| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| The Sage |
Posted - 01 Nov 2003 : 05:43:10
By now, alot of you probably know how much I love to integrate elements of the Planescape setting into my FR campaigns.
Besides adding elements from PS, I also like to 'snatch' interesting tidbits from other official and non-official settings and source material - that means everything I have, everything my players have, and everything I can bother to get my hands on. I then like to find different ways to incorporate these tidbits into, either my currently running official game world campaigns (FR, DL, PS, and RL), or my separate homebrew world that is always, 'under construction'.
Official material can be from any setting, from any publishing group, and even from games which have nothing to do with d20. Some of you know how a number of nations and continents from my homebrew world of 'Amasaria' have been moderately influenced by ideas from such varied sources as Warhammer/Warhammer 40K, and the Classic Battletech game. My non-official material (by this I mean non-RPG related) sources can include, things read in novels, from movies, the imagination (obviously), internet role-playing forums (like this one  )...and nearly everywhere else, especially when I am running Planescape.
So, anyway, basically what I want to know is, what settings are you running and playing in?. What other settings have influence in your campaign?. Where do you get you idea from?. What settings interest you?. And lastly, what settings do you refuse to play in and why?.
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| 30 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| The Cardinal |
Posted - 20 Dec 2003 : 02:09:54
Bravo Bookwyrm well said, and a good laugh
I knew it was a good idea to pick up the Slayer's guide to Dragons
At least now You all would have call me a SUPER GENIUS! (besides Wile E. Coyote is a determined fellow if nothing eles  )
One day it shall be me who is victorious though!.... Until then back to the drawing board... |
| The Sage |
Posted - 19 Dec 2003 : 12:13:51
...GENIUS...
(Sorry Alaundo...I couldn't help myself... )
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| Bookwyrm |
Posted - 19 Dec 2003 : 07:11:23
quote:
Originally posted by Cardinal Deimos
. . .and like a castle built on air it has fallen (although it floated until I was forced to look down).
Perhaps we should change your name to Cardinal Wile E. Coyote. |
| The Cardinal |
Posted - 18 Dec 2003 : 10:31:22
Well, I be only mortal and have an over abundance of Sloth when it comes to tiny details, for which may get me burned in the end .
I Stand corrected, after sifting through OA to find the information to support Cult_Leader's and (more importantly) my grounds, I find that we have built a castle upon a LOT of Hot Air  . and like a castle built on air it has fallen (although it floated until I was forced to look down). Oni (common and Shadowland) are both blood thirsty, one is simply less so, but in no way a race EVER at peace time. I stand corrected   . Well played, happens sometimes.
Serves me right for siding with Cult . Or perhaps I just didn't understand his point . |
| The Sage |
Posted - 18 Dec 2003 : 08:54:16
Cloven hooves!... the dread of every true minotaur fan...
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| Bookwyrm |
Posted - 18 Dec 2003 : 08:49:31
And cloven hoofs. Can't forget those.
So much for that Celtic pagan deity that we get our conceptualization of Satan from. Catholics wiped his cult out so effectively we don't know what he was. He could have been evil -- or he might have been a god of the crops, fields, and farm. Who knows?
History is full of disapointments. I always hate it when I think of knowledge lost . . . . |
| The Sage |
Posted - 18 Dec 2003 : 06:40:25
Yes they are, mostly.
That was the reason why I was asking about OA, as the 'evil spirits' of Japanese myth (who originally were human in appearance, had two horns, sharp talon-like claws, and a malignant grimace; in some respects not unlike the western interpretation of the devil...just without the tail) were what I was originally thinking when I read Cult_Leader's post.
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| Bookwyrm |
Posted - 17 Dec 2003 : 17:56:44
I don't know about Oriental Adventures, but oni are bakemono, or evil spirits; the distinction is something like the Seelie/Unseelie of Celtic folklore.
Oni are basically the Japanese bogeymen. They're humanoid, but with three eyes, an oversized mouth (the better to eat you with, my dear), horns, and claws. Their favorite food is the souls of the wicked . . . but they'll take kids who don't eat their veggies if they're feeling peckish.
These the same oni? |
| The Cardinal |
Posted - 17 Dec 2003 : 07:25:03
Ah, I would believe that the Oni could be a... not gentle but laid back race... much like the Naga (within Oriental Adventures. Of course the Most peaceful race would have to be... Dryads....bloody tree spirits... always charming you when attempting to log a forest... |
| The Sage |
Posted - 17 Dec 2003 : 05:47:57
Oni...?
Cult_Leader, I assume you are referring to the 'Oni' that are presented and detailed in the Oriental Adventures tome?.
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| Cult_Leader |
Posted - 16 Dec 2003 : 14:28:43
Oni. Easy enough and simple. Oddly enough unlike most tales put them in non japanese settings most oni are vile. Some are not viule whatsoever. Infact most of them just sit back and tell you what you want to hear. Mess with one however and they take it out on you and your own.
