Point Three Worlds in the right direction!

[Xeviat]

Quick, I need something to work on for my world. I'm going in for surgery next Monday and I will be entirely bedridden for a week, so I need something to work on, something to get my setting game ready.

What I am looking for is a list of player oriented questions about the setting. I would like questions that you would like to have answered before you were to join a deeply involved role-playing oriented game. Please organize your question types, be they historical, geological, racial, cosmological, or magical. I hope to be able to make a big FAQ for players to read and also to guide me on the types of things that players will actually care about. I know there are a varied group of players here, which makes me believe I will get a varied group of answers.

If you need specific info to guide and shape your questions, let me know. Here is a basic overview of the setting that I am using right now:

Terran Primer
Terran is a world much like our own. It covers a vast area, with several lands separated by grand oceans, filled with many peoples each with their own faiths, history, and culture. In this world, though, myth and legend are undeniably true; spirits live within every thing, fantastic beasts and monsters fill the land and sea and sky, the priests wield magic blessed by the gods, and wizards can harness the very element's themselves. Terran is a world where all of mankind's wildest dreams and nightmares come alive in a vivid but true-to-life fashion. As a player, it is your job to put yourself into your character, to imagine the world around your character is real, and to respond as a real person would.
   Terran is a world of dualities, where the struggle between Light and Dark, the Civilized and the Wild, and the New and the Old dominate. The history of the common races is relatively new, but the world abounds with signs of older civilizations, be they the mysterious ancients, the fallen reptilian races, or the antediluvian mad ones. It is where these dualities combine that adventures are found. Adventurers in Terran will focus upon exploring the wide world and its past, get caught up in the politics of the various nations and races, and help defend against enemies both new and old. The actions of your characters will shape the world itself.

The Holylands
The game begins in the Holylands, a region on the western coast of Krellshah. Hunerst, the dominant country in the region, is a republic recently grown out of the shattered remains of an old empire. The old empire fell into ruin four hundred years ago after a vast army of giants attacked, and this caused the destruction of 4 of the 5 Holy Knights' houses. A tyranny grew out of this event, one which lasted hundreds of years in many hands. Eighty years ago a peasant revolt grew into a full fledged revolution, and out of those events grew the republic which stands today. Now an elected body and the Chivalric church run the nation. Hunerst is predominantly human, but members of the other common races are welcome in Hunerst's lands and cities.

Common Races
There are ten common civilized races on Terran. They have their differences, but members of these races are welcome in most every settlement players pass through or adventure in. Most commoners have seen members of these races, and everyone has at least heard something about them. Some may illicit an amount of fear (hobgoblins and ifrits), or wonder (elves and half-fey), or seem quite different (tritons and valkyries), but they are all given a chance to prove themselves as individuals.

*   Dwarf: The people of the earth, creations of the Earth Dragon. Mountain dwarfs make their kingdoms deep under the (Northern) Mountains, while hill dwarfs make their kingdoms in the cool (Southern) Hills. Mountain dwarfs are militaristic isolationists who care most about defending their ancestral homes, while hill dwarfs are merchants and artisans amongst the other races. Dwarfs are well known for their craftsmanship, but they are more likely to sell ore to other races than works of their make.

*   Elf: The people of the wilds, descended from the sidhe of the spirit world. Elves are free spirited, living in small tribes throughout Terran, with many different cultures in many different biomes. They are reasonably peaceful with all of the civilized races, but they are distant and withdrawn, having little trust in the "younger" races; even though they are technically a wild race and get along well with many of the other wild races, their disdain for war and wide conflict makes them welcome in civilized lands. Their hatred of goblins binds them to the plight of the civilized races, though. They are well known for their music and poetry, as well as their enjoyment for mead and wild revelries.

*   Feyborn: Though they are often called half-elves, they have the mixed blood of humans and the sidhe of Avalon in their veins, not that of an elf. Feyborn possess an unearthly beauty, but they are far more grounded than the otherworldly sidhe from who they descended. They have a potential for magic (all possess some measure of power), and a connection with nature spirits, but they are vulnerable to iron. Many live as intermediaries between Terran and Avalon. Although they are of mixed blood, most are now born from other feyborn.

*   Halfling: Nomads and travelers, halflings are short and slender with soft fur-like hair, large eyes, brown to black skin, and long monkey-like tails. Originating from Draconia where halflings lived a wild and nomadic life, civilized halflings have turned their survival skills into opportunism. Halflings lack their own settlements or their own language (their accent is a lazy lower-class dialect of the Human's language), but they have their own wards within human, and other races', cities.

*   Hobgoblin: Born from a union of the goblins of Sylphenhest and humans, hobgoblins are crafty and shady (literally). Their skin ranges from dark green to nearly gray, their eyes are pitch black orbs, and their features possess sharp angles. Their hair is dark and fine, though baldness is common. When they do not come off as fearsome, they are often seen as dangerously handsome or beautiful. They possess the ability to blend into shadows, and their own shadows seem to be darker and fuller. They frequently face distrust from others, but they are also prized for their intelligence and cunning.

*   Human: The descendents of the ancients, humans possess great regional diversity. Two-thousand years ago, humans were slaves to the giants before five legendary heroes fought and defeated the giants and freed humanity. They are well known for their racial destiny, capable of achieving greatness or falling to corruption. They used to rule a great empire, but it has since fallen.

*   Ifrit: The people of the hottest lands, creations of the Fire Dragon, ifriti are people with dry and cracked black scaled skin, fiery eyes, hair-like spines, short fangs and claws, and a pair of small horns jutting from their brow and sweeping back. They are a passionate, religious, and artistic race, strong in both physical might and presence, steeped in tradition and possessing a strong sense of loyalty. They are well known for their capacity for awe inspiring expressions of hatred, anger, or love. They are prized as allies in any military conflict, but otherwise their kingdoms prefer to stay independent from others' affairs.

*   Ogre: Ogres are the offspring of humans and giants. The first ogre was Huner, the man who killed the giant king and freed humans from their enslavement. It is this history alone that allows ogres to walk the streets of human cities without coming at odds with the guards and soldiers. Ogres are less welcome in the cities of non-humans, and ogre adventurers learn quick how to prove their value and valor.

*   Triton: The people of the seas, creations of the Water Dragon, tritons are hairless people with smooth and shiny blue or green skin, large eyes, no outer ears or noses, and webbed hands and feet. They are at home on land and in water, and are skilled in invention and ship building. Tritons come from open communities with little rules and regulations, where friendships bind others together rather than contracts.

*   Valkyrie: The people of the sky, creations of the Air Dragon, valkyries are tall winged people with large eyes and vaguely beaked faces; the more common females (who make up the leaders and warriors) have dull white skin and white, gray, or black feathers, while the rare males (who are sheltered and treasured) have bright blue feathers and stark white skin. Most other races assume that the valkyrie are all females as that is all they see, or they are uninformed about the coloration differences. When they are not migrating or fighting their own wars, valkyrie warriors serve as mercenaries for other nations. They are swift footed, reveling in battle for the challenge and adrenaline rush, and are capable of flight.

Power Sources
The world of Terran does not operate with character classes, but some measure of classification of powers can be made. A character's skills are either magical or skill based, and magical talents can be broken up into one of the five elements: Air, Earth, Fire, Water, and Æther. While characters may possess multiple power sources, a single power array cannot be made up of multiple sources: for instance, a fire magic array could not have a healing spell (a water function) within it. As such, multi-source characters tend to be trained for versatility and utility rather than straight up efficiency.

*   Training: Characters with abilities of this source are non-magical, even though some of their talents far exceed the abilities of normal folks. Training powers can be unarmed or weapon based attacks, extensions of skills, or magnificent feats of athleticism. A noble's words of inspiration that bring his comrades back to full strength, a warrior's devastating sword swing, an archer's bow attacks, or a rogue's bag of tricks are all training based abilities.

*   Air Magic: Air includes travel magic (such as teleportation, flight, and incredible speed), magic of the senses, magic that allows travel between the planes and time magic, and of course air and weather magic.

*   Earth Magic: Earth includes protection spells, creation magic (making or altering objects), magic that wards and binds, and magic related to stone, soil, plants, and metal.

*   Fire Magic: Fire includes strength and destruction, magic of the emotions, the power of light and darkness, and of course fire.

*   Water Magic: Water includes transformation magic (shape changing), illusions, healing and death, and water, cold, poison, and acid.

*   Ã†ther Magic: Æther is the emptiness the elements that binds them together. As such, there is no magic that is purely Æther, though a magician can specialize in Æther magic. Each of the elements has a sphere that is Æther; Air's Æther deals with time and the planes; Earth's Æther is warding and binding; Fire's Æther is light and darkness; Water's Æther is healing and death. Most practitioners of Æther focus on either its light side (warding, light, healing, upper planes) or its dark side (binding, darkness, death, lower planes), but this is due to moral and ethical obligations, not the magic itself.

Common Creatures
Terran is different from our world, and one of the most noticeable differences are the lack of familiar animals. Terran lacks dogs and cats, for instance, and no whales swim through its seas. Many new animals fill the roles of ours, such as large domestic rodents filling in the role of dogs and tall flightless birds filling in the role of horses. Other creatures like land octopi and mobile carnivorous plants make the world a place much different from ours. Birds are quite common, as well as an animal group unique to Terran: Drakes.
   Drakes are a group of bird-like animals possessing six limbs; four legs and two wings. They lay eggs and have feathers, though some of the larger ones have scales covering much of their body instead of only feathers. Unlike birds, they have long tails and they have teeth instead of beaks. Many drakes are small, the size of house cats, but the most famous are large: griffins, wyverns, and the Valkyrie race.
   Terran also possesses creatures of magic: the spirits. Though most spirits are native to Terran's sister world, Avalon, they can be found on Terran near their bonded objects frequently. Famous spirits include the dryads who are bound to great trees, sprites who are the spirits of wild flowers, and nymphs who are spirits of fresh water bodies. Other common spirits are the elemental spirits: Gnomes, Salamanders, Sylphs, and Undines. On Avalon, these spirits are part of civilized society along with the Sidhe, but they are rarely found on Terran outside of magical study. As every object and plant has a spirit, there are many kinds of spirits, though not all can leave their object or are even sentient.

Core Assumptions
Terran operates under a number of core assumptions, some of which are different from the standard fantasy world.

*   Terran Is a Fantastic Place: While the world is fantastic, it is written with a nod towards believability.

*   Terran Is Young, but Ancient: All of the common races, except for elves, have short histories; humans have only been free from their enslavement for two-thousand years, while the other common races have histories that do not extend much further. But the world is obviously far older than these races, with remnants and artifacts of the Ancients, the ruins of the reptilian empires, and terrible echoes of beings from beyond the stars.

*   Terran Is Known, Sort of: The civilized lands are well known, but the wilds are dark and mysterious. Common folk don't dare to venture beyond their home towns, and traders and politicians typically travel with retinues of guards.

*   Monsters Are Rare, Animals Are Not: The term "monster" does not apply to fantastic animals like drakes, behemoths, griffons, or the various wild humanoids. Monsters are terrible and feared.

*   Adventurers Are Not Unique Snowflakes: Adventurers are not the only people possessing great power. What separates adventurers from others with great strength is their drive. Adventurers are the ones willing to put their lives at risk for wealth or what is right.

*   The Civilized Races Band Together, Sort of: While the civilized races are not universally enemies with each other, they are not always peaceful. Conflict and war happens. The people of Terran are generally cultured enough to not hold an individual of a race responsible for the actions of their race, but characters should expect animosity and bad assumptions from time to time. What does bring the civilized races together is their shared struggle with Goblins, Orcs, and the bestial humanoids.

