Fantasy HERO Setting -- World of Generica

[gojira]

I'm interested but not really able to commit a set amount of time. I'll loiter around and see if anything pops up that I could handle.

One talking point: Levels? Do we want them?

[Killer Shrike]

I'm interested but not really able to commit a set amount of time. I'll loiter around and see if anything pops up that I could handle.

One talking point: Levels? Do we want them?

No levels.

[shadowcat1313]

agreed, no levels

[Killer Shrike]

Ok, here are the basic assumed playable races I want to have in place:

Dwarves:
Hill Dwarf
Mountain Dwarf

Elves: I'd like these generic types of Elves due to the amount of material already extent. I'd like to leave Grey Elves, Drow, Dark Elves and other very specific D&D or Warhammer originating Elves out of the mix if possible.
High Elf
Wood Elf


Gnome: I'm not a fan of tinker gnomes, but if people have strong thoughts on the matter I'm flexible.
Rock Gnome
A depowered non-illusionist version of Gnomes (Package forthcoming); if tinker gnomes is desired, this would be them

Halfling: They can coexist Shire-like, be spread out in communities, co-exist w/ other races, or any combination but I'd like to try to shoehorn all three of the following subtypes of halflings. If we have to cut one or more I'm partial to Tallfellows followed by Hairfeet, followed by Stouts based upon the amount of extent material I have in place for them already.
Hairfoot
Tallfellow
Stout

Human:
Skilled
Physical
1/2 Orc
1/2 Elf
Elven Blooded Human

Humanoids:
Goblins
Orc
Swamp Lizardman

Psionic:
I'm going to put together an innately Psionic using Race to take the place of the Gith (1/2 Gith | Githzerai) that I currently use due to IP issues. They shouldn't be too crazy different (the cost of Psionic abilities is already heavy; compounding the damage with misc abilities to model a drastically different race would affect playability for starting characters). This is an area ripe for collaboration if someone has a particular fire for it.


Maybes include:
Desert Lizardman
Sauroid
Tree Lizardman
Kobold
Minotaur
Centaur
1/2 Ogre

[Killer Shrike]

Technology Level:

Im not big on guns in fantasy and thus havent provided any material for it, but it does seem to be a trendy thing these days.

Guns, whether tech or magic based: where are we on this issue as a group?

[Ragnarok]

I am admittedly a novice as far as rules and various errata go, but I'd be happy to provide more broad themes or ideas.

[Killer Shrike]

The purpose is to provide a framework to present concrete examples for the material I already have in place, as opposed to my current practice of using my very specific San'Dora setting or material converted from other games / placed in other game settings. Thus, save for any new mechanics needed to support cool ideas, the mechanics are largely in place. The setting is the focus, not mechanics.

[Ragnarok]

Excellent. That's what I'm better at.

[Ninja-Bear]

If you are willing to hear my ideas, then I am more than willing to share.

Well you sorta already nixed this idea, but here it goes. Ages ago there was a split in dwarfkind leading to the Hill dwarfs and the Mountain Dwarves. It has been centuries since anyone has heard from the mountain dwarves. The hill dwarfs are mounting explorations to find out what happened, are there any mountain dwarves left, any artifacts to be repatronized? I was going to run a one shot like this. I figured this would be a great reason to search in all those underground areas.

[Ragnarok]

I'm not very fond of guns in fantasy either, but if you wanted to, you could do something like the mocked up Flintlocks/Matchlocks in Wanted.

[Killer Shrike]

If you are willing to hear my ideas, then I am more than willing to share.

Well you sorta already nixed this idea, but here it goes. Ages ago there was a split in dwarfkind leading to the Hill dwarfs and the Mountain Dwarves. It has been centuries since anyone has heard from the mountain dwarves. The hill dwarfs are mounting explorations to find out what happened, are there any mountain dwarves left, any artifacts to be repatronized? I was going to run a one shot like this. I figured this would be a great reason to search in all those underground areas.

It could be a background element -- something that happened in the past, but has since been partially accomplished and thus there are some Mnt Dwarves in play, but more communities still missing / unaccounted for. Opens the opportunity for Mines of Moria scenarios.

[Ragnarok]

Shrike,

I am also not keen on D&D/warhammer elves. For my campaign, the wood elves are far from the limp-wristed girly men everyone's used to. They're pretty muscular, pretty feral looking, and really, really scary when they're angry. You could even say the Wood Elves are more like the top predators in the forest, rather than just people singing songs and hiding in trees. You're welcome to use that idea if you wish.

[Killer Shrike]

Shrike,

I am also not keen on D&D/warhammer elves. For my campaign, the wood elves are far from the limp-wristed girly men everyone's used to. They're pretty muscular, pretty feral looking, and really, really scary when they're angry. You could even say the Wood Elves are more like the top predators in the forest, rather than just people singing songs and hiding in trees. You're welcome to use that idea if you wish.

Yeah, this package is pretty physical:

Wood Elf

The idea here would be for you (or someone else with an urge) to write up one or more "nations" providing a place for this sort of Elf to originate from, and covering the basic tropes of Wood Elf characters.


I'm putting together a template / framework for annotating nation-equivalents.

[gojira]

The idea that there are "lost dwarven kingdoms" as a campaign feature is indeed kinda cool.

Here's another meta question: do we want to make a cool world first, then work backwards from that or do we want to invent some kind of historical framework before flushing out too much of the world?

[Killer Shrike]

The idea that there are "lost dwarven kingdoms" as a campaign feature is indeed kinda cool.

Here's another meta question: do we want to make a cool world first, then work backwards from that or do we want to invent some kind of historical framework before flushing out too much of the world?

Cool world, with only as much history needed to tie things together and provide adventure opportunities. The more specific / detailed we are, the less generic the setting becomes which defeats the purpose of doing it in the first place.

This is a bottom-up not a top-down approach.