I have been running a homebrew setting for a while, but now I want to create a new one. A classic world in conflict, with an end times twist were water is the most valuable ressource and the world is one large desert. Since I tend to overplan and over prepare A LOT I wanted to get some advice on what details you consider essential to be set before you start a campaign.
One cool thing about your setting idea is that there does not have to be a villain. The environment is the villain the heroes overcome and survive. If this is your course I would recommend a world with well defined borders. The map is your main thing. Is it a world where cities are situated around an oasis or have the people adapted to an ever changing world. What kind of people and monsters inhabit this world? Is there magic? If so, why hasn’t a skilled wizard wished the world was normalized. What brought about the end times your world is experiencing? These are all good questions your world needs to answer.
Yeah. If a level 1 spell is going to tear a hole in your carefully-crafted story, just outlaw that spell and say it's not appropriate for this campaign.
One thing I would care about is the materials available to PCs, and if any of them cost extra or are more affordable. In your world, for example, I imagine potions would be much more expensive, and there would probably be more efforts to create magic powders. Alternatively, in a postapocalyptic world, I imagine that necessities would be more expensive (i.e. food and water), while luxuries might be cheaper. Desert areas might also have a larger number of small towns rather than larger metropolises due to the difficulties of food production, and they might be surrounding oases (a villain poisoning an oasis would be a big deal here). I would also think about all the things water is used for, like metallurgy and trade transit. This can lead to all sorts of challenges for your heroes, but can alter some of the balance [particularly for metal dependent characters like the Knight subclass]
Love it. I was planing to make it lots of small towns anyway, along the lines of the wild west maybe where settlements were very small and usually focused around silver mines or other resources.
I was thinking that some magic or technology might be very advanced, for example air ships, since there are no waterways. They might be very expensive, but still...
I think that is a good idea. I might even come up with a new source of magical energy. I've always seen deserts as having a connection to the supernatural given the number of cultures who do vision quests in the deserts, so there are some opportunities there.
That sounds really interesting. It might be a good Idea, based on that to make magic more something spiritual along the lines of druids and shamans. I might even dismiss the wizard class entirely, since I dont think its scientific approach to magic would fit.
I admit to being hesitant to remove a class, but I see your appoint that the approach would be different. For some reason, I am drawn to the Fahrenheit 451 idea of the "keepers of the books", with collectives of people who memorize and pass down individual texts. Maybe each town specializes in a specific type of magic or spells, so what you can learn is dependent on where you level.
That's a really cool idea, but I think it might distract too much from the main conflict.
I might have a few isolated villages still know about the arcane, similar to the keepers, because the knowledge of arcane magic was lost. So that wizards exist, but are incredibly rare and more restricted by their school of magic than usual.
Rangers will probably be overpowered in this campaign world. They can take the desert as preferred terrain and they have access to the Goodberry spell immediately. They are also better at finding food and water from the environment. Goodberry is an absolute nightmare for your world.
It does say that they can only find food in an area that provides it, this wouldn't really.
But yeah, for a survival aspect rangers are better. I wouldn't say they are overpowered though, since to survive in that world you'll need at least some abity to find food.
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Hey there fellow DMs!
I have been running a homebrew setting for a while, but now I want to create a new one. A classic world in conflict, with an end times twist were water is the most valuable ressource and the world is one large desert. Since I tend to overplan and over prepare A LOT I wanted to get some advice on what details you consider essential to be set before you start a campaign.
Glad for every bit of help!
One cool thing about your setting idea is that there does not have to be a villain. The environment is the villain the heroes overcome and survive. If this is your course I would recommend a world with well defined borders. The map is your main thing. Is it a world where cities are situated around an oasis or have the people adapted to an ever changing world. What kind of people and monsters inhabit this world? Is there magic? If so, why hasn’t a skilled wizard wished the world was normalized. What brought about the end times your world is experiencing? These are all good questions your world needs to answer.
Thanks, that's really a great help!
I didn't even consider wish spells.
Just rember that there is plenty of magic that can provide food and water.
Yeah, create food and water and other such spells might ba a problem.
i think I might alter the spell list to either not include those or make them a higher level / have a rare material component.
Yeah. If a level 1 spell is going to tear a hole in your carefully-crafted story, just outlaw that spell and say it's not appropriate for this campaign.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
One thing I would care about is the materials available to PCs, and if any of them cost extra or are more affordable. In your world, for example, I imagine potions would be much more expensive, and there would probably be more efforts to create magic powders. Alternatively, in a postapocalyptic world, I imagine that necessities would be more expensive (i.e. food and water), while luxuries might be cheaper. Desert areas might also have a larger number of small towns rather than larger metropolises due to the difficulties of food production, and they might be surrounding oases (a villain poisoning an oasis would be a big deal here). I would also think about all the things water is used for, like metallurgy and trade transit. This can lead to all sorts of challenges for your heroes, but can alter some of the balance [particularly for metal dependent characters like the Knight subclass]
Fenchurch, Gnome Wizard, Red Skies in Mourning
Love it. I was planing to make it lots of small towns anyway, along the lines of the wild west maybe where settlements were very small and usually focused around silver mines or other resources.
I was thinking that some magic or technology might be very advanced, for example air ships, since there are no waterways. They might be very expensive, but still...
I think that is a good idea. I might even come up with a new source of magical energy. I've always seen deserts as having a connection to the supernatural given the number of cultures who do vision quests in the deserts, so there are some opportunities there.
Fenchurch, Gnome Wizard, Red Skies in Mourning
That sounds really interesting. It might be a good Idea, based on that to make magic more something spiritual along the lines of druids and shamans. I might even dismiss the wizard class entirely, since I dont think its scientific approach to magic would fit.
I admit to being hesitant to remove a class, but I see your appoint that the approach would be different. For some reason, I am drawn to the Fahrenheit 451 idea of the "keepers of the books", with collectives of people who memorize and pass down individual texts. Maybe each town specializes in a specific type of magic or spells, so what you can learn is dependent on where you level.
Fenchurch, Gnome Wizard, Red Skies in Mourning
That's a really cool idea, but I think it might distract too much from the main conflict.
I might have a few isolated villages still know about the arcane, similar to the keepers, because the knowledge of arcane magic was lost. So that wizards exist, but are incredibly rare and more restricted by their school of magic than usual.
Rangers will probably be overpowered in this campaign world. They can take the desert as preferred terrain and they have access to the Goodberry spell immediately. They are also better at finding food and water from the environment. Goodberry is an absolute nightmare for your world.
It does say that they can only find food in an area that provides it, this wouldn't really.
But yeah, for a survival aspect rangers are better. I wouldn't say they are overpowered though, since to survive in that world you'll need at least some abity to find food.