Vizhon
July 3rd, 2017, 01:03
Okay. I already posted about this on Steam where there seems to be little actual activity and will be yet to post it elsewhere, as I am looking for a large group of players for a variant rule system that fits in the D&D Cosmology but not within it's rule system. This in part is because the magic in the world is more dynamic and less Vancian in style.
The setting is world more like Pandora for Avatar in it's natural ecology than an earth like setting, that was once populated by a race of dragons, but some time in the ancient past they somehow collapsed and a few thousand years ago humanoids started invading the realm. It is a low metal, steam-tech, crystal-tech world on a water world with tides and depths that make earth's oceans look like a swimming pool. The campaign will start at the capital of the largest empire on the largest known landmass on the planet, which is large continent sized, and it is only a few hundred years after the end of the last mini ice-age, and due to the harsh weather, environment and extreme seasons, both on an annual cycle and much longer warming and ice age cycle, the majority of civilization in the world is usually underground. It is in a prison Demi-plane in that it has many ways into the realm now, but very few ways out. Dark Sun's setting was another sample of a prison realm. Dark Sun was most likely a dying plane, killed by the halfling that once ruled it and in a very long death throw but this realm is instead a baby plane that is deep in the ethereal realm and has not grown into a true prime material plane. The realm has easy access to the inner elemental planes (which I have my own version of), UnderReach, which is my shadow plane that is my name for the inter-dimensional threads that connect various D&D realms through their Underdark regions, and the Far Realms, but it is completely cut off from direct access to the Astral Realm or any outside influence from the Outer Planes. The realm has it's own gods.
I am looking for lots of players and my time for running is very flexible, though I don't plan to seriously get started on this until at least the sometime next month, even if I got a large group interested now. The campaign would start with a 2 or 3 session adventure that will set the plot hooks for later adventures, and then my pre-planned work as a GM will be limited, as I will explain later. There are a lot of pre-made characters from which players can pull their initial characters unless they want to put in the time it would take to make up a character with me and without rules written in a form that they would see much of the actual numbers in the creation process, as I do not have a lot of my house rules written down in a presentable form at this time. Original characters will be encouraged, later, though, once I have time to put more on paper and players are at least a little familiar with the rules.
The variants in the d20 rules I use are a variety of indy OpenGaming d20 writer inspired ideas that give a more dynamic spell system, a miracles and benedictions form of divine magic, a morale, shock and awe system, rules for adventures on the high seas, much expanded combat specialization rules, guns, and more.
So why am I only planning the initial adventure in detail before starting this, why do I want more players than I can manage in a session, and why is my time being really flexible relevant? Well, I'll answer in a header for the following section to be sure it stands out for those that already knows what it means... It is because I plan to run it as a -
West March Style Campaign
What this means is that I plan to set up message boards, a wiki and other tools that can be used for the campaign and my contribution to it will only be as the GM controlling the world and not as the tracker of the lore and cartographer of the world. Instead, the idea is to set up a campaign where all the players are members of a group or organization that has a reason to work together, not as an adventuring party but bigger than that. When adventures happen, it would only involve part of the larger group going out to deal with business and it would be because the players have decided what they want to do and have requested me to make time for it to happen. The message boards, wiki and any other tools will be for the players to use to deal with guild business mostly in a forum style RP and track the lore and manage the maps of the realm and what not, themselves. It would be up to the players to keep track of their own notes. My involvement would be in providing GM answers in said forum threads when the plot can be moved forward that way and when required, putting together the materials to handle whatever the next adventure is and making time for the sessions.
Currently I am organizing things through a Steam Group, but will move it all to a more accessible and versatile location (probably around google groups).
So what is the plot hook? Well, I won't tell what the real plot hook is, but as far as the initial adventure goes: For one reason or another all the characters are gathered at a large, popular tavern under the capital city near the commercial harbor when the call for adventure comes out. Someone is missing and a party is needed to go help find what happened to them, because the section of the underground where they need to go is well outside of areas that are currently patrolled and there are murmurs of strange things happening down there and maybe undead.
