Difference between revisions of "Skein of Worlds:Old Main Page"

Latest revision as of 20:30, 18 July 2009

I suppose I'll just leave this here as a backup, since I don't know what else to do with it.

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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

Rules and Tables[edit]

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

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-This is an attempt to better organize and expand on the setting I started [http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=929330 on the D&D message boards] a long time ago. (Yes, I'm ArchmageOmega on that board.) I also have an [http://www.geocities.com/magi256/cosmology/ old website] for this, but I intend this page to be more up-to-date and complete. 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. --[[User:MagiMaster|MagiMaster]]
+''I suppose I'll just leave this here as a backup, since I don't know what else to do with it.''
+This is an attempt to better organize and expand on the setting I started [http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=929330 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) [http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?p=9649299 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. --[[User:MagiMaster|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 travelling between them. Most of the other differences stem from trying to restrict methods of travel and from extrapolating the consequences of that.
+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.
-== The Material Plane ==
+''Things written in italics are notes about what needs to be done and are not, directly, part of the setting.''
-The material plane consists of an infinte number of spheres hanging in an infinite void. These spheres tend to group together in small clusters with large gaps (and little interaction) between clusters.
-=== The Spheres ===
-There are three different types of spheres: the elemental spheres or planets, the positive energy spheres or suns and the negative energy spheres or black holes.
-==== The Elemental Spheres ====
-The elemental spheres, or planets, (usually) exist as a balance of the four elements. Each planet has an overall balance, but few planets are uniform. Different areas of a planet can have slightly different balances of the elements. This can be more obvious in some places than others. One of the clearest examples is a hot, dry desert where there is too much fire and not enough water. In places of especially high concentrations of one element vortices into the Elemental Tempest can form. A planet that is heavily unbalanced towards one element might gain a minor elemental trait.
-===== Earth =====
-Earth provides the solid ground. It is the most stable element, and rarely fluctates much. Areas with too little earth are dusty or flowing. Quick sand or tar pits would be a localized example of this. Areas with too much earth would be very rocky and mountainous. Earth vortices tend to form in deep caves.
-===== Air =====
-Air provides, well... air. Air fluctuates a good deal as the winds come and go. Areas with too little air tend to make breathing difficult. This might manifest in any number of ways, from a simple lack of air, to stagnant air, to a lot of dust or water vapor suspended in what air there is. Areas with too much air tend to be very windy. Air vortices tend to form in large, high clouds.
-Air exists even underground and underwater. Areas underwater with too little air can't support sealife very well. Areas underwater with too much air tend to manifest as underwater fountains of bubbles and the like.
-===== Water =====
-Water provides the oceans, lakes, rain and all other forms of moisture. Water doesn't fluctuate very rapidly, but its changes are sometimes pronounced, bringing dry days and rain, or drought and floods. Areas with too little water are simply dry. Areas with too much water tend to have a lot of lakes and heavy rains. Even areas underwater can lack water, even if that's hard to put into words. Such areas would be similar to areas that lack air aboveground, but are overall pretty rare. Water vortices tend to form in the deep ocean rifts.
-===== Fire =====
-Fire provides warmth. Areas with too little are cold, and areas with too much are hot, but fire is the most unstable element. It can fluctuate wildly even within a single day. Fire vortices mainly form in volcanoes.
-==== The Positive Energy Spheres ====
-The positive energy spheres, or suns, are the source of most light on the material plane. They're about the same size as a planet, but don't have much in the way of a surface or native life. Suns are mainly giant vortices into the positive energy plane.
-If a planet was close enough to a sun, it might gain the minor positive-dominant trait. The sun would be very large in the sky, and even at night it wouldn't be as dark as in other places. Such a place wouldn't necessarily be any hotter though. Worlds with the positive-dominant trait would be hard places for normal civilizations to flourish since the forces of nature would be so much stronger.
-==== The Negative Energy Spheres ====
