The Campaign Builder's Guild

Quote from: Xathan, Hobo AlchemistThose maps are awesome! I love it - all they need, IMO, is color. Great stuff. :)

That's true, but I'm not going to add more complicated details until I've written up every single city I want to include...

I've now created a new PDF of the setting, which you can download here.

More than 97,000 words now!

Power Bumping this thread to the top of the list!

I've been reading through the deities, cosmologies, and organizations this morning, and once again, I am impressed at the extent to which this material seems a logical extention of existing game mechanics. The Circle of the Crumbling Tower is inspired brilliance. So many of these organizations seem logical and real to me, the way an actual society should feel: there are so many subtle little touches that give them credibility. In contrast to the typical groups of immortality-seeking megalomaniacs that are somewhat of a genre staple, the Athanatos Club pities its members who have to settle for undeath. The Children of Mercy Orphanages are using ingenious methods to further their own ends, wasting nothing. It's all very well thought-out, and nuanced.

I really like the idea of transition from lesser gods to greater gods, and the numerous theories mortals have developed to explain the change in the gods' attitudes. (You seem to have a whole lot of greater gods and few lesser ones; is this intentional, or am I missing something? Also, I see passing references to the Guardian of the Threshold, but I can't seem to find any more specific information about him/her/it anywhere.) In a more specific sense, I really like some of the ideas of the gods themselves. Shaprat is truly creepy, Kortus is a fascinating juxtaposition of concepts (I did a deathgod-as-harvester deity as well, but your execution is much nicer and more thorough), and little details like Gebral's Law-and-Chaos domain choice juxtaposition underscore what you've written by using mechanics in creative ways. I want to see more planar locations, as the city of bells and the path to nowhere particularly intrigued me, but I realize full-well that the real beef of the setting is on the cities of the prime, so I can be content. :)

Speaking of the cities, I'm at a loss as to where to start reading from that intimidatingly long list. Is there some overarching factionalism that should guide my conceptions, or should I just pick one at random?

Anyway, from what I've read so far, nothing rings false. It seems like you chose your concepts carefully and then consistently play them to the hilt, which is a valuable trait in a designer. I'm really enjoying reading your work.

Thanks for your kind words! As for your questions:

- You seem to have a whole lot of greater gods and few lesser ones; is this intentional, or am I missing something?

Not really - I have to admit that filling out a whole pantheon has been something of a weak point of mine. I create new deities when I find the neccessary inspiration for a cool concept, but unfortunately, this hasn't happened too often. Maybe I should read some more works on mythology (you wouldn't have any good suggestions, would you?). I do intend to have some more lesser deities in the list, but I guess I need some more time for them...

- Also, I see passing references to the Guardian of the Threshold, but I can't seem to find any more specific information about him/her/it anywhere.)

This is primarily a reference to the prestige class I wrote up - basically, epic characters can go through a transformation to become some sort of human/monster hybrid, and once their transformation is complete, they can challenge this "Guardian of the Threshold" to become a deity.

But I'll probably remove that prestige class at some point - it doesn't fit well thematically into Urbis, which is supposed to be about how humans interact with each other, and not about becoming some inhuman monstrosity. The "Guardian on the Threshold" will remain, since trying to become a deity is a fine tradition for epic-level characters. However, just what this entity is and how it can be defeated will be left as an exercise to the DM, since each epic campaign will be different.

- Speaking of the cities, I'm at a loss as to where to start reading from that intimidatingly long list. Is there some overarching factionalism that should guide my conceptions, or should I just pick one at random?

I'd start with the Flannish Cities and go out from there, since they are supposed to be the "default region" of the setting - and the "default city" of Dartmouth (which will be covered in detail) is located there.

Have fun reading it!

Quote from: http://juergen.the-huberts.net/dnd/urbis/prestige_classes.htmlprestige class[/i] I wrote up - basically, epic characters can go through a transformation to become some sort of human/monster hybrid, and once their transformation is complete, they can challenge this "Guardian of the Threshold" to become a deity.

But I'll probably remove that prestige class at some point - it doesn't fit well thematically into Urbis, which is supposed to be about how humans interact with each other, and not about becoming some inhuman monstrosity. The "Guardian on the Threshold" will remain, since trying to become a deity is a fine tradition for epic-level characters. However, just what this entity is and how it can be defeated will be left as an exercise to the DM, since each epic campaign will be different.

