User:WeirdoWhoever/Mundane Fantastic

Campaign Setting Idea: Mundane Fantastic

Working title is shamelessly ripped off from the TV Tropes article.

This page is a working table for a campaign setting of the (probably) same name. I'm making a sub-page because, currently (as per April 14, 2017) I don't have much free time for actually making a new campaign setting.

I'll be slow on this, but if you're interested in this, please let me know. It will be my greatest honor to share my wildest imaginations with other fellow wikians and roleplayers.

Premise

If the working title is ripped off from the TV Tropes article, the premise is pretty much stolen from d20 Modern. Actually, if the official d20 Modern for 5th edition is live, this campaign setting would be pretty much obsolete, so I'd better rush.

Earth, or if you happen to be a passionate DC Comics reader, Earth-n. The modern society as you and other (presumably) humanoid denizens would be comfortable with. Except, in the world of Mundane Fantastic, the existence of magic and supernatural entities are rather open, and some of them even managed to get mainstream.

Reference

In case you didn't noticed it yet, I'm a shameless geek and nerd, and even an otaku (some would prefer the term "weeaboo", I guess).

• Cthulhu Mythos: Oh dear, good ol' H. P. Lovecraft, mayherestsinpeace. It would be even unimaginable to find a single modern fantasy work that is not inspired by Cthulhu mythos, directly and/or indirectly. A Mythos entity makes a good villain, monster, and even player character.

• Fate: A videogame/anime/manga/whatever franchise that revolves around historical and mythological heroes and mosters being summoned in the modern era for an epic fight or two. I'm a big fan of Fate/Zero, and will try to emulate that atmosphere. (Eat your hearts out, Fate/Stay night.) Also inspired the Thaumaturgist and Visitor background.

• Interviews with Monster Girls (Demi-chan Wa Kataritai in Japanese): A slice-of-life manga that stars four (or more?) female demihuman protagonists, the titular "monster girls" (although it's more polite to call them "demis"). Apart from the downgraded racial traits, they are just ordinary humans, and hilarity and heartwarming ensues as they struggle their high school life (high school teacher life for one) just like everyone else. Referenced for imagining mundane life for non-human denizens of the world.

• My Hero Academia (Boku No Hero Academia in Japanese): A surprisingly American-style superhero manga from Japan. Set in a near future where pretty much every humans gain a supernatural power known as "Quirks", superheroes are a real, professional job. Inspired the Professional Hero and Professional Villain background.

• Persona. A JRPG franchise that is a spin-off from the Shin Megami Tensei franchise (see below). Since Persona 3, the typical Persona story revolves around a bunch of high school students with power of their psyche saving the world from supernatural causes, often caused by humanity's general desires and other negative thoughts.

• Re:CREATORS. An anime with a premise of fictional characters popping out of their respective works and into the real world. Heavily inspired the Ex-Fictional Character and Visitor background.

• Shadowrun. In this classic cyberpunk roleplaying game, the world faces a new era when magic returns to the earth. A portion of humanity undergoes a change and becomes elves, dwarves, orcs, and trolls. Advanced technology and subsequent technocracy degenerates the world into a grim cyberpunk state.

• Shin Megami Tensei: A long-running JRPG franchise that revolves around mythological and religional symbolisms, dystopian and grim-dark atmosphere, and merciless difficulty. Heavily inspired the cosmology.

• Tiger & Bunny. Another surprisingly American-style superhero anime from Japan. In this work, superheroes are more of a television superstar, starring at Crimewatch-esque TV shows as they fight crime, with sponsor logos all over their costumes. Inspired the Professional Hero background.

Player's Guide

Note: Unless noted otherwise, most of the mechanics will be taken directly from the SRD.

Backgrounds

New Background: Professional Hero

In a world where having a supernatural power is a part of everyday life, more than one individual decided that their life must be devoted for the public good. They may be individual vigilantes that often bickers with the local police, an organized crime-fighting brigands that work in cooperation with detectives and law enforcement groups, or even hired guns and wands that get paid for filling the jail and cleaing the streets.

New Background: Thaumaturgist

In a world where magical formula is just as much analyzed and educated as a scientific formula, it wouldn't be so strange for a field of knowledge and study solely devoted to magic. Besides, who did you think named all those spells? You may be a college senior, a high school teacher, a lab rat, or even a hobbyist.

