I need help designing a new world I've already decided it's gonna be a little different for example the gith have not branched off (githzerai/githyanky) and the ithilid empire still exists and is a totaly separate multiverse (other side of the farplane)also the concept of topside and underdark is reversed the surface is barren and inhospitable inside is like earth and there(I know it's a ripoff)is a Day/night orb in the center which the planet orbits about causing day/night/and twighlight to occur any suggestions or info I should know?
help on new campaign
Mon, 2005-12-19 09:14
#1
help on new campaign
Mon, 2005-12-19 11:12
#3
help on new campaign
Hmmmm...
I got an idea. If you decided to not put this on the othger side of the far realms, you could just make this a very sheltered prime world. Little to no naturally occuring portals.
Idea:
Illithid find a very small cyrstal sphere (by crystal sphere standards. The sphere would probably be as large as a sun.)
Anyway, the Illithid find it, no sun inside, no heat, no light, only populated by a small amount of ice based creatures. This leads to the colonization of the secret mindflayer colony of [?]. They create a large orb that floats in the middle, one side full of portals to the elemental plane of radience, the other the plane of shadow. (or something similar that creates a light condition optimal for illithid and their thralls.)
Portals to air opened, plants planted. soil from plane of earth broght in, water... ect. they actually build the ecosystem, based on the minimal creatures needed+ their tastes.
Fast forward to gith rebellion. They never know about [?]. So it is never freed. Its still under Illithid control.
But a completly new rebellion is rising, independent. And again, from the original gith stock.
Mon, 2005-12-19 11:27
#4
help on new campaign
Ohhh - not bad. Especially if the rumors of a re-born Gith that we have going on in the normal githyanki race is actually tied into This second rebellion going on. Gith coming back because she knows she didn't free *everyone*.
Mon, 2005-12-19 14:13
#5
help on new campaign
... and this new incarnation of Gith has no idea what type of prophecy she's fulfilling. I like.
... Uh oh.
I just though of something. For Gith to have been named Gith, Gith must have been a completly legitimate name, its only since that particular gith that it became a revered name, and therefore too holy (or to the zeri, evil) to be used for any other. But in [?], the tradition could still continue.
Granted, the leader of the rebellion being named Gith is too cliche, but what if one of the high ups was actually named Gith? Didn't lead the people to freedom, but did play a major part. Who would the Githyanki choose? The leader, or the one named Gith?
Hmmmm. Since the race would be the closest thing to original gith stock (no longer human, but unaltered by Limbo or the Astral), their existance (not to mention their freedom form the illithid) would be of great importance to both of the (other) gith races. It would be interesting to see how that plays out. Them going to the Githyanki is of incredible religious importance, but do they want to join the militant fanatics? Or are they more comfortable with the ones that resist slavery, and are still trying to secure their new home?
The majority of this prime world joining the zeri could effectivly end the githyanki. Not in any racial extincion way, but in the death of their ideas and culture. It would be like finding out that in the Rapture, Jesus took all of Islam to heaven instead of the Catholics.
...
NOT TO SAY THAT WOULD HAPPEN
please no angry letters.
:cry:
Tue, 2005-12-20 09:12
#6
help on new campaign
I was going with the original bloodline of the gith or whatever their names would be there and that various races would be there as well(I like that this is nothing but a really big brain farm)but I imagined the surface as barren and desolate and the inside hollowed out with the orb there instead
that would prevent almost all outside contact and would be hard to pick up on the fact that there's anything down there besides a bunch of mindflayers that are'nt doing anything
Tue, 2005-12-20 09:30
#7
help on new campaign
Like I said - thats a Dyson sphere. 
Tue, 2005-12-20 10:49
#8
help on new campaign
In form, if not is purpose, yes.
hmmm. Considering that the Illithid already had a major rebellion once, its probable that they would be far, far more ironfisted on this world. Maybe even so far as that they set up a large compulsion spell, magically forbidding even the though of rebellion. Or, far easier, a wide range of detect thought spells going on at all times.
While there may be widespread feelings of revolt, the chances of the rebellion suceeding under these conditions is very small.
Untill the planar gith get involved, that is. I can easily see groups of yanki and zeri illithid hunting parties planeshifting in and helping with the rebellion, temporarily choosing to ignore each other until the mind flayers hold on that world is crushed.
Tue, 2005-12-20 13:35
#9
help on new campaign
That could work a world where people live in fear of ithilids showing up to kill them cause they thought of rebelling but is there any stats for the first of the gith?I mean they would physicly be a cross right but what would they have for bonuses and mods?also OH :shock: that is what you ment not surronding the solar system but the planet itself also could the dyson be the detector itself meaning the very ground knows what you think :shock: it seems like something like the matrix considering they would be A:trhall material or B:a massive farm of fresh foods for the last part of the empire
Tue, 2005-12-20 13:41
#10
help on new campaign
If the illithid went to all that trouble to create the sphere in the first place I wouldn't be surprised if it has some ability to detect such things. If they molded it out of organic materials - if it was more 'grown' than carved - then I could almost Certainly see them using the sphere itself as a security system.