- Speaking of the cities, I'm at a loss as to where to start reading from that intimidatingly long list. Is there some overarching factionalism that should guide my conceptions, or should I just pick one at random?

I'd start with the Flannish Cities and go out from there, since they are supposed to be the "default region" of the setting - and the "default city" of Dartmouth (which will be covered in detail) is located there.[/quote]Edit: I Forgot something.[/b]
You asked about pantheon/deity examples. Offhand, I'm stuck when trying to come up with compelling and original examples. I will recommend two authors, though. Fred Saberhagen's Empire of the East, for Draffut Beast-Lord and Ardneh, and George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire for the Drowned God and Storm God, the Seven-In-One, and the Old Gods of the heartwood groves. All of these go in somewhat different directions from the typical Greco-Roman-inspired pantheons, and even if they're not directly useful for Urbis, they may help jumpstart your creativity. Both authors are good reads in their own right, but you can probably find descriptions of the various faiths online if you prefer to save time. I'll be happy to discuss them with you myself, but we should probably take that conversation to private messages; I don't want to clutter up your Urbis thread with unrelated information.

Here's a question I'd like to have answered:

I just discovered that the SRD apparently now includes material from "Deities and Demigods", such as new spells and new domains.

Well, I've said from the beginning that I wanted to base Urbis only on the SRD, and not on d20 products from other sources. However, "Deities and Demigods" can hardly considered to be a "Core Rule Book" of D&D, and thus I  can't expect everyone to have it - though it's possible to simply download this material with the SRD.

So I am wondering: Should I or should I not include this material in Urbis?

Your thoughts, please.

I personally dont own "Deities and Demigods" and dont intend to buy it anytime soon but if it was to be used in a campaign, i would as you said simply download it from the SRD

Quote from: Jürgen HubertHere's a question I'd like to have answered:

So I am wondering: Should I or should I not include this material in Urbis?

Your thoughts, please.

I would if you find it useful.  THe DDG and Epic SRD stuff is not alot of material, and too accessible not to if it fills a niche in your campaign.

Hey, great setting. I find myself awed by the sheer volume of content. As part of the SotW, I read over most of Dartmouth and came up with only three points/questions.

Harrowhill public school can't be exclusive and public at the same time, can it?

Enquirer - 14 issues a week?!

"...since the collapse of the monarchy..." <-- Whoa. What's the deal there?

Sorry I can't come up with more than that. Perhaps it's a sign of your skill. ;)

Quote from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_school#United_Kingdomhere[/url] for further details.

QuoteEnquirer - 14 issues a week?!

large[/i] - just a couple of sheets folded together - but they do have the breaking news.

Quote"...since the collapse of the monarchy..." <-- Whoa. What's the deal there?

See the History section. Basically, the feudal rulers of the Flannish Cities were faced with an invasion by a stereotypical Dark Lord, and they failed miserably to put up a decent fight - the king of Dartmouth and the surrounding areas simply fled south via teleport. So after the Dark Lord was defeated elsewhere, the locals weren't in a hurry to invite their king back...

Seen as your the setting of the week, I'll guess I should comment on your setting.

But first, did you know Googling your name gives about 2,830,000 hits?  You spend way too much time online...

Anyway, being the linguistics freak that I am, I chose the Languages section.  My initial feeling on this is that it is not self-contained, though admittedly, since I have not gone through your entire site, I could be wrong.  

It deals quite thoroughly with Common, yet it only mentions other languages in passing.  In my brief search though your site, I found no other mention about other languages.

So my question to you is, are their other languages?  Have you just not gotten to them yet?  And if I have missed them, I think it would be a good idea to list them, albeit briefly in the Languages section.

Otherwise great job.

Quote from: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22J%C3%BCrgen+Hubert%22&btnG=Google+Searchget 1,460[/url] - which is appropriate, given that I have been online for ten years now.

