NWN2 Mod - The Setting

[oldmanpaco]

OK here goes:

So I took a standard fantasy world and thought about what a European like landmass would be like just before the change from High/Late Middle Ages to the Early Renaissance. What would the political landscape be like. What would be the state of other races. What would the relation between the Sciences, the Divine, and the Arcane arts be like. What would the social contract be. A world like this would be mostly settled so the monsters and demons and barbarians would have been driven off or destroyed.

Political:
8-10 hereditary ruled kingdoms with sprinkling of free cities revolving around a large empire with never-ending internal power struggles (think HRE).

Races:
Humans are the predominate race in this world.
Elves have retreated to the edges of civilization after disastrous wars with the human kingdoms.
Dwarfs rarely venture from their strongholds and when they do it is only to trade and act as mercenaries.
Halflings are nothing more than peasant farmers.

Science and Magic
Science has evolved into the driving force of society. The scientific method has lead to great advances in mathematics and chemistry (alchemy) which in turn has led to advances in architecture, navigation, medicine, and other fields. This reliance on science has lessened the need for the arcane arts which are now considered suspect. The Arcane user is still present but he is looked on with less respect and more fear than he had been in previous generations.

Religion
The Church has almost stamped out the primitive spirit worship of peasants and forest dwellers. Their crusades against the elvish people and their false gods have cemented the human race as the dominant force in this part of the world. The Church has also managed to turn the people against the Arcane magic users by whispering that their power comes from demons and dark pacts with devils.

Social Contract
Feudal society is the norm. Most agriculture is still preformed my serfs/peasants but the cities are seeing a change to a more mercantile society. This is especially true in the free cities where burgers are gaining considerable influence. In the southern kingdoms slavery is still practiced despite the challenges from the church.

The Enemies
The goblinoid tribes have been pushed north into the endless tundras across the mountains. They raid from time to time but are too busy fighting among themselves for resources that the do not pose much of a threat. The barbarian tribes from the east have not invaded for centuries. The southern kingdoms are distant trading partners and not considered a threat. Beyond these far kingdoms there is talk of darker empires but that is just rumor.

So there is my generic fantasy world. Now lets assume that some sort of apocalypse happens.

The Traveler
For centuries the church claimed that The Traveler was a god (they could never decide which one) circling the heavens observing his domain. Every 58 years he would return. Several centuries ago it was observed that he the light from his passing was brighter each time he was observed. The last time he arrived the night was like day for weeks until he touched the world.

Our story takes place 378 years after The Traveler's arrival.

Next post will talk about the current world.

True story.

 

[oldmanpaco]

Reserved

 

[Zed]

what's this shit. have the KYNGDOME AF SWEDES in the North, ruled by the iron hand of Luzur Blondebeard. you may venture there and help them fight a dragon and then you're rewarded with Marabou Chocolate. YES AWESOME.

 

[Malakal]

Soo goblinoid enemies get the only mention? What about dragons, orcs and other generic races? How is necromancy seen, skeletal serfs perhaps? Is there something under the world like in classic DnD?

And Church, is this the fantasy catholic church or does it have something special?

Consider adding some pirate-merchant 'republics' if You make a map with dominant sea (like the Mediterrean) and perhaps a theocracy or two. And maybe wastelands, where forgotten empires crumble ruled by wandering tribes of barbarians-horse nomads.

 

[visions]

Something like a large connected subterranean underworld would be cool.

EDIT: and the church being something else than a fantasy version of catholic church. Or if it would be similar to the catholic church, then you could also have joinable heretical sects or witches' covens and something like the inquisition.

 

[sportforredneck]

How can this mod be an attempt at a fantasy universe and still have people's usernames? Are you going to just allude to their names and have the characters with their personalities? I mean I can understand how you can have a Jarl Frank, but not a sportforredneck to give an easy example.

 

[Freelance Henchman]

I'm confused as well, I assumed this was going to be an all-out-for-teh-lulz parody of the fantasy genre.

 

[Murk]

Necromancy is forbidden, even though such mages have mastered the art of healing (all healing spells are from necromancy school FYI). No miracles and such bullshit.

It should be, but it isn't. This is still NWN2 we are talking about right? Healing is, despite all sense of logic, a spell of the conjuration school.

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/cureLightWounds.htm

at least in 3.5 it is.

How can this mod be an attempt at a fantasy universe and still have people's usernames? Are you going to just allude to their names and have the characters with their personalities? I mean I can understand how you can have a Jarl Frank, but not a sportforredneck to give an easy example.

Eh, plenty of people call you 'sport' as it is, not too hard to have some duder named sport running around -- or the in game characters use aliases too "this mr smythe of the smythe family, known as the sport for redneck(s)" or some shit.

 

[sportforredneck]

Sport of Irondale. Make it happen.

 

[oldmanpaco]

what's this shit. have the KYNGDOME AF SWEDES in the North, ruled by the iron hand of Luzur Blondebeard. you may venture there and help them fight a dragon and then you're rewarded with Marabou Chocolate. YES AWESOME.

Yeah.. no.

