The Triumph of the Will (WWII and Fantasy Setting)

[Gnomemaster]

Introduction
   On a muddy battlefield, a soldier crouches low in a trench he had dug a week ago. Suddenly an explosion rocks his world, when his vision returns he sees that where his friend had been there was nothing but a smoking crater. He sees the sergeant lift up his weapon and shout. The soldier lifts his belongings and prepares for the final push out of the trench.
   
This is the inspiration for The Triumph of the Will; it is a world at war, but not on Earth. Instead the Great War takes place in a far away universe, on another plane of existence, where elves, dwarves, gnomes, and humans fight upon the great battlefields of the world.

   The Alliance of Elves, Orcs, and Gnomes threatens to take control of the world and crush the Coalition of Humans, Halflings, and Half-Elves. Squadrons of winged drakes and gryphons rain down upon the world with enchanted rune stones, fleets of ships convoy together to protect from surprise attacks, and powerful mages lead hillgiants into battle wielding huge cannons as clubs. The Alliance and The Coalition will strive towards victory at all costs.

Tones and Themes

The Triumph of the Will does not represent real life combat. In reality, World War II was one of the most blood and costly wars of all time. This game tends to stay away from horribly realistic violence like in Saving Private Ryan. Instead it leans towards fantasy violence, where a lot of the trauma happens off screen. Movies like Patton, The Dirty Dozen, and Apocalypse Now are all perfect examples of the level of violence and realism found in The Triumph of the Will.

   The Great War is all encompassing, with heroes and villains on all sides. You may notice that many of the factions in this game are similar or react in a similar way to real life countries and leaders. That is on purpose. The epic scope of World War II is presented in this game through the many countries and races fighting. It is not necessary to be a World War II scholar to play the game, any information that is necessary will be given to you. That being said, games will be more enjoyable when you have a small degree of knowledge.

   Many of the famous campaigns and missions found in a history text book can be turned into adventures or campaigns in The Triumph of the Will. For some excellent reading, you can find an entire section of information in your local library or book store. For an easy to read and understand history of World War II, pick up World War II for Dummies, a great book that I found very helpful while writing this.

What This Campaign Setting Is and Isn't

   The Triumph of the Will is a reimagining of history. A lot of NPCs are recreated World War II personas. Beren Miriel, leader of the elves, is the elven Hitler, rather than having squadrons of P-52s ferocious dragons and drakes with riders fight in furious dogfights. Instead of tanks or artillery there are hill giants wielding hand cannons. This game also involves the repositioning of monsters from the Monster Manual. It is not an exact carbon copy of the war. You may notice inconsistencies with reality, a lot of times that's on purpose. A lot of factions and countries in WW II were removed or combines with others in this game to simplify it.  

[Gnomemaster]

The Wartime Character

   The Triumph of the Will is the kind of game that needs more than just a level 12 rogue. Characters and NPCs need to feel as though they belong in the world. This outlines a few archetypes of the world at war and helps to give a feel for what other characters would be like. Most archetypes work well with any class.

Grizzled Veteran
'Keep your head down, take care of your feet, sharpen your sword and you will do just fine.'

You have seen countless battles. You may have even served during the Last Great War and again you march off to battle. You know all the tricks to combat and know how to survive. You often have a grim outlook on life after seeing so much death, but you are deathly loyal to your comrades and will never leave a man behind.

   Adventuring: Grizzled veterans fight for different reasons, whether that is for the money, because you were drafted, for the glory, or because you want to serve your country. You are a soldier, first and foremost, and you are good at what you do. Often adventures come in the form of orders from superior officers. Other times, such as when you are retired, you have trouble coping with civilian life and long for the rush of combat.

   Personality: You are gruff and brooding with a dark sense of humor. You may be haunted by nightmares or flashbacks of horrible battlefields or carry even darker burdens. Grizzled Veterans often bark orders and expect them to be followed. They have trouble associating well with civilians and peace time life.

   Behavior: You may carry a scar from your time in the military. These scars can come in many ways including physical and emotional. Physical scars may be an actual scar or a missing finger or ear. They can be psychosomatic pain felt from having your intestines ripped open and then healed by a cleric, or it may be a missing limb that had to be replaced. Emotional scars include ticks, paranoia (especially while in the field), discriminatory thoughts (against races you fought against) or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.  

   Notes: Look to movies and books for inspiration. Drizzt Do'Urden fulfills many of the traits of a Grizzled Veteran. In Apocalypse Now Martin Sheen's character is a dark and brooding man caught in the war. In Forest Gump Lt. Dan begins as a respectable man, but finds his life washed up after his legs are blown off and he has problems assimilating into Civilian Life and he deals with his survivor's guilt. In Firefly and Serenity Mal fought as one of the brown coats and has to deal with many of his ghosts from that past.

[Gnomemaster]

Fighter Ace
'So there I was, flying high, when a red drake appeared out of the clouds. Me and Wingclaw flew up into the sun and rained down hell on the elf. That was kill number 43.'
   
   You are a brave flying knight, whether you ride a giant owl, giant eagle, gryphon, or a drake you are a romantic character. People see you as the embodiment of bravery, and your stories of adventurous dog fights high above the world are center stage in taverns.
   
