The Campaign Builder's Guild

After four settings abandoned due to dwindling interest each time (mine), I've just decided to make one thread where I post random ideas I have that feel too good to let go.

Edit: Anyone may now post random setting ideas here.  But I bet they won't.

"Hate makes this world go 'round."
In the old days the giants, the humans, the elves, and the halflings all lived integrated together.  It was true that each had a preferred habitat: the giants strolled the open plains, the humans sailed the seas, the elves raced through the forests, and the halflings crawled through the tunnels just under the soil.  But there was no isolationism by race; halflings, giants, humans, and elves could live together in the same village.  Bloodlines were mingled freely: gaint/human, human/elf, elf/halfling, and and even more trace by combination.  The only threats to the peace of this land were the attacks of the dwarves: seafaring from the north, bull-riding from the east.  Yet these were only raiders, intersted in loot, not conquest and ideology.  Though half-dwarves were sometimes born in the wake of these raids they were accepted as beings of their own by both sides.
This lasted until the dwarven legions of the south invaded.  Unlike the north and east, the regions in the south were condusive to large-scale agriculture, affording dwarves a chance to settle down and develop the makings of organized civilization, most importantly disciplined armies and a conquering mindset.  They had already tamed the giants, humans, halflings, and elves of their own territories the dwarves set out to aquire the land to their north.  Their advance was slow but relentless, as the dwarves took the time to carefully secure their position militarily.
The people of this land were stunned: dwarves were swarming, screaming hordes that were easily repulsed by organized defenses.  It was unthinkable that the same savages from the north and east could defeat them.  Refugees from the south told tales of the great feats of egineering the dwarves created to sustain their war machine: roads, bridges, aqueducts, sewers.  Rumors and tales began to circulate that the dwarves must have the help of the gods, and that the peope of the mid land were being punished for some immoraltiy.  But what?
The answer came from those of mixed-blood fleeing the dwarves in the south: wherever the legions went, the dwarves systematically slaughtered every individual who showed sign of mixed race.  The dwarves preached a doctirne of racial purity and fixed identity, holding their justification under the commandment from the gods "Each one must remain true."  That phrase also existed in the religions of the mid landers, though they had interpreted it differently.  Now fervent religious individuals preached that to beat back the "new horde" they must first win back the favor of th gods by returning the races to their "traditional identities" and cleansing the land of the "tainted blood".  The panicking citizens of the various mid land countries swiftly took up the cause, and the genocide began.
Whether this was simply coincidental or an actual turning of the god's blessing, the southern dwarves began to squabble over politics, and while their attention was turned and their vigilance was faltering the "newly cleansed" armies of the mid lands retook most of their old territory.  The southern dwarves were able to marshal themselves to hold on to their old lands, but the damge to the freedom of the mid lands was done: the purists were proven right, and even some of the most stubborn holdouts capitualted before the "evidence".  Half-breeds that were not slaughtered could attempt to escape east (the south was just as certain a death as the mid lands) into the steppes of the bull-riding dwarves or the maze-like forests of towering conifers.  In a few coastal human nations, however, this purge was slower, and clever hybrid inidividuals along with their sympathetic human allies decided to take their chances with the sea.  Hearing about the discovery of an uninhabited land across the western sea, they set out in great ships, hoping to settle in this "land of freedom".

Point of this idea: I wanted a setting where there was a big tension about mixed race and what being a "true member" of a race means.  While standard D&D mentions these ideas, I had an old region from another world lying around my mental junkpile where the PHB stereotypes were enforced for the reasons of an overarching religion, one that specifically called for the death of all half-elves.  This setting tries to take that idea and make it seem reasonable, adapting the real history of the Byzantine Empire facing attacks from the Muslims and how the empiror decided that the Muslims were winning because God favored their stance on no images.
The land in the west is sort of an idea of establishing an "America" where people can be free.  It's basically an add-on when I was going to do this setting in two parts: medievil and Victorian style-periods.  However I still like it, as it creates a place where the population is almost entirely mixed races (though there are supposed to be some native inhabitants).

