How have you customized the setting, and what homebrew materials have you created?

Setting
#21

Grummore is aware of what you suggest, Agiea. He’s part of the old guard.

Man, I feel old

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#22

Well, when you’ve been playing your hobby since the 70’s or 80’s, that’s inevitable. Lol.

#23

Has anyone else expanded the world? I’m particularly interested to hear about new lands, continents, city-states, sorcerer-kings, types of magic, etc.

I made up some tarek city-states, some city-states ruled by elemental lords, some others ruled by merchant clans.

#24

I created the Sundered Regions way back in the day. There’s a thread here in the Arena detailing the area:

#25

Kamelion / Mark Hope has a document containing his additions and modifications to the setting

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#26

I can second that Mark’s stuff is phenomenal. I just wish his time zone was better suited for my PbP.

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#27

I have created an area for my campaign to the east of the sea of silt where a former psionically airborne fortress of Aarakocra from the green age crashed into a relatively flat plain. The extremely evil Psionicist Aarakocra within has survived well beyond their lifespan using a psionic artifact to drain life giving energies directly from the sun. At the moment there are only 10 of these Psionicists left. They are relatively confined to the area because they must renew themselves daily or begin to crumble away to dust as their bodies break down. They are served by empty carapaces of giant beetle warriors they subdued long ago and animate using psionic circuitry to properly channel telekinesis to give the semblance of life.

In my campaign Millenia ago Borys attempted to subjugate this council of Psionicists who focused the power of their great Crystaline weapon to blast him out of the sky. He determined after a tactical retreat and review with Inenek that they were as much a prisoner of their treasure as it empowered them. It was decided they simply weren’t worth the effort to destroy them.

This council began to drape themselves in multiple layers of cloth to cover the fact their bodies had withered and they were having a draining effect on all matter they came into contact with. The plain around their fortress is now a blasted wasteland from their abuses and avaricious consumption of life.

Anyway this area was never used very much in my campaigns given how difficult it is to reach and of course if this group seems familiar to you trust me it’s just your imagination as they have no resemblance whatsoever to a certain marionetted film from 1982.

Cough cough. Yup nothing to see here.

Move along.

3 Likes
#28

I totally thought of a certain movie… and it’s Netflix prequel. Fizgig sniffed you out and made a ruckus!

Now that I think about it, my descriptions of the darthim as monsters in my campaigns had given more than one player of mine the creeps.

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#29

Are there any links to this material?

#30

Just look up The Dark Crystal (original movie) and The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (Netflix prequel series).

Please note that the prequel makes LOTS of references to the original, so despite the chronology, it’s better to watch the original first.

Now that it’s brought up, one could perceive plenty of lifeshaping going on in those.

2 Likes
#31

The first time I saw Athasian Aarakocra I thought of the Skeksis. Btw I loved the prequel series.

3 Likes
#32

I profoundly feel uncomfortable with 4 and 5e aarakocra depictions: human with the head of a bird of prey or carrion bird, angel wings, bird feet.

The only depictions I have ever found to look natural are those found in the DS Revised Boxed Set, page 23, and Defilers and Preservers, page 31.

A particularly old aarakocra, no longer able to fly, with an aged bent back, would probably look Skeksis-like, as depicted in Defilers and Preservers, page 57.

2 Likes
#33

I just looked up the images of the 5th edition Aarakocra. My poor bird people! I hate what they’ve done to them. I wasn’t even aware they had been turned into that.

Nope not in my world.

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#34

The original fiend folio version is still the bird for me.

#35

I’m thinking of adopting The One Ring / Adventures in the Middle-Earth travel mechanics to Dark Sun. I think it’d work great with some modifications, especially in 3e (with more skills to use).

#36

I always liked the original Middle Earth RPG, MERP, myself.

#37

I can see why :wink: I can recommend AiME, though. It really brings the best out of 5e and shows its potential, given enough thought and insight.

#38

I was part of the 5e beta from beginning to end, it’s a system with good potential. However until full and official psionics system is released by WotC, I have no interest in playing an incomplete version of D&D.

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#39

Again, I can see why :wink:

In this case, you’re probably not going to like AiME very much. It sacrifices a lot of mechanical complexity for the sake of lore (no spellcaster classes, for example). Still, it’s probably the most accurate game in terms of capturing the Middle-Earth’s spirit… But we digress.

I like its travel system for its simplicity, clarity and how it engages the whole party. The mechanics allow to easily calculate the exact travel time, take different kinds of terrain and/or area danger into account and gives every player something to do, depending on their skills. The event tables are relatively mild, so I’d tune them up to make the Athas travels more deadly.

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