The Campaign Builder's Guild

Index of Content

For anyone interesting in looking at some of the things I've created in the past, but not wanting to read the whole thing, here is, for each of the settings, a brief note on length and content.

Settings marked with a *** are currently defunct in that I"m not going to be altering them anymore - if I do decide to re-open any of those settings, it'll be from the ground up, not an update.

Fantasy Settings
***Datrik (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?4696)
***---Discussion (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?318)
***Thaedia (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?4392)
*** ---Discussion (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?4394)
***Sooth (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?8283.0)
***---Discussion (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?5456)
***Pirates (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?9289.post)
***---Discussion (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?9291.last)
***Sreth (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?16717)
***Unnamed Setting (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?15310)
***---Animals (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?15774)
***Aftermath (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?8096.2)
***Empires of the Great  (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?8096.2)
***Aelithia (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?8096.3)
***The Sundered Lands (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?8096.4)
***Tryad (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?8096.5)
***Verdant Apocalypse (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?8096.7)
***New Setting (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?8096.12)
***Pirates (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?8096.27)
***Random Setting Collection 1 (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?4366)
***Random Setting Collection 2 (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?1889)

Alternate Earth/Superheroic Settings
Life in the Aether (http://thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?190023)
--Discussion Thread (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?190031.0)
***Earth 2085 (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?6899)
***Supermodern (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?10276.0)
***Fallen (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?10276.1)
***Evolution (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?10276.2)
***Redemption (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?10276.3)
   
Science Fiction Settings
COMING SOON

Other Setting Related Materials
The Mirrored Paths (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?3610)
***Fantasy Progress Levels (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?7921)
***Golemtech (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?4495)

Mechanics
***Ki (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?6093)
***Blood Magic (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?5769)

Races
***Dracemar (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?7596)

Classes
***Golemborg (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?5987)
***Ranger (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?4751)
***Demon Knight (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?4647)

Think Tanks
Fantastic Governments (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?4321)
Layers of the Abyss (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?6460)
Disasters (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?8219)

Fiction
***Forbidden (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?7824)

Miscellaneous
***Expanding the OGL (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?6801)

Aftermath

This was one of my early attempts at a magic/future setting. Reading over it, I remember I decided to start by making variant weapons, since that gave the setting some nice feel, but then stopped because I got bored with guns, and that killed my love for the setting.

[spoiler=Text]
[ic]This world was once beautiful. It was once a world of light and color and hope. Dreams were limitless, and opportunity boundless.

This world was once peaceful. Magic had brought the races together. War was forgotten, and petty feuds set aside.

This world was once whole.

This world is not the world it once was.

Now, machines tear across the landscape. Men bind the power of golems to their body. Forests have been replaced with cities of gears. Beauty has been replaced with decay. Our children mentally enter a plane of data and loose themselves among it. Twisted creatures that were created by mages long dead and still living roam the land, and the remnant of a cruel breed of creature that decimated this land so long ago still sits in the darkness, plotting.

And I?

I walk the land with an assault rifle and blade. This clip is filled with bullets that will detonate like a mageâ,¬,,¢s spell when the hit. This sword will burst into flames with a thought. I wear armor forged from steel and powered by magic. For simple saen, for money, I hunt down those who would restore the old order, so the new one will continue to corrupt this world. I am a walking hypocrisy.

You know what the worst part is? I donâ,¬,,¢t care anymore.[/ic]

Celthrii, a Sumathi Bounty Hunter

Welcome to Aftermath. It is a world of peace and magic, shattered by a long ago invasion of extraplanar beings. Now, it is a world where technology and magic exist in a gritty and violent setting. I will reveal elements of the world though the eyes of those who live in it, with a few of them (Celthrii especially) being recurring characters.

Aftermath combines elements of DnD and d20 Modern/Future. I plan on including golemtech (magical cybernetics), the Crystal Lattice (internet), guns, mecha, robots, even limited space ships in a dystopian world of what happens when magic and technology go wrong.

[ic]So I was sittin there, right? Just minding me own business, not lookin for a scrap or nothin Then this Sumathi comes up, right? Got a Balthas made VX-89 under one arm, and a flaming sword in the other. One of his eyes is glowing weird, even for the sumathi. So, he looks at me and says â,¬Å"Where is Viktren?â,¬Â So I say: â,¬Å"In the back.â,¬Â What? You think Iâ,¬,,¢m going to try and argue? Viktren owed the Night something in the range of 150,000 saen, anyway. No point sticking your neck out for someone who is already dead, right?[/ic]

Bour, a guthash and drunkard.

One of the most important aspects of Aftermath is the blend of abilities from the d20 line with DnD. Here, to show something about the world, Iâ,¬,,¢m going to go through some of the firearms in d20 Modern and rename them, and give some back-story on them.

Modern Name in Red, Aftermath Name in Blue
Beretta 92F = Vaensmith Standard 3

The Vaensmith corporation hit the big win with its Standard line. Each of the pistols in this line is noted for its reliability, durability, and popularity. The Standard 3 is standard issue in the gear cities of Cognit, Mecind, and Rachnet, and most mecha pilots carry a Standard 3 with them for a sidearm.

Derringer = Vaensmith F5

The F5 is a favorite among the shadier elements. Easy to hide, assassins and others who think that openly going armed is too much love the F5.

Skorpion = Drakeling

The Balthas made Drakeling is a nasty machine pistol which found popularity in the First Gear Wars as a great automatic weapon for a swiftwing fighter who didnâ,¬,,¢t have any extra room for a longarm.

AK-47 = VX-89

One of the most proliferated assult rifles, no one is sure who first made the VX line. The Vaensmith snatched the patent from Balthas, but that doesnâ,¬,,¢t prove who made it. Cheap to make and easy to use, the VX-89 remains the weapon of choice for many.[/spoiler]

Empires of the Great

Empires should look familiar to some of you, I posted the concept behind it in a thread sitting around here awhile back, before I posted Thaedia. This is actually one of my older concepts, though very little on it was actually written down - I have trouble working this as a game setting, though it would work well for a novel.

[spoiler=Text]This world is dominated by a few great empires, each ruled by a powerful and ancient race. Under their heels sit the common races: humanity, another race of physically powerful and brutish race, a race of beautiful and intelligent beings, creatures that are small offspring of fey creatures and mortals, and others. Their masters rule all of them. Some of the empires treat the humanoid races as near equals in all things but government, while others treat them as little more than cattle.
Tone: Hopeful. Some empires are granting the humanoids more and more rights, though other oppress them just as mercilessly.
Themes: Political intrigue, freedom from slavery, self-determination, international politics
NOTE: None of the races described here will be standard races, or even races already existing. The beautiful and intelligent race will fill the elf niche, but they will not be elves, mechanically, culturally, or in any other way.

The Great Ones
Xahtine â,¬'
The Xahtine are the oldest of the great races, and their empire has stood the longest. Located in the southeaster hemisphere of the world, the Xahtine empire is connected by a land bridge to their northern neighbors, and greatest enemies, the Vatyrish. Where the empire of the Vatyrish is lush and fertile, the Xahtine protectorate is harsh. The major cities of the empire are located on the coasts, the banks of rivers, and the shores of lakes, while the desert is largely uninhabited by the Xahtine. The Xahtine are noted for their amazing mental abilities, including their facility with psionics. They are moderate in their policies towards humanoid races: Humanoids can buy their freedom from the Xahtine.

Vatyrish â,¬'
The Vatyrish exist to the northwest of the Xahtine protectorate, but the two are as different as the lands they inhabit. The Vatyrish are a vampiric race, and must feed on blood to survive. They are creatures of shadow and darkness, and they build their cities in the massive trees of their homeland. They are harsh masters for their humanoid slaves, working them nearly to the point of exhaustion, but they are also fair masters: a Vatyrishi (singular of Vatyrish) that kills a slave is held accountable by Vatyrish law, while a slave that defends himself against undue punishment is not charged by law. Draining an unwilling humanoid for blood is considered as heinous as raping a slave, both of which are punishable under Vatyrish law. Vatyrish hold family in the highest of regard, and are the only Great Race with a specific law that forbids separating human families â,¬Å"until the whelps reach their own adulthood,â,¬Â or when they are physically mature (15 years old for humans).[/spoiler]

Aelithia

Aelithia is actually my first attempt at a setting, and it still pops up in my mind from time to time. Someone familiar with Datrik will recognize the tone, and some other things, about the setting.

[spoiler=text][ic]The world is old. The races of men are but infants, the elves but children, and even the dragons are mere adolescents when viewed in eons that Aelithia has endured. It was created by deities long forgotten, in a time lost to the ages. Why they created it is a mystery, one that is nonetheless overshadowed by the larger mystery of Aelithiaâ,¬,,¢s first inhabitants. The best that can be determined is that the Old Ones came to this world not long after it was created and made it their own. They created cities, they worked with magic, and â,¬' by accident or by design â,¬' planted the seeds that would later become the creatures we know today.

Then, they began to decline. The reasons for this decline are unknown, but it is possible the ancestors of the ancestors of the dragons precipitated these declines, for much of the Old One artwork from this late age depicts great beasts that resemble dragons, in the vaguest of ways. Regardless of why the declined, decline they did, and eventually, the vanished from the world, leaving no clue as to why they left. Their giant cities stood in mute testament to the power they once had and lost, the creatures they spawned crawled Aelithia as a herald of what would appear, and the changes they made to the land and the fabric of Aelithia itself will stand as an eternal monument to what they were. I am Selcen Whisperwind, sage of the Elves, and I have spent my 400 years on this world unraveling the secrets of the Old Ones. Men have called me a fool, and my people have called me mad, but I call them blind, because they cannot, will not, allow themselves to see what is clearly true, hiding behind superstition to protect their illusions.[/ic]

-   Excerpt from the intro of The Secrets of the Old Ones, the controversial work by Selcen Whisperwind.

[ic]Selcen is indeed a mad fool, driven mad by looking for understanding in that which has already been understood. The gods, led by our lord Omnilum, created the City-Nations as a gift to the humanoid races, and they put these â,¬Å"imagesâ,¬Â in them to test the faith of the races. The greatest scholars of the elves agree with this, despite their heretical teaching that is was Jithraedess, their goddess, that led the creation. Though they are so addled they refuse to see the truth of Omnilum, the All-father and World-maker, they are not as addled as their brother Selcen, who professes the city-nations, the world, and the foul creatures that inhabit them were created by the same beings, these so called â,¬Å"Old Onesâ,¬Â, who supposedly created both good and evil at the same time â,¬' impossible.[/ic]  
 
-   Excerpt from The High Light of the Church of Omnilum, His Holiness Mathais IXâ,¬,,¢s critique of Selcenâ,¬,,¢s works.

