Re: Campaign Musings: Bral 200 years later

--- Loki <george.williams.iv@?????.com> wrote:

This is pretty much for the sake of arguement/devil's
advocate :)

> Okay everybody, this s a request for ideas and
> input. I am gearing up for my a new SJ/PS campaign
> which will lie 200 years after the commonly accepted
> current date of the various sources. Here are some
> of the axioms of the game, I would love some
> assistance in exploring the ramifications before we
> get started:

Any reason why 200 years "later"?  When games "fast
forward" like that, it kinda cuts out all the NPCs and
pre-built material, leaving you to do everything from
scratch :)


> Over the past 200 years the College of Celestian has
> been in control of a gate to Sigil (City of Doors,
> Planescape) which has given them access to almost
> every plane of existence. The Arcane have become
> constant customers, and show a distinct aversion to 
> entering the City of Doors. Rumor has it they are
> based out of a demiplane called Union (Epic
> Level Handbook). 

I assume the game will be somewhat low-powered, as
there are a host of spells that give access to pretty
much all planes of existence :)  I guess the question
is: WHY is this portal so special?  Have planar
barriers collapsed such that these portals are now
rare and spells no longer work?


> Also, due to the prescence of this ortal the EIN 
have
> now stationed a  Lionheart class station in
Bralspace
> called  __________ in the sphere. Andru  holds
> firm that it appraoch no closer than 10,000 miles
> past the small grouping of asteroids the  Rock
claims
> as its territory.

Um, just curious, but with the effort it takes to
craft a Lionheart-style station (assuming you're using
my Lionheart as the template), wouldn't it be easier
for their own archmages to make a portal themselves? 
Do you simply want an "elven city" there?  If so, and
if you're using Paul's Bralspace, he put the Crown of
Corelleon in orbit around Spiral, which could serve
the same purpose.

 
> Andru still sits upon the throne of Bral thanks to a
> steady supply of potions of longevity. He has become
> more and more paranoid due to assassination attemps
> by the descendants of this brother Calar, whom he
> murdered in order to ascend the throne. Even after
> 210 years on the throne he still but one of a number
of
> powers on the Rock.

Don't potions of longevity eventually give out at some
point?


> The Unhuman War II broke the back of the Scro War
> machine, it is only now that they are starting to
pose
> an organized threat again. The main thing holding
them
> back is their honorbound treaty with the rest of the
> Known Spheres, a treaty brokered by Ilinduril 
> Leafbower (Descendant of the Legendary Admiral
> form the Unhuman War I).

Two centuries is a LONG time to recover from a war,
especially one fought so far from home.  Even the
elves would be fully recovered by then.  For them to
be that ruined, it'd almost have to be their homeworld
was devastated somehow.  


> The Vodoni Empire has NOT yet been discovered in
> this variant timeline.

You don't discover the Vodoni Empire, it discovers
YOU! :D


> The discovery of an Outpost of the Elders (Juna) by
> House Seven Stars of Bral is 200 old. Due to a
strange
> energy pulse the interveing 2 centuries have seen a
> massive spike in psionics and sorcery across the
known
> spheres (This reperesents the transition to the 3.5
> ruleset in my universe.)

Any reason to *need* a "reset" event to change rules? 
If you're not trying to maintain continuity to an
older game, I'd just assume the rules always worked as
they do now, and not worry about.  Otherwise, too many
resets, and you'll have something looking like
Marvel's jumbled multiverse...;)


> The Elven Fleet unveiled both psionic helms and
> cloaking helms about 100 years ago. As far as anyone
> knows they still hold a monopoly on them.  Rumors,
as
> always, surface of pirates and slavery with these 
> unusual helms. Many discount them as distorted
stories
> of the Pirates of Gith.

Heh, you know, other than the fact that the phrase
"cloaking helm" sounds cool, I'm not sure those helms
offer any real benefit a mid-level spell couldn't
provide.  And psi helms could have always existed,
just rarer because psi could only be used by psi
characters, while standard helms can accept wizards,
clerics, druids, bards, & high-level rangers &
paladins (aka their pool of potential users is much
greater, so much more attractive to wise captains).


> History tells of the "Black Months," a time 200
> years prior when the suns dimmed across the local
> supercluster of spheres and stayed that way for 3
> months. Chaos and confusion were coupled with famine
> as crops failed on most planets. While many theories
> and legends surround this period there is no way to
> verify them. The Gods remain silent on the subject,
> and scrying seems to be blocked.

OMG Warp Storms!!!  Ok, been reading too much
Warhammer...:)

Hell, that alone sounds like a great basis for a
campaign in just one sphere.  Although a 3 month
period of less sunlight isn't too devastating, on a
grand scale.  For parts of planets which are in the
midst of winter, they wouldn't even notice.  Arable
areas in the middle of summer would be more
devastated, and some planets, so far from the sun,
would not even notice.


> Due to their status derived from open access to the
> Portal to Sigil in the Celestian Temple HOuse Seven
> Stars has become a powerhouse of trade across
> not only several spheres, but also several planes.

Ok, that conjured a mental image: a local church is
having Sunday Mass, a portal suddenly opens, and a
bunch of sweaty, smelly, grunting guys walk through
it, carrying huge crates on their shoulders, and pass
down the asle. >:D>

A church would not exactly be a great place to locate
a portal used for trade.  Priests/scholars/sages
looking to explore the planes privately, yes.  Used as
a trade hub?  Not so much.  A better location might be
a nearby asteroid owned by the College, where they've
built approprate warehouses, markets, fortifications,
and docking facilities.


> They maintain a fleet of 9 ships, with an oversized
> octopus ship christened Valis as the flagship.
> (DM note: Valis is equiped with both planar sails
> and an ethership power core in adition to a major
helm.

How widespread are these ships?  Nine ships in a
single sphere isn't a lot, and nine ships scattered
across the planes/spheres is not much better than
having one ship.  I'd almost go with them having
dozens or hundreds of ships, if you want to present
them as "powerful" (putting them on par with say the
Sindath Line or the Chalice), but only a few ships in
any given location.  Maybe even use this as an
opportunity to create a new class of ships owned
exclusively by them, to further distinguish them.

Anyways, just my thoughts.  Hope they help :)

Adam


 
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