Soo goblinoid enemies get the only mention? What about dragons, orcs and other generic races? How is necromancy seen, skeletal serfs perhaps? Is there something under the world like in classic DnD?

And Church, is this the fantasy catholic church or does it have something special?

Consider adding some pirate-merchant 'republics' if You make a map with dominant sea (like the Mediterranean) and perhaps a theocracy or two. And maybe wastelands, where forgotten empires crumble ruled by wandering tribes of barbarians-horse nomads.

What I meant was that the monsters of the world had been pushed beyond the borders. Didn't think I had to list them all.

The church, in the time before the Traveler, was basically a fantasy version of the catholic church. But they have lost significant influence since the world went to hell.

Necromancy is of course seen as evil and people burn for it.

The political situation is a combination of robber-barons, opportunistic city states, and petty kings. The remnant's of the great hordes (soon to be discussed) rule vasts tracks of land.

Something like a large connected subterranean underworld would be cool.

EDIT: and the church being something else than a fantasy version of catholic church. Or if it would be similar to the catholic church, then you could also have joinable heretical sects or witches' covens and something like the inquisition.

Hadn't thought of a subterranean world. I'm not a fan of the Drow but that doesn't mean it won't be in.

Remember this church was all-powerful 4 centuries before our time-line.

No Gods (at least no walking-among-mortal ones)
No DIVINE magic. Church is all about faith in higher power and controls everything. Necromancy is forbidden, even though such mages have mastered the art of healing (all healing spells are from necromancy school FYI). No miracles and such bullshit.

Healing spells are very rare. Healing potions are mostly made of herbs and usualy don't do anything.
Medicine is not really developed. Even a sigle scratch can be deadly for a common farmer.

This is the setting I'd took over everything bioware-made anyday

There will be no godly interactions.
Sorry but Divine magic will be in.
Necromancy will be considered evil and healing potions will be from the art of herbalism. I will PM you more with details.

How can this mod be an attempt at a fantasy universe and still have people's usernames? Are you going to just allude to their names and have the characters with their personalities? I mean I can understand how you can have a Jarl Frank, but not a sportforredneck to give an easy example.

I have thought about this. At first I thought about anagrams but I have more or less settled on just using usernames. Who really cares besides the people on the Codex? Not looking to win in NWNVault awards.

I'm confused as well, I assumed this was going to be an all-out-for-teh-lulz parody of the fantasy genre.

Best of both world bitch. Grim/Dark with lulz. God forbid you choose the name Jim Profit in your char creation.

 

[Brotherman Bill]

Dragon age: Codexia

 

[Freelance Henchman]

I'm confused as well, I assumed this was going to be an all-out-for-teh-lulz parody of the fantasy genre.

Best of both world bitch. Grim/Dark with lulz. God forbid you choose the name Jim Profit in your char creation.

FUCK YEAH ORIGINS

 

[JarlFrank]

Can we hire a Freelance Henchman as the party member who spews out one-liners that are actually funny most of the time?

 

[oldmanpaco]

Dragon age: Codexia

Horrible rape filled death for you incoming.

FUCK YEAH ORIGINS

Not even close.

Can we hire a Freelance Henchman as the party member who spews out one-liners that are actually funny most of the time?

Maybe. Or maybe the before mentioned rape filled death.

 

[Brotherman Bill]

Dragon age: Codexia

Horrible rape filled death for you incoming.

As long as it is tasteful.

But seriously though, try to do something with your elves and dwarves. As they are now they seem to play a minimal role in the actual world, and serve exclusively as an excuse to have different kinds of enemies.

This idea about humans being predominant is also a banal boring excuse for not exploring any sort of actual interaction between the races beyond mercenary work/killing.

And if the halflings are simply going to be peasant farmers, I don't see the reason for including them.

 

[oldmanpaco]

Dragon age: Codexia

Horrible rape filled death for you incoming.

As long as it is tasteful.

But seriously though, try to do something with your elves and dwarves. As they are now they seem to play a minimal role in the actual world, and serve exclusively as an excuse to have different kinds of enemies.

This idea about humans being predominant is also a banal boring excuse for not exploring any sort of actual interaction between the races beyond mercenary work/killing.

And if the halflings are simply going to be peasant farmers, I don't see the reason for including them.

The key point in the opening post was that the story takes place four centuries after the described society. The Traveler caused a mini-ice age with completely screwed the humans over. Only recently has society begun to recover. Think Dark Ages transitioning to Early Middle ages. Lots of petty king, robber barons, free city states, trade just beginning to open up again, all races trying to carve out their own section of the world, lots of racial mistrust, banditry in the hinterlands, empires to the south that weathered the apocalypse. Basically it’s free-for-all.

Also the story is about revenge/redemption so you don’t need to worry about fixing/saving anything.

Let’s look at the races:

Humans – Dependant on organized agriculture. Climate change royally screws them over. Starvation, disease, wars fought over dwindling resources. Lots less humans now than before.

Dwarves – Living mostly underground they handle things better than everyone else.

Elves – Most elvish/fay societies were hunter gatherers. The climate change hurt them but not as badly as humanity.

