i feel like i've hit a creative brick wall. none of the ideas that've popped into my head recently seem worth developing, and the setting that i'm currently working on has become uninteresting. so, in an effort to jumpstart my creative mojo, i started brainstorming a list of ideas for potential campaign settings. cause for me, a setting evolves from 1 or 2 ideas. usually strange ones. there aren't quite 1001 ideas here yet, (more like 20 right now) but i thought that i'd post them up here. i'm encouraging people to add to the list with the following thoughts in mind:
[ic=the rules (sort of...)]1) the ideas should be usable by any game system. so nothing like "wizards get to wear heavy mail armor at 15th lever" or anything like that. crunch-free please.
2) if you post the idea here, it becomes "public domain". sort of. meaning that anyone reading the post is free to use it. so if you have a really killer idea that you don't want anyone else to know about until you publish something, don't post it here. you can't "claim" or "call" exclusive rights to anything posted here either. [/ic]
that's it. nice and simple. like i said, there are only 20ish so far, and i grouped them into similar (and funny) catagories for you. when i use the word "people" i mean all sentient, non-monster, life in the setting (dwarves, orcs, humans, lizardmen, elves, whatever). when i use the word "setting" i usually mean the entire campaign world (since i usualy build the entire thing), but some of the ideas could be appropriate for a smaller scale setting, say a continent or single country. not all of these ideas are original. it's pretty much impossible to be origianl anymore. as one of my design teachers once said "you can't invent anything new, there is nothing left to invent. all you can do it take something old and look at it in a new way."
[ic=Altered Afterlives]
heaven and/or hell (or their equivalents) is/are somehow full. the souls of the departed start spilling over into the real world.
people are born with full and complete memories of their past lives.
people are born with mostly intact memories of their past lives, but these are growing inconsistant with each passing generation as a finite number of memories are spread among a growing population.
people are born with random, and often times contradictory memories from past lives.
people are reincarnated in a set and specific form when they die. the form is based on what kind of life they lead (good, evil, honest, etc.)[/ic]
[ic=Celestial Shenannagens]
the sky has turned opaque, blocking out all external light.
the sun has gone out, or been blocked by something.
the moon or another nearby body has recently been destroyed.
there is no space. air and light simply go on forever, and you can get to the other planets if you can fly high enough.
[/ic]
[ic=Disruptive Deities]
something is preventing the gods from contacting this setting. this implies that BOTH gods and mortals are trying to solve the problem.
the gods have abandoned this setting for some reason. this implies that only the mortals are trying to solve the problem.
the mortals of the setting have turned their backs on the gods. this implies that only the gods want to solve the problem.
the gods have chosen to return to the setting in corporeal form and walk among their mortal followers once again. or, then simply were ALWAYS in corporeal form.
the gods USED to walk the setting in corporeal form until very recently. something caused them to retreat into the upper planes (or their equivalent).
the gods walk the setting in corporeal form, but some (horrible or wonderful) recent event has caused them to forget that they are gods.[/ic]
[ic=Meddlesome Magic]
magic has allowed information age equivalent technology to be created at a much earlier time in history.
[/ic]
[ic=Problematic Prophecies]
the event that foretold the end (and possible remaking) of the setting has just happened.
the "chosen one" has just been born, or reached his/her full potential.
the "chosen one" is somehow stopped (killed, captured, held, turned, etc.) from completing their destiny at the very last second.
the "chosen one" completes all the requiered steps/tasks to fulfill their prophecy, but nothing happens.
the end results of the prophecy happens suddenly without any of the necessary steps/tasks/events happening first.[/ic]
[ic=Strained Planes]
another material plane has started overlaying the setting.
the material plane has somehow been skewed or tilted so that it crosses various other planes are certain points.
time no longer flows in a linear fashion in the setting.[/ic]
[ic=Weird Worlds]
the setting is a strange shape (cube, torus, flat disk, inverted sphere, etc.).
dry land is (or is believed to be) poisonous/cursed/infested with dangerous creautres. people live in giant ships (sea or air) that never make landfall.
due to some overabundance of the material, the people of the setting are (and always have been) a melding of biological and inorganic material (stone, metal, crystal, plastic, etc.).
the people of the setting are either androgynus or hermaphroditic.
the people of the setting have a parasitical reproductive cycle. they need to use another species to have offspring (posibly killing the host in the process).
one of the cosmic dualities (good/evil, law/chaos, etc.) has just won a major victory and totally eliminated it's opposing half from the setting.[/ic]
please feel free to add any ideas that you desire. they could be ones that you started to use and discarded for some reason, or something that sounded cool but you never had the time to develop.
[ic=Alien Environments]
Plant life never evolved, and instead the world is dominated by giant fungus.
The land of the world has been swallowed by a rising sea
A single environment type (forest, desert, swamp) dominates most of the world.[/ic]
[spoiler=Things that are not setting ideas.]Good stuff. Could you number them, and update your post when people add new settings, so the first post becomes a single large index. I'd say just number things within each category.