Spiritual-Primal Cosmology
The universe is divided between two forces: that of the perfect, unchanging spirit realm (think of Plato's idea that there is a place where perfect copies exist of everything that can be found on Earth), and the variated, constantly changing primal realm (primal is used here to mean matter as well as "lower thought").  In this specific cosmology their are only five plains: the Spirit Realm, the Primal Realm, the Beast Realm, the Demon Realm, and the Mortal Realm.  They are arranged in a cosmic pattern known as the pentogram, and each realm only connects to two others: Mortal to Beast to Primal to Spirit to Demon to Mortal (think about that method of drawing a pentagram where you draw the lines without lifting the pen).  Upon death a soul moves toward either the Primal Realm or the Spirit Realm depending upon it's inclination to the core being of one or the other.  Souls that value consistancy, abstract thought, mind-over-matter, etc., move on to the Spirit Realm to join with its perfection.  Souls that value spontineity, insinct, feelings, etc., move on to the Primal Realm to be changed and flung anew into the Mortal Realm.
However each soul must journey to their respective realm.  Primal souls pass through the Beast Realm, Spirit souls through the Demon Realm.  Sometimes a soul is not ready to face it's core force, and lingers in its realm, becoming either a Beast (which here can mean animal, magical beast, fey, elemental, etc.) or Demon (which here includes fiends and celestials both), respectively.
There is a great conflict in the universe between the forces of Spirit and Primal.  The Beasts and the Demons often emerge into the Mortal Realm to engage in conflict for their respective realms.  Demons try to impose the will of the Spirit Realm on the Mortal Realm, but the Beasts have no such compulsion.

A setting where all the humans are dead, killed by a curse release by one of their own to stop them from (supposedly) destroying the world.  The world was left to the fey and the beasts.

And the dragons.  Because on this world there are no gods.  Or, to state it inaccurately, the dragons are the gods: each has some small control over the primal forces that keep the world moving.  And the fey and the beasts worship them, as did the humans before them.

Eberron is supposed to be based off pulp stories.  Well, the progression of those led to superhero comics.  Already on the Mutants & Masterminds boards there has been a suggestion that Sharn would make an excellent place to have a superhero adventure.  My thought is that Eberron could be advanced in its timeline until it resembles our modern world (or more futuristic), making for a great combination of D&D and real-world elements in the backdrop of superheroes.

998 YK: Kaius the IV is born to (whatshername, don't have access at the moment) and Kaius the III (really I).  A few days later, during the royal display (or whatever that's called) Kaius is revealed to the public as a vampire by agents of the Emerald Claw.  The public of Karrnath splits three ways: those who abhor undead, the Blood of Vol who resent Kaius's persecution of their religion, and those of the faith who see Kaius as a form of messiah.  Kaius manages to maintain control only with strict martial law.
Thrane declairs war again, saying that a people ruled by an evil being will ultimately become evil themselves.  Or that the rule of the country by an evil being shows that the country as a whole must be evil, whichever is most convenient.
Aerenal, too, takes an interest, though a less overt one.  Seeing this as a repeat of the abbominable House of Vol, they dispatch assasins to kill both Kaius and his son.

A setting where the gods abandoned the mortals (I love these sorts of settings) so long ago that the mortals have forgot about it and begun worshipping new things.  This time, though, the PCs play the role of the returning gods, and while saving the world from evil have to decide whether they should try to convert the mortals back to the worship of them or just leave everything alone.

