Skein of Worlds:Main Page

This is an attempt to better organize and expand on the setting I started on the D&D message boards a long time ago. (Yes, I'm ArchmageOmega on that board.) I also have an old website at geocities.com/magi256/cosmology/, but I intend this page to be more up-to-date and complete. There's a (currently very short) thread on this on the rpg.net forums too. BTW, if you have a better name for this than Skein of Worlds, let me know. This is a work in progress, so if you have something to contribute, please say something. --MagiMaster

Overview

This setting is designed for Dungeons and Dragons 3.5, but could easily be adapted to other systems since it doesn't specify too much in the way of rules. I will use terminology from D&D and The Manual of the Planes to describe things though, since that's what was originally used to design this. (It's also no coincidence that it's organized similarly to The Manual of the Planes.)

This is based on the standard cosmology, the Great Wheel. In the Great Wheel cosmology, it is assumed that the material plane is an infinite plane, full of spheres of material; however, only one or two of these spheres are ever used. The most immediate difference in the Skein of Worlds is that most of these spheres are inhabited and there are ways of traveling between them. Most of the other differences stem from trying to restrict methods of travel and from extrapolating the consequences of that.

Finally, the Skein of Worlds setting is designed to accommodate any level of play from level 1 to epic to deific.

Things written in italics are notes about what needs to be done and are not, directly, part of the setting.

Stories and Plot Hooks

Here are some ideas of stories that can be told in this setting. Read the Player's Guide below for more information on the circumstances surrounding these plot hooks.

• A giant ship descends from the sky laden with strange green humanoids carrying powerful magic weapons. They seem intent on conquering the planet.
• A mysterious geode suddenly hatches into a strange winged reptile. Various forces attempt to capture and control it, until the mother/father/both arrives from the void.
• It's rumored that the mysterious rock formations in the nearby foothills reacts strangely to the light of a blue moon. Some youths/young adventurers/etc get together to find out the truth. When the blue moon passes, they are left in an unfamiliar land surrounded by creatures that they thought were mere legend.
• A number of people have gone missing over the past few months. Their mutilated corpses turn up some time later, but no attempts made to contact their soul or resurrect them have succeeded.
• An heirloom pendant causes the carvings in a nearby cave to open onto an unfamiliar vista. The owner is approached by a strange man offering a large sum of money for the pendant.

Cosmology and Setting

This section contains all the descriptive bits about the setting's cosmology, history, current situation and inner workings.

Rules and Tables

This section contains all of the rules, tables and system specific information related to this setting.