    Visit my Shattered World Wiki!

    Shattered World: a campaign setting under construction:
    main, premise, dwarfs, elves and fey, gnomes and halflings, dragons, spells.

  20. - Top - End - #20
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Matthew's Avatar

    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Kanagawa, Japan
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: The Shattered world [Setting] Advice?Opinions?

    Hmmn. I notice that there are a lot of seperate Threads bouncing about that pertain to this campaign World. You may want to put links to them all here in your first post.
    It is a joyful thing indeed to hold intimate converse with a man after one’s own heart, chatting without reserve about things of interest or the fleeting topics of the world; but such, alas, are few and far between.

    – Yoshida Kenko (1283-1350), Tsurezure-Gusa (1340)

  21. - Top - End - #21
    Halfling in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jun 2007

    Default Re: The Shattered world [Setting] Advice?Opinions?

    Thanks Matthew! I will do that!
    Slàn agus beannachd,
    Allen R. Alderman

    'S i Alba tìr mo chridhe. 'S i Gàidhlig cànan m' anama.
    Scotland is the land of my heart. Gaelic is the language of my soul.

    Visit my Shattered World Wiki!

    Shattered World: a campaign setting under construction:
    main, premise, dwarfs, elves and fey, gnomes and halflings, dragons, spells.

  22. - Top - End - #22
    Halfling in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jun 2007

    Default Re: The Shattered world [Setting] Advice?Opinions?

    Got a few numbers questions for you....

    In my original premise, I said that the Shattering occurred 1000 years ago. Is that too long? I've been thinking that maybe I should change that to 100 years...

    I've stated elsewhere that there are 1000 shards. I'm thinking that that is not enough. what about 10,000? Or should there be more?

    I've also stated that no two shards can come closer than 1/2 mile to each other. I'm thinking that that is too close. Would 1 mile be better?

    Finally, I posted elsewhere that all of the shards are contained within a sphere roughly the size of Jupiter. Is that too big? What would be more reasonable?
    Slàn agus beannachd,
    Allen R. Alderman

    'S i Alba tìr mo chridhe. 'S i Gàidhlig cànan m' anama.
    Scotland is the land of my heart. Gaelic is the language of my soul.

    Visit my Shattered World Wiki!

    Shattered World: a campaign setting under construction:
    main, premise, dwarfs, elves and fey, gnomes and halflings, dragons, spells.

  23. - Top - End - #23
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    KazilDarkeye's Avatar

    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    The Kazilloseum!
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: The Shattered world [Setting] Advice?Opinions?

    For the mapping it would be nice to know the layout of the more major shards,
    e.g the biggest
    the location of the former wizard's guild (which could have some weird creatures twisted (in more ways than one) by the Shattering
    Icy Fan of Gelugons and proud member of Baatezu Lovers Club

    Thanks to Bradakhan for the custom avatar.


    Spoiler
    Show

    Quote Originally Posted by Raging Gene Ray View Post
    You seem to like summoning monsters and watching them beat the everloving crap out of one another.

  24. - Top - End - #24
    Orc in the Playground
    Join Date
    Nov 2006

    Default Re: The Shattered world [Setting] Advice?Opinions?

    Quote Originally Posted by WizardofOwls View Post
    Got a few numbers questions for you....

    In my original premise, I said that the Shattering occurred 1000 years ago. Is that too long? I've been thinking that maybe I should change that to 100 years...
    I think the feeling of the setting will dictate this. Is the shattering something that happened in the distant past and a whole world is only myth to most humans? Or do you want the shattering to be something people are still adjusting to?

    Quote Originally Posted by WizardofOwls View Post
    I've stated elsewhere that there are 1000 shards. I'm thinking that that is not enough. what about 10,000? Or should there be more?
    How big are your shards? Is the campaign supposed to be an adventure in exploring ever more exotic shards or to focus in on a few shards and really get to know them?

    Quote Originally Posted by WizardofOwls View Post
    I've also stated that no two shards can come closer than 1/2 mile to each other. I'm thinking that that is too close. Would 1 mile be better?
    1/2 mile is still a long jump. Again though I think this should come back to campaign flavor. Are you looking for a world where the shards interact with each other greatly or are they simply distant shadows on the edge of sight?


    Quote Originally Posted by WizardofOwls View Post
    Finally, I posted elsewhere that all of the shards are contained within a sphere roughly the size of Jupiter. Is that too big? What would be more reasonable?
    You can apparently fit about 990 earth sized spheres inside a sphere the size of Jupiter. So if you go with a thousand shards each gets to float right around 8,000 miles from each other shard (that's moving at speed 30 for 2667 hours to get to the next shard) . I'd guess that's bigger than you want especially as much of the world's mass probably was destroyed.

    If you want a setting where things are close I'd probably keep it in a sphere the size of the earth.

    If you want a setting where things are distant but with effort reachable I'd limit your sphere to twice the size of the earth.

    If you want a setting where travelers getting from one shard to another are legendary occurrences on a few shards and unheard of on most shards; where the very fact that there are other shards is unknown to all but the powerful and wise go with something the size of Jupiter.
    Looking for a low magic high fantasy world to use for your next campaign? Send me a private message as I'm currently looking for play test groups.

