Star Fantasy, some ideas please?

[ZombiePope]

I've got the idea to create an interstellar fantasy universe (I've never played Spelljammer or own any of the books, but I've seen some of the material). Humans, elves, dwarves, and some others have formed a society that rules or influences about 1/4 of the galaxy. the Drakine, who in my universe are stoic, honor-obsessed warriors, have formed an uneasy alliance with them (yes, like the Klingons). As you can see, Star Trek has influenced me a lot.

I'm trying create some of the other major interstellar civilisations, especially villanous ones. I've come up with two, the Gol (magickal version of the Borg) and the the Ythgarl-oloom (somehwat like the Jophur from Uplift, but with a more Lovecraftian bent). And this is before I get to the ominous task of worlds-building.

has anyone ever done this sort of thing before? some help would be appreciated.

[BobGreenwade]

Re: Star Fantasy, some ideas please?

 

I've done a bit of work on a Hero Universe extension called Space Wizards. Here are some links to discussions I've made so far:

 

Space Wizards (original thread)

Character Info

Bows & Firearms

 

These are probably quite a bit different than what you're building, but hopefully you can grab some ideas.

[ZombiePope]

Re: Star Fantasy, some ideas please?

 

I've done a bit of work on a Hero Universe extension called Space Wizards. Here are some links to discussions I've made so far:

 

Space Wizards (original thread)

Character Info

Bows & Firearms

 

These are probably quite a bit different than what you're building, but hopefully you can grab some ideas.

thanks! that should give me some good material.

[UltraRob]

Re: Star Fantasy, some ideas please?

 

Well, your most basic questions are:

 

• Are there starships? If so, what type? Crystal Solar Windships powered by magic? "real-ish" Starships that could come out of Star Wars and just look funky or maybe have a funky power/FTL/navigation source? If not, is interstellar travel via Stargates or funky teleportation points that access the galactic ley lines on each world? (This is good if you want to sidestep the starship issue.)
   
  
• What is the common tech level? Pseudo rennaisance or Victorian with magic? Ultratech?
   
  
• What overall power level are the PCs? Are they a first level D&D party or a party of WuXia Space Vikings who can fight ships with their bare hands? Something in between?
  

 

Once these questions are answered, the rest is really cake. Worldbuilding is about building to suit your imgination and your campaign, after all. I'm sure you have a lot of details in mind, and these should help you gell them a little bit.

 

Rob

[ZombiePope]

Re: Star Fantasy, some ideas please?

 

Well, your most basic questions are:

• Are there starships? If so, what type? Crystal Solar Windships powered by magic? "real-ish" Starships that could come out of Star Wars and just look funky or maybe have a funky power/FTL/navigation source? If not, is interstellar travel via Stargates or funky teleportation points that access the galactic ley lines on each world? (This is good if you want to sidestep the starship issue.)
  
• What is the common tech level? Pseudo rennaisance or Victorian with magic? Ultratech?
  
• What overall power level are the PCs? Are they a first level D&D party or a party of WuXia Space Vikings who can fight ships with their bare hands? Something in between?

Once these questions are answered, the rest is really cake. Worldbuilding is about building to suit your imgination and your campaign, after all. I'm sure you have a lot of details in mind, and these should help you gell them a little bit.

 

Rob

Ships will be based on real-world sailing ships, but with a more fantastic bent, and will sail the currents of Aether. The Elves will have living, sentient ships that they grow from special seeds (like the Weatherlight from Magic the Gathering) These are the most advanced ships commonly available. Humans would have fairly standard pseudo-age of sail ships, but this would depend on the civilisation. Dwarves, though they have made most of their fortunes in space mining asteroids, could give a damn about flying through space, and live in hewn-out rocks the size of mountains. and so on from there.

 

Tech level... I'll get back to you on that. this isn't steampunk or science fiction, however. This is pure fantasy.

 

As for power level, individual characters can't take on ships. You need another ship to do that.

[Spence]

Re: Star Fantasy, some ideas please?

