Post by Malcadon on Mar 12, 2017 20:10:51 GMT
I have been thinking about running a setting in Judges Guild's iconic, old-school setting called City State of the Invincible Overlord, AKA the Wilderlands Fantasy. It is a large and dangerous world to play in, and features a quite a number of things I like like. When I said "large", I mean the world is HUGE! In the years of publication, JG added more and more to the world map.
(click to enlarge)
Same interesting things of note about the setting are:
• Long before the concept was brought up in 4e D&D, this is thee "point of light" setting! The books made no bones that the world is dangerous, with monsters and savages everywhere, few roads to connecting cities (its actually safer to go by boat than on land), and the cities themselves are mostly wretched hives of scum and villainy. The books goes on to state how harsh life is in this world, with life expectancy being low due to disease, high infant mortality rate, low prevalence of magic healing, and the fact that people are often murdering each other, or being eaten by monsters. "There be Dragons" listed on maps would be really redundant.
• One of the reasons why there large old city stats in a sea of horror is that this setting is post apocalyptic, as gods, demons and dragons fought highly destructive wars in the distant past, and even after that, major wars often set knowledge and civilization back by centuries, if not millennia! The books make it a point to address how sketchy academic history is, with a messy, revised calendar system and a lot of doubt to historical accounts, while also how little most people know of what happened a generation or two ago (save for dramatic events or larger-that-life figures).
• As the world is savage, Barbarian characters would be way more common than Fighters.
• This setting was inspired by a lot of old pulp stories, and you'll find a number of subtle references strewn through the myriad of JG books. (The fact that they were published on on cheap newsprint paper make it a figurative and literal work of pulp fiction.)
• Much like Robert E. Howard's Hyborian Age setting, there are a number of analog cultures based on historic stereotypes of old Earth cultures. AN example would be the Skandik Raiders, who are your "Horned Helmet" type Vikings. They are burly and shaggy axe-welding sea-bikers who spend a lot of time sailing on Viking longships, and worship Thor and Odin. (Oh, and in the Battle of Sea Rune, Thor appeared as a giant to crush the Shield Maiden forces!)
• Much like Geoffrey McKinney's Carcosa, there are races of people with odd-colored skin. I'm talking blue and green and shit. The newer D20 book suggested that the odd-shin colors be optional, and years age, I would have agreed. But now I rather embrace the idea. This would allow me to run more exotic and unearthly races. Oh, and one of the races — the Barbarian Altanians — are based on Red Barsoomians.
• There is a race of amazonian woman called Amazons or Shield Maidens, that I really like (after some tweaking) as a core (playable) race. Save for some low-level telepathy and lack of modesty, they are mostly human women with no unusual skin color. They are dependent on male sex-slaves to propagate, with (non-amazon) female slaves put to hard labor. Baby boys born by Amazons are abandoned in the wilderness at birth, while baby girls are kept and raised as amazons. Their semi-magical "torc & rings" and "chainmail bikini" armor are powered by an Amazon Queen — if she dies, the armor loose effect.
• The City State of the Invincible Overlord (or just "The City State") is a place that cares little for justice, while establishing draconian rules to promote wealth and trade. Its noted outright that you can kill a man in cold blood on the streets and no one would concern themselves over it, much less than the local authority. But if you kill someone's slave, you'll get charged with "destruction of privet property". And you'll need to have exact change if you are dealing with a seller without a Money Changer's License — the Merchant's Courts (one of a number of highly specific court houses) are not sympathetic to businessmen braking change. Despite this, the city in accommodating to religious believes, with many temples, and the legal system accommodates to varying faiths and dogmas. The Invincible Overlord is a highly mysterious Lawful Evil figure who maintains political power with a shadowy cabal of ninja assassins and informants called the "Black Lotus."
• The City State was built on top the ruins of an ancient Dwarven city. The ruins were just the mouth of a deep and massive underground complex. Few people are brave enough to explore the megadungeon, as it became the home to a lot of unsavory creatures — from orcs and goblins, to a literal criminal underworld!