Introduction:
In the year 2040 most supplies of oil and natural gas had been tapped out, what was left being reserved for government services and military forces.  Though alternative sources were widely in place, it had been quickly realized that the modern world used far too much energy for them to meet.  Attempts at developing fusion had not met with success.  Even with energy rationing in place, high-tech countries such as Japan and the US faced mediocre futures.
Meanwhile, in a small laboratory at the University of Las Vegas, a single scientist was exploring the mysteries of absolute zero.  Dr. Gabriel Chicken was absolutely fascinated with the effects of cold, something that was perhaps odd for a Las Vegas native.  In particular he wanted to know why it was impossible to remove the last remaining energy in any system chilled to 0 Kelvin (-237 Ã,°Celsius).  At the time he had been studying a tiny spherical chamber, about the size of a chicken egg, chilled to absolute zero for months now, but he knew the pressure would soon be on to shut down any energy-intensive project that had no foreseeable practical application.  In a very commendable act, Dr. Chicken volunteered to have his project shut down.  When the time finally came, Dr. Chicken threw the switch himself.
Maybe it was the influence of the famous gambling city, or maybe 1 in Infinity chances have to happen to justify the 1.  For whatever reason, as soon as the cooling units of the chamber were shut off instruments all over the campus registered a surge of energy off any known scale.  It was nearly impossible to pinpoint, but eventually it was tracked to Chickenâ,¬,,¢s lab.  Inside the scientist of cold had already noticed his instruments shorting out, and had opened the chamber to reveal a tiny glowing sphere.
Skipping over all the minutiae of panic, puzzlement, study, and debate, it was eventually settled that this Egg (as someone suggested, because it was created by a Chicken) was likely a miniature white hole, a source of limitless energy.  Here it was, the answer to humanityâ,¬,,¢s most pressing issue: energy that wouldnâ,¬,,¢t run out, and that seemed to be perfectly clean.  All they needed was a way to harness it.
That invention took Dr. Chicken only a few days to design, along with a layered shell to keep the Eggâ,¬,,¢s emanations from leaking.  Only two months later, again under the direction of Dr. Chicken, more Eggs were created, using new cooling units powered by the first Egg.  In fact, in the months since the creation of the first Egg, Dr. Chicken had designed more practical inventions than Thomas Edison had in his entire lifetime.  People were already using â,¬Å"chickenâ,¬Â instead of Einstein to refer to someone with incredible intellect.
Only in later years would it be suspected that Dr. Chicken was the worldâ,¬,,¢s first super.


Timeline:
November 22, 2040: The first Egg is accidentally created at the University of Las Vegas by Dr. Chicken.

March 39, 2041: Dr. Chicken successfully implements a way to tap the power of the Egg.

April 13, 2041: Several more Eggs are born under the direction of Dr. Chicken.

May 9, 2041: Chicken flees with all the Eggs after suspecting the US government of wanting the hoard them to exert control over the world.  Before leaving, he completely erases all records on how to create Eggs.

July 4, 2042: An unknown person (believed to be Dr. Chicken) delivers several Eggs and the plans for energy absorption devices to the UN headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

July 23, 2042: The UN creates the World Egg Distribution Agency to ensure that every nation has needed access to Egg energy.  The same day the necessary notes for Egg creation are delivered to the WEDA offices.

2046: In Las Vegas, reports of a costumed crime-fighter with super-human luck increase until they can no longer be dismissed.  Never giving a name, he only refers to himself as â,¬Å"A gamblinâ,¬,,¢ man, one who has too much luck to keep it all to mâ,¬,,¢self.â,¬Â  The moniker Gamblinâ,¬,,¢ Man sticks.

October 8, 2046: â,¬Å"Dead Mondayâ,¬Â. An electrical being completely destroys the entire power system of New York City and the surrounding area, claiming it is releasing its â,¬Å"imprisoned kinâ,¬Â.  It then goes on a spree overloading emergencies generators.  Fortunately the being is captured by a mysterious man in a long coat and reflective shades, who then disappears with the containment device.  With no hope of reviving the city in its current state, the US government evacuates, leaving the area a series of ghost towns.

2048: More powered individuals, both heroic and villainous, pop up around southern Nevada.  One of them, calling himself American Demon, joins the US military.  A few also start appearing in Europe, where most Egg technology is being developed and where Eggs now power several major cities.

Scientists working with Eggs report developing strange â,¬Å"powersâ,¬Â.  A connection is proposed between exposure to the energy of Eggs and the concentration of powered individuals around Las Vegas, where the first Egg was created.  There is immediate fear among various member UN nations concerning the distribution of Eggs and the potential for countries to deliberately expose individuals to create super-soldiers (particularly with the example of American Demon).