 

Ships will be based on real-world sailing ships, but with a more fantastic bent, and will sail the currents of Aether. The Elves will have living, sentient ships that they grow from special seeds (like the Weatherlight from Magic the Gathering) These are the most advanced ships commonly available. Humans would have fairly standard pseudo-age of sail ships, but this would depend on the civilisation. Dwarves, though they have made most of their fortunes in space mining asteroids, could give a damn about flying through space, and live in hewn-out rocks the size of mountains. and so on from there.

 

Tech level... I'll get back to you on that. this isn't steampunk or science fiction, however. This is pure fantasy.

 

As for power level, individual characters can't take on ships. You need another ship to do that.

 

 

Have you read a book called "The Twospace War"? Real good take on Space Fantasy.

[ZombiePope]

Re: Star Fantasy, some ideas please?

 

Have you read a book called "The Twospace War"? Real good take on Space Fantasy.

I;ve been looking for that, but haven't found it.

[Spence]

Re: Star Fantasy, some ideas please?

 

I;ve been looking for that' date=' but haven't found it.[/quote']

 

Two-Space War by Leo Frankowski and Dave Grossmanskip. You can read the first 5 chapters for free via http://www.baen.com/.

[lynnlefey]

Re: Star Fantasy, some ideas please?

 

Before the introduction of Spelljammer, I had added ships to my game that could cross the nothing. My custom-built world was disk shaped, with basically two different worlds, one on each side, and the edge of the world could only be traversed with these ships. While I understand the potential draw, just remember that in actual practice, a fantasy in space game is virtually no different than a fantasy game set in a series of islands.

 

As for the big villian races. Seems that being undead might be a handy thing out in the nothing. Maybe even ships that were just big balls of skeletons clinging together like army ants crossing a stream. In their midst, a few (or just one) more sentient, powerful undead, lich or vampire.

 

Other things you might want to consider are things like can dragons fly through this stuff?

 

My final analysis of space crossed with Fantasy (tried several times throughout my gaming years) was not nearly as satisfying as it seems like it should be. However, YMMV.

[NuSoardGraphite]

Re: Star Fantasy, some ideas please?

 

It seems to me that a nation of Undead may make a good borg-like enemy, where they want to "assimiliate" every other culture by turning them all into undead. Of course they would be lead by a ridiculously powerful lich and the main lieutenants would be other less powerful liches and very powerful vampires etc.

 

I guess the "Drakine" will serve as your typical "Space Orc".

 

Continuing with the Star Trek analogy, you could have each race have a particular specialty, which is a common theme in Fantasy.

 

Humans are explorers

Dwarvs are technicians/builders

Halfings are the merchants (they would be like the Ferengi)

Elves would be the magically superior race (like the Vulcans were the technologically superior race in Trek)

A whole system full of Dark Elves would serve as the Romulans

 

Also, think about the "technology" of the galaxy. Are the ships powered by Elemental Engines? Does one particular race have a monopoly on building space-worthy ships? (Dwarves can build em, but maybe they need the Elves to build the engines) Are magical prosthesis available as an alterternative to cybernetics?

[Chris Goodwin]

Re: Star Fantasy, some ideas please?

 

It seems to me that a nation of Undead may make a good borg-like enemy, where they want to "assimiliate" every other culture by turning them all into undead. Of course they would be lead by a ridiculously powerful lich and the main lieutenants would be other less powerful liches and very powerful vampires etc.

 

Oh, awesome! I just had a mental flash image of a bunch of undead going on an EVA boarding action without suits a la the scene of the zombie pirates walking underwater in Pirates of the Caribbean.

[Gadodel]

Re: Star Fantasy, some ideas please?

 

Dune.

It comes to mind anytime I think of true Space Operas with a Fantasy flavor. Off the top of my head, some things every 'Star Fantasy' (as you call it) campaign should have:

1. A self serving Emperor.

2. Feuding noble houses.

3. Manipulative cabals.

4. Greedy intergalatic guilds.

5. Feared government shock troops.

6. Fierce tribal warriors.

7. Mysterious non-human beings.

8. A clear protagonist.

9. A clear antagonist.

10. A material thing that everyone seeks.

[NuSoardGraphite]

Re: Star Fantasy, some ideas please?