IRL: The world was created as Selcen hypothesizes, although he idealizes the Old Ones far too much. The deities that exist now are newcomers to this world and its planes after finding it abandoned by the Old Ones and their gods. Untold horrors exist throughout the world. This is Aelthia.
The Tone of Aelitha:

Aelithia is designed to have a sense of horror to the world, combined with elements of pulp fiction, meaning it rests somewhere between the Eberron Setting and the works of HP Lovecraft. The setting is designed to have a sense of cinematic flair that happens all over an underlying sense of horror at pure evil. The settings elements are designed with this and mind, and this will include a great deal of material for playing not only in this setting, but for bringing this same sense to your own campaign. It will feature new classes, monsters, spells, feats, and more that focus on one or both of these two elements.

Aelithia also has a distinctly urban bent, introducing City-Nations to provide for near limitless adventures in massive urban settings. Magic and Psionics are both integrated into the settings as thoroughly as possible, and are part of the daily life to most of the people of Aelithia. Nowhere is this more obvious than in Hallith, the crown jewel of Aelithia.[/spoiler]

This next section of text is from an email I wrote to my good friend and writing mentor. I don't have her reply, unfortunatly, but the style is email because of it. This is also where I first introduce the concept of the Lowerlands, which is one of my favorite ideas.

[spoiler=text]What's up?

Sending you this email to share some of my stuff with you, feedback would be awesome. I don't have much yet, but more will be coming up later. Iâ,¬,,¢m just going to ramble for a bit about my favorite homebrew world, Aelithia. It's a high-magic world with overtones of Lovecraft. It was once ruled by Old Ones, similar to the way Lovecraft asserts Earth was. Old One's experiments with magic led them to accidentally create a race capable of fighting them on an equal level - the dragons. War waged, and eventually the Old ones were driven back to the Plane they came from, a place reminiscent of the Far Reams. Iâ,¬,,¢m still working on the various details of the social, political, religious, and racial divisions, but what I have so far is as follows:

Geography:

Aelithia, which is roughly three times the size of earth, is divided up into five geographic layer. The middle layer has no special name, and it is merely the layer of the earth that the average people walk on. It is in many ways stock fantasy, although the high magic allows for some (read: many) cultural differences. However, there are some unusual geographic features.
-   City Nations: City nations are just what their name implies. They are cities the size of nations. (About the size of the lost city in â,¬Å"To the Mountains of Madnessâ,¬Â, my favorite Lovecraft story I have read yet.) Created by the Old Ones, they have been since populated by humanoids and other intelligent and unintelligent life forms, especially humans. Over the twenty millennia since the Old Ones were driven back to their home realms, most of the city nations have been thoroughly colonized and redesigned, so that almost no traces of their original architecture exists. However, some of the Old Ones secrets were never actually destroyed, simply sealed away, and occasionally an unwitting citizen of one of these nations will open a doorway and unleash an unspeakable horror. Due to the huge amounts of resources required to maintain a City nation, only five exist as actual recognized political entities, each one ruling a large stretch of land just to support themselves. Twenty or so other City nations
-   Deadlands â,¬' in the war between dragons and old ones, vast amounts of raw magic were used. A side effect of this was the deadlands, stretches of land upon which no life can live, but unlife â,¬' the undead - thrive. Some of these deadlands have come under the control of a Lich or vampire coven, and they rule these lands with an iron fist. Other deadlands are merely inhabited by mindless zombies and skeletons.     Rules: Any living creature that enters the deadlands must make a fort save (DC 10 + the number of days in the deadlands) or gain a negative level. A creature cannot regain these levels by any means while in the deadlands, not even wish or miracle spells. A creature that is killed from this rises 1d4 days later as a skeleton or zombie (a zombie if it rises 1 or 2 days later, a skeleton if it rises 3 or 4 days later.

Below the surface of Aelithia is the Underdark. Not much distinguishes it from the standard Underdark, except for city nations built into the Underdark exist here, too. Unlike the city-nations of the surface, they were never properly colonized, and creatures that enter them rarely come out sane. Illithid, Drow, and Beholder attempts to colonize these city nations have all ended horribly.

Certain places of the Underdark open up into what appears to be the sky. They actually open into a world below Aelithia, known as the Lowerlands. The creatures of the Lowerlands are nothing like those seen on the surface. Instead of normal flora, great forests of mushrooms, some of them large enough to support small villages, rise from the ground. Great pillars of rocks, natural formations, support the surface over the Lowerlands, over three miles up. Luminescent fungus, which grows on the â,¬Å"ceilingâ,¬Â of the Lowerlands, bathe it in a constant light approximating dusk on the surface world. Huge stalagmites jut from the floor, forming strange mountain ranges. Even stranger, massive stalactites form inverted mountain ranges that hang down. Colossal mushrooms grow from these stalactites, and some civilizations have formed on the upwards side of these mushrooms. Travel between the Underdark and Lowerlands is extremely difficult, if not impossible, without the use of magic. However, under the city-nation of Hallith there is a long, spiral staircase that some say goes through one of the natural pillars to the Lowerlands. However, none have walked the entire length and returned to tell where it goes. [/spoiler]

The Sundered Lands

Perhaps my most developed setting, the Sundered Lands actually has more material written about it than Datrik, Thaedia, or Sooth. Note that well developed doesn't actually mean good, and most of the Sundered lands needs alot of work.

[spoiler=overview]
The Sundered Land

This is a campaign setting that just kind of came to me not to long ago. Feedback, ideas, and more are greatly appreciated:

Creation myth:

Once, the world was like any other â,¬' a sphere covered in mountains, oceans, plains cities, nations, and peoples of all races. It was a beautiful world, so the legends say, and was ruled by the mage-lords, one thousand mages of unimaginable power and godly wisdom. The world was tranquil, and even the races that now terrorize the Isles coexisted peacefully with those who are Friends to Man.

But one day, evil came to the world.

No one is certain how it happened, no one is certain why. But one by one, the mage-lords began to withdraw into their towers, shunning the outside world for their studies, becoming obsessed with power. They begin to quibble over fragments of lore and over who owned what. Tension built. The Mage Wars began

For three millennia war raged across the world. It was a war of magic. New races were born, old races died, and all across the land the only ruler was Chaos. Gods walked the land and battled along side mortals, dragons and fiends and celestials and other beings were summoned or roamed free, causing even more chaos. Ever day the world buckled and shook from impacts of near godly might.

Until, finally, the world broke.

Current Situation:

Five thousand years have past since the Mage Wars ended and the Sundering occurred. The Sundered Land is a strange land indeed. In the center floats the result of the spell that ended the war, a ball of pure energy that heats the Isles. (might replace with Sea of Clouds Geography)

Around it floats thousands of Isles, the shattered remains of the world. They range in size from entire continents to balls of rock little more than ten feet across, and they are the new homes of the races of the Sundered Land. The entire world, prior to the breaking, was roughly ten times the size of Earth. In middle, what remains of the world is known as the Core, and it is a ball of heat and fire, not unlike a star, but only about the size of earth.. The rest of the rocks that float about Core in elliptical orbits that, at their farthest, extends roughly a Ã,¼ of the distance from the Earth to the Moon. By some strange twist of magic, each of the Isles has its own gravity, which means down is always towards the ground, and once you escape that Isles gravity, you are freely floating until you enter another Isles gravity â,¬' which, in the case of some of the large Isles, is hundreds of feet above the lands surface. A long fall could await the unwary.  (Maybe make every Isle spherical)

All the Isles orbit the cores in elliptical orbits on a single plane. Due to the magic that saturates the world after the mage wars, people use spells to fly across the Void, pilot ships over thousands of miles of empty air, and establish permanent portals between lands â,¬' and it is seen as part of daily life.

DM Notes: The orbits of the Isles are extremely difficult to figure out mathematically. Due to this, simply decide that a given Isle will be where you need it to be when you need it to be there, and if you donâ,¬,,¢t need it, it wonâ,¬,,¢t be nearby. If you want to make charts and do the math to plot the course of the isles, thatâ,¬,,¢s your prerogative, but I wouldnâ,¬,,¢t recommend it.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=races]
[spoiler=standard PHB]Dwarves: Dwarves, as is there way, took the Sundering in stride. They live in the Isles, with the only structures on the surface low fortresses that serve as bunkers to prevent easy access to their underground homes. Most Dwarven isles are barren on the surface but rich in mineral deposits, including several unique minerals found only on the Sundered Lands.

Half-Elves: as Elf or Human, depending on where they were raised. Half-Elves raised among Drow or the Scions are often outcasts, while High Elf society is more accepting. Humans are not extremely accepting, but they do not (for the most part) actively shun or persecute Half-Elves. The exception to the rule is the Crystal Woods, a nation built by Half-elves after the Sundering on a small Isle. They are not a political power, but they do exist, and Half-Elves looking for complete acceptance tend to drift to the Crystal Woods.

Orcs: To understand Half-Orcs, we need to examine Orcs. Orcs live as pirates and marauders, many of them using stolen or captured Voidships to raid the smaller Isles. A few Isles have been colonized by the Orcs, and serve a pirate havens for members of all races. The exception to the rule is Garrath, the Orcish Isle. This Isle is ruled by what members of other races call (often demeaningly) enlightened orcs. They rule a medium sized isle, but their soldiers have such discipline and power that they have become a major political power. Garrathian (also called Enlightened orcs) are almost the same game wise as normal orcs, but Garrathian orcs do not suffer a â,¬'2 penalty to Intelligence and tend towards Lawful Evil instead of Chaotic Evil.

Half-Orcs: Half-orcs are generally born one of two ways â,¬' unwilling coupling between an orc and human during an orc raid, or from a wiling coupling between a Garrathian Orc and a human. Half-Orcs of Garrathian decent are identical to non Garrathian Half-Orcs due to a minor genetic defect. Half-Orcs, surprisingly, often find acceptance among the member of a Garrathian military unit, the members of which tend to value someone based on individual fighting skill. Outside these units, Half-Orcs face persecution among either their orcish or human forbearers.