  25. - Top - End - #25
    Bugbear in the Playground
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    3 meters below sea level.
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: The Shattered world [Setting] Advice?Opinions?

    Hey wizard of owls this looks a lot like an idea I had swimming around in my head for a long time. you, different then me, seem to have been able to get it put down stable. I really like the idea and would love to play a game in the setting. Perhaps if you are further on in the process of creation you could run a test campaign? you say your knowledge of the system is limited, so asking for help from people who have DMed 3.5 longer isn’t a shame. I, for one would love to help.

    Concerning the shattering. After 1000 years, the shattering would be a myth, believing that the world has always been this way isn’t that strange. But even still there would be stories about specific people from that time. after all we still remember Jesus after all this time. a hundred years would not be in the least enough time to let things settle down, this would be a post apocalypse setting. A 1000 years isn’t all that long for this purpose at all.
    Your Personal Undead

    Other Avatars:
    Spoiler
    Show

    by dr. bathand, Kpenguin and Fay Graydon



    You don't have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body.
    -C. S. Lewis

  26. - Top - End - #26
    Ettin in the Playground
     
    Yakk's Avatar

    Join Date
    Nov 2006

    Default Re: The Shattered world [Setting] Advice?Opinions?

    I agree -- leave the shattering to be a mystery.

    The RASAMA-TAS might have records and claims that their ancestors saved the world, but other organizations should claim that the world was shattered by different means.

    "You may as well try to count the shards" -- nobody should know how many shards there are. A region or nation called "the 1000 shards", containing more densely packed shards that tend to travel together, could exist. There shouldn't be 1000 shards in it. ;)

    The size of the air bubble is immaterial -- what matters is the density of the shards, the expected travel time, etc. It was only relatively recently that people knew how large the world is -- there is no need for the residents of the shattered world to know how large the world is. This also opens up the chance of lost shard-clusters.

    Traveling out into the untracked depths should generally lead to the loss of the ship. Ships are expensive, and long trips are dangerous.

    Boulders should also exist: rocks that have no gravity. Life can exist on a Boulder -- and possibly even humans on larger Boulders. It would be a strange kind of existence.

    Storms are an interesting problem -- they should move through the wind-ways and appear/disappear in unpredictable patterns.

    Monolithic super-guilds aren't all that realistic on a world-wide scale. You could have a region of increasing civilization that contains monolithic super-guilds, but other regions should have different social structures.

  27. - Top - End - #27
    Bugbear in the Playground
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    3 meters below sea level.
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: The Shattered world [Setting] Advice?Opinions?

    I present to you, all the treats (I could find) about this setting!

    Scattered world: a campaign setting under contsuction:
    main, premise, dwarfs, elves and fey, gnomes and Halflings, dragons, spells.


    Another thing, concerning the rules for airship combat: I have a specific polygon magazine that has re-written rules for spelljamer. A game that combines space travel with a typical fantasy setting. This rules set has a lot in common with this game. For instance, ships look like real ships. They project an individual ‘gravity plain’ meaning that on the ship you are always attracted to that level. The grav plain usually is just above the bottom of the ship, this means that with care you can walk on the bottom of the ship. Anyway, this magazine has complete rules for flying ships, the stats and price for specific ships included! I think though it is 3.0 so it would need a little work, but, using rewritten rules from this source would probably still be the best and fasted way to get a good system for the ships.
    Last edited by YPU; 2007-07-19 at 04:05 AM.
    Your Personal Undead

    Other Avatars:
    Spoiler
    Show

    by dr. bathand, Kpenguin and Fay Graydon



    You don't have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body.
    -C. S. Lewis

  28. - Top - End - #28
    Ettin in the Playground
     
    Yakk's Avatar

    Join Date
    Nov 2006

    Default Re: The Shattered world [Setting] Advice?Opinions?

    What about the idea of enforcing a "common down" (say, away from the sun) for your airships?

  29. - Top - End - #29
    Bugbear in the Playground
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    3 meters below sea level.
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: The Shattered world [Setting] Advice?Opinions?

    that would open up the possibility of performing very stupid tricks like rolling with a airship. But the idea of saying that down is always away from the sun isn’t a bad idea. I would safe us a lot of rules for moving from one gav direction to the next and things like that.
    Any suggestion where I might upload a public viewable word file? I might have the rules for airship ready in a day or so. I do need names for all the different names. An important change I need to make is that the standard ships have cannons, I will remove those and replace them with ballista’s, of course taking into account the price difference.
    Last edited by YPU; 2007-07-19 at 11:41 AM.
    Your Personal Undead

    Other Avatars:
    Spoiler
    Show

    by dr. bathand, Kpenguin and Fay Graydon



    You don't have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body.
    -C. S. Lewis

  30. - Top - End - #30
    Bugbear in the Playground
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    3 meters below sea level.
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: The Shattered world [Setting] Advice?Opinions?

    Another thing to keep in mind when creating a campaign is what exactly is the technology level. Since this setting is literally so scattered, literally, there could be a huge difference in technology levels. I was wondering what the highest level would be, but for goodness sake lets not fall for the lure of firearms, but perhaps another sort of exotic technology?
    Your Personal Undead

    Other Avatars:
    Spoiler
    Show

    by dr. bathand, Kpenguin and Fay Graydon



    You don't have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body.
    -C. S. Lewis

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •