Questions tagged [campaign-settings]
For questions primarily about published or player-created game worlds in which ongoing adventures take place.
44
questions
27
votes
7
answers
1k
views
How can I communicate setting and campaign information to the PCs without providing direct exposition myself or through a DMPC?
In the past, I've almost always had at least one NPC that would travel with the characters as a type of "lore master" to expand on the story. I've tried to make the character witty and, once the ...
- 1,009
14
votes
5
answers
6k
views
Is it legal to write and publish a novel based on a pre-existing campaign or setting?
I have read over the OGL and researched copyright laws, but I still am not sure how much of what I want to do is legal. What if someone wanted to write a story about a pre-existing campaign, such as ...
- 149
30
votes
3
answers
10k
views
Is there a core campaign setting for DnD 4e?
I'm completely new to RPGs in general, so I apologize in advance if this is an odd question. There's such an overwhelming abundance of lore on all the different campaign settings for DnD that I've ...
- 303
40
votes
14
answers
5k
views
How can an aristocracy be perpetuated between creatures that can't interbreed?
The 25-year-old human prince of a 50-year-old small nation (total population maybe 100,000 spread out in a rather large valley among settlements no larger than 5,000 creatures each) is looking to ...
- 188k
35
votes
10
answers
1k
views
Helping new players learn a setting on the go
I started a new Eberron campaign last night, and I quickly ran into the problem of my players not knowing much of anything about the campaign setting.
What is the <...
- 23.9k
25
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Athas: A terrifying vision of the future?
Athas, the desolated world of deserts, obsidian and ecological ruin that is the focus of the Dark Sun campaign setting, is generally portrayed as a prime world nearing the end of its life expectancy.
...
- 22k
23
votes
1
answer
3k
views
What changed in Eberron between 3.5e and 4e?
Both in terms of setting fluff and game mechanics, what are the differences between the original D&D 3.5 version of Eberron and its D&D 4th edition version?
- 16.8k
21
votes
2
answers
6k
views
Is Matt Mercer's homebrew setting of Exandria now considered an official setting, as of the release of the "Explorer's Guide to Wildemount"?
Now that Explorer's Guide to Wildemount is out, I'm curious to know how much of Matt Mercer's homebrew content is now considered "official". Since this is a first-party WotC official D&D ...
- 77.9k
18
votes
10
answers
2k
views
What RPGs treat magic as being common? [closed]
Some fantasy RPGs treat magic as arcane and thus rare, possibly subject to suspicion by the masses. Other games treat magic as somewhat more prevelant but not ubiquitous.
At some point in this trend, ...
17
votes
7
answers
3k
views
Are there any RPGs/settings where a character's class is not chosen but "earned" through their actions? [closed]
My experience RPGing has thusfar been limited to Dungeons and Dragons v3.5. As I've grown more experienced playing the game, I've toyed with creating my own campaign settings and am now playing with ...
- 3,852
12
votes
5
answers
10k
views
Do paper books exist in the 5th ed. of D&D?
In the PHB a Spellbook is described as a
leather-bound tome with 100 blank vellum pages
The way PHB describes a Forgery Kit is:
This small box contains a variety of papers and parchments
The word &...
- 62.9k
12
votes
7
answers
5k
views
Is there any fluff for the druid's "A Thousand Faces" ability?
I played a D&D 3.5 campaign years ago, and one PC was a druid. The player did a pretty awesome job as a spy thanks to the multiple divination spells, Wild Shape and especially A Thousand Faces:
...
- 3,551
11
votes
4
answers
797
views
Any canon Shadowrun material related to NY/PA/NJ areas?
I'm looking for specific, canon (i.e. official, published) references to material for the Shadowrun game-world setting. My game setting is based around the Philadelphia area; I've turned New Jersey ...
- 14.6k
8
votes
1
answer
2k
views
What about the areas without description in the Forgotten Realms?
I've noticed places in Toril without any sort of description. When I searched about it online, not even the Forgotten Wikia had anything about some of these places.
