The Campaign Builder's Guild

1) Well, spells for Wizards and Sorcerers will be mostly kept as-is. New classes will get new spell lists.

2) Religion is tied to the study of arcane magic. Arcane magic created the universe, and arcane magic is viewed as a miracle by many people. More on this later

No, the reason for that label is that I plan on tossing every single core class out the window, and writing up ones that fit my conception of the world of Lakhan

EDIT: After realizing I couldnt think of enough classes, I am just going to make some alterations to existing ones, and add a couple ones of my own.

Here is my latest brainchild, a world without any non-Arcane magic.

Lakhan, World of the Arcane
A world for Dungeons and Dragons, 3.5 Edition

WARNING!: Keep away from Power-gamers.
Side effects of disobeying this warning may include loss of game balance, DM headaches, nausea, and me coming over to your house to say â,¬Å"I told you so!â,¬Â


   Ã¢,¬Å"In the beginning, there was Nothing. And in the tumultuous din of silence, there came the Word. The Word, thus spake in absence of Anything, created the idea of Something. And this concept of Something, once conceived, was born. And Something took form as the Fabric, and woven into the Fabric was Reality, and from Reality came the Real. And the Real was Something and Anything and Nothing all at once, for it was Everything. And thus from the Word came the universe, and by Words it shall change.â,¬Â

â,¬'from the preface of â,¬Å"History of Meaning,â,¬Â published circa 34 PAE (author unknown)

   Ã¢,¬Å"The power to reweave the fabric of existence, long reserved to the Keepers of the Word, is now in the hands of Man. Let the world be born anew with our labors, and let the Mysteries become answers! The Arcane Era is here!â,¬Â

â,¬'Reddach the Arcane, circa 1 AE

   Ã¢,¬Å"Why does the sun rise? It does. Why does the river flow? It does. These are questions to which there are no answers, even in the Mysteries of the Ancients. Things are as they are, and it is good. Why do people keep try to fix what isnâ,¬,,¢t broken? Now thereâ,¬,,¢s a worthy inquiry.â,¬Â

â,¬'from â,¬Å"How does Magic Work?, and Other Stupid Questionsâ,¬Â published 1259 AE, (by
   Wollard the Cynical Bastard, First King of Deraf)

...More Coming...

Vecna's Evil Twin here. I am here to experiment with D&D after a long hiatus from any association with said RPG. Other systems I am fond of include Exalted, Werewolf: The Forsaken, Mage: the Awakening, and WFRP.

Quote from: Xathan, Last Of The FallenOk, now I'm awake I can ask some intelligent questions, more setting specific.

Is the term "thousand nations" allegorical, or are their literally thousands of nations? I'm assuming the former, as thousands of nations would be impractical, but how many nations are there? How large do they get? How much territoriy do the rule, how do the interact, etc. You name some of the more powerful/larger realms, but what of the smaller ones?

Are nations also racial divides, or are the races spread out among the nations? (So do you have elf kingdom 1, elf kingdom 2, dwarf kingdom 1, etc, or are the races mingled together?)

Were the Demons permanently exterminated, or do they still reside on other planes of existance? If they were permanently exterminated, has any group of outsiders taken up the role of "evil incarnate?"

Those are my questions so far. I'd love to see more information! Happy posting.

-Xathan

The Thousand nations is a highly exaggerated name. Its more like 30-50, and in semi-constant flux. the ones likely to survive more than a couple of years from the start of the campaign will be detailed to a degree propotionally to both the importance of the nation, and my spare time :D

Most nations are multi-racial, although some grudgingly so.

And no, the Demons are still out there, biding their time...

Quote from: Xathan, Last Of The FallenI like so far. I like the whole religious conflict, with all of them worshiping one aspect o of the divine â,¬' Iâ,¬,,¢m using a similar idea in one of my super secret projects (tm). Iâ,¬,,¢d like to see more overall, but here are some questions I have:
1) How does magic function? What role does it have in society, what influences does it have?
2) What gods do the halfings, orcs, etc. worship?
3) What roles to the various classes have?

1) Magic functions by communing with the Principle of Potential, as held in the Godsflow. Wizards learn to tap the waters through study, and Clerics are doled out shares of it as rewards for thier  faith. So Arcane and Divine have the same source, they just tap it differently.
2) Everyone worships an Aspect of Him-That-Is, one of his Loyalists, a patron progenitor or Saint, etc. No racial gods.
3) Well Fighters kill people, Ranger and Druids look after the wild places, Wizards study magic, clerics pray, Paladins crusade, thieves/rogues steal, and bards sing. Pretty basic stuff.

Ancient History

   The Fallen (now called Progenitors), were known for their meticulous records, and even in todayâ,¬,,¢s hectic age, one can find their writings in most libraries. This meant that even the earliest dawning of civilization was scrupulously recorded and notated in the Book of Ages, the definitive historical work of that epoch. It also meant that the foundations of history are as solidâ,¬'if not more solidâ,¬'than what followed. The first year experienced by anyone outside the Crystal Citadel was labeled 1 AF (After Fall), and all years since have followed the numerical pattern, though some years are more readily recognized by their colorful appellationsâ,¬'such as the Year of Blood

   The Progenitors were united. They were of one mind, and never quarreled. However, the same cannot be said of those who followed. As the lessons of the Fall were forgotten, more and more squabbling became common, with the First War breaking out upon the death of the last Progenitor, Farast Elf-father, in what is now known as the Year of Blood.