2049: The incidence of superheroes from London, Paris, and Berlin further suggests that the energy of the Eggs can cause the development of powers.  However, close study of employee records shows that those who were directly or even indirectly exposed by working with Eggs are accounted for, leaving WEDA agents even more confused as to whether the Eggs have anything to do with powers or not.

2055: The correlation between the distribution of Eggs and the emergence of powers can no longer be ignored.  However too many countries now rely solely on Egg power for a recall to be considered.  An intense study is launched to identify the effect chain that leads to power development.  WEDA is restructured into the World Egg Management and Security Agency (WEMSA), and the Power Monitoring Commission (PMC) is created to coordinate the actions of government agencies around the world in dealing with powered individuals.  While some countries may use a term such as â,¬Å"superâ,¬Â or â,¬Å"paranormalâ,¬Â to refer to powered individuals, the UN adopts the official designation as â,¬Å"poweredâ,¬Â to reflect the influence of the Eggs.

2062: Tibetian exile powered, having secretly returned to their country, begin a guerilla war against Chinese occupation.  The Chinese government has no powered with which to oppose them (and no Egg with which to deliberately create more, having been deemed â,¬Å"suspectâ,¬Â by WEDA).  However, the few Tibetian powered arenâ,¬,,¢t enough to put up a sustained resistance against the Chinese army, so the war continues for five years.  Known as the Sino-Super War, it begins to drive in the point that supers have a great capacity to influence world events.  The UN has the PMC step up its activities, especially regarding powered who use their powers on behalf of a military.

2067: A sudden revolt occurs among the Chinese populace again their corrupt government.  At its head are five mystics, calling themselves the Elemental Masters, each having â,¬Å"magicalâ,¬Â powers related to one of the classic Chinese elements: earth, fire, water, wood, and metal.  This ends the Sino-Super War, with the Elemental Masters, as the temporary government, grant Tibet its freedom.  The lesson of powered-individuals influence is reinforced, and a new issue is brought up: when questioned about their origins, the Elemental Masters claim to be from an alternate reality, one in which magic is very real.  Already certain supers such as New Mexicoâ,¬,,¢s The Alien have demonstrated that the influence of the Eggs has drawn certain powerful individuals to Earth from outer space, and now, with the example of the Elemental Masters, apparently from other dimensions as well.  To reflect this, the term â,¬Å"poweredâ,¬Â begins to drop from common usage, replaced by regional slang terms (the US taking â,¬Å"super(s)â,¬Â in imitation of their comic-book idols).

A few months after the revolt, the PMC becomes the Powered Diplomatic Commission to deal directly with powered individuals.

By now the former NYC, called Wild City by the popular media and press, has become a hideout for criminals and secret groups of all kinds.  The US army and several super-teams make a go of clearing it out, but even if they have success (generally minor) the empty nature of the city just regains its criminal population in a few short weeks.  The government begins taking bids on contracts to rebuild New York to halt the return of decay.

2068: The prominent Colony International secures the contract after a demonstration of its Termite Mech.  Construction teams, in conjunction with the US army and supers with various affiliations and motives, begin slowly pushing into Wild City.  Many of these supers, in fact, have been hired by Colony for this purpose.

2071: The first neighborhoods in the Newark district are opened.  However, the crime that creeps over from the still-unsecured areas discourages many potential residents.  Super-heroes fill many of the gaps in police protection, but most are either have commitments elsewhere or are mercenaries â,¬Å"not paid to baby-sitâ,¬Â.

Then rumors begin filtering in that Wild City has its own group of supers, calling themselves the Wild Knights, each with an animal theme.  Led by the sassy Black Cat, the group has already brought some justice to Wild City.  But Colony claims that the Wild Knights are in league with the crime bosses of Wild City because they also fight against the heroes fighting that crime.

November, 2071: Black Cat appears in Philadelphia, holding evidence that Colony is making deals with the crime groups of Wild City.