Halflings: After the Sundering, Halflings actually began to thrive. They formed a trade network between the Isles, and they were able to build ships to allow them to travel the void. Now, the various Halfling trade families thrive, growing rich off the trade between the far-flung and ever shifting Isles.

Gnomes: The Gnomes adapted to life after the Sundering well, using their ingenuity to build devices that allowed them to survive afterwards. Only fifty years ago, they completely their greatest creation: a Clockwork Isle to serve as the Gnomish homeland. It was funded largely through an area the Gnomes have begun to dominate: commercial inter-Isle travel, facilitated through magic and mundane technology the Gnomes have developed. Rumor holds they have begun some very interesting experiments involving the properties of steamâ,¬Â¦.

Thatâ,¬,,¢s all the races for now. More will be coming soon.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Mad Elves]

Mad Elves are the twisted remnants of the once proud Wood Elf race. After the Sundering, Wood Elves were driven insane, and have become a plague on the world.

Personality: Mad Elves are exactly that â,¬' completely insane. The madness takes various forms in each elf, meaning some are actually easy to interact with. Others, on the other hand, will sit in corners muttering themselves or giggle an inopportune times. Some have delusions of grandeur or paranoid delusions. Despite that, Mad Elves have a very forceful personality, and more than one cult has sprung up since the sundering around the delusions of a Mad Elves.  

Physical Description Mad Elves are twisted parodies of Elves. Their hair grows wild and is usually a dark color.

Mad Elves (Scions):
As PHB Elves, except where noted.
+2 Dex, + 4 Cha, -2 Str, -4 Wis
Base Land Speed: 30 ft.
Clarity of Madness: Once per day, a Mad Elf can see with the true clarity of madness. For a number of rounds equal to his Charisma modifier + 3, a Mad Elf gains the following benefits. He adds his Charisma modifier as a dodge bonus to his AC. He uses his Charisma modifier in place of the normal modifier for all Wisdom and Intelligence based checks, as well as his Will save, and gains an additional +2 bonus on all normally Charisma based checks. (So this bonus would apply to Intimidate, but not to Concentrate.) Finally, while under the effects of Clarity of Madness, a Mad Elf is immune to all mind effecting spells and abilities.
A Mad Elf gains a + 4 bonus to resist the effects of any emotion inducing effect, such as fear effects or calm emotions. This replaces the standard elfâ,¬,,¢s bonus on saving throws against enchantment spells.
Favored Class â,¬' Dementist. (Class is still in the works, itâ,¬,,¢s an innate spellcasting class that mixes in some of the abilities of the Alienist and a few other abilities. Despite the name, it is only distantly related to the Dementist of MtG)

The mad elves are by no means statistically balanced yet. [/spoiler]

[spoiler=Orlocks]
During the Mage Wars, many of the mages sought the perfect warrior. One of the creations they attempted was a combination of Elf and Orc, hoping to breed a intelligent, graceful, strong, and deadly warrior. The resulting creatures, Orlocks, proved to be dangerous warriors â,¬' and extremely strong will, making them difficult to control. The projects were abandoned, but a few of the Orlocks that were created escaped. They endured the sundering, and now have formed their own society. Several Isles are under Orlock control, though they are all separate political entities.

Orlocks live longer lives than orcs, but donâ,¬,,¢t have the longevity of elves. During their lives, they live and train as specialized warriors known as Gralâ,¬,,¢haen, which is Orlock for Warrior of Honor. This class is virtually identical to the Samurai presented in Complete Warrior. Their entire life revolves around the Gralâ,¬,,¢lahik, the Code of Honor. (Note: an apostrophe between two Orlock words indicates this: if the word is Xâ,¬,,¢Y, then it means the Y of X.) The code is simple, but all binding, and is similar to the code of bushido practiced by the Japanese.

Orlocks stand between 6 and 7 feed. Their skin ranges from color from dark-gray to green to, at times, a deep maroon. They are physically attractive though both the males and females are lithe and muscular. They have long black hair, and their eyes are usually a solid color, generally black.

Stats:

• +2 Str, +2 Dex, -4 Cha. Orlocks are strong and agile, but are extremely gruff and reserved in social situations.
• Base Land Speed: 40 ft. Orlocks are exceptionally fast.
• Darkvision 60 ft.
• 2 bonus saving throw on spells from telepathy powers and spells of the enchantment school. Orlocks are hard to magically or psionically influence.
• Weapon Proficiency: Orlocks are automatically proficient with the bastard sword (katana), longbow, and shortbow. From birth, Orlocks are trained in combat and the use of weapons.
• Hardiness: an Orlock maintains consciousness when it drops below 0 hit points. It falls unconscious when it reaches â,¬' 5 hit points. An Orlock can maintain consciousness longer than most races, but it cannot keep going unto its death.  

Again, by no means balanced.
[/spoiler]


[spoiler=Chudth]

During the Mage Wars, strange magics ran the land. There was a city that was struck by one such blast. In an instant, all itâ,¬,,¢s inhabitants were twisted. They became the Chudth, known to other races as the Warped. Hideous in appearance, disgusting in manner, the Warped were for the longest time regarded as little more than disgusting anomalies. After the land was rent, the warped roamed the land, shunned by most societies. Fifteen centuries ago, a Chudth force seized an Isle as their own. Now, they have become a political power to be reckoned with.

Chudth stand about 5 feet tall. Their skin is gray and looks rubbery, and their bodies are completely hairless. Their heads appear disproportionately small from the front, but from the back it can be seen that it extends from behind their back about six inches. They have internal ears, which gives them no penalties but adds to their alien appearance. Their eyes are huge in comparison to their heads, budging out of their sockets and nearly 3 inches in diameter. Finally, they have a short, stubby tail.

Chudth society is rather loose. Chudth live in small communities called Lodes. They are located mostly on the Isle of Yunith, as small, swamp Isle. The Chudthmind, a group of psionically linked Chudth that serve as the ruling council, actually has very little true power â,¬' they can only govern a given Chudth community if it wants to be governed. Surprisingly, this arrangement works. When an army is needed, most Chudth communities willing contribute the needed Ã,¾ of adult females. (Chudth females are considered more fit for combat than males.) The conquest of Yunith is the only true unified action to have occurred in their history.

-2 Cha: Chudth have a great deal of trouble interacting with members of other races.
Medium Sized
Aberration â,¬' Chudths are Aberrations, not humanoids, and are therefore not subject to spells that influence or effect only humanoids, such as charm person. However, spells that influence or effect only Aberrations, such as Detect Aberration or Alienbane (a spell designed to destroy Aberrations.)
Alien Mind â,¬' Chudth have an alien mindset, and other races have trouble understanding it. Chudth get a +2 bonus to saves against mind influencing spells and effects, except for fear effects, which affect them normally. Also, checks to influence a Chudthâ,¬,,¢s attitude suffer a â,¬' 2 penalty.
Psi Like abilities â,¬' A Chudthâ,¬,,¢s eyes are naturally luminescent. At will, as a psi-like ability, a Chudth can use my light with a manifester level equal to their HD.
Mucus â,¬' Chudths secrete slimy mucus. They gain a +2 bonus to Escape Artist checks and to opposed grapple checks.
Odd build â,¬' Chudth have an oddly formed body. A Chudth buying armor outside of a Chudth settlement must pay an additional 10% to the cost of the armor for modifications to fit the Chudthâ,¬,,¢s form. This same cost can be paid to modify a suit of armor to fit the Chudthâ,¬,,¢s form. A Chudth can wear unmodified armor, but the armor check penalties and arcane spell failure chances are doubled, and the max dexterity bonus is halved (round down).
Favored Class â,¬' Psion
LA +0

Unlike the the other two, the Chudth are actually balanced: if anything, they are under powered.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Death Elves]

After the Sundering, the gray elves of Naelidel began to experiment with necromancy to find a way to bring back those they had lost. With each passing year, they began to delve deeper and deeper into forbidden lore. Slowly, their skin and hair begin to become paler, and their pupils began to expand, turning their eyes into black pools.

[ooc]As you can tell, I used to be a bit of an elf-lover. Before anyone ask, I developed the Death Elves long before Eberron came out.[/ooc]

[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Etoilene]

The Etoileneâ,¬,,¢s origins are hard to trace. It is known they existed before the Sundering, and some of the greatest of the Mage Lords came from their nations. After the Sundering, they found a new home for themselves in the Void, and gained the nickname Void children. Living in isolated monasteries that drift freely or under magical direction through the void, the Etoilene are viewed even by all races, save the elves, as being graceful, otherworldly, and difficult to comprehend.

Etoilene are a monastic people, generally not letting themselves get involved in the politics of the Lands. However, the few times they have gotten involved, they have had major impacts. Etoilene stand between four and five feet tall. Their hair ranges in color from blue to violet to green or any shades in between. They have a lithe, muscular build, and their long ears are covered in fur the color of their hair. Their eyes can be literally any color, though pure black and pure white are rare. They live exceptionally long lives, outstripping even the Elves.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Balanin]

Balanin, also known as the Wildborn, are one of the strangest peoples of the Lands. They were another race created by experiments during the mage wars, bred for stealth and hunting abilities, as well as ferocity. They have no society in the formal sense, but they do organize into packs. Balanin stand between 6 and 7 feet tall, with the males slightly shorter than the females. Both the males and the females are extremely muscular, but have an athletic build.

Despite their outward traits, Balanin are a deeply spiritual people. They worship a number of nature spirits, and many practice a form of ancestor worship. Their hair coloration is usual. Some have long, silver hair, others have stripes or spots like a tiger or leopard, and others have brown or black hair. Their forearms are covered in fur, and they have fully dexterous catlike claws. Their lower legs are similarly furred, and their feet are similarly fully dexterous claws as well. Their ears resemble cat ears, and rest atop their heads.

[ooc]I use the -born suffix too often.[/ooc]
[/spoiler][/spoiler]

[spoiler=Organizations]
Organizations/People of renown:

O) The Kinship of the Dagger
-   Gang of fiendish empowered humanoids that have pledged their souls to an evil power known only as the Well. Loosely organized, with multiple operations. Overall goal is complete domination of the Sundered Lands. They are opposed by the Shining Blades, who fight them for good, and the Skrae,

P) XXX
-   A powerful incubus sorcerer who was converted to good. Now resides in the good plane and works as a fighter for good.
-   

O) The Shining Blades
 - Organization of good aligned heroes who fight the incursion of evil and demonic forces into the world, as well as the workings of the Skrae. They are loosely organized into cells. XXX, above, serves as the head of The Shining Blades. Prior to that, he was a high-ranking member of the Kinship.
[/spoiler]

This was a file of thoughts I found about the Sundered Lands when trying to revamp it at one point. Alot of them contradict the sundered land creation story I posted earlier, but this list was written about eight months ago, while the rest of the setting was written about a year and a half ago.

[spoiler=Random Ideas]
Race to colonize empty isles â,¬' discovered way to make atmospheres hospitable
Only largest isles host life
Natives live on some smaller isle
Prisons Isle
Isles of people exiled â,¬' genocide option.
Isles are rounded â,¬' first (3-5) years, isles collide for a bit, time of Chaos in legends, collisions make smooth, thousands die â,¬' starvation, temperature, crushed. New creation myths spring up. People begin forgetting about mage lords, believe some new myth â,¬' could cause trouble later on, discovering past. (remember who are, where from, how here, theme) â,¬' especially if mage prisoner, what if escaped, sleeping giant no one knows about.
Things would rapidly normalized
Earth starts to slowly rupture, sends up dust, starts cooling earth, poison gases, foliage starts dying.
Energies slowly spread apart, then start bumping together like asteroids.
Isles surrounds by massive layer of deadly gas.
Land shortage â,¬' population issues and magic exists to make little bits of lan
Void vacuum.
Some like Earth â,¬' Atmosphere
Some like Moon â,¬' no Atmosphere[/spoiler]

Tryad

One of my earlier attempts at a setting. The Faerie/Nykalix planes found their way, modified, into Thaedia.

[spoiler=Text]Tryad â,¬' The name for the three physical planes of existence, accessible to living creatures. They are Faerie, the land of the Fey and the native home of the Elves, Tyrinna, the world where mortal men and beasts walk, and Nykalix, the land of the dead, though living creatures can (rarely) corporally enter Nykalix.

Nykalix â,¬' the land of the dead. Every living creatureâ,¬,,¢s soul goes here before entering the Outworlds. However, Nykalix is a physical realm, and a living creature can corporally enter Nykalix, though doing so exacts a terrible toll on the living creatures soul â,¬' only already evil, depraved, desperate, or insane individuals attempt it. Any living creature that spiritually enters Nykalix before death died instantly, their soul sent to the Outworlds.

Faerie â,¬' The land of Faerie, also called the hidden world, is a plane of existence hidden within Tyrinna. Fey creatures have their origins in Faerie, as do the Elves, though the elves are creatures of Tyrinna now, having been so long out of Faerie. The land of Faerie is thought in many Tyrinnian religions to be where good souls go after death, however, that is not true. Faerie is much like Tyrinna, even similar geography, but Faerie is highly infused with magic.

Outworlds â,¬' other planes of existence, inhabited by deities and other beings of similar powers. All souls wind up here, save those pledged to Nykalix, whose souls become bound to that dread realm.


NOTES TO SELF
Name magic better
Define Magic
Rename Faerie
Rename Tyrinna
Modify Nykalixâ,¬,,¢s name
Define Outworlds
Define the races: (6 min: One spiritual, one physical, one fire, one earth, one water, one wind.)
Define cultures: Ratayas, Chuâ,¬,,¢mana (jungle humans?), and more.

Elves were cut off from Faerie by powerful magics, many want to go back, some seek the power of Nykalix to breach the walls to go to Faerie. Fey creatures appear on Tyrinna during the full moon, the birth and crowning of a mortal king, the casting of a powerful spell, and other momentous events, but unless their link to Faerie is severed, they snap back at the end of the event.[/spoiler]

Random Creation Myth #1

I have a file of random creation myths. I'm going to post this one first, and will post more at another date.

[spoiler=Text]The World: Mythic History

Creation:

Before the beginning, all was one endless realm. In this realm existed four places, one of air, one of water, one of fire, and one of earth, and between them rested a void. The four elements tried to fill the void, but none of them could completely filled it. It became full of all four, and from those a new power was formed â,¬' magic. This magic had no direction, no purpose, and no realm. Magic spread across the realm, and from its spread, time was formed.

This was the beginning.

Since time was formed, actions began to occur. Everything now had a constraint upon it â,¬' it had to age, in some way or another. This constraint forced more constraints, until from the constraints Hiltohorax, the Eternal Dragon, was formed. Hiltohorax was the first being, and all beings since have come from him.

Hiltohorax was bored by the Realm. So, Hiltohorax tried to harness one of the powers. He tried harnessing fire, but found it volatile. He tried harnessing air, but found it to be fickle. He tried harnessing earth, but found it to be sluggish. He tried harnessing water, but found it too be stubborn. He tried harnessing magic, and he found it complaint. With magic he could tame fire, bind air, excite earth, and subdue water. From this, he created the first plane, and he named it Aelithia, which meant First World. He created other worlds as well, and he discovered four new powers, each born of thought. Calling one evil, one good, one law, and one chaos, he created realms for them, as well as homes for the powers of the elements, and powers he had created, that he called life and death. Using the power of life, Hiltohorax created powerful beings to inhabit Aelithia, and then he left, to create more worlds and more beings. The beings he created were Titians. They had absolute power in Aelithia, and shaped it to their liking. They opened a hole in the sky to the realm of life, so they would never die. Magic was complaint with them as well, bending to their will and allowing them to create as Hiltohorax created. But the Titians were not perfect beings. They had a flaw. The could feel.

Unfinished[/spoiler]

Drakan Aelith

This was actually made for a message board I used to free-form on, trying to establish a city that could be used as a gathering place. Like many of my early ideas, I wanted to cram every race possible into a small area, and it shows strongly here.

The term Aelith and Aelithia and such are used in various settings of mine, because I like the way the word sounds.

[spoiler=Text]Drakan Aelith

Drakan Aelith is an independent city-state. It is the largest city on the plane, on to its population) but it also has the Council of Varied Species â,¬' leaders of each of the races in Drakan Aelith, with the exception of hybrids (they are represented by all leaders that they have racial ties to.) Also, they have virtually eliminated racism and specism (discrimination on basis of ones specie.) Outsiders often find this uncomfortable, seeing a shop run by goblins, elves, and dwarves next to a smithy run by a giant but worked by kobolds. The one thing the citizens have in common is that the majority are humanoid, but even that is not certain. Many half breeds live here, and some people have the blood of so many races running through their veins that they form a new race â,¬' â,¬Ëhybrids.â,¬,,¢

Aelithians, as they call themselves, are generally laid back and relaxed people, who rarely get excited â,¬' save with the prospect of riches. Half of the city is below ground and part of the Underdark, where those members of the city who are more subterraneanly inclined dwell. Because of its lack of an ethnic majority, Drakan Aelith is often used as neutral ground in conflicts of any sort. Also, its central location and Underdark ties make it one of the largest trading cities on the plane. It possesses an abundance of natural resources, and could become completely self-sufficient if under siege.

Drakan Aelith is the most progressive city in many ways. It is a representative democracy in the American style, (The city is divided into districts, each district gets representatives in proportion to its population) but it also has the Council of Varied Species â,¬' leaders of each of the races in Drakan Aelith, with the exception of hybrids (they are represented by all leaders that they have racial ties to.) Also, they have virtually eliminated racism and specism (discrimination on basis of ones specie.) Outsiders often find this uncomfortable, seeing a shop run by goblins, elves, and dwarves next to a smithy run by a giant but worked by kobolds.

Aelithians, as they call themselves, are generally laid back and relaxed people, who rarely get excited â,¬' save with the prospect of riches. Half of the city is below ground and part of the Underdark, where those members of the city who are more subterraneanly inclined dwell. Because of its lack of an ethnic majority, Drakan Aelith is often used as neutral ground in conflicts of any sort. Also, its central location and Underdark ties make it one of the largest trading cities on the plane. It possesses an abundance of natural resources, and could become completely self-sufficient if under siege.

Nation Profile: (note: Every nation should have one of these, to make it easier for us.)
Primary Race  Ã¢,¬' Mixed
Primary Alignment â,¬' Neutral, but good and evil are mixed in
Economic System â,¬' Capitalist, standard. Numerous guilds that govern various professions do exist, but they are more like corporations than unions.
Government Structure â,¬' Representative democracy. A (president, needs new name),  elected once every 3 years, is the chief executive. He appoints his Executive Council, who advises him but have no real power. The Chambers are representatives elected from each district. The Council of Varied Species governs racial affairs.  
Legal System - Laws are created by the Chambers with the (president) receiving only a little say in the matters. He is more a military leader and foreign policy setter. They are enforced by the Watch, which are essential police (run in a matter very similar to the legal system of America.)
Military The military, generally about 100,000 strong, is charged largely with guarding the trade routes leading into and out of Drakan Aelith. In times of war, the government can conscript an additional 300,000 troops about every three weeks. The military is as racially diverse as the city itself, but savage humanoids (goblins and their ilk) form a small majority.
Exports/Imports  Ã¢,¬' Drakan Aelith is a trade city, and exports and imports every good imaginable.
Location  Ã¢,¬' (this will be in relation to other nations, and since we have none of those yet, kind of hard to figure out.)
Geographical features  Ã¢,¬' Drakan Aelith is located atop a small mountain (mount Drakan) with strong Underdark ties (tunnels and caves.) This mountain is the smallest of the Aelithian range, and thus the one merchants must travel over to cross this range. A river runs along the base of the mountain, allowing for water transport.[/spoiler]

Verdant Apocalypse

This was posted on the WOTC boards a long time ago, though the thread still exists: Here (http://boards.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=427747&page=2&pp=30). It was well recieved by them, but unfortunatly, real life pulled me away, and by the time I got back, the thread had sunk and I didn't feel like reviving it.

