Exploring some ideas (AtE + Fantasy)

[Arith Winterfell]

I've recently found myself very interested in AtE, but not so much its sci-fi basis, while I continue to have a strong interest in Fantasy (with Dungeon Fantasy helping a lot).

However I've found I'm not quite completely happy with the pure dungeon focus build of Dungeon Fantasy itself, wanting more social and skill use complexity (much like say AtE 1: Wastelanders Trader template perhaps).

So I set out to work on a fantasy setting that builds on AtE as best I can on my own and would welcome ideas, suggestions, thoughts, etc.

I've determined that rather than having a irradiated desert wasteland, to instead have a wasteland is more like badlands or barren plains, with shrubs, scraggly bushes, twisted trees, etc. And that this wasting away of the natural world was due to a magical disaster brought on by an advanced magical society (perhaps something TL 4 + (something due to magic)). Please keep in mind, this is all malleable, and these are just some of my starting thoughts. I also toyed with the idea of a icy wasteland for a setting.

I started by trying to approach things from templates. I was first struck by the Scavenger in AtE 1 and some of its similarities to the traditional fantasy thief / rogue. I liked the idea of people who survive in the ruins by scavenging magical remnants and strange artifacts from the ruins that they don't really understand fully, and often used for mundane things. So scavenger as a archetype template works well for this setting idea.

Another idea that struck me was the paladin/knight-errant archetype from fantasy, and reworking that to a wasteland version, led me to the image of the lone gunman/lawman/frontier sheriff type image. A wandering figure on horseback wielding sword and gun focused on bringing justice to the lawless wasteland, defending the downtrodden, and fighting against warlords and bandit kings.

When it comes to magic users I imagined a lot of magical lore had been lost in the destruction of the previous civilization, leading to handfuls of magical practitioners who pass down their particular area of knowledge leading to fragmented groups of magic users who each have their own traditions, but lack the complex advanced knowledge the previous civilization used.

So far I've planned a earth/plant mage who focuses on using plant magic to coax life (and hence food) from the soil making them important figures in the communities and allowing them to survive despite the harsh conditions (be that plants being twisted or an ice age).

The other magic user I plan to have around is necromancers (one of which I'm planning to play).

These are all the ideas I have so far. Suggestions very welcomed :)

[evileeyore]

Fantasy + Post-Apoc is pretty cool.

Campaigns I've run in that genre:

A Morrowind + Fallout + Earthdawn mashup.
A Gamma Terra + Fantasy (using RPM magic).
I once ran a Fantasy campaign based on the Russian-Afghanistan war (the PCs sided with the natives). While not exactly post-apoc, the setting was bleak and pretty sparse on civilized luxuries (it featured raiding the invading army for food, weapons, etc).

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by Arith Winterfell

I've determined that rather than having a irradiated desert wasteland, to instead have a wasteland is more like badlands or barren plains, with shrubs, scraggly bushes, twisted trees, etc.

A suggestion: Use some of the more red parts of the Australian Outback. Seems almost fantasy scenery if you're not from such an iron-ore heavy region :) Bonus, aboriginal Dreamtime mythology isn't heavily used for fantasy gaming so if you want something exotic, there ya go.

The termite mounds look particularly space-alien-y if you're not familiar.

[lhelf]

The Dark Sun campaign setting, for AD&D 2nd ed and D&D 4th ed, might have some useful material for you.

[RyanW]

Originally Posted by Arith Winterfell

I've determined that rather than having a irradiated desert wasteland, to instead have a wasteland is more like badlands or barren plains, with shrubs, scraggly bushes, twisted trees, etc.

The three post-apocalyptic settings I've put the most thought into were coincidentally all set around the Colorado Plateau, which has quite a bit of shrubland and pinyon woodland.

Two were mundane (most mutations resulted in spontaneous miscarriage), the other was a wild manapocalypse (giant bugs, trolls*, and humanoid animal mutations).

Also by coincidence, two of the settings featured virtually no travel to the southeast. The Spanish called that area el Jornada del Muerto (Journey of the Dead Man). That name is doubly true when even the "hospitable" parts of the region are undergoing ecological collapse. Triple with the weird energies flowing out of the area where Socorro used to be (just hope the mutations leave you with a mouth, so you can beg for death).