QuoteSo my question to you is, are their other languages?  Have you just not gotten to them yet?

not[/i] a linguistics freak - I mean, I am fluent in two languages (German and English), but I'm out of my depth with inventing new ones. And there also was the problem that I wanted Urbis to echo the real world, and especially 19th century Europe (including many of the linguistic conventions), but I also wanted to include "Common" since that's such a stereotypical D&D trope.

I only found the solution for this recently, which you have already read. As for other languages, they exist - the usual "racial" languages and a variety of languages similar to what you'd find in Europe and surrounding areas, with the proviso that more and more human languages are being supplanted by Common. I just haven't gotten around to detailing them yet...

Alright, here's my full review of Urbis (based solely on the website information).  Mostly I'll just go down your list and write a review of everything I read as I go, since that's all I really have time for today.

First, the background graphic really adds a lot.  I wish I had something that cool for my site.  Your layout is very nice.

General Idea
It is an interesting idea, trying to see how high-magic would actually shape the world.  More and more settings we see try to go low magic (like mine), perhaps for similar reasons, even if we see them in a subtlely different way.  But you keep to core while at the same time exploring the implications of a society with that much power.

This initial impression I got from hearing "A World of Cities" has always made me just pass over the world up until now.  I'm glad I decided to review every setting of the week, however, but I was missing out.  Your more detailed explanations actually make it sound quite exciting.

I think the bits about the place feeling near the breaking point, about there being monsters in the sewers, and about monsters coming from other planets are all good.

On your author's note, I agree it is important to have Earth-parallels to some extent, to make a setting accessible.

Comic and Web Journal
I only skimmed the journal, and couldn't view the comic.  I didn't think it important enough to go through the trouble of downloading whatever I missing, so I don't have anything to say on these parts, really, other than both are nice ideas for your players and dedicated viewers.

Artist's Guidelines
I'm impressed that you seem to think of everything.

Races
DwarvesRacism against them is good, as are the small tight communities.  The traps and hidden king stuff make them unique.  I fear the only advice I can offer here is to point out a typo:
"Dwarves from Gol Algor tend to me more outgoing"

Elves

QuoteFew elves, even those of a generally benevolent nature, take humans seriously on an individual basis - after all, there are hundreds of millions of them around, so how important can a single one be?

Gnomes[/i]
Well, you remove the prankster role, which is probably good.

Half-Elves
As in most settings, kind of a sad existence.  The bit about human/elf relations is interesting, though.

Halflings
I like them as opportunists.  Nice details about them doing dirty jobs.

Half-Orcs
Frankly, I don't really believe hybrid races deserve the status the core rules gives them as though the were actual races.  They are aberrant, and should be exceptions enough not to have their own communities or appear as core races.  At least, however, your explanation makes sense for your society, and allows for more aspects of racism.

Hobgoblins
Nice upgrade for the race.  You have yet to fill in some details, of course.  Defined by honor.  I like it.

Classes
I like how you explain how each fits in.  I especially like your take on psionics.

Feats
Kind of like a Weapon of Legacy without the downsides.  I'd be leery about taking a feat that the DM chooses when it can be used, however.  Of course, if magic were very rare in your world, it be more valuable, even if it only triggered once or twice a campaign.  But the level requirement, the presence of high magic, and such, makes me feel it is not worthwhile for most characters.

Languages
The history of language is often neglected in many campaigns so this is nice.  The explaination for common (which I don't use) is pure brilliant.

Prestige Classes
Wow.

Magic and the Law
Nice idea.  Since I'm not actually playing, I'm not going to read the whole table.  It does make sense that some spells are more restricted than others.

Magic Items
The bloodstone is very creative, and the way it is attuned adds a kind of dark gothic feel.
One-shot enhancements are an interesting idea, as well.  I was concerned about the usefulness until I saw your mention of bane.

Nexus Towers
Very creepy.  One of your best ideas, but since your setting intro mentions it, I assume you know that.  Nice picture, too.  The towers affect all living beings with 3+ Cha, not just sentient ones?  Does that mean even rats and stuff will die out?
Wicked nexus spells.

Society
Class and politics are obviously central themes.  I would suggest a different name than the Great Game, since that is the term Robert Jordan uses.  Good details on transportation.

Hmmm, since I'm running out of time, I'll have to jump ahead to Dartmouth, and hope to come back to the rest later.  You have a massive amount of information here.

