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4 months ago ::
Feb 01, 2013 - 1:23PM
#1
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Date Joined:
Apr 15, 2001
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Currently worldbuilding for my multi edition game. Anyway the theme is one of exploration and colonisation and the local powers that be have to use local resources to do it. Think of the Roman Empire colonized the America's and then collapsed and left the colonies cut off.
Anyway some factions I have with the PCs to interact with. Not all of the factions have to be evil BTW.
The Brotherhood
A group of slavers. They raid coastal settlements in search of captives to supply to the Yuan-Ti and some cities of dubious morality.
Red Mantis Assassins.
A group of mercenary assassins oppsed to the Yuan-Ti and the Coiled Cabal.
Coiled Cabal.
Sinister secretive group dedicated to recovering and hiding arcane law. Assumed to be working for the Yuan Ti.
Cult of the Risen Parrot Lead by "Gutterwing" run by a con man peddles in drugs/slaves.
Seashield League. Commerce guild dominated by Elves, the league seeks to monopolize trade in the Starlit Sea.
Count Tirsoth's 5th Mounted Volunteers
A calvary unit formed and financed by the aforementioned Count, the mounted volunteers perform law enforcement and military duties in his County, along with being the postal service and a rapid reaction force. The Mounted Volunteers have attained a reputation for skill and courage epitomized by the "one riot, one volunteer" meme that came about when a valiant lieutenant showed up by himself in a town overcome by rioters in the wake of the collapse and cowed them into submission with force of personality and a lightning quick shortbow shot through the leader of the conspirators orchestrating the chaos.
Reducing a character to a list of dice rolls and modifiers is not role playing*
*pg 30, AD&D 2nd Ed DMG, 1989.
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4 months ago ::
Feb 01, 2013 - 2:14PM
#2
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Date Joined:
Jun 15, 2006
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You could plagiare the best ideas from other franchises like movies, books, videogames, or titles by other companies. You don´t need buy anything, only get ideas.
But I can suggest you experiment mixing steriotipes. For example a classic steriotip is the fanatic zealot. What if you create the Xarmist, the patriotic church of riot. Its flag is a yellow crossing miner pick and a scythe on a red background, and play with the ambiguity. Are a xarmist the classic fanatic cult, or a subtle satire of Robespierre and Jacobinism for Reign of Terror? Get factions from History and real world and change the roles, for example Napoleon like a divine spellcaster, a religious leader, a prophet of goddess Reasoon, like the mahdi from Dune (sci-fi saga).
If your settin or campaign allows psionic get the fraal (classic little alien grey men) from Alternity and Star*Drive, with some ideas from Protoss from Star Craft, Eldars from warhammer 40.000 and draenei from warcraft. I like the idea of love-hate relation between classic divine spellcasters (clerics) and "others" like favored souls or the psionic ardents.
"Say me what you're showing off for, and I'll say you what you lack!" (Spanish saying)
Book 13 Anaclet 23
Confucius said: "The Superior Man is in harmony but does not follow the crowd. The inferior man follows the crowd, but is not in harmony"
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4 months ago ::
Feb 01, 2013 - 2:42PM
#3
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Date Joined:
Nov 27, 2006
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The Cult of the Risen Parrot.
The parrot in question being an evil(?) sorcceror with the leadership feat, alot of bluff, some charm effects, & the ability to occasionally turn into a small phoenix-looking fire elemental.
It also loves treasure, is always going on about its lost empire, and likes fire/transmutation spells.
The Risen part?
Evidently the parrot was discovered sealed in a jar of formaldihide. When it was dumped out the bird (wich should've been quite dead) rolled over, coughed, and demanded an ale.
There were many witnesses to this occurance as it happened in a crowded tavern.
Not all of the witnesses were among the shapest knives in the drawer. Something the bird has made good use of since "rising"....
The cult?
They believe that the parrot 1) is the re-incarnation of an anciant & powerfull wizard, 2) will one day transform into its true form, 3) will reward them greatly for thier services as it re-claims its lost empire.
They could be mistaken on a few of these beliefs....
But there's no doubt the parrot can cast spells & has both an exceptional IQ (for a parrot) and force of personality.
Members of this odd cult can be found in many places.
Recruiting more followers. (and weirdly there never seems to be an end to people dumb enough to pledge themselves to a parrot....)
Spreading tales of the lost empire.
Adventuring for more wealth to bring back to their small green feathered master.
Crusading in areas the parrot "claims".
Is this group a threat to the PCs? An occassional ally? Just one of those weird things to be encountered?
Or some mix?
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4 months ago ::
Feb 01, 2013 - 4:10PM
#4
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Date Joined:
Apr 15, 2001
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Might have to steal the cult of the risen parrot. Suggestions for the name of the Parrot? Anything apart from Polly.