   The First War lased from the Year of Blood (117AF) to the Year of Empire (563 AF). In the Year of Empire, a treaty was signed by the leaders of the Twelve Nationsâ,¬'the fractious factions produced by the struggle. They put their past where it belongedâ,¬'behind them. They built a new nation, the Empire of Accord, and looked to the future. It was not long in coming.

   The Dark Ones, who in elder days had stolen some of the gift of Him-That-Is to craft their own children, finally returned. Their armies swept across Iorliach with a vengeance, tearing through the battle-weary people. Some despaired of ever seeing the end of bloodshed, some fell so far from hope as to give the True Fallen succorâ,¬'but some resisted.

   These warriors, led by the signatories of the Treaty of Empire, and such heroes as Valinorinon the Dwarflord fought against the fiends. They gave hope to the despairing, a dream to those who would dream it. But even with all the united peoples of Iorliach the cause seemed doomed.

   It was in what seemed to be the final days of the Empire, when the scholar-priest Habren discovered the ultimate weapon. Through meditative ritual and contemplation of the Progenitorâ,¬,,¢s ancient struggle, he drew from within himself the primal spark of Potential that came from the Godsflow. He was interrupted from his reveries by a legion of Demons, seeking to lay his tranquil monastery to waste. He called forth his new knowledge and put it to the test. Not one Demon, not even the mighty Balor general Akâ,¬,,¢shidâ,¬,,¢avarâ,¬,,¢akon, survived the cataclysm.

   This new â,¬Å"magicâ,¬Â spread across the Empire like wildfire, renewing the faith of those who had lost it, and driving back to the would-be conquerors. In 600 AF, twelve years since the inscursion, the world was cleansed at last.

   The Empire of Accord flourished in the new epoch, and Habrenâ,¬,,¢s work was expounded upon, with his two students, Altok and Evelor leading the way after his death. Altok used the power of magic to re-establish the lost faith of Him-That-Is, and to build churches dedicated to the Progenitors. His students became the Empireâ,¬,,¢s clergy. Evelor, less humble, taught the mighty magics of wizardry, and, despite his arrogance, did no less good for the people.


Recent History and Political Overview

   Four centuries ago, the succession of the Empire came into question, and war broke out once again. While it eventually died down, it left the Empire as a distant memory, and established the Thousand Nations we know today. It is now 1584 AF, fifty years since the start of the Third Peace.

   Though the common folk are nigh universally satisfied with peace, many rulers still look to expand their reign. So it is that minor border wars start up now and again, and all wise men guard their backs. The most ambitious realms are Darleth, Auviir, Embrath, and Fradosia. The most mighty of all nations, Ceren, seeks no wars, its ruler being a wise and moderate king. These nations are covered in more depth below.

Religious Overview

   When the Empireâ,¬,,¢s political structure fractured, so did the state religion. Almost all nations follow a different Saint, Progenitor, or Aspect of the divine. This, unsurprisingly, is one of the most heated issues across the board.
 

(Ok developing this world for 1st ed for a variety of reasons, so dont expect a lot of the rules content to be useful unless you use that)

here's what I've got so far

How the Worlds Came to Be:

   In the Beginning, there was only Daruthias, the Crystal Citadel. Through Daruthias wove the river Godsflow, and upon its borders there were mighty dams to keep the Nothing of outside from polluting its tranquil waters. In the Citadel, the gods lived in peace and took their leisure as they would, ruled from the Inner Spire by Him-That-Is, the Creator.

   Then came the War in Heaven, when the Inner Spire was stormed by those gods who coveted the power of Him-That-Is. They could not defeat him, and again and again they were cast down from the Spireâ,¬,,¢s summit by their master. But it came to their heads another route of attack, and they broke the dams of Godsflow to let in Nothing, which Him-That-Is abhorred.

   Unbeknownst to the rebels, the Godsflow was the tool with which Him-That-Is had crafted the Citadel, and he called it by another name, something of which they knew notâ,¬'Potential. Potential came rushing forth from the Citadel, and from it Nothing became Everything.

   Him-That-Is took up his spear from the Fount of Godsflow, the Source of All, and used his power to banish the unrepentant rebels from the citadel. Those who stayed humble were elevated to his equals, but those who hungered for more were made mortal, and stripped of their powers.

Iorliach, and the Origin of Life

   The rebel gods were scattered across the endless scope of Everything, but pockets of them gathered on every world. Some swore revenge, some sought solace in oblivionâ,¬'but some saw their folly, and repented. They offered up the first prayers, and swore fealty to Him-That-Is once more.

   While Him-That-Is knew their sincerity, he could not forgive their crimes. So he spoke unto these fallen, and gifted unto them each a small gift of Potential. Thus did Male and Female form first occur, as the fallen became capable of making new Life.

The Legacy

Millenia have passed since the Fall, and the Fallen are long since dust. However, their legacy continues.

From Ador and Immarea came Man. Man exemplifies Potential in all ways, producing life and art and knowledge from the meanest origins.

From Farast and Ellyri came Shaâ,¬,,¢assta, known as the Elves. Farast and Shaâ,¬,,¢assta gave their descendents a taste of their lost heritage at the cost of fecundity.

From Orreth and Docelia came Grâ,¬,,¢tak, called Dwarves. The Dwarves were not born directly of their parents, but made of stone imbued with the divine.

From those whose names were lost in the ages since, came the beasts of the field, as well as the other races, Orcs, and Halfling, and Gnomes and more.

But from Outside, came the Fallen who would not repent, who stole the essence of Potential from their victims, and made Fiendsâ,¬Â¦

Hi, new here. Love to build campaign worlds, but not very good at it. Hoping to get better.

Nice to meet everyone!