*   Magic Is Natural, and Minor Magic Is Everyday: Technology is relatively simple because minor magic makes advancement unnecessary. In wealthy regions, streets are lined with magical light, minor magic items are sold, and rituals are commonly practiced. True masters of spells are rare, but reading a scroll is only a matter of following instructions exactingly.

*   Gods Reshaped Terran: Long ago, the Ancients ruled the world, but they forsook their gods. Zion, the last of their gods, destroyed them for their sin, but she was forced to sleep for an eternity afterward. While she slept, she gave birth to three daughters and four sons, the Elemental Dragons, who brought the world back to life and created dragons and giants. The world has its creations, and there are still echoes from the ancient past.

*   Deities Are Active, but Not All-Powerful: Terran is an animistic world. Every natural object has a spirit, and these spirits have power based on the importance of their physical form (the spirit of a mountain is stronger than the spirit of a stream) and the reverence they receive from mortals (the spirit of a sacred hill is stronger than the spirit of an unknown hill). The most powerful of these spirits are deities, but they are not omnipotent. Deities are separated into the benevolent gods, whom are worshiped to receive their blessings, and malevolent demons, whom are worshiped to redirect their wrath; also, there is a distinction between the nature spirits of the mists and the ancestral spirits of the shadow. Most people offer prayer and veneration to many deities and spirits. Spirits are only a short ritual away, and if one were to travel to their world you could meet and speak with them. Most deities have physical forms (the spirit of a forest might be a great oak tree served by a harem of dryads, while the spirit of a lagoon might be a massive shark), and while they are ageless they can still succumb to death.

So, send your answers in. Thank you for all your help. With your questions, I will be able to start work on my website.

[Superfluous Crow]

Really, questions that open up options for building interesting characters are the most important. For the player it is important to have a character that is integrated into the setting  

 The Game
 

*Where will the game begin?
*What is the premise of the game? (no one wants to play obsolete characters)
*Do the characters know each other from the beginning, or do they meet in-game?
*Are there any inherent limitations? (can you play evil, etc.)

History

*Are there any national conflicts that we might want to know about before char creation?

Character creation

*what decisions should we make before gamestart?
*Is it most common to have one of the elemental sources, or is a training-only character viable? (i.e. does everybody know a bit of magic)
*Are there any special character options you can build your character around or towards? (prestige classes, cool tricks etc.)

Countries
 

*What countries is it plausible that you could originate from?

Might be able to come up with a few more after these are answered

[Acrimone]

Other than three of CC's questions, which I won't bother repeating, the first question that comes to mind to Acrimone-qua-player is "What sort of cultural personalities do the various races have?"  (Actually, this is probably something I should work on a little more in my own game.)  

I'm talking about stereotypes here, preferably stereotypes grounded in truth: Americans are hard-working and self-absorbed, the French are lazy and sophisticated, the Japanese are polite and loyal, the English are stiff and resilient, Russians are friendly and tractable, etc. etc. etc.  (Obviously not every example I gave is true to the same degree.)

A corollary to this is designing an "attitude" matrix that gives information on what each of the races thinks of each other, in terms of stereotypes.  White Wolf uses this in their rulebooks to great effect.

And I do have one DM-oriented question I can't help asking:
 Where did the giants go after they kicked everyone's ass in the Holylands?  Were they defeated in a Pyrrhic victory?  Did they just up and leave?  Do they live nearby?  I might want to make a giant hunter... a Valkyrie Giant Hunter.....

Good stuff.  Thanks for posting it.  I'll let you know if anything else comes to mind.

[Xeviat]

Excellent, some good questions there. I've copied them down and I'm starting the FAQ. I will replace this post with it shortly, and will update it to include more questions as they come.

Thanks everyone for your help.