-The negative energy spheres, or black holes, are very similar to suns. They're about the same size, and don't have much of a surface or native life. The biggest difference is that a black hole is a vortex to the negative energy plane. Since it neither emits nor reflects light, it's very difficult to see, unless it's close enough to block the light from something else, such as a number of stars or a sun or planet.
-A planet too close to a black hole would be a very dark place. Even during the day, it wouldn't be as bright, and at night the black hole could be seen as a great black disk in the sky. Any native life on such a planet would tend to grow and reproduce fairly slowly.
-==== Planetary Systems ====
-As previously mentioned, spheres tend to clump together into small systems. There's almost always at least one of each type of sphere in a system, and usually several more. (Planets tend to be about 3 times as numerous as either suns or black holes.)
-Suns are easily visible from anywhere within a system, and even from other systems (as stars). Planets are usually visible from within the same system, although the further planets may require a telescope to see as more than a bright star. Black holes are rarely visible unless they eclipse something else.
-''Note: I have no idea how spheres move within systems. Simply rotating in place isn't enough, but they have no particular reason to orbit each other in any simple way.''
-=== Travelling Between Spheres ===
-Travelling between spheres within a system is, naturally, easier than travelling within systems, but no means of travel is particularly easy on the whole.
-==== Portals ====
-The simplest way to get between two spheres is through an open portal. You can clearly see what's on the other side and simply step (or ride, or sail) through. Finding and opening a portal though is no simple task.
-Portals are ancient artifacts of unknown origin. (Actually, they have many origins, but few people know much, if anything, about them.) A portal links two places somewhat like a ''gate'' spell. There are many portals in existence, but most are hidden, locked or both. The key to a locked portal can be any number of things from a specific item to a time of day or year to a particular bloodline. Unlocking a newly discovered portal can be very difficult since there is often little to no information as to the portal even existing, much less when it was made or what it was used for.
-Not all portals are locked though. Even though they may always be open, they still might be very hard to find. There is no distinct boundary between one side and the other. Light, sound, objects and even magic pass through unhindered. If there is no way to look around both sides of the portal (where one might see two different views), there's really no physical way to tell where one side begins and the other ends. Even magical means rarely work. Normally, ''detect magic'' would cause a portal to glow brightly (even blindingly so); however, most portals were built with enchantments to prevent such simple spells from working on them. (This could have been done for any number of reasons, and likely varies from portal to portal.)
-Though rare, there are some large, always open portals out in the open. These tend to become important centers of trade between the two planets they connect. Assuming the portal is built on suitable terrain (and sometimes not-so-suitable terrain), the area around it is likely to grow into a fairly large city spanning both sides of the portal. (Portals on suns and black holes exist, but are even rarer than portals on planets. Large, always open portals on a sun or black hole are basically non-existent for a number of reasons.)
-Finding and unlocking a new portal and charting what's on the other side can be a great adventure, or an even greater business opportunity. This is another reason why many portals remain unknown. Their finders may not want to share the secret, eventually taking it to their grave. On the other hand, many such secrets are passed down from father to son, or master to apprentice, so some portals that may seem undiscovered might just be well kept secrets.
-==== Magic ====
-==== Other Means of Travel ====
-=== The Void ===
-== The Transitive Planes ==
+== [[Skein_of_Worlds:Stories_and_Plot_Hooks|Stories and Plot Hooks]] ==
-''Work in progress''
+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.
-== The Outer Planes ==
+== [[Skein_of_Worlds:Cosmology_and_Setting|Cosmology and Setting]] ==
-''Work in progress''
+This section contains all the descriptive bits about the setting's cosmology, history, current situation and inner workings.
-== The Divine Realms ==
+== [[Skein_of_Worlds:Rules_and_Tables|Rules and Tables]] ==
-''Work in progress''
+This section contains all of the rules, tables and system specific information related to this setting.
-== Other Places ==
+[[Category:Setting]]
-''Work in progress''
+[[Category:D20 Fantasy]]
+[[Category:Skein of Worlds]]

Difference between revisions of "Skein of Worlds:Old Main Page"

Latest revision as of 20:30, 18 July 2009

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Overview[edit]

Stories and Plot Hooks[edit]

Cosmology and Setting[edit]

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