[spoiler=Text]Welcome to the world after the Apocalypse. Most worlds are lucky â,¬' when they suffer their Apocalypse, they are thrust into a desert world where little lives, humanoids raid each other, death is common, lawlessness is rampant, and evil powers run the show. The citizens Tynir envy those lucky souls. For Tynirâ,¬,,¢s Apocalypse broke upon them in a verdant tidal wave, for in the last days of the Magic Wars, the mad druid Hillen created the great Source tree. As soon as it was created, it began radiating out the deadliest power of all â,¬' the power of life. Bushes, trees, other plants and animals and more sprung from the surface of Tynir, covering everything in the Great Forest. Now, humanoid races live in one of three ways. Humans and Gnomes, more than any other, retained cities, creating them as fortified bastions that hold back the Forest. Dwarves, Drow, and some other races fled beneath the land, creating underground nations to hide from the Forest. The rest eke out their living in and off of the Forest, establishing themselves as part of the local ecology, and not always at, or even near, the top of the food chain. This doesnâ,¬,,¢t make them the primitive barbarians the city folk and under folk think they are â,¬' far from it, in fact. The Shadowgrove Elves, for example, have a rich, complex culture that hundreds of sages have studied. Of course, the fact that the Elves of Shadowgrove have a nasty habit of turning visitors into Zombies makes them a poor example. Take instead the beast lords of Grodfi, then. If there is a beast, they have taken it, ridden it, and probably fed some of their neighbors to itâ,¬Â¦so again, maybe a bad example.

Such would be the beginning of a Travelers Guide to Tynir, if Tynir had a Travelerâ,¬,,¢s Guild. Basically, Tynir is my response to the cliché, old-fashioned post apocalyptic wasteland worlds that are so popular. Sure, the wasteland apocalypse is fun, but in a world saturated with magic, as so many are, why does it have to be the only type of apocalypse possible? Therefore, I created a world where the apocalypse has come and gone, turning the world into a massive woodland. It is by no means uniform, however â,¬' some areas have jungle like climates, others are more closely akin to rainforests (temperate or tropical) and still others are more like the forests we know and love, while others still can be found that are formed from magical conditions. Marshlands, hills, bogs, swamps, and even a few mountains do still exist, as do rivers and lakes, but there is no longer an ocean to speak of, nor is it possible to find plains. Humanoids either do everything they can to live inside the forests, or to fight for the little clearings they have.

Main Concepts:
Nature has run wild. Besides normal, everyday deadly animals and even less normal dire animals, the magical flood resurrected dinosaurs, created plants that feast on flesh, and magical creatures that could decimate a tribe. Dragons represent the top of the food chain, but even they have to fight for that spot, and some druids argue that the pinnacle of the food chain is the Forest itself, which is in many ways the ultimate predator.

Humanoids are weaker. Humanoid society is limited, reduced mainly to cities that had powerful enough mages to resist the onslaught, or reduced to tribal people who live in the woods. The underground races fared the best, though the harsh environment of the Underdark became even more deadly with the sprouting of great fungus forests, earning it the name â,¬Å"The Jungle Belowâ,¬Â

Technology is rare. Metalworking is done mostly by the underground races, meaning it is rare outside of the Jungle Below and the cities that have access to the underground realms. Most tribal people use other substances for their weapons, and although some of the â,¬Å"civilizedâ,¬Â people sneer at them, an obsidian arrowhead kills you just as dead as one of steel. Some of the materials they use for building, such as Ironwood or Resin, are actually better than their metal counterparts.

Nature is brutal. Even for the tribes that live in the Wood, nature is vicious, deadly, and unpredictable. Creatures such as Ents, Dryads, and other benevolent nature spirits are more often indifferent to humanoids or actively hostile. While some do care about their weak, fleshy neighbors, most view them as just another part of the food chain, due no special consideration. The forest itself is indifferent to humanoids, as it is to every other creature. Survival of the fittest is the law of the land, more than in any other place.

More coming later, if anyone is interested.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Druid Orders]Druids can be found in one of three ways. Two will be described in separate posts. The main ways druids are found are druidic circles, usually formed from three to twenty druids of the same race. These druids revere the wilderness, and generally work in the interests of a single forest dwelling community. They are viewed in high regard among Wood dwelling people, and many communities have laws against killing these druids, even of rival tribes, unless it is in self defense.

Every druidic order has a contingent of rangers that fight for their cause, but there are rangers who do not serve any of the orders. They can be found in roving â,¬Ëbandsâ,¬,,¢ that either fight for the Wood or for the peoples who dwell in it. Some rangers are city dwellers who hunt for their city, using their knowledge of nature to help keep the city fed. They view themselves as predators high on the food chain, and as part of the natural order.

Most Druids (and rangers) tend to worship the Wood itself. A few evil ones worship Hillen and his ideal, especially those belonging to the Spreader order, while the tribal druids tend to worship their racial god(s).

The people of the Woods tend to revere druids as benevolent, helpful people, at least the druids of their own tribe. Druids of rival tribes are often viewed as cunning, deceitful, and dangerous â,¬' but that is also how the entire rival tribe is often viewed. Citydwellers tend to have a higher opinion of the more down to earth, practical rangers, and childhood stories of Hillenâ,¬,,¢s wickedness tends to invoke an almost primal fear of Druids in city dwelling creatures.

[spoiler=The Spreaders][ic]Rilas wiped sweat from his brow as he hefted his axe and swung again. It bit deep into the wood, and he let out a grunt of satisfaction as he heard the popping sound of the tree falling. He glanced around, making sure he still had a clear path to the city walls. Only a fool would go woodcutting at all, but it took an even bigger fool to not be prepared to run if the forest noticed his attentions. The guard who Rilas had bribed to watch waved, letting Rilas know that he was keeping up his end of the deal. If Rilas had to make a dash back to the city, the money he had given the guard insured the guard would open the gate. He turned back to his prize.

The little old man gently stroking the bark almost gave Rilas a heart attack. Angry, Rilas spat out, â,¬Å"What do you think your doing, old man? Get away from there, I have to get this tree back inside before they notice.â,¬Â The old man payed Rilas no mind, but kept stroking the treeâ,¬,,¢s back. Rilas noticed a drop fall from the old manâ,¬,,¢s face to the trees back. â,¬Å"Hillenâ,¬,,¢s cursed beard, get away fromâ,¬Â¦there?â,¬Â his voice trailed away as he looked closer at the drop that had fallen. What he had taken for a teardrop was the color â,¬' (not just the color) â,¬' of blood. The old man turned to face Rilas. Blood ran down his chin, and his eyes were golden, like a wolves. â,¬Å"They noticed, Rilas Treekiller. They noticed all too well.

With a strangled cry, Rilas turned and started running back to the city. He felt something grab he ankle, then his arm, then his waist, constricting him. He didnâ,¬,,¢t have to look down to know they were no hands, but vines. They pulled tighter and tighter, and breathing became harder and harder. He turned his eyes to the city, just in time to see the guard he had bribed pulled apart by great, black eagles. The old man was saying something, but Rilas couldnâ,¬,,¢t quite make it out. Then everything went black.

----------------------

Malren watched with pleasure as Rilas went limp, the deathvines carrying his corpse away to be consumed. He wiped his mouth, clearing it of the false blood. These ignorant peasants were so easily frightened. The fools thought that they could go â,¬Ëwoodcuttingâ,¬,,¢ to slow the spread of the Wood. He spit on the ground. Only a fool believed they could keep out the woods, as this city would â,¬' was â,¬' learning, everyone would fall to the Wood. Malren would help make sure of it.[/ic]

The Spreaders are an order of Druid dedicated to the destruction of civilized life, destroying cities and killing anyone who supports them. Many refuse to name them, for fear of bringing their wrath down upon their city. The last vestiges of the order the mad druid Hillen belonged to, the Spreaders work to finish their masters work. Most of the Spreaders worship Hillen as if he were a god, and although there is no proof he is, the druids of the order are still able to draw their spells from the land. However, a growing sect is ignoring the worship of Hillen and instead worshiping the Wood itself. Although few in number, the Spreaders are nonetheless a force to be reckoned with.

Power structure â,¬' loose cells. The leader of the Spreaders, an enigmatic entity that calls itself The Finisher, communicates with the leaders of the various â,¬Ëgroves,â,¬,,¢ or cells, of Spreaders. No Spreader group is aware of the activities of others, and The Finisher sometimes even sets different groves against each other, all in pursuance of its ultimate goal â,¬' the eradication of humanoid life.

Gather Information or Knowledge (Nature) DCs for the Spreaders.

5 â,¬' the Spreaders are a fanatical cult that seeks to destroy every city left.
10 â,¬' Spreaders operate in loose groups called groves to achieve their goals.
15 â,¬' No one has ever seen the Spreadersâ,¬,,¢ leader, who gives the various groves their goals
20 â,¬' Sometimes, Spreaders fight amongst themselves, either at their leaders behest or because of ideological schisms.
25 â,¬' Few of the Spreaderâ,¬,,¢s members are humanoid, and those that are tend to be insane.
30+ - if Gather Information, the PC can learn about the nearest grove of Spreaders. If Knowledge (Nature), instead read this: â,¬Å"Some of the Spreaderâ,¬,,¢s activities have been against humanoid tribes deep in the woods.â,¬Â
35 (knowledge only) â,¬' Some people believe the ultimate goal of the Spreaders is to eradicate humanoid life, no matter where it lives.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=The Peacemakers][ic]Kaeli walked though the main hall, her head held high. The representatives of Rithoc sat down, and she took her place across from them, her rich green robes flowing around her. After fifteen days of intense debate, the council was finally going to give her an answer.

â,¬Å"Kaeli Grovekeeper, we find the terms of your treaty to be acceptable. The city of Rithoc will cease harvesting live wood from the area in question for a period of fifteen years. In return, fifteen of the Peacebond Rangers and yourself will remain in Rithoc for the duration of those fifteen years and protect the people of Rithoc against the dangers of the Woods, to the limits of your abilities and your oaths.â,¬Â

Mutters from the crowd gathered to watch helped Kaeli gauge the reaction of the townspeople â,¬' optimistic, if skeptical. Better than most. Maliki, the leader of the Peacebond rangers that she headed and her husband, gave her a slight nod and tiny smile â,¬' from another man, as good as a joyful shout. Kaeli stood up, and bowed low.

