Thaedia Feedback Thread

Xathan · April 21, 2006, 12:31:44 PM

Post feedback for Thaedia over here. This is a setting I proposed in my Random Ideas thread, but now I'm working on it as an actual setting. This is not going to in any way negate Datrik, which I have new material comeing out for shortly: it is just a beginning.

Apocalyptica is a placeholder name, and will be changed later on.

EDIT: Changed name to Thaedia

Here is the home thread: http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?4392.0

Numinous · April 21, 2006, 03:49:32 PM

There's not much there to review yet, but I must say that I like the principle of the setting. Post-apocalyptic settings have always sounded good to me, but I just can't seem to play sci-fi, so I've always avoided it. I really look forward to seeing how you'll make this work.

I like seeing gouls with a place in the setting, and I greatly look forward to the other rces you have, including the Slyphs(sp?).

Are there going to be any divinities in this setting? also, if the great conflict wasn't the final batle, is the final battle yet to come?

All for now, back to my book...

Velox · April 21, 2006, 10:54:48 PM

Hoooray for mutants! I like muties; you like muties?

Xathan · April 21, 2006, 11:04:10 PM

Muties are yay: I like muties too. I'm not sure how to handle them stat wise, or what to go for: X-men, wierd looking people, or something in between? and mechanically, sincde I don't really like d20 future's version, they are going to be a bit of a nightmare.

Velox · April 21, 2006, 11:06:53 PM

X-men mutants piss me off.

"Hey, Im a mutant, but all that means is I get (mostly) unexplained power! Wanna get some nachos?"

Power comes with a price! That price should be paid in flesh! I demand that mutants be ugly as sin, or at least disturbing. Super-powers aside, if you don't look really weird, then you're just not a mutant in my book.

Xathan · April 21, 2006, 11:08:58 PM

I think there should be some internal drawbacks, but I agree that their has to be a price to be paid, a price in your health and/or flesh.

Kindling · April 22, 2006, 07:41:02 AM

Apocalyptica - good band, heh. But as for the world, looks interesting. Can't comment too well yet, until I've seen more material.

Xathan · April 24, 2006, 01:13:39 AM

Some quick notes along with the update

Apocalyptica will now be called Thaedia

Mechanical note: I am changing the creature types some. Undead refers only to creatures such as skeletons or zombies, the mindless types. Intelligent undead and more advanced undead are now Nekros, which will have a higher base attack bonus, a smaller hit dice, and more skill points per monstrous HD. Meanwhile, Outsider will only be used as a type for creatures of Lovecraftian horror, and will have its HD increased to 12, putting them on the level of dragons. Meanwhile, Celestials and Fiends will be subtype of the new Immortal type of monsters. The Immortal type will be statistically identical to outsiders, but the name fits the flavor better, IMO.

Velox · April 24, 2006, 04:41:14 AM

First thing, this interests the hell out of me. This looks good.

Initially, this gave me the creeps, the heebee jeebeeÃ¢,¬,,¢s. Games that discuss the matters of Heaven and Hell usually strike a personal chord with most people; thus giving them the heebee jeebeeÃ¢,¬,,¢s. Before I continue with my review (for I have other questions), I must know. What exactly is the flavor youÃ¢,¬,,¢re going for? IÃ¢,¬,,¢m not quite sure...

What happens to a persons soul in this game when they die? Do people know? Do the immortals claim to know? Do they go to heaven or hell, depending on what kind of life they lived? The immortals came to Thaedia to fight over the souls of men... does that mean they tried to get men to follow their gods? Or did they throw them in boxes and ship them back home? And the men fought back! I really love that... people using psionic power to shape their own fate. Now there's the religion for me.

I see the souls of men being fought over by angels and demons. But why? I know their masters want the fealty of men so that they can destory the opposition... but do the angels care about people and want to save them from Hell? Do the demons just want to capture and torture people? Or... do the demons and angels just think they have a better way of living? Is this a Ã¢,¬Å"shades of grayÃ¢,¬Â game, or a Ã¢,¬Å"black and whiteÃ¢,¬Â game? Are they more like good and evil, or more like political parties where they just want to get people on their side, no matter what it takes? From the set-up, it kind of looks like the latter.

There is Khabhen and Nehbahk, and they both want to gain followers among men so they can extinguish the other. How, exactly, do they disagree? Does the god of good want to help people and see them commit good deeds? Does the god of evil just want to punish the wicked and devour any soul which he can? Is Hell (or wherever Nehbahk comes from) a bad place? Could some people truly want to go there?[spoiler]I know many people in modern culture speak of a desire to go to hell, but what I believe theyÃ¢,¬,,¢re speaking of is a rebellion against mainstream culture, not a desire to burn for eternity and get poked in the ass with pitchforks.[/spoiler]

In Thaedia, what are the repercussions of the decisions a person makes in life (specifically, in the afterlife)?

I guess the big question is; do you want to get deep and philosophical with this game, or keep it simple?

