Fantasy India

**Kilmore** · Dec 16th, '05, 10:12 PM

I'm taking my fantasy campaign to my world's rough equivalent of India. The HERO System is very helpful already with representing Indian style characters in the Ultimate books, namely Martial Arts and Mystic. But now I'm looking for more, preferably online. Any Indian type characters, ideas, spells, and powers would be very handy about now.

One encounter is particular is going to have the party mobbed by barefoot monks on a vast bed of hot coals.

Another will have them in a big hall with massive iron bells being struck by automatons.

Thanks in advance.

**L. Marcus** · Dec 16th, '05, 11:14 PM

. . . Wasn't there a GURPS India book? I think you could plunder that for ideas. I, myself, don't know of any online roleplaying resources covering the subcontinent. More's the pity, because it'd be a fascinating place to adventure in.

**UltraRob** · Dec 16th, '05, 11:18 PM

There was a thread on the RPG.net forums about games set in India not too long ago and the simple consensus was that India is severely unrepresented in the RPG info area. There is a D20 game coming out based on Indian Myth, but with that exception, there's very little direct gaming material out there on this topic. Part of the problem noted was that making INDIA HERO is on the scale of making EUROPE HERO, it's just too big and vast a place with so much history. This is also the rumoured reason GURPS:India collapsed into myth itself, too much material to focus on.

Maybe someone on here knows a good primer on Indian history that you could use to help find your way. I've thought about Indian settings myself, but it's never been high enough on the personal project list to actually do the research for.

Rob

**Susano** · Dec 17th, '05, 03:01 AM

One of the upcoming Asian Bestiaries (Uhm... I forget which) will contain monsters from Indian myth and folklore. Something like 18+ entries. Ghosts, undead, nature spirits, dragons, and so on. Some could be used as PCs.

**L. Marcus** · Dec 17th, '05, 03:08 AM

You know I've said it before, but nevertheless . . .

GIMME GIMME GIMME!!!!!

**Hisho** · Dec 17th, '05, 03:14 AM

How much fantasy do you have in your World, I think I could help you out with some ideas, mainly because my fantasy worlds a full of colourfull real word cultures made weird (arabic elfs who worship the one, the sungod, wear black leathersuits and have perlmut skin and black hair, more along the lines of dhjinns then our version of elfs, nuff said)

Well with more high fantasy in nature I would look for some of the indian myths for inspiration, make a lot of the gods real or better let them walk between man. What is the religion like in your Indian-like part of the world.

Think of weresnakes, or snakepeople (by the way, they are not evil... at leats most of the time), less normal mages more willworkers and more people who get their faith based magic fueled by the power of their gods. If you kill the god responsible for the magic, the magic fails.

I would try to introduce big style storyhooks, after questioning the players if they are cool with it. Indian Legends are full of grand style heroes... more superheroes then our lovely western heroes then anything else, think beowulf and herkules but bigger.

Always remember, the indian martial artists are more gurus and spiritual people then fighters... ok, some of the reasons for this is that at least the modern martial arts world of india is very small because martial arst were forbidden by the british as far as I remember and punished by death. I think I have to read up on this matter again...

Maybe I could search a bit for some stuff if you could inform me a little bit about your world.

Michael

***Steve Long*** · Dec 17th, '05, 10:58 AM

Wasn't there a GURPS India book?

Unfortunately, no -- it was in the works but AFAIK never completed.

***Steve Long*** · Dec 17th, '05, 10:59 AM

One of the upcoming Asian Bestiaries (Uhm... I forget which) will contain monsters from Indian myth and folklore.

That's Volume I, chapter two.

**Captain Obvious** · Dec 17th, '05, 01:59 PM

I remembered that that other game had a web enhancement dealing with fantasy India, and in looking for it found both it and a decent forum thread to boot.

**tkdguy** · Dec 17th, '05, 07:52 PM

I remember there being an issue of Dragon years ago (during the heydey of AD&D 2nd Edition) that included stuff about India. I can look for the issue; I think I still have it. I don't know what can legally be posted here, though.