Can I add some of my own, Silver? I have the same problem as you...

Knock yourself out.  I'll just rename the thread.

Wow, i really like the powered/egg setting. there's some really cool ideas in there. i always like seeing new takes on justifying the existances of metahumans.

Quote from: Captain Obviousâ,¬Â¦Ã¢,¬Â¦i always like seeing new takes on justifying the existances of metahumans.

Part of its idea is to actually try to justify nearly every kind of superhero origin while simultaneously retaining our present and past so that we can really imagine that this could happen.  I've already sort of planned for any adventures I run to take place far enough into the future that supers are accepted, but history has an impact on the present and the players should be able to understand that.  On another note, by placing all this in a future that hasn't happened yet, I can avoid the need to either justify how history that we know stayed the same with the addition of super-heroes and -villains or figure out how it was changed.

"Before they destroyed the universe, their empire spanned galaxies innumerable.  They had mastered flesh and machine alike, and housed their intellects in palaces that cradled stars.  But the seeds of their own fall had long ago been sown."

Humanity died an indeterminate time ago, taking with them all of civilisation.  In their wake was a monolithic intelligence (presumably created by men), which repropulated the universe with entities bearing the semblance of its creators and bestowed upon them a virtually limitless paradise.  In order to understand the cause of man's fall, man's own nature, and the circumstances of its own creation, it sent "erudites" back to the "Antebellum", the anarchic time leading up to the apocalyptic Final War.

The setting revolves around the Erudites' endeavours to understand the chaos of Antebellum, and bring this knowledge to the Intellect.  But while they were created as observers and possess much of the godlike power that suffuses the Intellect's other progeny, there is also something in them that is undeniably human, which separates them from their siblings and means they may never call Eutopia their own.

The setting expresses a great futility: man is doomed to die, for he already has, and his construct sees in itself no other purpose than to understand why it endures and its creator does not (I suppose that it's really just an allegory for our own eternal quest for meaning).  The Erudites are but instruments in this quest.

Inspiration
Gears of War, Orion's Arm, Warhammer 40K, 12 Monkeys, Dark City, Nobilis, Transhuman Space.

I particularly like that idea, IoValde.

"They are fools, those who believe that all this burning land was once covered in water.  They are even more fools, those that claim that it still is!"â,¬'Uchunba Ze, human ascendant of Shuna, the Sun

"So soothing is the dream that it must be water."â,¬'Lu-ss, dragon

The island has two names.  The one you use shows how you believe.  Those who call it Gung ("empty") only see a scorching desert, barely fit for habitation and showing no mercy to those living within.  Those who call it Luh ("sea") see a living land, just like any other, only hostile to those who are not adapted to it.  They tell legends about the time when Luh was once covered in water, and point to the rock shells found everywhere on the island.  The people of Gung laugh at this notion.  They laugh even harder at those who follow the path of Luh-mm, the "sea-dream", who teach that the sea still lies over the land, and that one can reach it if one only dreams.

The Settlers
Approximately 2300 years ago Gung/Luh was settled by the exiles of a prominent empire on a continent far to the west.  They arrived en-mass in large ships which they then canibalized to build their first settlements.  Unfortunately the island's only source of trees suitable for constructing ocean-going ships exists far up in its mountains beyond any effective means of transportation.  And even if they had access to it none know how to build ships like that.  There is no escape from the island.

The Natives

Religion
It has in fact been so long since they came that most of the descendents of the settlers consider the "homelands" a mystical place,  a paradise they were banished from to this hell land accoding to those of the Gung view.  Gung religions teach variously that one's soul can return "home" if one lives a lifetime either quietly enduring the suffering or proclaiming it loudly to the gods, depending on the particular sect.  Those of the Luh view generally do not concern themselves with the loftier aspects of religion, instead being content to worship nature and simply live out the cycle of lives.  But those of the Luh-mm have their own path: seeking a way to join with the dream of water that lies over the land.
--Gods

A generic D&D medievil setting, but one where "savage" humanoids and monsters are as accepted as standard races.