Halflings – Pretty bad shape as well. Not really sure what to do with this race.

Goblinoid – What I mean is the orc/goblin/gnoll/ogre groups of monsters. These had been driven north and were the first to feel the effects. They stopped fighting each other (to an extent) and marched south.

Southern Empires: They suffered but not as badly as the northern kingdoms. More or less survived.

 

[MetalCraze]

WTF is this shit oldmanpaco

It should take place in a declining 4th Reich Empire

Actually hire Jimbob to write you the plot and the setting

 

[oldmanpaco]

I like tomb raiding, and going through ruined temples, and discovering lost cities. In an established empire (even a fading one) none of this is possible because everything is already discovered or still in use.

If the story is a few hundred years after everything fell apart you can justify undiscovered tombs and cities and ruins.

 

[laclongquan]

Sorry to burst your bubbles but it aint so.

Even in these days and ages there are some spots near settlements that is rarely visited. Oh the locals know about them but who care about themrocks? And holy shit but just the last decade lots of big giant cavern got discovered REAL properly in Vietnam, as well as other places? Because while locals know about such places in general, they dont have the inclinations or the drives to proper explore them.

And that is the case in this civilzation of roads and automobiles. Now think about the case with a magic civilization and no roads worth talking about.

You may mumble something about scrying spells and magic mirrors and shit. I will counter that fantasy authors dont properly look at the situation. Who would have the energy or inclination to look at Miles and Miles of Bloody Wilderness. And what is the energy to conduct those numerous scrying?

No no, in magic civilization, it must show that people must have access to magical transportation, and cal enhanced productivity. Just so they have spare times and resources to go explore some ruins.

Everytimes I read a novel about magical civilization I sneer at that term. That is no civilization. Not when farmers work the land by hands and maybe with domesticated animals. Not a magic tool for farmer in sight. Not a magic thing to help farmers transport their surplus to market. When a farmer working like that with no enhancement, that is no civilization.

So dont worry about ruins and unexplored regions and stuff. Unless you can make magical transportation to EVERYONE you will always have Miles and Miles of Bloody Wilderness.

 

[Murk]

Usual fare of mushrooms and giant underground herbariums and greenhouses not good enough? I mean, its not like they don't know how to farm - and being the clever cunts they are they no doubt have set up some kind of light source either through intricate mirrors and magnifying lenses or some other replacement, assuming they even bother to grow light requiring plants.

You can also herd an entire range of underdark creatures for meat or whatever. I think the LotR explanation was they grow some fungus and use it for everything -- EVERYTHING, but that's bleh so let's just pretend that in a universe with flying dragons that have magical powers and bug people that one of the most clever races in the universe who has survive underground for thousands of years has figured out how to get food.

 

[oldmanpaco]

Dwarves – Living mostly underground they handle things better than everyone else.

Goddamnit, if you won't come up with what does entire poputation of those little bearded faggots eats underground I'll curse you with permanent gayness.

Usual fare of mushrooms and giant underground herbariums and greenhouses not good enough? I mean, its not like they don't know how to farm - and being the clever cunts they are they no doubt have set up some kind of light source either through intricate mirrors and magnifying lenses or some other replacement, assuming they even bother to grow light requiring plants.

You can also herd an entire range of underdark creatures for meat or whatever. I think the LotR explanation was they grow some fungus and use it for everything -- EVERYTHING, but that's bleh so let's just pretend that in a universe with flying dragons that have magical powers and bug people that one of the most clever races in the universe who has survive underground for thousands of years has figured out how to get food.

What Mikayel said.

 

[mondblut]

Actually hire Jimbob to write you the plot and the setting

This.

It's getting way too serious. The "I am making a real game" kind of serious. No wai. We demand a lulzy Kodeksian adventure full of memes and self-conscious irony.

 

[Murk]

It doesn't necessarily have to be a Forgotten Realms thing, but I imagine if we are using NWN 2 toolkit then we are using 3.5 rules, in which case, you also use its creatures, plants, and what not - or at least something similar.

All that aside, even if everything gets a face-change and we try to arbitrarily turn everything into non-d&d material, this is still a fantasy setting, yes? If so, then non-terrestrial shit is all over the place, which includes a vast variety of non-light needing plants. But if you don't want to go that far either, then remember, mid level wizards can cast teleport and bring in valuable food stuffs to people who literally spend all day mining valuable resources and building valuable tools/gadgets.

Unless Dwarves are cavemen now... in which case, they eat everyone else and any animals that spring up.

Ecosystems aren't too hard... especially when you can just make shit up, and making shit up is supposed to happen in the world of the fantastical. Getting bogged down in details is fun, and logistics & dragons is one of my favourite games ever, but it can kill a game before it even takes off (assuming this mod ever sees the promise of the light of day).

 

[Murk]

No doubt. I didn't mean to come off as arguing or defensive, just posting shit that I think might be helpful/relevant. S'all gravy to me 8)

 

[oldmanpaco]

Ok DP (I'm gonna start calling you that) you think of a reason that Dwarfs can survive underground. As long as it's not completely and utterly retarded it's in the mod.