â,¬Å"Councilmen of Rithoc, we thank you for you agreement. We offer our hope that this will be the beginning of a new era of understanding between the Wood and your city, so that peace may reign.â,¬Â The lead councilman stood to return her bow, when from outside roars and screams were heard. A man ran in, panting. â,¬Å"My lords! A pack of Usarachs are attacking the walls!â,¬Â Before the councilmen could respond, Kaeli turned and ran out of the main hall, Maliki by her side. The treaty had been made. Now it was time to show that it would be followed. With luck, the councilmen would do the same.[/ic]

The Peacemakers are one of the most respected druidic orders. Unlike most, they actually do seek a balance, defending cities from the dangers of the Wood and the Wood from the encroachments of humanoids. They revere the Wood itself, but their worship is tempered with the understanding that the Wood is an elemental force, not subject to the whims and desires of humanoids.

Power Structure â,¬' Strict Hierarchy â,¬' The Peacemakers are rigidly defined in their places, all from the Keeper of the Peace down to the lowliest Grovekeeper. Even the lowest Grovekeeper commands one Peacebond Ranger, rangers dedicated to defending humanoids from the Wood.

Gather Information or Knowledge (Nature) DCs for the Peacemakers

5 â,¬' The Peacemakers are a group of druids that works to establish a balance between the Cities and the woods.
10 â,¬' The Peacemakers are rigidly structured with a strict chain of command, but individual operatives do have some independence.
15 â,¬' The Peacemakers are led by the Keeper of the Peace, a powerful druid that is elected by the Grovekeepers, the lowest rank of the Peacemakers
20 â,¬' The current Keeper of the Peace is a female elf that wants to see the balance established in her lifetime.
25 â,¬' Efforts to make and maintain treaties with the various cities has increased dramatically lately â,¬' and treaty breakers are dealt with much more harshly.
30+ - if Gather Information, the PC can learn about the local activities of the Peacemakers. If Knowledge (Nature), no knew knowledge is gained.
[/spoiler][/spoiler]

[spoiler=races]Races first, because those are just fun. Iâ,¬,,¢m not able to type the stats and full write up for them right now, but here are paragraphs describing my homebrew races, Iâ,¬,,¢ll go into more detail on them on request.

Slyviks â,¬' The Slyviks are the youngest of Tynirâ,¬,,¢s races, birthed in the same tidal wave of life that created the Great Forest. Bonded to the Source Tree in a way few others can even begin to comprehend, the Slyviks on recently began forming individual consciousnesses. These younger Slyviks, who are knows as Unbonded Slyviks (termed debased Slyviks by the rest of the Slyvik hive-mind) have begun forming their own society. Many of them worship the Source Tree as if it were a god, but others distain the Source Tree, viewing it as a source of enslavement for their people. They form their own tribes, and although they do not treat with the city-based humanoids (they would never go that far), they have had peaceful relations with tribal humanoids.

Slyviks are bloodtouched plants. A Bloodtouched plant is to the Plant type what Living Construct is to the Construct type â,¬' a subtype that changes enough of the base types traits to allow for a LA +0 Plant race.

Ixit â,¬' the Ixit are a reptilian race of humanoids that rival the elves for their longevity and the length of their history. Althoughâ,¬Â¦

[ooc]The post ended here, and Iâ,¬,,¢m unfortunately not sure where I was going with the Ixit, except for an affinity for fireâ,¬Â¦I think. Thatâ,¬,,¢s one of my biggest problems, that I let many ideas vanish due to lack of keeping up to date.[/ooc][/spoiler]

Anyone have any thoughts? Love them? hate them? don't want to read them?

I like Verdant Apocalypse, sounds interesting...  Can't believe you totally made a new thread for this after I made the dice bag...  Hurting my feelings and all...  but yeah, I'd love to see these developed if you have the time, talk to me on aim about them sometime.

I'm definitaly going to be developing these worlds further...these are my earliest works that are good enough to show, hence the roughness. Sorry about not using the dice bag, I'll be posting some other stuff there soon. :P

New World

An unnamed setting, New World features the first appearance of my idea of Goblyns.

[spoiler=text]4 continents minimum â,¬' one similar to pre-renaissance Europe, Clash between Paganism and Monotheism (Monotheists believe pagan gods all aspects of one god), one similar to Feudal Japan revere/venerate Fey, one similar to N Africa/Arabia, one similar to Aztecs. Chains of islands connect continents.

Cultures:
Viking/Mongolians, bandit type people, skilled horsemen, the leaders use spiritual embodiments of horses as mounts, very close to nature, have druid like people, can enchant the warriors and their weapons, some of the most powerful can call nature to fight. Often use animals for warriors, scouts, etc. They only have one actual city, where they go for important ceremonies and rituals.

Very inventive people, technologically advanced, live in cities, work with steel. Noble caste rules the society.

People like Greeks, practice democracy, very focused on the arts and architecture. More organized armies. Phalanx type formations.
 
Goblyns came with elves, powerful physically, often employed as mercenaries, most people only encounter goblyn mercenaries. Hobgoblyns more physically powerful, evil, winged.

Trolls big, brutish, not to bright, live as simple hunter gatherers in forests, usually only interact with humans when humans log too deep into forest. Troll also steal livestock, do not understand property, but understand territory â,¬' they think stealing livestock is just simple hunting.

Ill Humors, like used to be believed, causes disease.[/spoiler]

Winged Hobgoblyns? An interesting twist.

Ah, the old balance of the four humors.  Good stuff!


Greek democracy?  As in only one in one hundred get to vote? ;)

Yeah, I have this mental image of Winged Hobgoblyns that I just can't shake. Glad you like, I want to move away from standard DnD Hobgoblins.

yeah, I decided that balance of humors thing would be fun to add in, and will definatly have spells that directly interfear with them.

Pretty much, yeah. Citizens get the vote, all others dont, and citizens are landowning human males who were born/naturalized and worship the right god, which cover a very small portion of the population. :P

First post updated to serve as an idex for my creations. :)

This may be the last time I answer a desperate call. I never did find the damsel in a dress(obscure reference for 300 Alex), so instead I read most of the thread and wrote down some comments as I did. Here they are. Enjoy!

Aftermath: Using IC memories and conversations, I like this method of delivery. It can definitely help setup the tone of the setting. With magic mix with technology I donâ,¬,,¢t think there would have been the development of as many guns as we have today. Ammo would have probably been where most of the focus would have been. Alchemistâ,¬,,¢s fire, healing potions (For fighting undead), thunder stones (for crowd control), and other bullets mages and munitions experts could have collaborated on. You may be able to mix some the elements from this setting with your Shadowrun-esque setting. I do like the concept of the future and magic mixing. If you ever get one up to where you can run a game, please start a PbP here.

Empires of the Great: Not much I can say about this setting. Even after reading the blurb twice I canâ,¬,,¢t tell you if I like it or not. You could probably use this setting to practice your writing. Start off small, with a few characters and as you add elements you can expand the setting and its history a little more.

Aelithia: â,¬Å"The races of men are but infants, the dragons but children, and even the dragons are mere adolescents when viewed in eons that Aelithia has enduredâ,¬Â ??? You mention dragons are children and adolescents. Is this suppose to be that way? Or is the first dragons a different race? Elves maybe?  Ã¢,¬Å"A creature cannot lose these negative levels by any means while in the deadlands, not even wish or miracle spells.â,¬Â Do you mean regain?  Ã¢,¬Å"A creature that is killed from this rises 1d4 days later as a skeleton or zombie (a zombie if it rises 1 or 2 days later, a skeleton if it rises 3 or 4 days later.)â,¬Â Wow that is a fast rate of decomposition. :)

Again I like the IC delivery of beliefs and history. I havenâ,¬,,¢t read your Datrik thread yet, but I do like the concepts presented in this setting. I think the Lowerlands are my favorite part of what is described. The mushroom forests and inverted mountains are great.

The Sundered Lands: Skipped for now,  since there is so much material to go through. Iâ,¬,,¢ll go back to it later

Tryad: When I was reading Nykalix I thought it would have been funny if creatures from Tyrad visiting the plane appeared as ghost and the inhabitants of Nykalix were afraid of them. Then you obliterated that thought with the words â,¬Å"can corporally enterâ,¬Â. Curse you, evil man. :P. Interesting setting, but until more information is put up I donâ,¬,,¢t think there is much more I can say about it.

Random Creation Myth #1: You like the name Aelithia donâ,¬,,¢t you? I like the myth and would like to see the finished copy, but if the Titans have children that rebel, defeat them, and then become gods I think I will have to cause one of us physical pain.  j/k.

Drakan Aelith: I guess you answered the question about Aelithia. This city seems so familiar, I canâ,¬,,¢t place my finger on itâ,¬Â¦ :P While reading the introduction paragraph I was thinking this city needed a strong legal system, especially if it was a common ground for many disputes. Then I saw you addressed that in the profile. The nation profile is a good idea and I might steal it for what I am working on. Not only is it helpful for the reader, but an author can use it to quickly outline a city/nation before he/she fully developes it.

Verdant Apocalypse: I briefly glanced at this setting and will come back to it a little later. I did see the ooc block at the bottom. Maybe if you use a profile type system for your thoughts you wouldnâ,¬,,¢t lose so much. Like a racial profile that you can jot down the idea behind a race you are thinking of (ie the Lixit).  For example:

Lixit:
Appearance: reptilian
Abilities: Agile, maybe a little dull and weak willed.  
Qualities: Long life span, spends most of its time in the trees (climb bonus probably needed). Affinity with fire.  Located in dense forest may need lowlight vision.  Attacking foes from the trees (favorite class: possibly ranger)
Other ideas: They were once slaves to the elves, broke free and now have a thriving nation. They may be very territorial.

I do like the plant construct type race.

New World: The fly hobgoblins are great. I also like the Trolls definition of simple hunting.


Closing: There are a lot of good ideas here. You think way too much, but that isnâ,¬,,¢t necessarily a bad thing. I wish I had as many ideas as are just in this thread and was able to organize them. I will probably be using a profile system when I do think of things. I still have to read the two more developed settings in this thread so you will probably hear from me again.


Psssst: You forgot to index â,¬Å"Forbiddenâ,¬Â

Quote from: 14pxLixit:[/size] [/b][/u]
Appearance: reptilian
Abilities: Agile, maybe a little dull and weak willed.  
Qualities: Long life span, spends most of its time in the trees (climb bonus probably needed). Affinity with fire.  Located in dense forest may need lowlight vision.  Attacking foes from the trees (favorite class: possibly ranger)
Other ideas: They were once slaves to the elves, broke free and now have a thriving nation. They may be very territorial.