Let me know soon, so I can get on with the rest of the stuff I wanted to ask!

Xathan · April 24, 2006, 04:58:36 AM

First, the Big Question: I want it to go either way. If I feel like being deep and philosophical, then I want to be able to run it that way. If I (and the players) want to send some demons back to hell where they belong without needing to worry about the demon's moral standing, then I want to be able to run it that way too. This does make the philosophy/theology a bit more difficult.

I want a more shades of grey game, but I also want moral absolutism. Good is good, Evil is evil. However, just like in real life, it is difficult to tell which is which at times. I'm doing with away all alignment detection spells, or seriously reworking them, to accomadate this flavor.

Now, for the afterlife. If someone is good, they go to heaven. If they are evil, they go to hell. This only applies to those who are morally strong enough to go one place or the others. If you are 'neutral' on the moral axis, you go to Hades, where your soul is recycled. [note]regardless of what happens to your soul, your body arrives in Hades once fully decayed, which usually takes about thirty years. If a necromancer ever managed to get to Hades alive and get out, he could wreak havok.[/note] In Heaven, you are rewarded for living a life of good. The kicker is, in Hell, you do get a sort of reward for being evil. You start off on the bottom rung of society in hell, but you are used for labor, not random acts of torture. People who worship Nehbahk know this. However, with time, you will climb the fiendish hierarchy, gaining a new form and more powers. Since most people who are evil are also power hungry, they like this arrangement. This is known because celestials and fiends tell it to be so, though of course celestials claim that fiends torture you for eternity, and fiends claim heaven is slavery and boring.

The Feinds and Celestials are more like 'political parties,' to use your term, because that is how they gaini more power. However, the celestials are objectively right. (part of my setting is trying to make it more heroic, and that comes along with this: the evil is equally rewarding as the good, both in this life and the next. Therefor, those who are good are greater heros, for they choose good KNOWING that they only reward they get is being good, and acess to some sweet powers, spells, feats, and classes. ;) )

Nehbahk does not seek the destruction of reality, but the control of it. Another theme of my setting is that destruction and death are no more inherently evil than creation and life.

Gotta switch computers, answer the rest later. :)

Xathan · April 24, 2006, 05:11:22 AM

Back, and finishing up my responses.

Flavorwise, I'm going for a post-apocalypse feel. The individual feel of each adventur is up to the DM. I want a sort of heroic feel at times, but I also want a tragic sense to it. Also, I want some horror elements added in, plus a sense of man being an end in an of himself, which is the basis of my view on life.

The Immortals were fighting to get men to not only follow their God, but also to follow their God's way of life. They didn't just want men to worship Good or Evil, then wanted men to BE Good or Evil.

Khabhen and Nehbahk disagree for the same reason matter and anti-matter react so violently. They are two sides of the same coin, (if you didn't notice, one's name is just the other one's spell backwards) but abhor the other. There is a theory that should they ever actually come into personal contact, they would both be utterly annihilated. The "why" they hate each other doesn't matter to them, or they know the answer and don't share it: either way, they oppose each other because the other exists. These beings are going to be as de-anthropomorphisized as I can make them, so trying to figure out human motiviations for them is going to be a headache for mortals more than anything else.

I hope that answers all of your questions: I might have missed a few in that list. :) I look forward to seeing what else you have to say!

Captain Obvious · April 24, 2006, 10:03:11 AM

what if, as a way to justify celestials and devils wanting to have people on there side, each immortal is tied to a human (or maybe one ange and one demon which each are like charicatures of the mortal they are tied to), and needs that human in order to use there poweres, or maybe even to just exist.

the main problem that i see with this method, is that this puts the immortals as less real (or less worldly might be a better term).

Velox · April 24, 2006, 01:11:18 PM

but damn is that a cool idea

Xathan · April 24, 2006, 01:34:49 PM

I'm with Velox, it is a cool idea...but it does make the Immortals less real, like you said. Also, another problem would be that if an Immortal requires a mortal to survive, they aren't really Immortal anymore. Also, another problem is how would this effect humans in game, and the other races as well...hmm...However, I want to use some variation on this idea, maybe. Not sure what, though...perhaps each human blooded creature (so every PC race but Goblyns, Elves, Slyphs) has two Immortals that act as familiars or something, make them tiny and not very powerful. They appear when the human is born, and persist untill the human dies. Perhaps this was one of the results of the peace treaty. Hmm....I'd have to work it very carefully, but I"m loving this idea. Great stuff, supa. *ponders and puzzles*

Captain Obvious · April 24, 2006, 02:42:46 PM

Was reading through those religions, and i have to say the Order look exactly right. that's totaly what i was thinking. While doing this though, i had a though on the twisted.

what if only very extreem cases were actually another race. the majority are humans that have minor mutations that use a similar system to the flaws and/or traits from UA. this can allow people to play something weird, or to play a human with an interesting gimmick.

then, there are also those inside the Order (or some individuals) who embrace their mutations and then train/develope them (a transformational prestige class).

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