• There is a race of crudely human-like part-dragon ape-men called the "First Men", who were created by the Elder Gods to subvert a prophecy about what would bring their demise. These creatures were made in the likeness of "Man", long before humans came into being, based on the prophecy of man: "the form of an Ape, the mind of a Giant, and the heart of a Dragon." They are not evil nor good, and they have no agency when it concerns the will of the gods.
Things I would add, remove or change:
• As I like my fantasy to be pulpy, most of the "Tolkienesque" races (elves, orcs, halflings, etc.) are removed, as well as classes like Paladins ando magic-using Rangers.
• The combat rules would be changed to be more forgiving of "light-armor" and beef/cheesecake fighters. In general, I want the characters liking they are casually posing for Frank Frazetta paintings.
• As noted above, I'll add more races with odd skin-colors and features.
• I would include the anthropomorphic races, like the Gloranthan Beastmen, AKA the "Broo".
• Although, I would include the race of albino dark elves form Crimson Blades known as the Dendrelyssi (although, I might not use that name). The Antillians world be related to them — such a comparison is fighting words.
• I would also include half-demon Cambians and Alu-Demons.
• In keeping with the pulp-theme, magic would be presented as a sinister, dangerous and otherworldly force, much as you see it in the works of Howard and Lovecraft.
• Much like in Geoffrey McKinney's Carcosa, spell-casting is overly elaborate and requires a lot of blood, obscure ingredients and time-consuming rituals.
• Magic items are super-rare with unusual side effects.
• Sorcerers would be presented as your disturbed "keeps skinned human vaginas in a shoe box" sort of psychopaths, and work in the shadows of society.
• To make the world more exotic with the impression of originally and an otherworldly feel, I'll rename or alter the historic analog cultures, including names.
• I would add some cultures from other settings, ether as dispersed
people living across the land, or in city states. Stygia is one that is
on top of my list. I might tone-down the Egyptian themes in favor of something more Tékumel.
• I'll change the Amazons/Shield Maidens into a race of golden-skin people (the names "Amazon" and "Shield Maidens" is something others call them; they don't use such terms to describe themselves). They are ruled by a powerful Queen, who is also a High-Priestess. They look down on male ego, and human modesty. The bubble bee is an important iconography to them. They are usually xenophobic to keep outsiders from polluting their bloodline. Bloodline is of huge importance in their station in life, with pure-blooded woman being nobles, and mixed-blooded and non-amazon women being seen as only fit for minimal labor, as they have a weak mental connection to be trusted in trade and warfare. One major difference is the inclusion of an "Amazon Prince". It is much like the Gerudo people from Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, in that they are largely female, but once in a blue moon, a male "Prince" is born to "propagate the species" (basically, a life of endless fucking). They are lithe, androgynous and well-hung boyish-looking men who speak with a "gay lisp" affect. They have a lot of political power but no real authority compared to a Queen, as they are not seen as capable warriors. An Amazon Prince commands a King's Ransom on the slave market, but they are outlawed as slave in most city states, as Shield Maidens will go to war to reclaim their prized prince!
• The Barbarian Altanians, who would be given another name, would be much the same as in the JG books, with some new exception: They are a race divided by gender. While the men live as primitive nomadic horsemen, the woman and children live in fortified settlements as civilized merchants and tradeswomen. Like in the books, everyone is apart of a tribe (each named after an animal), with it being a sin to take a spouse with someone of the same tribe. Unlike the books, a man may have any number of wives, as long as he maintains one wife per settlement. Likewise, a woman could have any number of husbands as she could handle. Wives are expected to receive tributes from their husbands in the form of war trophies, slaves and plunder. A man could wet his dick on slave girls, but having and providing for a wife is seen with a great deal of honor and glory. The woman are shrewd traders and many are witches.