I do like the plant construct type race.

New World: The fly hobgoblins are great. I also like the Trolls definition of simple hunting.[/quote]Closing: There are a lot of good ideas here. You think way too much, but that isnâ,¬,,¢t necessarily a bad thing. I wish I had as many ideas as are just in this thread and was able to organize them. I will probably be using a profile system when I do think of things. I still have to read the two more developed settings in this thread so you will probably hear from me again.[/quote]Psssst: You forgot to index â,¬Å"Forbiddenâ,¬Â[/quote]

>.>

<.<

gotcha. *sneaks off to fix.*

Quote from: High Seraph Xathan, The Risen

Quote from: http://imdb.com/title/tt0102070/Hudson Hawk[/url]. There is a great line by Andie McDowels character which she says " I don't make a very good damsel in a dress" ,instead of in distress, while drugged.

Quote from: High Seraph Xathan, The RisenYeah, I do. And if I do that blatant a Greek mythology rip off, you have my permission to ensure it is me that endures the physical pain. :P

Lixit:
Appearance: reptilian
Abilities: Agile, maybe a little dull and weak willed.  
Qualities: Long life span, spends most of its time in the trees (climb bonus probably needed). Affinity with fire.  Located in dense forest may need lowlight vision.  Attacking foes from the trees (favorite class: possibly ranger)
Other ideas: They were once slaves to the elves, broke free and now have a thriving nation. They may be very territorial.

I do like the plant construct type race.

Can you steal your own ideas? It is just a version of you nation profile, which after giving it more consideration I will be yoinking *yoink*

Quote from: High Seraph Xathan, The RisenIt is a good and bad thing. I wish I could bloody sit down and finish something. Thanks for the feedback, and I really look forward to hearing from you again. :D

You're very welcome, though now I am tempted to read Datrik. You have very evil ways mister Xathan, if that is indeed your current name. :P

The Sundered Lands: Do any of the isles crash into each other? (this could be a disaster in your disaster thread)

I like the Orcish pirates. When everyone is traveling through the skies (which are now the oceans) it would make sense that some group would be trying to take advantage of travelers and caravans.

A new evilish elf, it is refreshing to have an antagonist other than Drow.

If you were making the perfect warrior (referring to the Orlocks), wouldnâ,¬,,¢t you want to have them be weak willed? At least to your commands?

I agree the Chudth might be a little underpowered.

In a book I was reading once, there was a race that constantly emitted something very similar to an Anti-magic field. I have been trying to make a race for some time that had this ability or some variation, but I donâ,¬,,¢t have a setting and it will be hard to make them balanced. This setting could be the place for them and it would make sense. One of the mages created these creatures as their perfect warrior, through the years the ability has diluted. Just a thought.

What are the current feelings toward mages now? What do people think of clerics and druid? I had an idea not quite like this, but a mage war occurred and in the present mages are hunted and clerics are part of the lower class. Practicing arcane magic has to be hidden.


There is a lot of potential in this setting. I likes it.


YAY!! Only one setting left from the original nine.

Quote from: PoseidonThe Sundered Lands: Do any of the isles crash into each other? (this could be a disaster in your disaster thread)

I like the Orcish pirates. When everyone is traveling through the skies (which are now the oceans) it would make sense that some group would be trying to take advantage of travelers and caravans.[/quote]A new evilish elf, it is refreshing to have an antagonist other than Drow.[/quote]If you were making the perfect warrior (referring to the Orlocks), wouldnâ,¬,,¢t you want to have them be weak willed? At least to your commands?[/quote]I agree the Chudth might be a little underpowered.[/quote]In a book I was reading once, there was a race that constantly emitted something very similar to an Anti-magic field. I have been trying to make a race for some time that had this ability or some variation, but I donâ,¬,,¢t have a setting and it will be hard to make them balanced. This setting could be the place for them and it would make sense. One of the mages created these creatures as their perfect warrior, through the years the ability has diluted. Just a thought.[/quote]What are the current feelings toward mages now? What do people think of clerics and druid? I had an idea not quite like this, but a mage war occurred and in the present mages are hunted and clerics are part of the lower class. Practicing arcane magic has to be hidden.[/quote]There is a lot of potential in this setting. I likes it.


YAY!! Only one setting left from the original nine.
[/quote]

Thank you, and I lookforward to your review of Verdant Apocalypse. :)

Verdant Apocolypse: An interesting twist on the post-apocolyptic society. Dinosaurs are a nice touch. Traveling to different cities must be very rare if at all possible without a member of the peacekeepers.

 Which of the two druidic sects is the most prevalent? The Speaders are more prevalent than the setting would be more dangerous and hopeless. If the Peacemakers are the more prevalent then it would give the setting a more hopeful feeling.

How easy is it to join either sect? Do prospective people have to be regular druids first?

I guess because the spreaders are cellular they don't have any non-druid humanoid allies.

I see the future of the humanoids as flying cities or being crushed beneath the iron(wood) fist of the forest. It would be interesting to see how this developes.

Quote from: PoseidonVerdant Apocalypse: An interesting twist on the post-apocalyptic society. Dinosaurs are a nice touch. Traveling to different cities must be very rare if at all possible without a member of the peacekeepers.

Which of the two druidic sects is the most prevalent? The Spreaders are more prevalent than the setting would be more dangerous and hopeless. If the Peacemakers are the more prevalent then it would give the setting a more hopeful feeling.[/quote]How easy is it to join either sect? Do prospective people have to be regular druids first?[/quote]I guess because the spreaders are cellular they don't have any non-druid humanoid allies.[/quote]I see the future of the humanoids as flying cities or being crushed beneath the iron(wood) fist of the forest. It would be interesting to see how this developes.
[/quote]

Ooh, and interesting idea. That would be a whole nother world in and of itself, and would be fun to design and play in. :)

Quote from: High Seraph Xathan, The Risen

QuoteI see the future of the humanoids as flying cities or being crushed beneath the iron(wood) fist of the forest. It would be interesting to see how this developes.

AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! I have given him another idea for a setting! RUN for the hills!!!!! :P

Hehehe, I have a new one every day it seems, so don't worry. :P

As for the exclusive democracies in New World, you might want to take a look at my old Democracy?! (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=377393)-project, or at Baron (http://www.thecbg.org/settings/12/baron.html), the nation in Orden's Mysteries that resulted from that project.
Túrin

Both of those are really interesting...thanks for the help, Turin. :)

Pirates of the Caribbean was seen by me, and as always when I see a great movie, I am making a new setting. (I'm tired, my synatx is off) (see the movie if you haven't yet, it is awesome.) Inspiration for this setting, besides the aformentioned movie, is going to be drawn from old sailor myths, South American and Caribbean mythology, and some random other influences in there. A little Pirates, a little voodoo, and a little dash of the old Xathan crazy ideas make up this setting. Now, I have a lot already done actually, but I am also really tired, so I'm just going to post up a teaser. Thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

[ic=The Cap'n]Oh, sure, ye be wantin' to sail. Everyone be wantin' to sail. Escape the High lordin' it over ye, set out for the New World and make yer own way, hoppin' the Isles. But ye don't know what ye be gettin' yerself into. The sea, she be a treacherous mistress, and those that be waitin' for ye on the Isles are not friendly buggers. Then there are the terrors that be waitin' fer ye under the salty depths, shark-men and sea drakes and the Lords of the depths, the kraken and their great Father Dagon. So ye still want to sail, do ye?

Aye, I can see that ye do. Ye have the salt in your blood. Welcome aboard, then. This be the Bloodtalon, and I be Cap'n Derkhar Razorfist. Ye don't want to ask why they call me Razorfist, lad - the answer will be comin shortly.[/ic]

Pirates (setting still unamed) takes a world that bears some similarity to ours during the Age of Exploration, where seafearing and swashbuckling were common. Drawing upon d20 past and our own mythology, Pirates blends Voodoo magic, swashbuckling action, lovecraftian horror, and, of course, Pirates, into a single setting that will take your adventures to the sea.

For this seafaring campaign setting are you planning on including things from the Odyssey(Charybdis, Islands controlled by witches/goddesses, etc)? An area of water similar to the Bermuda Triangle could be interesting (with or without an explantion of why ships disappear).

Definitely gets something up. I would love to see how this world developes.


You should include this treasure as well:

Quote from: aotrscommander from WotC Boards6) I ran a pirate campaign where the PCs were searching for the lost treasure of the local nutter (mad old Cap'n Beard's) ancestor. the eventually found the treasure chest which contained:

A wooden spindle with a piece of twine wrapped round the centre, with a loop at the lose end. It appears to be some sort of childâ,¬,,¢s toy.

A long-handled gardening implement, like a pitchfork, but with a rectangular piece of metal across the end.

A bottle of some alcoholic beverage, unopened, perhaps grog or maybe rum.


Yes, the treasure consisted of a yo-yo, hoe and a bottle of rum.

Quote from: aotrscommander from WotC Boards6) I ran a pirate campaign where the PCs were searching for the lost treasure of the local nutter (mad old Cap'n Beard's) ancestor. the eventually found the treasure chest which contained:

A wooden spindle with a piece of twine wrapped round the centre, with a loop at the lose end. It appears to be some sort of childâ,¬,,¢s toy.

A long-handled gardening implement, like a pitchfork, but with a rectangular piece of metal across the end.

A bottle of some alcoholic beverage, unopened, perhaps grog or maybe rum.


Yes, the treasure consisted of a yo-yo, hoe and a bottle of rum.

OMFG! that is hilarous! I saw it coming before I reached the end of the quote, when I recognized the Hoe...that is awesome. :P

More, Incomplete Pirate Information. I'll probably be moving Pirates to a new thread soon, but for now, here it is:

Pirates

Races

[note=Elves, Dwarves, and Orcs, Oh My]Iâ,¬,,¢m still wavering if I am going to include them. If I do, Elves will be an oppressive culture that runs trading companies like the Dutch East Indies, the Dwarves will be hardy expansionists, always seeking the next frontier, and Orcs will be a shamanistic people ripped from their homeland and used for slave labor. Gnomes will not be present in Pirates, and Halflings, if they do exist, will probably be cannibalistic natives of some of the Isles.[/note]Humans: The most varied of the races of Pirates, humans were scattered across the globe by some force early in their history, meaning there is no unified human nation or culture. The Church teaches this scattering was punishment for humanities hubris, but this is only one theory.