Quotethere is no space. air and light simply go on forever, and you can get to the other planets if you can fly high enough.
heaven and/or hell (or their equivalents) is/are somehow full. the souls of the departed start spilling over into the real world.[/quote]
Hmm.
What about playing as a non-humanoid? Something in a completely different shape, like a squid, or dog, though still have hands/paws/tentacles dextrous enough to hold objects. You might even use your mind to move objects.
The end of the universe might be an interesting setting. Assuming it's the same universe as ours, it would probably be either really cold and dark, or really bright and dense (at least, that's how I understand the theories).
Maybe people of a particular race have learned to 'ascend', or become a hyper-intelligent floaty ball of energy when they die. That would certainly complicate things while adventuring.
QuoteWhat about playing as a non-humanoid? Something in a completely different shape, like a squid, or dog, though still have hands/paws/tentacles dextrous enough to hold objects. You might even use your mind to move objects.
entirely[/i] with animals. It had
potential.
I'm going to quote a random bit from the thread:
QuoteEquipment:
Weapons - all natural weapons (monkeys can carry clubs), that increase in damage according to class-lvl.
I direct you to this thread, where a whole lot of brief setting descriptions were posted: Just Imagineâ,¬Â¦ (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?81).
To toot my own horn, this was ultimately begun by my signature on the Wizards boards.
I'm going to start compiling some of the info in these various "Campaign Ideas," and "Adventure Seeds" threads, so feel free to keep posting here. ONce I have some things compiled and in a nice format, I'm going to put them on the Wiki.
A few ideas to add to the list.
The abyssal planes aren't really separate planes, they reside deep within the earth. If you dig deep enough you could reach them, or if they were to climb high enough they could reach us...
Every person has the force of temptation. What most people don't realize is that every person's temptation is actually a devil created solely for that individual to try and turn him to the ways darkness.
And obviously you could have the Celestial equivalents (Celestials Planes are actually just at extreme altitudes, every individual has a celestial as a voice of reason to keep them on the path of light).
and a quick question: New to the guild and was wondering how do you get those green text boxes? I can't seem to find the code for them anywhere.
[ic=Really Messing Things Up]
All life abruptly dies, (possibly due to sudden, brief contact with a cosmic mass of negative energy,) leaving only unliving constructs and the undead.
All intelligent life dies, (possibly due to some epic psionic shenanigans,) and animals and magical beasts evolve to discover their legacy millions of years later.
Everything is destroyed, leaving only phantoms that struggle to remember it all.
Time becomes two- or three-dimensional.
Gravity ends.
The outer planes all destroy each other in an apocalyptic final battle, but the material plane remains.
Characters become aware that they are fictional.
[/ic]
Quote from: Bill VolkGravity ends.
At which point everything not held together by rigid bonds or magnetism immediately flies apart, turning the universe into an even-density cosmic soup within a few thousand years.
Yeah, I'd say you messed things up. :)
My contributions,
*Water is completely transparent. You can see the 1-2 miles down to the ocean floor at all times.
*The World is layered, each layer's continents rotating around a different axis. Any water flowing off a continent falls down a layer, and light in the lower layers is scarce and nearly random.
*Magic is as common as normal D&D Melee, and melee combat is as complex and rare as D&D magic.
*Space is fluidic. After you fly high enough you hit more water/liquid. Travel between planets is accomplished by means of large submarines.
*Mammals do not exist; the highest form of life is the reptile. Long live the Kobold!
* A setting entirely of biblical allegory.
*A setting based on the american civil war.
A setting where wal-mart rules everything. link to the full idea is in Darkxarth's Sigariffic sig.
I love Wal-Mart Post-Apocalypse. A fantastic setting.
Quote from: Stargate525*Water is completely transparent. You can see the 1-2 miles down to the ocean floor at all times.
Would it still be possible to tell water from air? If so, how?
Túrin
Quote from: TúrinWould it still be possible to tell water from air? If so, how?
Túrin
You would get wet!
For water to be completely transparent, it would also have to have the same density as air... which definitely makes things pretty interesting... for one thing, at such a density, does it still support life the same way, or does some other chemical make life flourish? Also, how does that work with marine life that need a particular density to swim and/or float? Not to mention, what does it do to the ocean currents, and thus the weather patterns of the world. Interesting....
Quote from: IshmaylFor water to be completely transparent, it would also have to have the same density as air... which definitely makes things pretty interesting... for one thing, at such a density, does it still support life the same way, or does some other chemical make life flourish? Also, how does that work with marine life that need a particular density to swim and/or float? Not to mention, what does it do to the ocean currents, and thus the weather patterns of the world. Interesting....
Not neccessarily. First, other gases with different densities are completely transparent, which suggests that transparency isn't directly associated with density.
Second, you're using physics; It's
very possible that this world might not have the same laws of physics that our world has.