• The City State of the Invincible Overlord would be much as it always was, but with elements of Shadizar: City of Wickedness (from the Conan RPG), and Shelzar: City of Sins (from Scarred Lands). The City State from the JG books was already a den of vice and Machiavellian politics, but both supplements offers much more places to explore and more groups to deal with. I would rename the Black Lotus to the Vailed Hand, and make them less oriental. Otherwise they have the same role to act as the eyes, ears and knife of the ruler. The Overlord would still be a highly mysterious figure, surrounded by rumors and legends. In this case, I'll make him an undying Lich.
• Sexual norms would be way more liberal in this world than our own world. As everyone maintains a "too each their own" mentality, there is little or no social stigma related to one's own sexuality. Homosexuality and bisexuality more common is this world as people are open and honest about themselves. It is not usual to see young, supple men alongside young lithe women in harems and brothels. Prostitution is only common (and more respected) is due to religious prostitution being a normal thing, and the glass ceiling between commoners and nobility is so opaque, girls do not dream about growing-up to become a Disney Princess, but instead dream about growing-up to become a wealthy Courtesan due to the fairy tails that they are raised on. Despite how progressive I'm making this world, it is surprisingly backwards with regards to rape. Also, if you are a slave (not a debt-slave, but a fully-owned slave) you are dead to rights, and you master can ass-rape you to death if he/she so wishes to.
• As I have an aversion to deus ex machina and profoundly wise deities, so I like to make gods crazy and fickle. Worship of the gods will provide you with a degree of power and boons, as long as you can maintain their good graces and convince them to do you biding. Charisma would be a critical stat to have when dealing with a god, as you'll find that you'll have to be a masterful bullshit artist. They will demand sacrifice and tribute. They will test your faith and convictions. And you can do all that and more, only to be betrayed by them for the most petty or illogical reason! (Although, you are better off joining a sex-cult, because when you get fucked my them, you'll have a fun time.
)
• Worshiping a god requires no dedicated class (namely, the Cleric). In most cases, Priests would be Sorcerers or other magic-using classes with spells given by one's temple. Anyone dedicated to a god could have a set of free spells, regardless of class, with a level that works more like a fluctuating reputation score than as a class level. "Casting" such spells would require a Charisma-based test to see if the god answers one's prayers.
I have a ton of other ideas that I'm brewing-up. I'll update this as needed.
(click to enlarge)
Same interesting things of note about the setting are:
• Long before the concept was brought up in 4e D&D, this is thee "point of light" setting! The books made no bones that the world is dangerous, with monsters and savages everywhere, few roads to connecting cities (its actually safer to go by boat than on land), and the cities themselves are mostly wretched hives of scum and villainy. The books goes on to state how harsh life is in this world, with life expectancy being low due to disease, high infant mortality rate, low prevalence of magic healing, and the fact that people are often murdering each other, or being eaten by monsters. "There be Dragons" listed on maps would be really redundant.
• One of the reasons why there large old city stats in a sea of horror is that this setting is post apocalyptic, as gods, demons and dragons fought highly destructive wars in the distant past, and even after that, major wars often set knowledge and civilization back by centuries, if not millennia! The books make it a point to address how sketchy academic history is, with a messy, revised calendar system and a lot of doubt to historical accounts, while also how little most people know of what happened a generation or two ago (save for dramatic events or larger-that-life figures).
• As the world is savage, Barbarian characters would be way more common than Fighters.
• This setting was inspired by a lot of old pulp stories, and you'll find a number of subtle references strewn through the myriad of JG books. (The fact that they were published on on cheap newsprint paper make it a figurative and literal work of pulp fiction.)
• Much like Robert E. Howard's Hyborian Age setting, there are a number of analog cultures based on historic stereotypes of old Earth cultures. AN example would be the Skandik Raiders, who are your "Horned Helmet" type Vikings. They are burly and shaggy axe-welding sea-bikers who spend a lot of time sailing on Viking longships, and worship Thor and Odin. (Oh, and in the Battle of Sea Rune, Thor appeared as a giant to crush the Shield Maiden forces!)
