Yet another fantasy idea

[tkdguy]

This is an amalgamation of several sources. Last night I was looking at a GURPS article that treated Christian rituals as ritual magic. I figured I could use those things in a campaign. It's a very subtle type of magic, with few (if any) immediate or visual effects. Othr religions would have their own rites as well.

Keep in mind I don't care for high fantasy any more. For the past few years, all my campaigns had no magic in them. Unfortunately, that doesn't sit too well with some players, so this is a compromise. I can use some of the other traditional scholarly magics such as alchemy, astrology, and divination as alternative.

As for nonhuman races, I'd have them either be offshoots of Homo Sapiens, or else they evolved from earlier hominid species. Taking the latter road, I'd have elves come from Homo Habilis, giants from Homo Heidelbergensis, and dwarfs from Neandertals. I decided to limit the number of races to the ones found in Hawk the Slayer, as it gives a good number of races without going overboard.

Then comes the setting. I like the Renaissance/Elizabethan age as a background, so that will be the basis for culture and technology. There will be swords, bows, and armor, but early firearms have been introduced.

Now I plan to teak history a bit more. Let's say there was more contact between Europe and the Far East. Maybe Chinese ambassadors made their way into the Holy Roman Empire, and a few Christian samurai fled Japan. Now we have a plethora of cultures and the chance to exchange these cultures. So maybe you can have an arms master who mixes rapier-play with kung fu or a theologian who secretly entertains Buddhist ideas with his Christian beliefs.

Good idea? Bad idea?

[Michael Hopcroft]

Interesting idea (or rather set of ideas, as this seems to be breakable apart into several modular themes that can be used separateky in duifferent campaigns.) It might also be intersting if the Natvie American nations had proven more reistant to smallpox and thus more resitant to the European invasion: instead of a quick campaign, the conquests of the Aztecs and Incas might have turned into a Vietnam-like quagmire for Spain, and Native Americans from more easily conquered lands might well travel to the Old World as trophies, slaves or diplomats. (perhaps Monteczuma had sent a peace emissary to Spain in an effort to end the war, although how the xenophobic Spanish counrt would recieve an obvious "pagan" is anyone's guess). Perhaps Azetc piriests have made their way across Europe and are trying to use their own blood-and-sacrifice-powreed reituals there.