Anyway a race that would live off from war? Is that what you mean? Hell man! I have a great one. In war craft 3 frozen throne, there is a mini game for the orcs. You get to run around with your main hero who is indeed, from an elder race of Orcs mixed with Orgers. Kind of smart and very strong. Skin color is a tanish pink like a human skin, and features are like an orcs. They basically live like wild peopels that do indeed have a version of civil and love war. Now you have to keep in mind civil depends on the race. So to one race it might be civil while to another it might not be. lol.
Orgs
Orgs are a fairly common crossbreed of ogres and orcs. Orgs average seven feet tall, 250-300 pounds and appear to be slightly larger and more muscled versions of orcs with a bit more biological variation (slightly elongated tusks, more variable hair and eye color, slightly elongated claws). They share many of the social and cultural behaviors of their parent races and their existence tends to bond the ogre and orc races together in one of partnership and cooperation. Orgs are common in any population that has substantial numbers of orcs and ogres.
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| The Sage |
Posted - 16 Dec 2003 : 05:45:58
Sounds a 'little' like a twisted version of Athas, with environments not very conductive to the survival of the races.
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| lowtech |
Posted - 15 Dec 2003 : 18:05:03
quote:
Originally posted by Maeven
Well, yes... Kinda good idea. The myconids. But, they're not the "funniest" race to play as a PC ! I'm not actually searching for an "existing" race. I would like to see if someone, on the forum, could give me a base idea to start from.
They would probably be a race capable of taking up little space, and capable of either fast exits or hiding in plain site. Otherwise, more aggressive races would have driven them to extinction by now. Think of physical environments that can't sustain large populations of typical humanoid races as a natural habitat. A history of scholarship would be useful as an adventuring hook. Shapechangers could easily have excaped notice up till now, or maby they're recent migrants from another world or plane. Finally, though this isn't exactly original, check out books detailing the species in the Star Wars universe: there are some interesting examples in there of alien life-forms and cultures (my apologies to Alaundo). |
| The Sage |
Posted - 13 Dec 2003 : 06:36:44
lowtech said -
quote:
There's also this strange but interesting race in the Ethereal plane that does something similar with dreams. I think they are called the glock-lok, or something. I forget the details, the Sage can probably dig up the relevent info (moment of silence for what the Ethereal Plane once was).
Gk'lok-lok. They are of vague humanoid shape, but their arms, legs, and mid-torso appear as narrow strips of highly reflective, polished metal...in fact they look like 'stick-men'.
The gk'lok'lok travel around the Ethereal Plane, dangling from an immense (and branching) green crystal tree. The entire tree acts as a spiritual net and resonator. Spirits of the dead sometimes become trapped in the net and the gk'lok'lok meditate and vicariously experience the lives of dead beings of other races - spirits and souls that became trapped in the crystal lattice. These past experiences of the spirits serve as a catalyst for ever more creative and imaginative gk'lok'lok dreams.
Myconids are an agressice and warlike race...well, at least some of them.
I can't remember the exact tome (it wasn't The Inner Planes), but I believe there is a small community of (various) Myconids living in one of the fringes of the Paraelemental Plane of Ooze that seek to expunge all 'impure' (from a plane of fungus mind you ) races and creatures from their home...I'll have to read up on them to be certain.
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| Maeven |
Posted - 12 Dec 2003 : 23:33:38
Well, yes... Kinda good idea. The myconids. But, they're not the "funniest" race to play as a PC ! I'm not actually searching for an "existing" race. I would like to see if someone, on the forum, could give me a base idea to start from. |
| Bookwyrm |
Posted - 12 Dec 2003 : 18:08:00
LOL. While reading that little discription, I had the very funny image of a "hippy Myconid":
Myconid: "Duuuuuude. These spores are just aaaawwwsome, maaaan. Like, taste the colors, y'know?"
Talk about a "magic mushroom"! |
| lowtech |
Posted - 12 Dec 2003 : 17:51:34
How about the Myconids? Wars and violence are completely alien from their nature. They are basically fungoid hippies in a perpetual mind-meld. I personally find that kind of boring, at least fom the outside looking in, but if its what you're looking for...
There's also this strange but interesting race in the Ethereal plane that does something similar with dreams. I think they are called the glock-lok, or something. I forget the details, the Sage can probably dig up the relevent info (moment of silence for what the Ethereal Plane once was).
Regarding the Myconids, I couldn't find a lesser power similar to the Myconid god for my created world, so I decided that the Myconids became corrupted by Zuggtomy(sp), the Demoness Lady of Fungi. If I can figure out how to create a fuctioning social structure based on a perpetual "bad trip", the results should be interesting... |
| Bookwyrm |
Posted - 12 Dec 2003 : 17:45:49
How about:
"Free trade is not a principle, it is an expedient."
--(Benjamin Disraeli, Earl Baconsfield, 1805-1881)
Imagine saying that to a Waukeenite. How loud do you think the screams of rage would be? |
| The Sage |
Posted - 12 Dec 2003 : 08:14:20
Ah...the 'plain and thrifty' Silent Cal...