• Much like Geoffrey McKinney's Carcosa, there are races of people with odd-colored skin. I'm talking blue and green and shit. The newer D20 book suggested that the odd-shin colors be optional, and years age, I would have agreed. But now I rather embrace the idea. This would allow me to run more exotic and unearthly races. Oh, and one of the races — the Barbarian Altanians — are based on Red Barsoomians.
• There is a race of amazonian woman called Amazons or Shield Maidens, that I really like (after some tweaking) as a core (playable) race. Save for some low-level telepathy and lack of modesty, they are mostly human women with no unusual skin color. They are dependent on male sex-slaves to propagate, with (non-amazon) female slaves put to hard labor. Baby boys born by Amazons are abandoned in the wilderness at birth, while baby girls are kept and raised as amazons. Their semi-magical "torc & rings" and "chainmail bikini" armor are powered by an Amazon Queen — if she dies, the armor loose effect.
• The City State of the Invincible Overlord (or just "The City State") is a place that cares little for justice, while establishing draconian rules to promote wealth and trade. Its noted outright that you can kill a man in cold blood on the streets and no one would concern themselves over it, much less than the local authority. But if you kill someone's slave, you'll get charged with "destruction of privet property". And you'll need to have exact change if you are dealing with a seller without a Money Changer's License — the Merchant's Courts (one of a number of highly specific court houses) are not sympathetic to businessmen braking change. Despite this, the city in accommodating to religious believes, with many temples, and the legal system accommodates to varying faiths and dogmas. The Invincible Overlord is a highly mysterious Lawful Evil figure who maintains political power with a shadowy cabal of ninja assassins and informants called the "Black Lotus."
• The City State was built on top the ruins of an ancient Dwarven city. The ruins were just the mouth of a deep and massive underground complex. Few people are brave enough to explore the megadungeon, as it became the home to a lot of unsavory creatures — from orcs and goblins, to a literal criminal underworld!
• There is a race of crudely human-like part-dragon ape-men called the "First Men", who were created by the Elder Gods to subvert a prophecy about what would bring their demise. These creatures were made in the likeness of "Man", long before humans came into being, based on the prophecy of man: "the form of an Ape, the mind of a Giant, and the heart of a Dragon." They are not evil nor good, and they have no agency when it concerns the will of the gods.
Things I would add, remove or change:
• As I like my fantasy to be pulpy, most of the "Tolkienesque" races (elves, orcs, halflings, etc.) are removed, as well as classes like Paladins ando magic-using Rangers.
• The combat rules would be changed to be more forgiving of "light-armor" and beef/cheesecake fighters. In general, I want the characters liking they are casually posing for Frank Frazetta paintings.
• As noted above, I'll add more races with odd skin-colors and features.
• I would include the anthropomorphic races, like the Gloranthan Beastmen, AKA the "Broo".
• Although, I would include the race of albino dark elves form Crimson Blades known as the Dendrelyssi (although, I might not use that name). The Antillians world be related to them — such a comparison is fighting words.
• I would also include half-demon Cambians and Alu-Demons.
• In keeping with the pulp-theme, magic would be presented as a sinister, dangerous and otherworldly force, much as you see it in the works of Howard and Lovecraft.
• Much like in Geoffrey McKinney's Carcosa, spell-casting is overly elaborate and requires a lot of blood, obscure ingredients and time-consuming rituals.
• Magic items are super-rare with unusual side effects.
• Sorcerers would be presented as your disturbed "keeps skinned human vaginas in a shoe box" sort of psychopaths, and work in the shadows of society.
• To make the world more exotic with the impression of originally and an otherworldly feel, I'll rename or alter the historic analog cultures, including names.
• I would add some cultures from other settings, ether as dispersed
people living across the land, or in city states. Stygia is one that is
on top of my list. I might tone-down the Egyptian themes in favor of something more Tékumel.