Adventuring: As with all soldiers, your Game Master may choose to use superior officers as adventure seeds your character may be looking for the next thrill, trying to push his mount farther than anyone else. Your character may be trying to become a Fighter Ace, to be considered an Ace by most militaries it is required to kill 5 or more aircraft.
   
Personality: Most armies promote people who are self confident, motivated, and maybe a little suicidal to pilot. It takes someone with a tactical mind and quick reflexes to fly, and often others are relying on the success of your mission. Fighter Aces are sometimes described as having overinflated egos, that's just because you're that good at your job.

   Behavior: You may often feel uncomfortable on the ground, only feeling truly safe or prepared when you are in the air. You may often go into stories about your famous exploits. You are very competitive, and are not afraid to do what it takes to win. Pilots often have call signs. Call signs are code names that they refer to themselves as over the radio such as 'Rotor', 'Dawg', or 'Iceman'.
   
Notes: Aviators are the perfect inspiration for these types of characters. Look to military fiction concerning pilots. Also watch the movie Top Gun and watch Maverick and Goose. The movies Tora, Tora, Tora, Midway, and Twelve O'clock High are great World War II movies with pilots.

[Gnomemaster]

Elven Supremist
'We were once the greatest race that ever lived, our actions influencing all other nations, we shall return to that lofty post.'

   You are a firm believer in Beren Miriel's cult of elven superiority. You often treat other races with disdain or outright hostility. You don't necessarily have to be a member of any organization dedicated to the elven movement. But the idea of elves once again claiming their rightful role as the greatest race on the world is tempting.
   
Adventuring: You usually associate yourself with other elves; rarely may you join forces with non-elves, if only for the moment. You might even be asked to carry out the will of Miriel himself, putting an end to any resistance, assassinating a powerful non-elf, or squashing another of the many assassination attempts on Miriel himself.
   
Personality: You are proud of your elven heritage, some might even call you stuck up or haughty. Regardless, the fact remains that you are a dedicated member of the elven movement and believe in the reclaiming of the world.
   
Behavior: You may often refer to non-elves by racial epithets, or by description of what they are such as: 'Human that heals me' for the party cleric or 'The Trap-Bait' for the party rogue. Feel free to scoff at lesser races ideas, only to use the idea anyway and pass it off as your own.
   
Notes: Racial hatred is foolish and horrible belief built upon ignorance. You need to be very careful when playing a character so openly racist so as not to alienate your friends. Stay away from real racial slurs, and be sure to not sideline the game due to your character's position on their place in the world.

[Gnomemaster]

Resistance Fighter
'They come into our homes, and take away our freedoms? I say we take them back.'

   You fight for the freedom of your country, but you are not a member of the military. Instead you lead the battle at home in secret. There are small cells of freedom fighters on all sides; they are hidden to protect themselves from discovery. You may have been a soldier in the past, but now you work with the militia.

   Adventuring: You will do whatever it takes to gain an advantage over the enemy, and with limited resources, you need to take what you can get. You may be sent on missions to claim weapons, medicine, food, or money, whatever the resistance movement needs.

   Personality: You are caring and empathetic to those in need; however you are ruthless and heartless against your enemy. You use guerilla tactics and set traps to use against the enemy and you strike fear in their hearts. Some may describe you as a terrorist, others as a hero.

   Behavior: You are dedicated to the idea of a free country. Sometimes you work alone, other times you work alongside other heroes. Remember that you have one goal in life, to free your nation from enemy hands, or the hands of a dictator. You are willing to do whatever that takes, no matter who is in your way.

   Notes: Che is a good example of a freedom fighter. You may want to be less of a political character and more of just an all around good guy however. Robin Hood is a great example. his selflessness and daring inspires the people around him.

[LordVreeg]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrowsmith_(comics), WORLD WAR 1 variation, but might be helpful

Also, how can the elves and half-elves be on opposite sides?

[Gnomemaster]

That's a good question. Half-Elves have always been seen as inferior by elves. Not just in this setting but if in the PHB as well it mentions this. Just like in the Eberron campaign setting, Half-Elves are more than just the product of an elf mother and human father. Half-Elves are their own true breeding race, they have been for centuries. It came from the mingling of humans with elves until it reaches the point now. Today's elves see the Half-Elves as impure, or dirty blooded. They treat them on the same level as they treat all lesser races. Miriel himself sees them as traitors  because their ancestors allowed themselves to mingle with humans.

Half-Elves don't agree with the idea of Elven supremacy, they find the idea distasteful and against everything they stand for. Especially since Half-Elves do not believe in genocide as a solution to problem.

On a design note, it just made sense. if the elves are the Aryan race, then we need someone to be the Jewish and the French, so why not the Half-Elves? to me it makes perfect sense.

[Stargate525]

for a take on sentient flying machines, you might want to check out the temeraire series.

It's a bit further back than you want, but the principles would probably be the same, especially if planes never became a reality.

[Tybalt]

Interesting idea. I put up a thread on WOTC on having a Stalingrad like battle in a large city in D&D. One thing that came up in discussion was the idea of magic being so like higher tech that it could greatly influence how wars would be fought. For instance long range communications, flying as you point out, accurate sniping from concealment and quick engineering would change from standard medieval warfare to something else.