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Old 03-17-2018, 11:45 AM   #1
Astromancer
 
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Default Magic Cities

Do you guys use magical cities in your Dungeon Fantasy games, either as bases for your PCs or as the dungeons to explore?

I find that flying cities that follow a set route over the course of a year allow the PCs a wide range of adventure locations.

Cities lost beneath the waves or buried by magical glaciers are great dungeons.

I once had PCs explore a tree city high above brutal swamps. The one time hawk-elves of this lovely city cursed into the form of bat-orcs, and haunting the ruins of their past glory.

What kind of magic cities have you used?
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Old 03-17-2018, 12:25 PM   #2
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Default Re: Magic Cities

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Originally Posted by Astromancer View Post
I find that flying cities that follow a set route over the course of a year allow the PCs a wide range of adventure locations.
I did something similar once. Ran a railroad game... in that the PCs were on a 'transdimensional' 'rail road' 'train'*. It had stopovers at various weird and interesting places giving the PCs a limited amount of time to adventure there.



* 'Transdimensional was the Players description. They never did learn if was truly crossing dimensions or not. 'Rail road' and 'train' because that's what it was when they boarded it on Earth in Tuscon, Arizona in 1882 chasing a bank robber and his strange little gang (which were little grey aliens).
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Old 03-18-2018, 08:30 AM   #3
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Default Re: Magic Cities

One magic city from a sci fi story by Leigh Brackett was a city covered by an illusion of its own distant past. PCs wouldn't be scared off, but it could be deeply confusing.

On the other hand. An illusion of the city's distant past could provide interesting hints and clues.
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Old 03-22-2018, 07:42 PM   #4
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The City of Seranth

Long ago when the Divine created man and the beasts of the Earth, dinosaurs were also created. And to rule the dinosaurs was the Sakyss, a therapod looking similar to a velociraptor but with a keen intellect and a terrible claw on their foot. They were supposed to be the masters of dinosaurs yet in the service of man but their pride overtook them and they rebelled and the Divine cursed them.

As man began to populate the Earth, they Sakyss exacted their revenge. They rounded up the humans and enslaved them and those that weren’t enslaved were corrupted.They summoned demons and devils to the earth along with creatures of myth and magic. The world became wicked and violent and there were almost no good people left. The Divine then decided to flood the earth and purge it of evil. The Divine called one man to get 2 of every animal and build a boat. The Divine also suspended the powers of the Infernal and the demons and devil lost their supernatural powers and had to return to Hell.

The rains came and the Sakyss were desperate to escape their death. They tried their magic but it would not work. The rains came and they retreated to their great city of Seranth and then waited to die. Their city covered with water and then buried deep in the earth and forgotten.

The earth repopulated again and man built cities and towns yet some of the creatures of myth and magic remained. They somehow survived by retreating underground and staying in caves that didn’t completely flood. And these creatures repopulated too and dug dungeons and passages through the earth and in doing so uncovered some of the great city of Seranth where strange magical items and treasures were stored. Monsters moved in and guarded these treasures and then adventurers found out about the city and began to explore it and found great treasure and also death. Many rumors have come from this mysterious city with most of them false. One rumor says that the Sakyss were not killed but were instead teleported away by an alien malignant being. And one day when the stars are right they will return.
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Old 03-23-2018, 07:16 AM   #5
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Default Re: Magic Cities

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The City of Seranth

Long ago when the Divine created man and the beasts of the Earth, dinosaurs were also created. And to rule the dinosaurs was the Sakyss, a therapod looking similar to a velociraptor but with a keen intellect and a terrible claw on their foot. They were supposed to be the masters of dinosaurs yet in the service of man but their pride overtook them and they rebelled and the Divine cursed them.

As man began to populate the Earth, they Sakyss exacted their revenge. They rounded up the humans and enslaved them and those that weren’t enslaved were corrupted.They summoned demons and devils to the earth along with creatures of myth and magic. The world became wicked and violent and there were almost no good people left. The Divine then decided to flood the earth and purge it of evil. The Divine called one man to get 2 of every animal and build a boat. The Divine also suspended the powers of the Infernal and the demons and devil lost their supernatural powers and had to return to Hell.

The rains came and the Sakyss were desperate to escape their death. They tried their magic but it would not work. The rains came and they retreated to their great city of Seranth and then waited to die. Their city covered with water and then buried deep in the earth and forgotten.

The earth repopulated again and man built cities and towns yet some of the creatures of myth and magic remained. They somehow survived by retreating underground and staying in caves that didn’t completely flood. And these creatures repopulated too and dug dungeons and passages through the earth and in doing so uncovered some of the great city of Seranth where strange magical items and treasures were stored. Monsters moved in and guarded these treasures and then adventurers found out about the city and began to explore it and found great treasure and also death. Many rumors have come from this mysterious city with most of them false. One rumor says that the Sakyss were not killed but were instead teleported away by an alien malignant being. And one day when the stars are right they will return.
Seriously KWEL! Maybe all dungeons are simply aspects of Seranth.
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Old 04-01-2018, 12:02 AM   #6
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Default Re: Magic Cities

My long-running fantasy campaign featured some demonic cities and cities on elemental planes. Magic or gates are required and sometimes other magic simply to survive (if it's underwater, superheated, etc.). Under the hood, they were often inspired by Star Wars as much as anything else. Lots of bizarre creatures, unusual environments, and a primary focus on either stealth or role-playing (or both).

There was another city that could only be visited through dreams. I don't recall the full details anymore (this was in the '90s) but there was a whole segment of the campaign that dealt with the world of dreams. The party had to use some magical mumbo jumbo to project themselves into this other reality every night. Events in the dreams could impact the PCs in physical reality, but not always in a direct way (often adding or removing mental ads and disads). Some events in the dream world were prophetic, like glimpses of the future. Everything was surreal and unpredictable, but not so random that the players were just along for the ride. Lots of puzzles and encounters with unusual twists. Everyone enjoyed it, but I had to be on my A-game.
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Old 04-07-2018, 10:04 AM   #7
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I'm planning on kicking of a DF game shortly set in (more or less) Renaissance Europe, wherein around 500 years ago the world experienced a series of horrible storms that brought forth monsters, and settled enormous ruined cities in the high places of the world. (Banestorms, basically.) The cities contain gates between each other and other worlds, so now the whole world is much more closely connected if you're brave enough to delve into the High City.
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Old 04-07-2018, 12:32 PM   #8
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I'm planning on kicking of a DF game shortly set in (more or less) Renaissance Europe, wherein around 500 years ago the world experienced a series of horrible storms that brought forth monsters, and settled enormous ruined cities in the high places of the world. (Banestorms, basically.) The cities contain gates between each other and other worlds, so now the whole world is much more closely connected if you're brave enough to delve into the High City.
Interesting. I once set up (didn't get to play) a fantasy world where there were gates in all cities beyond a certain size. Thus all large cities were one vast world spanning city. Your idea is that for supernatural types and heroes mine was that for everyone.
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Old 04-07-2018, 11:01 PM   #9
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Default Re: Magic Cities

There's a story by van Vogt, I think it's called "The Village," where a lost and stranded astronaut on Mars finds a living village. The village wants to care for this man. It has been alone for eons. However, the astronaut is so unlike the Martians that the village is nearly poisonous to the man and even providing water for the man is killing the village.

So the village turns the astronaut into a Martian.

You could transpose that village into a fantasy game.
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