Cephaliths: Sometimes called Children of the Kraken, the Cephaliths have the upper bodies of humans with blue skin and tentacles for hair, and a lower body with four long, strong tentacles. Two distinct cephalith cultures exist: The Wave Riders, who live on great ships and mostly interact peacefully with other races, and the dugarâ,¬,,¢shog or Deep Ones, who live deep beneath the waves and server the terrible god of the Krakens, father Dagon.

[note=Sahuagin as PCs]The Sahuagin are going to have their stats reworked somewhat, to make them better PCs.[/note]Sea Devils: In their own tounge the Sahuagin, Sea Devils are raiders and pirates that take great pleasure in sinking ships and plundering the vessels for goods. A recent war against the dugarâ,¬,,¢shog cephaliths depleted the Sea Devilsâ,¬,,¢ numbers, which makes expansion a safer prospect, but by no means totally safe.

Totem Folk: The totem folk border the line between spirit and mortal. Residents of the isles and the New World, the totem folk struggle to hold on to their anchient traditions in the face of humanoid incursion. All totem folk have an animal totem they are bound to, and gain powers and can change forms based on that totem. The Totems are: [list is incomplete]Wolf, Raven, Bear, Fox, Rabbit, Horse, Sparrow, Hawk, Snake, Dolphin, Shark, and Bat.

MORE TO COME!

Religion:

The Universal Church: A monotheistic religion, the Church believes it has the One True Way, and seeks to spread its influences across the globe. It tries to find willing converts where it can, but where people will not convert willingly, they are often made to convert at sword point.

Animism: Everything has a spirit, and spirits reside in everything. The great oak tree, she has a spirit. And the wolf that howls in the night, he has a spirit. The man who walks the streets has one, as does the ship that sails the sea and the sword that pierces the flesh. Such are the tenants of Animists, who draw their powers from these spirits. Many animists pay homage to a particular spirit, called a totem.

Magic

Standard arcane magic and psionics are not present in Pirates

[note=Fetish]A fetish is any item that contains a bound spirit. Fetishes are often used by some cultures in place of most standard magic items.[/note]Voodoo: Practiced by the humanoid races brought over as slaves to the New World and many of the islanders, Voodoo is a magic that uses fetishes, dolls, and other objects to affect its targets at great distances.

Isles

Lokos: One of the largest isles, Lokos is notable for housing a very large population of former slaves that freed themselves in a bloody war that overthrew their masters. Lokos is located about midway through the isles, and has declared itself a free Isle, meaning all of its five major ports are house to all manner of thieves, ruffians, scoundrels and pirates. The interior of the continent is a thick, lush jungle home to a unique breed of carnivorous, magical apes that prey of humanoid races whenever they venture too far from the shore.

Mainland

New World

Monsters

Kraken: perhaps the most feared of the oceanic monsters, krakens are powerful magical creatures that prey on ships.

At this rate I'll never get my soul back/ :P

Races:

Humans: Eh not much to say here. If you don't include most PHB races or make many new ones you might want to make regional humans. Example human living on an island where voodoo is practiced they would lose the bonus feat and skill points gaining instead a bonus to voodoo casting, bonus and penalties to abilities and something else. You can keep the normal humans as the dominant culture.

Cephaliths: Interesting. One just happens to be named after the lead singer of the Monkees. :P Will their tenticle hair be able to grab things? Hide things? I would love to hear more on this race. Cab they squirt ink? :)

Sea Devils: You may be better off creating a new race than reworking the Sahuagin. Another option is to give them racial levels that PCs can take. Locathah's might be closer to a PC race than the Sahuagin.

Totem Folk: Similar to the natives comlumbus and following conquerers encountered? Possible additions to the list whale, crab, squid, some type of big cat (tiger, lion, panther, liger, etc)

Other races: I like the orc and halfling ideas. The elf and dwarf ideas make sense, but I haven't determined if I like them or not.

Religion:

Universal: How will you handle clerics?

Animism: Druids or spirit shamans? The description lends itself very well to spirit shamans.

Magic:

No Arcane & Psionics: hhhmmm interesting. Is this a low magic setting?

Voodoo: You may want to check out Raelifin's Witchdoctors for ideas if you don't have this already all planned out. So if someone has a foot with a bound spirit he has a foot fetish? (I'm sorry i couldn't resist)

The Rest:

More information is needed on the rest before I can comment.

Quote from: PoseidonAt this rate I'll never get my soul back/ :P

Races:

Humans: Eh not much to say here. If you don't include most PHB races or make many new ones you might want to make regional humans. Example human living on an island where voodoo is practiced they would lose the bonus feat and skill points gaining instead a bonus to voodoo casting, bonus and penalties to abilities and something else. You can keep the normal humans as the dominant culture.[/quote]Cephaliths: Interesting. One just happens to be named after the lead singer of the Monkees. :P Will their tenticle hair be able to grab things? Hide things? I would love to hear more on this race. Cab they squirt ink? :)][/quote]Sea Devils: You may be better off creating a new race than reworking the Sahuagin. Another option is to give them racial levels that PCs can take. Locathah's might be closer to a PC race than the Sahuagin.[/quote]Totem Folk: Similar to the natives comlumbus and following conquerers encountered? Possible additions to the list whale, crab, squid, some type of big cat (tiger, lion, panther, liger, etc)[/quote]Other races: I like the orc and halfling ideas. The elf and dwarf ideas make sense, but I haven't determined if I like them or not.[/quote]Religion:

Universal: How will you handle clerics?[/quote]Animism: Druids or spirit shamans? The description lends itself very well to spirit shamans.[/quote]Magic:

No Arcane & Psionics: hhhmmm interesting. Is this a low magic setting?[/quote]Voodoo: You may want to check out Raelifin's Witchdoctors for ideas if you don't have this already all planned out. So if someone has a foot with a bound spirit he has a foot fetish? (I'm sorry i couldn't resist)[/quote]The Rest:

More information is needed on the rest before I can comment.
[/quote]

Then more information shall be produced! :D Thanks for your replies, as always.

Google is the cure for confusion. The lead singer of the Monkees name is Davy Jones. :) The Monkees were 60's rock band.

As for the Clerics, here are some suggestions:

1: Get rid of them and make your own Missionary class
2. Use the order/ideals idea for domains
3. Allow them to pick their own domains with minimal restrictions
4. Have "pagan" clerics exist but their powers come from a different source, still divine

you should throw in vikings somewhere...  cold waters, a region of icefloes and such...  It could be interesting you know, possibly a use for frostburn., which I know you have...

Quote from: PoseidonGoogle is the cure for confusion. The lead singer of the Monkees name is Davy Jones. :) The Monkees were 60's rock band.

As for the Clerics, here are some suggestions:

1: Get rid of them and make your own Missionary class
2. Use the order/ideals idea for domains
3. Allow them to pick their own domains with minimal restrictions
4. Have "pagan" clerics exist but their powers come from a different source, still divine

[/quote]

I think I'm going to use 1 and 4, with a Missionary class for the Universal church, and a Pagan Priest or something class for pagan religions that exist in the old world and in some parts of the new. I like diversity. :D

Quote from: Xathan the many namedMonkees what? *is confused* As for the tentacle hair, it will be able to be used for holding objects, though not for fine manipulation, and they can hide things in it. Ink can be squirted, though it only really does anything underwater. I'll have a full stat block up, along with historical notes, later on today or tomorrow. The Cephaliths are an older idea of mine, and they make me happy.

If they learn how to aim their ink they could blind adversaries. That would be useful above water. You may want to start a Pirates thread and a discussion thread soon.

UPDATE: I've decided that I'm not going to let my old settings fall by the wayside, though I will be mainly working on Sreth and two yet-to-be-unveiled projects. If anyone has specific interest in any of my older settings, feel free to post on those threads with questions. If not, I'm going to eventually (probably sometime tomorrow and later this week, after I get done with the massive, steaming pile of stuff I have to do), get around to updating those settings, including answering posts I never actually answered on those threads. (Apologies to everyone I did that to.) Also, I'm going to be making a meta setting that spans my various universes, including the alternate Earths, and will happily include other settings in this metaverse that are interested. (The Mirrored Paths, of Datrik, serve as one of the many interdimensional conduits, though they also can connect to things outside the Metaverse, and may be doing so)

Ok, so I finally updated the actual index. If you want something developed further, or just have generic questions for Uncle Xathan, drop 'em here. :D

Hell on Earth:

[ooc]Hell on Earth is inspired by two things: the new World of Darkness by White Wolf, and comics like Spawn, Ghost Rider, and pretty much any comic where the hero has demonic (or angelic) powers. This is a superhero setting, and will be using the Mutants and Masterminds 2nd Edition rules. It is going to be â,¬Ëdistantâ,¬,,¢ from my other superhero settings, with minimal crossover. Those of you familiar with Thaedia will notice some similarities: this is intentional.

Iâ,¬,,¢m just posting this here to get my thoughts down. I may encorporate the whole thing into Supermodern, or keep as a separate setting. Thoughts, as always, are appreciated.[/ooc]

Basic Premise: Powerful forces wage a secret war with Earth as the battleground, empowering mortals to fight against each other.

Further Details: The two major players are the forces of Heaven and Hell, though other realms of existence (such as the Faerie realms and the Twisted Realms, a lovecraftian madness plane) are players as well. Although the ideas espoused by Heaven are moral and the ideals of Hell immoral, their human agents run that gamut, with rebellious agents of hell fighting the good fight, while the agents of heaven go too far and become extremists and bigots.

Interesting notes:
This is a setting with very few established heroes. Unlike most superhero settings, where the setting itself is very hero oriented, Hell on Earth is more like a traditional setting: what shapes it are organizations and events. The individual heroes can cause change, but history as a whole is more shaped by groups.

Other items:

Although most power is supernatural origins, corporations and governments have access to advanced cybernetics and genetics, giving players alternate options. However, supernatural is the norm, not the exception. Governments and corporations also try and exploit various agents of supernatural forces. However, the common person doesnâ,¬,,¢t know many details of the forces acting on our world.

OH NOES not another one.

(to the tune of Clementine)
OH my life force, oh my life force
Oh my life force, my captured soul
Thou art gone and lost forever,
Dreadful sorry, my captured soul