I guess jumping in the pool really would become a leap of faith then. :)
I don't think that an alternative physics-based world would really work. Like a lot of science fiction, they sound great on paper but simply could not play out all that well in an ongoing roleplaying game that assumes players suspend disbelief well enough to become vested into the setting.
Here are my ideas:
Peasant campaign setting, based out of medieval Spain during the Inquisition.
'Trapped on an island', low magic world where the native Elves (which wouldn't be recognized as Elves) are cannibals and seek the players. The players stumble across a bastion along the ocean, where others who've been trapped on the island have holed up against the island menace. The island is on a straight, and is within view of a nearby island but the ocean swarms with all sorts of carnivorous life. Boats that could traverse the waters would be impossible, as the waters are too torrid to ply.
A retelling of the story of a Christ-like religion, where one player becomes a savior to a peoples that are born into slavery. Low magic world.
Wild, Wild West-type setting (sci-fi western, without gadgetry). Imagine World War 2 technology on a smaller scale in the Old West.
World War 1-type setting, complete with huge, bulky steam and gas-powered mechs.
Victorian age superhero game (think Gotham by Gaslight).
Medieval-based superhero game. I cannot imagine conceptually how this works, unless it is an ultra low magic setting where heroes and villains are barons and kings.
Inner core game (a campaign in a Hollow World setting), where the world is slowly disintegrating and crumbling into the Astral. The elemental plains tug and push along the four corners of the world, and have significant effect on plant life and peoples.
[ic=The Complex]
All of life, and all of time is like a gigantic apartment building. Find the right key, and suddenly you're introduced to a veritable maze of hallways, staircases, and unmarked doors. Go down the right hallway, and you can be some one else. Up or down the right staircase, and you can be somewhen else. The trick, of course, is to always remember where your Door is, and never to wander too far from home.[/ic]
1) All the dimensions (Heavens, Hells, alternate history Earths, etc.) connect up to one dimension that is about a half-mile across. On this small dimension that is the nexus of reality, they built a college.
The portals into other dimensions are invisible and about four feet wide. Some of them might be one-way only, stranding those that walk through in the other dimension forver. They surround the entire cirumference of the circular nexus dimension. These rules might make for not quite infinite other dimensions, but there would certainly be a lot. [How many times does four feet go into 0.25 miles^2 times pi?] [edit: it's PiR^2 not PiD^2, that may make a difference somewhere along the line]
2) The world is a cylinder with a diameter equal to Earth's diameter from pole to pole and an about equal height. People generally live on the circular ends of the cylinder. On these inhabited ends all levels of technology and magic exist in concentirc circles. Technology goes up as one nears the rim. Magic goes up as one nears the center.
Towards the middle is D&D land: technology of a just before the renaisaince level and magic that doesn't quite dominate all aspects of life.
There are tunnels leading into the interior of the cylinder. These are the dungeon-equivalents of this setting.
Quote from: khyron1144...These rules might make for not quite infinite other dimensions, but there would certainly be a lot. [How many times does four feet go into 0.5 miles^2 times pi?]
There would be approximately 5,473,911 other dimensions.
Quote from: limetomQuote from: khyron1144...These rules might make for not quite infinite other dimensions, but there would certainly be a lot. [How many times does four feet go into 0.5 miles^2 times pi?]
Thanks for doing the math. That's quite a lot.
alright, assuming that they're 6x4 ft portals, how many can we get if they surround the place in a sphere?
[ic=drive your caster's nuts] Spells, spell point, spell slots, whatever you use, do not come back as quickly. Say a few days for a 1/3 expenditure, a week for a permanant expenditure. Casters will be a little more strategic...
Spells have a success%, and do not always work The closer a spell is the max ability of the caster, the greater the chance it screws up. [/ic]
I actually use both of these.
A postapocolyptic setting, with no known records of any events before the early-mid eighteenth century, and the ethos of "history repeats itself".
Vehicles could be used as war machines and "beasts" of burden, with garbage trucks being used like macedonian elephants, and motorcycles working as horses. Almost all major events would be unwittingly recreating history.
pre-Dune setting based in it's Butlerian Jihad era
Every fifth son of a fifth son is born with paragon-level mental capacity and effectively unlimited lifespan, allowing the possibility of a Plato's Republic-type society to arise and have a much better chance of functioning indefinitely.
Here are some that are a bit more subtle than some of the ideas, but I think if your players enjoy immersing themselves in the setting, they can create some interesting twists--
[ic=Modified Societies]
It's a matriarchy-- women are in charge.
Magic is banned in normal society.
Atheism is the normal idea, and belief in gods is a new idea. This could go with the "underground-magic" setting above.
Some activity we'd regard as commonplace: shaving, wearing the color green, etc., is regarded as immmoral.
A modern style totalitarian state has developed with the assistance of magical telepathic propaganda.
People are immortal, like some ideas of elves. Progress is slow, ennui common.
[/ic]