Reducing a character to a list of dice rolls and modifiers is not role playing*
*pg 30, AD&D 2nd Ed DMG, 1989.
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4 months ago ::
Feb 01, 2013 - 4:25PM
#5
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Date Joined:
Aug 31, 2008
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I've always been partial to the name Gutterwing myself.
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4 months ago ::
Feb 01, 2013 - 4:43PM
#6
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Date Joined:
Apr 15, 2001
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Gutterwing and the CotRP added. I'll make them slavers oor drug dealers.
Reducing a character to a list of dice rolls and modifiers is not role playing*
*pg 30, AD&D 2nd Ed DMG, 1989.
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4 months ago ::
Feb 01, 2013 - 5:01PM
#7
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Date Joined:
May 14, 2010
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The Tears of Mercy
When the empire collapse, they also left their elite units. Cut off from their homeland
and stuck in the colonies, these soldiers decide to do their best to keep the colonies together
while waiting for their empire to come back.
These soldiers travel across the land, helping any settlement are in danger.
If you see the Tears of Mercy in town, it mean things are bad.
So when bandits are raiding a colony, the Tears of Mercy will be there.
The Tears of Mercy's base is one of the empire's fort. There have been some talk about
starting a new empire in the colonies, but lack the man power to do it.
The name Tears of Mercy comes from the tears of sadness from being forgotten by the empire and
tears of joy when they save a colony. Mercy because they relief the colony from whatever is
suffering them.
There a good faction for you.
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4 months ago ::
Feb 01, 2013 - 5:08PM
#8
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Currently worldbuilding for my multi edition game. Anyway the theme is one of exploration and colonisation and the local powers that be have to use local resources to do it. Think of the Roman Empire colonized the America's and then collapsed and left the colonies cut off.
Now I think that a multi-edition game is going to be a mess and you should just stick to one and save yourself the trouble of reconciling the irreconcilible.
Exploration and colonisation doesn't really fit with the home country falling apart. These themes argue for a vigorous and expanding group.
Now as to possible groups... Take any group you may want to have in the society. The group by necessity rubs shoulders with other groups and the relationship can turn violent for all sorts of reasons. That is about all you need. The PCs are to defend the farmers whose crops are being destroyed by herds or the herds whose land is being stolen by the farmers. What groups do you want in the society?
But a couple of groups that can be most anywhere...
Let's see... The Society of Innocent Novices whose members don't believe in violence and are in general too goody-goody to survive in a D&D world. They appear in most cases to tell the PCs not to kill the evil guys who are trying to kill them. However they also annoy other more practical types and the PCs must defend them from slaughter. The more realistic members also hire the PCs to guard the group when it gets on its high horse for this or that reason. They of course try to get in the way of the PCs who are trying to save their lives [and who will be paying the PCs, making ignoring the fools not an option.]
Good Acting Monsters Equity - A variety of monster types where the individual is a nice guy, despite very good reason to be suspicious. A vampire who gets blood from volunteers, etc. The PCs are hired to protect them from the sensibly suspicious. The group is also filled with genuine monsters who want to claim they are innocent.
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4 months ago ::
Feb 01, 2013 - 5:34PM
#9
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Date Joined:
May 14, 2010
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PCs must defend them from slaughter.
If these guys walk into a horde of orcs and start peaching to them about being non-violence,
I am not going to save them. There a difference between saving people who are in danger and stopping them to commit suicide.
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4 months ago ::
Feb 01, 2013 - 11:37PM
#10
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Date Joined:
Feb 17, 2010
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Sounds fun. Here ya go.
The Viceroyalty aka the Colonial Authority or the Imperial Fragment
The Viceroy of the colonies, Edwin Theoridge, is still trying to hold on to power. The Viceroy has managed to maintain control of one central colony and would love to retake the others, but he currently doesn't have the resources to do so. He is a strong-willed man in his middle-years. His followers consist mostly of a coalition of loyal officials and soldiers, his own sons, and anyone else he can buy, bribe, or browbeat into aiding him.
The New Empire aka the Pretendership or the Empire of Newhaven
Generations ago, a succession dispute went badly for one branch of the Imperial family, and the survivors fled to the colonies. One young scion of this fallen line has taken the Imperial collapse as an opportunity, crowning himself Emperor Tristan I, and vowed to build a New Empire here in the colonies, free from the vagaries of the old. Full of ambition and charisma, he's taken up residence in the port of Newhaven, naming it his capital. However, while his message of renewal struck a chord with the people of Newhaven (and elsewhere in the colonies), he has since mostly concerned himself with commissioning a palace and a large statue of himself, which has left more than a few followers a bit disillusioned.
Obviously these two factions would be heavily at odds. Viceroy Theoridge sees "Emperor" Tristan as a threat, and Tristan is just hot-headed enough to potentially become one.
I want "punch magic in the face" to be a maneuver
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