If you are interested, you can PM me on here or post a reply. Note that I am not going to be camping here and that days may pass between my visits here, so this whole project is on an unrushed timed schedule.
NOTE: I have FG Ultimate, so can host demo players.
The setting is world more like Pandora for Avatar in it's natural ecology than an earth like setting, that was once populated by a race of dragons, but some time in the ancient past they somehow collapsed and a few thousand years ago humanoids started invading the realm. It is a low metal, steam-tech, crystal-tech world on a water world with tides and depths that make earth's oceans look like a swimming pool. The campaign will start at the capital of the largest empire on the largest known landmass on the planet, which is large continent sized, and it is only a few hundred years after the end of the last mini ice-age, and due to the harsh weather, environment and extreme seasons, both on an annual cycle and much longer warming and ice age cycle, the majority of civilization in the world is usually underground. It is in a prison Demi-plane in that it has many ways into the realm now, but very few ways out. Dark Sun's setting was another sample of a prison realm. Dark Sun was most likely a dying plane, killed by the halfling that once ruled it and in a very long death throw but this realm is instead a baby plane that is deep in the ethereal realm and has not grown into a true prime material plane. The realm has easy access to the inner elemental planes (which I have my own version of), UnderReach, which is my shadow plane that is my name for the inter-dimensional threads that connect various D&D realms through their Underdark regions, and the Far Realms, but it is completely cut off from direct access to the Astral Realm or any outside influence from the Outer Planes. The realm has it's own gods.
I am looking for lots of players and my time for running is very flexible, though I don't plan to seriously get started on this until at least the sometime next month, even if I got a large group interested now. The campaign would start with a 2 or 3 session adventure that will set the plot hooks for later adventures, and then my pre-planned work as a GM will be limited, as I will explain later. There are a lot of pre-made characters from which players can pull their initial characters unless they want to put in the time it would take to make up a character with me and without rules written in a form that they would see much of the actual numbers in the creation process, as I do not have a lot of my house rules written down in a presentable form at this time. Original characters will be encouraged, later, though, once I have time to put more on paper and players are at least a little familiar with the rules.
The variants in the d20 rules I use are a variety of indy OpenGaming d20 writer inspired ideas that give a more dynamic spell system, a miracles and benedictions form of divine magic, a morale, shock and awe system, rules for adventures on the high seas, much expanded combat specialization rules, guns, and more.
So why am I only planning the initial adventure in detail before starting this, why do I want more players than I can manage in a session, and why is my time being really flexible relevant? Well, I'll answer in a header for the following section to be sure it stands out for those that already knows what it means... It is because I plan to run it as a -
West March Style Campaign
What this means is that I plan to set up message boards, a wiki and other tools that can be used for the campaign and my contribution to it will only be as the GM controlling the world and not as the tracker of the lore and cartographer of the world. Instead, the idea is to set up a campaign where all the players are members of a group or organization that has a reason to work together, not as an adventuring party but bigger than that. When adventures happen, it would only involve part of the larger group going out to deal with business and it would be because the players have decided what they want to do and have requested me to make time for it to happen. The message boards, wiki and any other tools will be for the players to use to deal with guild business mostly in a forum style RP and track the lore and manage the maps of the realm and what not, themselves. It would be up to the players to keep track of their own notes. My involvement would be in providing GM answers in said forum threads when the plot can be moved forward that way and when required, putting together the materials to handle whatever the next adventure is and making time for the sessions.
Currently I am organizing things through a Steam Group, but will move it all to a more accessible and versatile location (probably around google groups).
So what is the plot hook? Well, I won't tell what the real plot hook is, but as far as the initial adventure goes: For one reason or another all the characters are gathered at a large, popular tavern under the capital city near the commercial harbor when the call for adventure comes out. Someone is missing and a party is needed to go help find what happened to them, because the section of the underground where they need to go is well outside of areas that are currently patrolled and there are murmurs of strange things happening down there and maybe undead.
If you are interested, you can PM me on here or post a reply. Note that I am not going to be camping here and that days may pass between my visits here, so this whole project is on an unrushed timed schedule.
NOTE: I have FG Ultimate, so can host demo players.