New Background: Visitor

The world you currently is, is not the world you used to be. Maybe you come from a fantasy world in a Medieval Age-esque settings. What brought you here in the Earth in the first place? A freak accident with a portal? A malfunctioning artifact? A ritual that summoned you in the middle of the lifetime quest? Or even a day off from your ordinary workplace and just here for the vacation?

Variant Background: Ex-Fictional Character (Visitor)

You were not real, you were just a fictional character, from a fictional work, from someone's crazy minds. Now you are real, here at the real world, which is not exactly as real as you thought. What genre are you from? What was your position in your fictional world? Did you, by any chance, pop out from a geeky high-schooler's "Top Secret" notebook?

Variant Background: Professional Villain (Criminal)

Unlike a mundane criminal, you use your supernatural powers and abilities to commit supernatural crimes and mayhems. You may be doing this for college tuition, for fun, or for a decent fight with that superhero that got your attention.

Classes

Since firearms will be dominant at the modern era, some modifications must be made. Including, but not limited to: Fighter's Fighting Style feature, pretty much everything with barbarians, warlock's Pact of the Blade weapon, and so forth.

Equipment

Firearms, perhaps. Maybe melee weapons are pretty much extinct by the modern era.

The official article "My New D20 Modern Campaign" provides a wonderful examples.

Magic

Some can be benchmarked, copied, and downright stolen from the Unearthed Arcana article.

Races

Dominant Races

Some races may take up the majority of the population. Includes, but not limited to: Humans (obviously), elves and half-elves, dwarves, halflings, gnomes.

Social Minority

Some races are not as dominant as others, so they are classified as "social minority". Includes, but not limited to: Dragonborns, orcs and half-orcs, tielfings.

World of Mundane Fantastic

Note: Unless noted otherwise, most of the mechanics will be taken directly from the SRD.

The World

General World: Africa

I'm rather sad to see how Africa is very underrated in the modern society. There must be a way to make things interesting and proud for Africa.

General World: America

I hope that "big beautiful wall" isn't there.

General World: Asia

I can think of three major countries form the eastern side: China, Japan, and Korea (still North and South, perhaps?).

General World: Austrailia

General World: Europe

An idea for a secret society: Steampunk enthusiast (and perhaps even nostalgics, depending on the history) in the United Kingdom.

General World: Middle East

I'm an atheist, but also an Islam enthusiast as well, so I would want to keep the Middle East from going too fundamentalist. Besides, from what I know, that's not even how a proper Islam is supposed to be.

General World: Others

Time and History

An interesting question: Did the steampunk happen in the 1920s? If it did, maybe it would be also interesting if it all went down when the Depression hit the world. Maybe something like Spellplague happened in that era, demolishing the steampunk technology and society. Maybe some of the romancists dream of the second coming of steampunk world.

Society

Electronic Magic

In short: You can send a spam mail that contains a magic spell instead of computer virus. You can communicate with machines, and delve into the cyberspace. Shamelessly plagerized from the Unearthed Arcana article, d20 Modern setting, and Shadowrun setting.

Secret Societies

Freemasons and Illuminati are not just a conspiracy theory if you have magic everywhere. Maybe some minor secret society could be equally dangerous - read "Dark Dungeons" to see how inhumane, terrifying beasts are the tabletop roleplayers.

Cosmology

If there is Heaven and Hell, things will be very interesting for all those televangelists and diehard faith militants. Considering how Christianity, Islam, and Judaism all stem from the same belief system, just imagine how hilarious (and tragic to some) it would be when they all meet in the same place after death.

Bestiary (?)

Since most magical beasts and monsters would be either hunted to extinction or preserved in a high-security zoo, it would be unlikely to see one during a normal scenario. Instead, I think of having some adverse organizations and/or individuals as a stock villains.

Stock Adverse Individuals

Supervillains, mad scientist/thaumaturgists, a freak hobbyist who accidently built a magic reactor in his/her backyard, and others.

Stock Adverse Organizations

Street gangs, mobs and other criminal organizations, terrorists, league of supervillains, secret societies, and more.

Other Hostile Entities

Celestials and/or fiends with no sense of modern society. Maybe they cannot understand the "harmonious" modern era, and want to turn the world back to the medieval state.

Unspeakable entities from the far realms. Unlike Call of Cthulhu, they can be "exorcised" with a lead bullet to the head (or pseudopods).