Discussion:Campaign idea

I am new to the Wiki experience and haven't delved into DnD in quite some time. The last iteration I played or DM'd was when 3 was new. My interest was re-ignited recently and I have mulled over an idea for a campaign. I wanted to create a page under homebrew campaigns but am quite lost as to how to do this. In any case, as concisely as I can, here is a synopsis of the campaign world I am envisioning.

---This portion would not be revealed to players---

In the 23rd century, mankind has expanded its influence and technological mastery to develop colonies throughout the Solar system. Nanotechnology has become integrated into the human genome which greatly enhances our physiology. The concepts of hunger, disease and aging are nearly extinct. It is a golden era of human evolution. Expeditions have been sent to the nearby Epsilon Eridani and Alpha Centauri systems as the populations on the Core worlds (Earth, Mars and Venus) reach the tens of billions. Scientists are on the cusp of making supraluminal travel feasible. It is not known how or even precisely what had happened, but scientists discovered that a massively destructive space/time ripple effect was forming. In the blink of an eye, a bridge was temporarily formed between our universe and a parallel universe. No two objects can exist in the same space at the same time, so when two Sols suddenly and inexplicably occupied the same space, the entire system was rocked by the reverberations of the event. A coronal mass ejection was the most visible and immediate effect of this event, the shockwave spreading across the entire system. Moments after the ripple effect occurred, it ended, but the lasting repercussions are felt to this very day. Mankind was all but wiped out, Earth was plunged into an iceage and all technology was eradicated by the EM generated by the shockwave. Even the nanotechnology built into the human genome was rendered dormant. The was of exotic radiation caused mutations in the surviving people, and new offshoots of Homo Sapien began to emerge. Some were taller and lighter, with greater agility to better survive in the forested regions of the world while others became shorter and developed a more dense skeletal and muscular build to enable them to better survive beneath the surface.

The extra solar colonies, concerned at the sudden and unexplained loss of contact with the home system, began to develop a space program which would enable them to send an expedition back to Sol and discover what had happened. Though it took them decades, they finally launched several starships back home. It took decades more to reach their destination, and they were shocked to discover what had happened to their once great civilization. What few humans remained on the Core worlds were little more than hunter gatherer societies and almost all traces of their golden civilization were erased. There was a great deal of debate and argument between the would be rescuers as to what should be done. First contact with Earth was disastrous, as the primitive humans assumed that the visitors were 'gods' from their abilities and technology. The expedition members pulled back into orbit and decided to investigate the cause of the catastrophe while attempting to guide humanity back into some semblance of their former glory. The expedition members took on the aspects of the gods of earth's past to disguise their true natures and to best guide the primitive and superstitious people.

Centuries have passed. Humans and their subspecies evolved and developed to a pre-Dark Age level of technology (superior to the Dark and Middle Ages). The expedition continue to watch over humanity in the guise of their gods, but a darker secret is emerging. The parallel Earth not only survived the encounter with Earth Prime, but were actively attempting to recreate the event to open a bridge to this universe. To better visit their vengeance on humanity. The clock is ticking.

--- What the players would know ---

It is the Age of Conquest. The gods have blessed the Imperium with great power and knowledge. The 9 Great Houses of the Imperium have been commanded by the Throne to expand the Imperium's influence over the world and bring their barbaric and wayward brethren under their dominion. You are the child of one of the Great Houses, unfortunately not in line to inherit, but great opportunity and rich rewards await the bold, and beyond the horizon lies an entire world of possibility. Gather riches and fame for the glory of your House or discover new Artifact Technology from the Age of the Gods. It was just such a discovery which enabled the first Emperor to establish his rule, the Rune Gateways providing him the ability to project his armies across leagues in an instant. Your Houses have given you their blessing, and with your most loyal retainer and the scions of other Great Houses, have set out to make your fortune. Your destiny awaits.

--AFknight (talk) 10:16, 22 August 2013 (MDT)

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Very great idea

The ideas you are throwing around are just awesome. Great way to turn traditional fantasy on its head. 1. You could easily create very interesting dungeons with advanced tech construction/traps/enemies. You could create some kind of radiation/dark matter etc. that could empower or destroy the unwitting inhabitants of the world. 2. Will the characters end up meeting their benefactors in space? 3. Will the PCs know any of the backstory? If not, exploit tons of foreshadowing (astronomers mark strange orbits of objects in the sky, or the high priest of Spacegod could "speak with God" literally with a "magical and holy" earpiece transponder. 4. Does magic actually exist in this world or is it just technology?

Answer

Magic does exist in a sense. It's source is the exotic energy left over from the two parallel universes briefly existing in the same space at the same time. The ability to access it comes from a rare mutation in individuals that allow them to sense and (with training) manipulate the energy in a manner consistent with the standard arcane spell lists without significant deviation. Divine magic is similar in that it mostly utilizes the exotic energy (but not entirely) but an individual's ability to access it is not based on a mutation but a selective activation of latent nanotechnology in their genetic code. This is done by the "gods" to allow their more fervent followers to perform their works. The "gods", with their greater understanding of the phenomena owing to their scientific approach and technological advancement, have a much greater degree of control over their ability to manipulate the energy.

I have been asked by some players if there would be some kind of over arching goal to be achieved in this campaign. The long term goal is that most of the "gods" want to have humanity develop into something analogous to themselves, re-mastering their technology and refining their control over the exotic energy. The key word is "most". Some gods like the way things are and may end up working to keep things that way. Secondly, the parallel world that briefly came into contact with our own was not completely destroyed by the encounter. The few survivors, their technology somewhat intact (instead of the fantasy like environment of this universe, think post-apocalypse setting, like Fallout), are nursing a terrible hatred for the our universe, and though struggling to survive, are placing a priority on bridging the gap once again to open our world to their revenge. Lastly, the "accident" has been largely attributed to human experimentation with Faster Than Light propulsion gone horribly awry. The truth is that the work was deliberately sabotaged by infiltrators from an alien race that feared mankind's rapid growth and development. If they discover that mankind not only survived the event, but is being sheperded into a level of power even greater than before, who knows what action they may take...