Hello all, I'm a reasonably new DM. My friend and I are planning on doing a one on one campaign and we decided to do a survival setting to toy around with actually using carry weight, eating, all that stuff you'd rather ignore in other games.
I have a setting and a theme for it already but still trying to figure out some kinks. I'm trying not to go in too much detail and play by ear but I do want some forethought. sorry I ramble I just got up.
It takes place on a continent that has been enveloped by a thick mist/fog that infects people exposed to it with madness and even physical corruption.
Kind of similar to Barovia the mist causes one to get lost
It is also known to cause hallucinations and more (I'm currently writing up a counter/list for high exposure)
There is no one left in this 'world' that remembers a time without the mist.
There are currently only five uncorrupted settlements that are clear of the mist/fog.
A lot of knowledge has been lost over the ages.
A lot of towns, the original capital being one of them, was overtaken by the mist.
I have cut down on a lot of things, as it's only the two of us and it keeps things simple for both of us. The Races are limited: Humans, Elves, Halflings, and one Gnome. There are Orc tribes that live out in the mist who have found ways to stave it and keep themselves safe. They're considered dangerous brutes by the other races who live in the remaining towns.
Due to the loss of so much knowledge of the world, I decided to do me a solid and cut back on enemies and only have a set number. I've been having fun redrawing them to flavor them as creatures of the mist/fog and things corrupted. Magic is also inhibited a lot due to a lot of arcana know-how being lost. There's just not many people left anymore. I know this is normally restrictive but again it's just two of us. and we both decided to go light on a lot of things to work in a feeling of the unknown in the campaign.
That being said the actual campaign will be starting for my PC with her character going from the posh and esteemed 'safe' settlement and trying to make a trek to the capitol. However, she gets attacked and dragged into the mist. Her character's main goal will just be surviving and trying to get back out.
There is also a secondary character who is also already corrupted but managing to survive, a sort of cryptid in a way, on occasion I plan on letting her take control to learn things about the land.
I'm working on a table for some random encounters as well as some NPCs she might run into. My main thing is I can't think of a single reason as to why the mist is a thing. How did it get there, why is it there, did someone make it? I don't like the idea of it being a God. Though that is what the locals think of it.
My main thing is I can't think of a single reason as to why the mist is a thing. How did it get there, why is it there, did someone make it? I don't like the idea of it being a God. Though that is what the locals think of it.
Well, it's D&D. "A wizard did it" is usually a pretty good answer. Someone was futzing around, trying to open a portal to the Dimension of Endless Chocolate and instead they opened one to Silent Hill.
What was the level of civilization before the mist? Standard high fantasy? Steampunk? "A mad scientist did it" is also an option. The mist envelops a continent? What's happening on the other continents? Was our continent at war with one of them and they unleashed a doomsday weapon? Were we developing a doomsday weapon and it backfired on us? Do they have an antidote?
Cui bono? The orcs are considered dangerous brutes, but it sounds like they won the lottery here. If they have a way of keeping themselves safe from the mist, they just inherited all of humanity's farmlands and herds. Maybe they're smarter than your humans gave them credit for?
There are elves, but no one remembers a time before the mist? So we're talking potentially 600 years or more ago? If it happened that long ago, it almost doesn't matter where it came from, whatever purpose it served has long since been achieved, whatever villain unleashed it may very well have won centuries ago, enjoyed the fruits of victory and died peacefully in bed, surrounded by loved ones. Life's not fair sometimes.
Start by deciding if it's magical or biological or chemical. Roll a die if you can't decide and then just start making stuff up from there.
@IamSposta : Lol nope. Never actually seen that show. I know of it and that people got trapped on an island. That’s about the extent of my knowledge.
@TimCurtin : a wizard did was one of my first initial thoughts for certain. But I thought I could test out other options as well. I do certainly like the idea of the world being how it is due to fact that BBEG won. In the long shot. Thanks so much for the info and the ideas. I super appreciate it :D
Hello all, I'm a reasonably new DM.
My friend and I are planning on doing a one on one campaign and we decided to do a survival setting to toy around with actually using carry weight, eating, all that stuff you'd rather ignore in other games.
I have a setting and a theme for it already but still trying to figure out some kinks. I'm trying not to go in too much detail and play by ear but I do want some forethought. sorry I ramble I just got up.
I have cut down on a lot of things, as it's only the two of us and it keeps things simple for both of us. The Races are limited: Humans, Elves, Halflings, and one Gnome.
There are Orc tribes that live out in the mist who have found ways to stave it and keep themselves safe. They're considered dangerous brutes by the other races who live in the remaining towns.
Due to the loss of so much knowledge of the world, I decided to do me a solid and cut back on enemies and only have a set number. I've been having fun redrawing them to flavor them as creatures of the mist/fog and things corrupted.
Magic is also inhibited a lot due to a lot of arcana know-how being lost. There's just not many people left anymore.
I know this is normally restrictive but again it's just two of us. and we both decided to go light on a lot of things to work in a feeling of the unknown in the campaign.
That being said the actual campaign will be starting for my PC with her character going from the posh and esteemed 'safe' settlement and trying to make a trek to the capitol. However, she gets attacked and dragged into the mist. Her character's main goal will just be surviving and trying to get back out.
There is also a secondary character who is also already corrupted but managing to survive, a sort of cryptid in a way, on occasion I plan on letting her take control to learn things about the land.
I'm working on a table for some random encounters as well as some NPCs she might run into.
My main thing is I can't think of a single reason as to why the mist is a thing. How did it get there, why is it there, did someone make it? I don't like the idea of it being a God. Though that is what the locals think of it.
Anyone got any ideas, or again some tips?
Are you a Lost fan by chance?
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Well, it's D&D. "A wizard did it" is usually a pretty good answer. Someone was futzing around, trying to open a portal to the Dimension of Endless Chocolate and instead they opened one to Silent Hill.
What was the level of civilization before the mist? Standard high fantasy? Steampunk? "A mad scientist did it" is also an option. The mist envelops a continent? What's happening on the other continents? Was our continent at war with one of them and they unleashed a doomsday weapon? Were we developing a doomsday weapon and it backfired on us? Do they have an antidote?
Cui bono? The orcs are considered dangerous brutes, but it sounds like they won the lottery here. If they have a way of keeping themselves safe from the mist, they just inherited all of humanity's farmlands and herds. Maybe they're smarter than your humans gave them credit for?
There are elves, but no one remembers a time before the mist? So we're talking potentially 600 years or more ago? If it happened that long ago, it almost doesn't matter where it came from, whatever purpose it served has long since been achieved, whatever villain unleashed it may very well have won centuries ago, enjoyed the fruits of victory and died peacefully in bed, surrounded by loved ones. Life's not fair sometimes.
Start by deciding if it's magical or biological or chemical. Roll a die if you can't decide and then just start making stuff up from there.
@IamSposta : Lol nope. Never actually seen that show. I know of it and that people got trapped on an island. That’s about the extent of my knowledge.
@TimCurtin : a wizard did was one of my first initial thoughts for certain. But I thought I could test out other options as well.
I do certainly like the idea of the world being how it is due to fact that BBEG won. In the long shot. Thanks so much for the info and the ideas. I super appreciate it :D
There was a scary fog and other stuff that your setting reminded me of.
It was purgatory the whole time.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
I would draw inspiration from when elves tried to open a portal to the Far Realm, but something escaped this time
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