User:Nuke The Earth/Notes
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Big Old Mess of Ideas[edit]
Worldbuilding[edit]
- Religious organizations preach that sickness is caused by tiny demons infesting the body, and that healing magic burns them away allowing the body to return to its natural state (Same for wounds, the 'ghost' of whatever harmed them needs to be excised for the wound to be repaired?)
-Religious organizations and/or kingdoms take a tithe of all silver produced or otherwise acquired, due to its extreme affinity for the holy magics
- Adamant, Mithril, and Orichalcum were formed in the War for the Heavens, when the blood of Gods and Giants was shed.
- The land is heavily scarred in places from the War for the Heavens, resulting in interesting terrain in places (sheer cliffs where a massive sword cleaved the earth itself, massive lakes in the approximate shape of a humanoid, ect.)
- Dwarves have set up a civilization in a massive sinkhole kept dry by a series of huge (arcane?) pump mechanisms (picture windmill-style construction, or roman aqueduct type of thing). If they break down, the sinkhole will slowly but surely start to flood, endangering the entire race. (Caves to the Underdark near the bottom? Weird moss monsters too maybe, stuff that lives at the base of waterfalls. Rocs too perhaps, giant sloths on the walls, mastodons in the bottom of the cave-like area, megafauna paradise basically.)
- Somebody (Probably dwarves) has built a giant arcane reactor using an ancient primeval dragon as an energy source. This power is used for many things, including force-field style defense shields and giant lightning staves to shoot down flying attackers. Potential quest objectives: Help repair the part that keeps the dragon asleep, so it doesn't wake and cause untold destruction, Sabotaging the part that keeps it asleep, so it can wake and regain its freedom, etc. Depends on who the PCs are and their relation to the city and other NPCs.
Quest Hooks[edit]
- S C E N A R I O : A party member receives a somewhat urgent letter from a family member, urging them to return home. To accommodate this, the party take a road contract to escort a caravan along the way, to keep them busy, earn some coin, and have a few other sets of eyes to watch their back. Bandits might be a thing. If they are, they might be scared off, or they might call in some help, or they might set a trap - digging a pit, rolling boulders down a cliffside, etc.
- Alternatively, a Rogue's organization might want to hit up the caravan and take the chest of coin, offering to share the loot with the adventurers if they stand aside and let it happen. Start with just the Rogue being in on it, depending on their actions the Thieves Guild might let the other PCs in on it too, if they're more of a mercenary type. (Players may be able to get paid twice, if they play their cards right!) (Or their pay was in the chest, and they want it back?)
Mechanics[edit]
- Have a reputation system, where depending on the results of combat and questing their prowess (or incompetence) is known by potential contractors, such as other caravan masters, traders, town militia, city watch, or mercenary outfits (as well as, eventually, common townsfolk and/or bandits in the area). Local reputation (Immediate area, local town, small city, or cluster of hamlets - no more than a day or two's ride away) has a lesser effect the further you go from the origin of said reputation bonus. (Letters of endorsement can give bonuses depending on who wrote them and who they are presented to.) Local reputation will at a certain point (lvl 5, 7, 9-ish?) aggregate into a more widespread sort of thing, at which point they'll be called on for more hero-type stuff.
Magic Items[edit]
Ranged weapon that draws power from the blood of the wielder to either generate or empower its ammunition, dealing a fair bit of extra damage in exchange for health
Ancient Lore[edit]
- Gods are formed much like stars. In the spaces between realms, vast amounts of Potential are accrued and homogenized into a single entity. Once said entity has amassed enough Potential, they are able to force their way into a plane and, with the power of their chosen Aspects, set their Potential aflame and burn like the sun. It's a risky process, because a newborn god's power is not yet consolidated; many a powerful being will attempt to locate and siphon the strength of young gods before their Aspects solidify. However, once the transition is completed, they will find their powers amplified considerably in their home plane, though diminished elsewhere - a worthwhile trade, you'd think.
But what would happen, hypothetically, if an entity never forces their way into a plane, to take up the mantle of godhood? What if they simply remain in that space between spaces, that plane between planes, that strange and ephemeral nothingness that is simultaneously everything? Why, then, presumably, said entity would never stop amassing Potential. Slowly and surely throughout the ages, they would grow stronger and stronger, until through the immense pressure and sheer power of the individual, the deific spark ignites of its own accord, and a god of that place between places is born. Immeasurably powerful in its home realm, almost incomprehensibly alien, and utterly devoted to the concept of the Between.
And then some dinky little wizard drills a tunnel through the living room of this immeasurably and incomprehensibly mighty being, because they wanted to capture a succubus. Some demonic prince carves a highway across the thing's desk, because it wants an invasion route to another plane. An Elemental falls through the ragged edges of its place of origin, and knocks over a cup of coffee on its way to Somewhereville, Generic Fantasy Land #47.
Well, thinks the Eldritch One. It's high time somebody put a stop to this nonsense. And the Eldritch One knows nobody better for the job than themselves.
Dungeon Designs[edit]
Traps[edit]
In the center of the room there is a pit of bubbling acid with a set of stairs descending into it. Along the edges of the room are half a dozen alcoves, in which a rune-carved altar is set. (Hunt down the whatevers to put on the altar to drain the pool and descend to the lower levels of the dungeon.)
Need to open thing. Thing cannot open, because broken. Must venture into parts of dungeon to repair mechanism, then head back to push button/lever/whatever and open thing. (Makes ACTUAL SENSE, as opposed to "Generic McGuffin Hunting". Things break down, and need repairing. Much less stupid than having to go on a fetch quest for no reason.) Alternate: Magic whatever can't work because goblins (or something) robbed the shiny bits. Go beat up the goblins and get them back.
The gist of it is, give the players a reason to hunt things down. A logical, actual reason. Dungeon bosses don't scatter gate keys across the dungeon, because that makes it harder for them to get in and out.
Lock trap that breaks lock pick (by way of tiny hammer inside lock) when lock is picked badly (doesn't turn correctly). Doorknob that only opens when turned counterclockwise - when turned clockwise, the door locks in place/a trap is triggered/somebody is alerted to the intrusion. (Good for thieves' guilds, need to be 'in the know' to open the door right - or rather, left)
Tripwire leading to massive alarm - dungeon swarm inbound
Tripwire that leads to, presumably, nothing (at least, nothing the players know about)