* Trolls having been specifically designed so that a mildly strong individual could comfortably fire an M2 machine gun from the hip.

[Arith Winterfell]

Thanks for the suggestions so far.

Currently I've been pondering about the End elements for the campaign, or rather how the nature of the End resulted in the landscape as it is today.

When I imagine the landscape I think of the ashlands of Morrowind with their twisted trees and blighted creatures/men.

Here is a screenshot form the old game I just googled up for reference here:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1JeL66Plhh...nshot+0005.png

So I ask myself how did the world get this way. Was it an immediate terrible event, or a gradual transformation that couldn't be stopped.

I know because I'm using ruin scavenging template for one of the character types that I want to have shattered ruins that litter the landscape, so I would think to achieve that feel of shattered ruins I'd need to have at least some sudden event akin to bomb blasts that tore buildings apart? Another element I was pondering about regarding the inspiration from the old Morrowind game was its red mountain as its source of the sickness that transformed people and corrupted the landscape. But I'm pondering something much more world-wide spread, creating ash storms. So I'm pondering the idea of perhaps some sort of seismic event was the trigger for the transformation of the environment. Great rifts in the ground tearing open, releasing noxious gas clouds, spewing up ash, and leaving gaping fiery rifts in the ground. Plus massive earthquakes all over the world would explain the ruins of the landscape causing towers and buildings to collapse burying people and secrets beneath the rubble and falling ash.

This also leads me to the thought, wouldn't it realistically result in a cooling of the world as the ash cloud cover would blot out the sun, at least somewhat? I'm not aiming for the feel of an icy locked world though. Perhaps would it make sense if it did lower the temperature of the surface, but only a little overall meaning the combined heat from the rifts counter act the reduced sunlight based heat?

I try to be someone logical and realistic in my setting design, but I don't always know when I go into unrealistic territory.

Still ideas continue to form and I'll keep adding more as I go along.

[evileeyore]

Originally Posted by Arith Winterfell

Another element I was pondering about regarding the inspiration from the old Morrowind game was its red mountain as its source of the sickness that transformed people and corrupted the landscape. But I'm pondering something much more world-wide spread, creating ash storms. So I'm pondering the idea of perhaps some sort of seismic event was the trigger for the transformation of the environment. Great rifts in the ground tearing open, releasing noxious gas clouds, spewing up ash, and leaving gaping fiery rifts in the ground. Plus massive earthquakes all over the world would explain the ruins of the landscape causing towers and buildings to collapse burying people and secrets beneath the rubble and falling ash.

And even more Red Mountains (and Red Fissures, great gaping world wounds that pour out monsters) spewing out their poisons that twist the bodies and souls of beast and man...

This also leads me to the thought, wouldn't it realistically result in a cooling of the world as the ash cloud cover would blot out the sun, at least somewhat?

BAH! The heat these mountains and fissures spew forth from their INFERNAL* depths is constant! The hot ash chars the lands, where one opens in the sea it boils!


Also not everywhere has to have heavy clouds of ash blotting out the sun. There needs to be some islands of hope and light.



* Perpetual gates to the Netherlands maybe?

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by evileeyore

BAH! The heat these mountains and fissures spew forth from their INFERNAL* depths is constant! The hot ash chars the lands, where one opens in the sea it boils!
* Perpetual gates to the Netherlands maybe?

Hot ash being pumped into the fissures by windmills?

[evileeyore]

Originally Posted by Bruno

Hot ash being pumped into the fissures by windmills?

;)

Windmills and an insatiable, burning need to corner our Tulip market!

[Arith Winterfell]

I had actually toyed with a Demon heavy setting, bordering into D&Ds Planescape setting. Demonic or demonically twisted animals or creatures in a fiery wasteland is something I'd pondered before.


However, I decided I was trying to capture the feel of AtE more than demon related fantasy. It's actually a little hard for me to capture the feel of AtE into fantasy.

I realize in part it has to do with activities and rewards...I think?

I mean in both genres you have battling monsters and exploring ruins.

Is the key difference really a question of functionality of rewards? Where say in Dungeon Fantasy you recover a gold inlaid sword of great monetary value, and in AtE you find a cache of food?

Er...actually describing it that way sorta makes it all sound unfun and depressing...

I guess I'm still struggling with how to capture the spirit of AtE?