• I'll change the Amazons/Shield Maidens into a race of golden-skin people (the names "Amazon" and "Shield Maidens" is something others call them; they don't use such terms to describe themselves). They are ruled by a powerful Queen, who is also a High-Priestess. They look down on male ego, and human modesty. The bubble bee is an important iconography to them. They are usually xenophobic to keep outsiders from polluting their bloodline. Bloodline is of huge importance in their station in life, with pure-blooded woman being nobles, and mixed-blooded and non-amazon women being seen as only fit for minimal labor, as they have a weak mental connection to be trusted in trade and warfare. One major difference is the inclusion of an "Amazon Prince". It is much like the Gerudo people from Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, in that they are largely female, but once in a blue moon, a male "Prince" is born to "propagate the species" (basically, a life of endless fucking). They are lithe, androgynous and well-hung boyish-looking men who speak with a "gay lisp" affect. They have a lot of political power but no real authority compared to a Queen, as they are not seen as capable warriors. An Amazon Prince commands a King's Ransom on the slave market, but they are outlawed as slave in most city states, as Shield Maidens will go to war to reclaim their prized prince!
• The Barbarian Altanians, who would be given another name, would be much the same as in the JG books, with some new exception: They are a race divided by gender. While the men live as primitive nomadic horsemen, the woman and children live in fortified settlements as civilized merchants and tradeswomen. Like in the books, everyone is apart of a tribe (each named after an animal), with it being a sin to take a spouse with someone of the same tribe. Unlike the books, a man may have any number of wives, as long as he maintains one wife per settlement. Likewise, a woman could have any number of husbands as she could handle. Wives are expected to receive tributes from their husbands in the form of war trophies, slaves and plunder. A man could wet his dick on slave girls, but having and providing for a wife is seen with a great deal of honor and glory. The woman are shrewd traders and many are witches.
• The City State of the Invincible Overlord would be much as it always was, but with elements of Shadizar: City of Wickedness (from the Conan RPG), and Shelzar: City of Sins (from Scarred Lands). The City State from the JG books was already a den of vice and Machiavellian politics, but both supplements offers much more places to explore and more groups to deal with. I would rename the Black Lotus to the Vailed Hand, and make them less oriental. Otherwise they have the same role to act as the eyes, ears and knife of the ruler. The Overlord would still be a highly mysterious figure, surrounded by rumors and legends. In this case, I'll make him an undying Lich.
• Sexual norms would be way more liberal in this world than our own world. As everyone maintains a "too each their own" mentality, there is little or no social stigma related to one's own sexuality. Homosexuality and bisexuality more common is this world as people are open and honest about themselves. It is not usual to see young, supple men alongside young lithe women in harems and brothels. Prostitution is only common (and more respected) is due to religious prostitution being a normal thing, and the glass ceiling between commoners and nobility is so opaque, girls do not dream about growing-up to become a Disney Princess, but instead dream about growing-up to become a wealthy Courtesan due to the fairy tails that they are raised on. Despite how progressive I'm making this world, it is surprisingly backwards with regards to rape. Also, if you are a slave (not a debt-slave, but a fully-owned slave) you are dead to rights, and you master can ass-rape you to death if he/she so wishes to.
• As I have an aversion to deus ex machina and profoundly wise deities, so I like to make gods crazy and fickle. Worship of the gods will provide you with a degree of power and boons, as long as you can maintain their good graces and convince them to do you biding. Charisma would be a critical stat to have when dealing with a god, as you'll find that you'll have to be a masterful bullshit artist. They will demand sacrifice and tribute. They will test your faith and convictions. And you can do all that and more, only to be betrayed by them for the most petty or illogical reason! (Although, you are better off joining a sex-cult, because when you get fucked my them, you'll have a fun time.
)• Worshiping a god requires no dedicated class (namely, the Cleric). In most cases, Priests would be Sorcerers or other magic-using classes with spells given by one's temple. Anyone dedicated to a god could have a set of free spells, regardless of class, with a level that works more like a fluctuating reputation score than as a class level. "Casting" such spells would require a Charisma-based test to see if the god answers one's prayers.
I have a ton of other ideas that I'm brewing-up. I'll update this as needed.