Dartmouth
What is meant by saying "finance" is an export?
Is the "City of Dartmouth" population that central city area, and the rest the population of the surrounding territories of the city-state?

Harrowhill is nice in that you consider public education.  Kiergan's Hill also adds flavor.

Newspapers!  Awesome.  A lot of times when running games, it would be nice to run in a society advanced enough to have this.  Does that mean most of the general population can read (as would be expected from public schools?).  You have a tabloid :)

Wouldn't a congregation of similar shops be bad for business?  Sure it means you know where to go for something, but couldn't a merchant make more money by offering a shop closer to other areas (especially since Dartmouth probably covers a lot of ground)?

QuoteThe most prominent proof of this is the new Lord Mayor, who, while a member of a First Family himself, has made it policy not to staff any important offices with members of the First Families unless he is completely sure of that person's personal loyality to him. As a result, many of his relatives see him as a traitor and scheme to have him removed.

Overall[/b]
I'm impressed and I wish I had time to read everything.  Perhaps I will get to more later this week.

I have one other suggestion, though I make it hesitantly.  I think this is a setting that could seriously benefit from the removal of alignment, like we see in Orden's Mysteries, or my own Kishar.  It really adds to the feel of a setting, and a deeply urban enviornment seems to scream for it, in an almost Shadowrun-esque manner.  However, you have tried to keep everything close to core, and risk losing that if you strip alignment.

I wish you great success with this.

Quote from: http://www.clipart.com/en/ClipArt.Com[/url] for a week when you have a lot of time. They have a great selection of art that you can use without paying royalities - even if you use them for publication!

I think the background image I used was a sketch by Leonardo da Vinci...

Quote from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Gamehere[/url] for the details.

QuoteGood details on transportation.

Hmmm, since I'm running out of time, I'll have to jump ahead to Dartmouth, and hope to come back to the rest later.  You have a massive amount of information here.

Dartmouth
What is meant by saying "finance" is an export?

Is the "City of Dartmouth" population that central city area, and the rest the population of the surrounding territories of the city-state?

Harrowhill is nice in that you consider public education.  Kiergan's Hill also adds flavor.

Newspapers!  Awesome.  A lot of times when running games, it would be nice to run in a society advanced enough to have this.

Does that mean most of the general population can read (as would be expected from public schools?).[/quote]well[/i], but it suffices for large letters.   ;)

QuoteYou have a tabloid :)

Wouldn't a congregation of similar shops be bad for business?  Sure it means you know where to go for something, but couldn't a merchant make more money by offering a shop closer to other areas (especially since Dartmouth probably covers a lot of ground)?[/quote]The most prominent proof of this is the new Lord Mayor, who, while a member of a First Family himself, has made it policy not to staff any important offices with members of the First Families unless he is completely sure of that person's personal loyality to him. As a result, many of his relatives see him as a traitor and scheme to have him removed.[/quote]

I'll write up some more NPCs at a later time. Like most sections, this one is still being developed.

QuoteReligion - maybe this was in another section, but how religious are the people of these cities?  Usually the industrial revolution and rise of the city is seen as a time of decling religious importance.

You have a huge amount of detail on neighboorhoods and geography, more than I can say I have ever put into a city.  Of course, cities are your focus, so that's good.  Since the university is a likely resource for players that want information, I'd make that a priority.  I recommend having at least one dean scheming for power within (or even beyond) the walls of the university, as a possible antagonist, and at least one prof/dean that could be helpful if properly encouraged (be it with money, info, or whatever).[/quote]Overall
I'm impressed and I wish I had time to read everything.  Perhaps I will get to more later this week.[/quote]I have one other suggestion, though I make it hesitantly.  I think this is a setting that could seriously benefit from the removal of alignment, like we see in Orden's Mysteries, or my own Kishar.  It really adds to the feel of a setting, and a deeply urban enviornment seems to scream for it, in an almost Shadowrun-esque manner.  However, you have tried to keep everything close to core, and risk losing that if you strip alignment.[/quote]I wish you great success with this.[/quote]

Thanks!

I've created a new manuscript for the setting - this time with a table of contents, an index, new maps and fancy formatting!

You can download it here.