Let's use the Kryptgarden as an ...
- 4,369
107
votes
13
answers
16k
views
How many people does it take to steal a Star Destroyer?
The stats for the Imperial class Star Destroyer in West End Games's Star Wars RPG list the skeleton crew for the vessel as 5,000 people. They define the skeleton crew as "the absolute minimum number ...
- 44.7k
56
votes
10
answers
13k
views
Medieval problems in a magical world
This is a bit of a broad question, but I will try to narrow it down to this:
When GMing a medieval fantasy, and conflicts arise between the medieval times and the magical world (mostly D&D and ...
- 1,978
31
votes
17
answers
3k
views
Introducing an unorthodox setting the players know NOTHING about
Just a while back, there has been a question concerning GMing a setting the players know better than the GM. Now, let me ask you sort of an inverse of that question. I.e. how to introduce and ...
- 949
26
votes
3
answers
4k
views
Playing Dungeon World in an established setting
World creation in Dungeon World according to its principle is meant to be broad and keep some blanks for the players to fill.
But what about an established setting like Forgotten Realm or Greyhawk? ...
user4000
23
votes
1
answer
3k
views
How can PCs defeat a magical Necrotic Cyst-based surveillance state?
In his excellent answer to this question, Brian Ballsun-Stanton posited a horrifying surveillance state using, at its core, a handful of powerful creatures, the feat Mother Cyst (LM 28), and a ...
- 188k
22
votes
6
answers
3k
views
A witcher and their apprentice…
In an upcoming game set in the Northern Realms of the Witcherverse, two of my players decided to come up with this character concept: One plays an older established Witcher, the other plays their in-...
22
votes
8
answers
19k
views
Are there guidelines for punishments for crimes?
I have a player with a character that is a likely to get in trouble with the law. His character is currently Chaotic Neutral and is slowly slipping toward Chaotic Evil. The player is not being ...
- 423
21
votes
2
answers
3k
views
What happened in the Forgotten Realms between 3.5 and 4e?
I don't remember where I heard or read this, but I seem to recall there being some sort of cataclysmic event between 3.5 and 4e.
A few (related) questions -
What exactly happened between 3.5 and 4e?...
- 17.4k
20
votes
12
answers
752
views
How can you add character to in-game religions?
I'm thinking mostly from a DnD3.5 background, but am open to input for any setting - even non-fantasy - but my focus is on fantasy settings.
How can you add character to religions so that they're ...
- 6,859
20
votes
9
answers
1k
views
Should I read the Dresden Files fiction before I get the RPG?
Should I read the Dresden Files books before I get the RPG?
I want to have a look at the FATE system, and I'd be most interested in starting with Dresden Files (I think). I know there are books in ...
- 13.1k
18
votes
5
answers
16k
views
Moving between different D&D universes
I have a group of mid-high level players. As part of some D&D shenanigans, I wanted to have them plop into Athas (Dark Sun) as a surprise joke. But knowing them, sadistic as they are, they might ...
- 189
18
votes
5
answers
464
views
Is there a method for sliding seamlessly from one system into another during a campaign?
Has anyone changed system/setting/genre but kept the characters during a campaign?
Players can become very attached to their characters, even when the campaign/setting/genre or system is getting tired ...
- 4,640
17
votes
6
answers
2k
views
Suggested System/Mechanics/Setting Choices for X-Files/Fringe Inspired Game? [closed]
Requesting system, specific mechanic, and published setting recommendations for a recurring game inspired by the X-Files and Fringe.
Here are my goals and details for the game that may provide ...
- 606
17
votes
10
answers
20k
views
Which system to support a grim world of low fantasy? [closed]
Looking for a system that would be able to support gaming in a setting of medieval-ish, raw and muddy themes (if I were to pick an example, the setting of The Witcher series would come in close). ...
- 949
15
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Dystopian sword & magic settings [closed]
Actually something that just came to my mind and something I've never encountered before. Are there any settings or systems centering about dystopian worlds, but without technology, nothing more ...