 

Dune.

[

10. A material thing that everyone seeks.

 

I would call it.....the LOK-NAR.

 

[AmadanNaBriona]

Re: Star Fantasy, some ideas please?

 

Oh' date=' awesome! I just had a mental flash image of a bunch of undead going on an EVA boarding action without suits a la the scene of the zombie pirates walking underwater in [i']Pirates of the Caribbean[/i].

 

And Necromantic ship to ship weapons that raise the dead they kill as instant boarders..... ughhh

[Lucius]

Re: Star Fantasy, some ideas please?

 

I've always thought the Illithids (Mind Flayers) were a perfect species for interstellar fantasy.

 

I second the idea that the Undead make a great "Borg."

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedry gets some more Invisible Extra Limbs. Why not, after the first the rest come free.

[Kristopher]

Re: Star Fantasy, some ideas please?

 

7. Mysterious non-human beings.

 

I must have missed that in Dune...I thought one of the things that set it apart was that it had no non-human sapients.

[Captain Obvious]

Re: Star Fantasy, some ideas please?

 

I must have missed that in Dune...I thought one of the things that set it apart was that it had no non-human sapients.

 

Those Guild guys that warped space for the starships may have been originally human, but not really anymore. All that spice, you know. Teeth grinding, weight loss, paranoia. Or maybe that's the meth. Still not sure.

[Kristopher]

Re: Star Fantasy, some ideas please?

 

Those Guild guys that warped space for the starships may have been originally human' date=' but not really anymore. All that spice, you know. Teeth grinding, weight loss, paranoia. Or maybe that's the meth. Still not sure.[/quote']

 

I guess you could consider them (the navigators?) non-human.

[Gadodel]

Re: Star Fantasy, some ideas please?

 

I guess you could consider them (the navigators?) non-human.

 

'Non-human' might be the wrong phrase. Perhaps, 'Mutated Human' would be more appropriate.

 

[Killer Shrike]

Re: Star Fantasy, some ideas please?

 

You really need to check out Spelljammer; if nothing else you'll save yourself a lot of time as a lot of what it sounds like you want has already been done therein.

 

For basic info:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spelljammer

 

There are some links at the bottom as well.

[phookz]

Re: Star Fantasy, some ideas please?

 

Check out Paizo publishing - they have most, if not all, of the 2nd edition D&D stuff available as PDF downloads for fairly cheap - here's a link to their Spelljammer content:

 

http://paizo.com/store/byCompany/w/wizardsOfTheCoast/byProductType/roleplayingGames/dungeonsDragons/aDAndD2/spelljammer

 

$4.00 for the Spelljammer boxed set as a PDF.

[Remjin]

Re: Star Fantasy, some ideas please?

 

Space Undead... nlmany good ideas there. Most excellent. Spelljammer as a $4 pdf, also a good idea, both get another raised hand from me.

 

Check out Games Workshop's take on space Orks. Even if you hate GW, their space orks are cool. See if there's something to read about them. http://www.games-workshop.com. They could be adapted to your universe.

 

As for enemy peoples and what-nots, just use the buggers from the Aliens movies. Imagine that changed to a fantasy setting. You don't even have guns to help... now there's a moment to need a diaper...

[Blue Jogger]

Re: Star Fantasy, some ideas please?

 

Star Phoenix

 

Although no one has seen the Star Phoenix, the legend goes when a planetary civilization dies, the Star Phoenix rises from its ashes. It will travel the cosmos seeking another planet where it will consume itself, its body decomposes to form the new planet's biosphere.

 

Some fear that there are twisted Star Phoenixes who exist merely to destroy other planets to bring about others of its kind. Some doomed planets even wish for this day for it means an end to an existence of meaningless toil and become one with Star Phoenix.

 

The true purpose of the Star Phoenix, or even if it really exist, is left for the players to discover.