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| Bookwyrm |
Posted - 12 Dec 2003 : 06:59:29
No, it's "Civilization and profits go hand in hand. (Calvin Coolige)"
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| The Sage |
Posted - 12 Dec 2003 : 06:04:11
Such a race would indeed be hard to find, maybe even impossible. For War and Civilisation go hand in hand...
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| Maeven |
Posted - 11 Dec 2003 : 23:53:47
Something I dont really like in FR is they are many, many races and the historic background is everywhere the same as it would have been in human countries.
All of the elves, hins, dwarves, etc... makes war, build nation. etc... ( I know, it makes 2 etc... )
Is there any race truly unique ??? With a completely different nature ? A race that was created in a 1224 years brainstorming by the 21 most imaginative persons in the world ??? I searching for a race like that...
I kind of like the Kir-Lanans. They are great and the concept is good : neglecting the gods and starting wars with the believers. I believe thay have some potential as a "unique" race but... once again, their history will only be packed with wars against others.
Does anybody know a race like that ? |
| The Sage |
Posted - 09 Dec 2003 : 01:52:59
I agree. Although, I mainly focus on the mythical/mythological...more than the historical. Too much historical fact makes the FR more like a historical campaign setting rather than a fantasy setting.
In fact, I once completely restructured the entire 'Tuigan' horde storyline (although I have never had the opportunity to run it), emphasing the spiritual aspects of Teylas and using that as a basis for the entire storyline. This follows in part, from my studies into what some of the early Mongol tribes of the steppe would use as justification for their actions. There's a new book that's just been published (I'll find the name, and the publisher) that details the mythological beliefs of the early Mongol tribes...an earlier edition is where I 'borrowed' some of the ideas from. In return I came to better understand the beliefs and spirituals teachings of the Mongols and how it influences their daily lives.
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| Mournblade |
Posted - 07 Dec 2003 : 20:54:33
I find that one thing I include in my FR campaign, is sometimes difficult to enmesh but also quite fun. I try to keep historical and mythical ideas from OUR academia enmeshed in the game. it is not easy to do, but by doing so I find my understanding of these ideas is greater. Often when I am wrting a campaign I am referencing books on the Crusades, the spread of Islam, arabic culture, and of course the Spanish Main. I love it. And my players love it, and benefit from it as well.
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| Mystery_Man |
Posted - 03 Dec 2003 : 12:22:12
quote:
Originally posted by Sage of Perth
The monsters from the various Scarred Lands tomes incorporate well into Faerun?...
Idon't think so.
I've put a stop to all S&S books in my game long ago. The spells are way to unbalanced IMHO. I don't touch any of it. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I hate it or anything, they're great if you use them exclusively with a Scarred Lands setting. But they stick out like a sore thumb and just don't fit in well with FR, in my experience. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 28 Nov 2003 : 05:54:34
This is certainly a very interesting take. I'd like to hear more about the development of the races, if and when, you ever actually do create this world.
Actually your whole idea reminds me alot of a similar type of region in my homebrew campaign world. It consists of a demiplane realm called the "Beasthome', where the Arcanists (and some Magi) of the High Orders of the Arcane study and experiment upon a vast collection of monstrous creatures from many different environments, and alternate Material Planes. The basic premise was to develop a 'laboratory' of sorts where these creatures strengths and weakness could each be studied, and new ways to combat them could be created, without danger to the people of the Confederation.
I originally developed this idea from something I read about the Priests of Isis and Osiris in Mulhorand.
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| lowtech |
Posted - 27 Nov 2003 : 19:43:28
quote:
Originally posted by Sage of Perth
Hmm...sounds interesting.
Aside from worrying about how the Elder Brains fits into the new social order, how do the ulitharids feel about this?.
I'm assuming the Ulitharids are a byproduct of Ilsensine manipulating the tadpoles in the pools of the Elder Brains in order to either improve upon his creation or simply establish a ruling class (the Masters of the Master Race). Consequently, they do not exist in this campaign. There are no Savant Aboleth for similar reasons. This follows a pattern in which species lose certain advantages without the support of their customary deities. The Derro Savants present a particularly interesting case: without Diirinka to manipulate Derro babies inside the womb, what happens to the species? Are less advanced sorcerous powers spread more evenly throughout the race, or do they become like Dwarves in regards to sorcery? |
| The Sage |
Posted - 26 Nov 2003 : 06:52:21
The monsters from the various Scarred Lands tomes incorporate well into Faerun?...
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| sabre_maccool |
Posted - 25 Nov 2003 : 22:05:32
i run my fr game with lots of monsters from the scarred lands, and from ravenloft in fact my old freind and i are running a game witha war between faerun and ravenloft nice huh |
| The Sage |
Posted - 25 Nov 2003 : 07:44:46
Hmm...sounds interesting.
Aside from worrying about how the Elder Brains fits into the new social order, how do the ulitharids feel about this?.
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