- 4,862
14
votes
8
answers
3k
views
Inter-planar Merchants of D&D [closed]
What race best fills this role? I'm mostly looking for someone who does this in a Planescape-style setting. Neogi kinda do this, but they're a little too specialized for what I'm looking for. Ditto ...
- 933
13
votes
3
answers
1k
views
What would it take for a villain to get his domain transported to Ravenloft on purpose?
In all the cases I can remember in which somebody got taken by the mists to become a Dark Lord, it happened to an unwilling subject (which makes sense, given the torment they suffer there).
Let's ...
13
votes
11
answers
641
views
In a game set "ten years into the future" what are some narrative techniques to explain away the lack of significant tech advances?
Mutant City Blues, an excellent setting for a GUMSHOE system, is set "ten years in the future" of whenever the game starts.
However, as I want the game to be about powers (the heightened) and not ...
13
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Are there any canonical correlations or known overlaps between D&D settings' various timelines that could be used to determine when they correspond?
D&D canon has demonstrated numerous times that the various campaign settings are in fact, connected to each other. Powerful beings from Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms, and even Athas have found ways ...
- 10.6k
11
votes
7
answers
487
views
What should I read/watch for information about the 1930s United States? [closed]
I'm currently writing a Trail of Cthulhu campaign, in which Investigators travel across the United States in the 1930s. To get inspiration for the scenarios, I read books and watch movies about ...
- 6,119
10
votes
1
answer
576
views
Searching for fantasy campaign setting with settlements of light and dark separated by permanent clouds
A long time ago I was listening to a D&D podcast by WoTC in which they briefly described a new campaign setting they were thinking of creating. I don't know if they ever did and my Google ...
- 3,266
9
votes
3
answers
35k
views
Is there a Forgotten Realms campaign setting book for D&D 5e?
To immerse myself into the world of the Forgotten Realms I wanted to pick up a book or source materials of the lore.
Is there a comparable book like it exists for Pathfinder with the Inner Sea World ...
- 253
8
votes
1
answer
662
views
Seattle weather report in the 2070s
What's the weather like in Seattle in the world of Shadowrun (preferably 5th edition)?
Does the city (and its immediate area) still get a lot of rain, after all the heavy changes to the world? What's ...
- 38.9k
8
votes
9
answers
9k
views
Good RPG for pirate-oriented setting [closed]
What good, popular setting you have used for "Pirates of the Caribbean" types of adventures? What makes it good for running a pirate game?
- 10.9k
7
votes
1
answer
2k
views
How exactly do "Domains of Dread" function?
So I've never played Curse of Strahd or anything in the Ravenloft campaign setting - but I'm working on my own campaign world and I was reading through some texts and found out about Domains of Dread. ...
- 173
6
votes
1
answer
549
views
Materials for a post War of the Lance campaign
Soon we will be starting a DragonLance campaign, and we have settled on the post War of Lance, around a year after the official end of the war. The problem I have is that there are barely any ...
- 4,862
5
votes
1
answer
7k
views
Is there a map for the feywild equivalent of Faerûn?
It is stated somewhere between the books in D&D 4e that the Feywild is a lot like Toril when its about its geographical shape.
Even though, it isn't the same. And I'm looking for those small ...
- 4,369
4
votes
1
answer
4k
views
Is there a world map for the core campaign setting for DnD 4e?
This question derives from: "Is there a core campaign setting for DnD 4e?".
The answers provided there were excellent and extremely helpful. Even more so when I saw that the board game Conquest of ...
- 43
3
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Creating a Racial Template (DnD 3.5)
So I had an idea for a race for my world. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I needed it to be a template, not a race. I'm trying to create a version of Elves, but the origin of ...
- 487
2
votes
3
answers
464
views
How should I handle including features from a settings book when they might cause problems for me? [closed]
I have a player of a gnome who tries to get almost everything from campaign setting books.
Should I grant him these thing without including the entire book?
For example: He tried to get the feat "...
- 93