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5 years ago ::
May 09, 2008 - 2:29PM
#1
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Date Joined:
Jan 22, 2008
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This setting is the product of a large pile of ideas that had been fermenting in my head for some time. Occasionally, I would open the creaky little door to my subconscious and peek in at the whole mess, perhaps giving it a stir, but otherwise leaving well enough alone. One day, however, I decided to dump the whole mess onto these boards, and many extremely imaginative people said all sorts of very nice things about it. With their gentle care, said mess now supports several new species of fungi, and has even sprouted feelers. So it is that, in its third revision, I present it once more to the lovely folks here, in the hope that I can snag a few more crazies into contributing their strange and wonderful ideas. Thus, without further ado, here is: Nifflas: Where Librarians Mean Business  Floating Chunks of RockThe Day and The NightYggdrasil, The Great LibraryThe Skerries and The Strange Things That Happen ThereStrangers and Strange Men, Organizations, Motleys, and All Sorts of Dangerous FolkInfluences and Sources of Shameless TheftDisclaimer: please feel free to riff on, steal, mangle, distort, twist or do unspeakable things to any ideas presented here, so long as you give credit and don't make any money off it. Now, there's also a wiki!
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5 years ago ::
May 09, 2008 - 8:19PM
#2
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Role of adventurers: there is a thoughtful TV series called Mushi-Shi that follows a doctor of the supernatural around as he encounters and attempts to treat various cases; most of the challenge involves riddles of symptoms, causes, the mystery of how it came to be. Besides garnering knowledge and yielding aid, he often keeps the infecting specimen as payment, sells small medicines, and hocks strange mementos of his travels to collectors. If the PCs are reporters, the fruit of reporting would be uncovering of knowledge and broadcasting it. Broadcasters might pay for their stories of exploration or lost documents. Governments could conscript them to search phenomena scenes for clues. They might have to track down a famous recluse (or more cliché heroes-on-duty) and interview them. I don't see how they couldn't hock odd wares while they're at it to pay for paper plane money, especially if an unfond scissor witch wrecked their last one (with them in it)! The action can derive from avoiding, dealing with, and recovering from the hazards of travel (natural disasters, wildlife, streetlife, costs, misdirected deliveries, ...) uncooperational interviewees, rival reporters, off-course islands, or more mundane fare, such as conspiracies and extraplanar take-over-the-world nonsense. Floating islands:A gimmick doesn't get past its own existence. Your setting develops so much beyond the the original idea of islands floating that the set could soar even if it didn't literally. The personality, mythology, and culture of the setting all complement each other. Junkfolk: It remains to be seen what warforged racial feats entail, but I'd imagine one might accessorize oneself ("Oo, fancy that bit of clunk!") and solder it on without much effect in the way of mechanics, like glasses, clothing, jewelry, or tattoo. Sphinxes: That is directly Mirrormask. Ponder that perhaps "sphinx" and "jinx" are alike by more than coincidence. The Greek Sphinx was a creature of ill luck & misfortune. Maybe you can add something.
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5 years ago ::
May 09, 2008 - 9:54PM
#3
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Date Joined:
Jan 22, 2008
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I had figured they do things along those lines, plus get embroiled in village troubles occasionally and have to act as de facto policeman in the manner of Dogs in the Vineyard. Also, they would be Librarians, and though they would mainly be compiling entries for the almanac, they'd have to track down those sorry souls who do not return their books on time...
Junkfolk: It remains to be seen what warforged racial feats entail, but I'd imagine one might accessorize oneself ("Oo, fancy that bit of clunk!") and solder it on without much effect in the way of mechanics, like glasses, clothing, jewelry, or tattoo.
I definitely like that image. Consider it yoinked.
Sphinxes: That is directly Mirrormask.
Yep =] I shamelessly stole a fair number of things.
Ponder that perhaps "sphinx" and "jinx" are alike by more than coincidence. The Greek Sphinx was a creature of ill luck & misfortune. Maybe you can add something.
Mmm. That's a good thought, you know.
The TV series looks very cool as well - I'll definitely check it out.
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5 years ago ::
May 10, 2008 - 12:43AM
#4
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Date Joined:
Jan 15, 2008
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You sir, have been bookmarked.
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5 years ago ::
May 10, 2008 - 2:45PM
#5
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Date Joined:
Apr 24, 2008
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Wow, just wow. Had to add this to my sig, cause it's amazing.
That said, how rare is vegetation among all this junk and floating rock? If it's fairly rare, you could use seeds and good soil as currency. Of course, if it's too rare, you've got to worry about how people eat.
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5 years ago ::
May 10, 2008 - 3:42PM
#6
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Date Joined:
Feb 25, 2008
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Holy Crap...
Please tell me you live in Phoenix.
I wanna be in this campaign sooooooo bad...
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5 years ago ::
May 10, 2008 - 5:28PM
#7
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Date Joined:
Jan 22, 2008
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Thanks for all the compliments everyone.
Shinikama, I live in Ohio, sorry, but feel free to steal it and run it yourself.
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5 years ago ::
May 10, 2008 - 6:53PM
#8
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Date Joined:
Jan 15, 2008
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Let's see, now that I'm done fawning, how about some questions.
What is below? Is it endless clouds, a deep ocean, or is there just simply nothing? Are the islands arranged spherically, so if you jump off one you'll fall til you eventually come out of the other side?
I especially like the tiefling's flavor and the rumor about God hiding from the paperwork.
I also feel like trying to incorporate some philosophical stuff, like roving gangs of dualists ignoring everything, odd transhumanist philosophers who sit around grafting things onto themselves, and neo-neo-luddites who are determined to incorrectly use all technology (such as wearing teapots and trying to bake thing in airplanes).
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5 years ago ::
May 11, 2008 - 3:11AM
#9
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Date Joined:
Jul 26, 2002
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Fantastic concept and good job with the illustration choices, really helps to elucidate on what you're describing. It sounds like a glorious hotch-potch of a steam-punk Discworld meets Dr. Seuss and Miyazaki.
I'm bookmarking this now and will definitely keep it mind when I next need to run a more atypical campaign.
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5 years ago ::
May 11, 2008 - 3:17AM
#10
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Date Joined:
Sep 12, 2003
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Nice work  not my kind of world(to run) but really nice job wouldnt mind playing in it though.
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