Wed, 2005-12-21 09:05
#11
help on new campaign
perhaps it could work like a massive ooze or immunity system when threat appears it kills it off? also stats for the first gith does such a thing exist?
Wed, 2005-12-21 12:22
#12
help on new campaign
No, there are no 3.5 stats for the Gith Progenitors yet. Shouldn't be too hard.
Take humans. Add a + to Strength and Con. Add a - to Int and Wis. Darkvision. Some natural armor.
The Gith Progenitors
* +2 Strength, +4 Constitution, -2 Intelligence, -4 Wisdom.
* Medium-size.
* Space/Reach: 5 feet/5 feet.
* A Gith Progenitor's base land speed is 30 feet.
* Darkvision 60'.
* +2 natural armor bonus.
* Automatic Languages: Illithid. Bonus languages: none.
* Favored Class: Commoner.
* Level adjustment +?.
These seem workable. With the lack of a Cha penalty, Gith would probably be a Wilder which seems to make the most sense.
Wed, 2005-12-21 18:45
#13
help on new campaign
Wow, the perfect thrall. Uneducated, and with that major wisdom penalty they must have very weak wills, perfect for mental domination. And their strength and endurence make them good at manual labor.
Very nice.
Thu, 2005-12-22 09:10
#14
help on new campaign
we have our our brain farm taking shape 
by the way what kinda impact would this have on the later gith I mean these are the first and last of their origins they would be revered I'd imagine and the sphere should it act like a living thing and protect itself from any damage to the caretakers(flayers)by some means (a special type of construct mabye)?
Thu, 2005-12-22 09:21
#15
help on new campaign
I kinda like the idea that the sphere (if it is in fact, intelligent) can manifest spell like abilities. But not damaging spells. I dont think the Illithid would create a defense system capable of being turned on them.
Mainly detect thoughts, to keep an eye on the slaves. After that... stuff like wall of force, hold person, and force cage. You know, means of trapping and imprisioning anyone who starts making trouble. Then you get into the nasty stuff. Something similar to symbol of pain, and maybe a large spread form of mass suggestion keeping the Gith from realizing that its the very ground beneath them thats casting the spells?
Tue, 2006-01-03 09:07
#16
help on new campaign
you know i wonder could this be a type of ithilid elder brain i mean it cuold have a hive mind of sorts each plant and animal there given it alittle more sentience but not giving it opinions?
Sat, 2006-01-14 22:50
#17
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The inner world (Arkuha)
"the Empire's gone!" misinformed cager.
In eon's past, the illithid's had an empire. They then lost it, at least thats what most bashers would say to such a question; but the dark is a section of the ole' empire remains hidden from even the govners. Course most think this addled chant, and should be ignored at all costs. Those few that do believe this realize something important; were in the hells could a place like this be? Its fairly simple actually. Roughly the time Zerth was getting hatched(in reality it was probably 'fore that) a group of illithids known as the black conclave wanted to create the perfect fortress. So they started doing just that. Their plan was to create a world sized fortress that would reign down destruction on any sod who was piking off.
The black conclave decided that they would use the very stuff of limbo in making this thing(no one knows how they managed this). Ya see when the sods stablized the material, the chaotic nature of limbo did what it does best; act wierd. The damned thing actually became intellegent. Bout as smart as a child. The illithids tried to to control it. This idea was greated with a rather nasty series of earthquakes, floods, and plauges of about a thousand blue and purple toads(not slaad, mind you). This got through to the illithids squishy brain boxes, and they realized that their hopes of a super wepon was gone along with some of their sanity.
Now dont get me wrong, it takes a canny basner to build an entire world but really, what addled sod in his brian box would take raw limbo and use it as building material on a large scale! With the apparent intelligence of their new toy, the brain eaters of the black conclave moved onto the next step.
They began to import thralls. Now as we all know the choice thrall was the gith. No, not those pirate bastard githyanki or those hypocritical githzeri. Im talkin the first gith, the true gith; unaltered by limbo or the astral. While the illithids populated thier new toy, the toy started to learn. You see, everytime a new thing'd touch the ground, it would probe their mind and pick up little tid bits of information on that creatures origin, as well as it's common knowledge. Now I'm sure your curious as to what good this is doing, but you see it was piecing all of these tid bits together to get a bigger picture of the multiverse; and well, it liked what it saw. It started to make itself in the image of other places. Ever so Slowly this began to form an insane patchwork of places from Oearth to carcerai.This also led to knew life to appear and thus feeding both the flayers and the world.
the final piece to install though was the toughest. It was a hollowed out copy of the day/night sphere of arcadia within it was housed a chunk of the empire's greatest elder brain.This boasted the mindeater's power to new heights and has allowed them to remain fairly secret to this day.
Sat, 2006-01-14 22:57
#18
help on new campaign
On request from perro, I drew these pictures of an illithid city scape with a shaft system, and a drawing of Arkuha's inner layer. onte mind flayers in corners
Sat, 2006-01-14 23:07
#19
help on new campaign
It was a hollowed out copy of the day/night sphere of aborea
The sphere you mean is actually in Arcadia. But interesting site - a weird, intelligent, illithid-created sphere in Limbo. The githzerai must hate that. Or maybe they see it as a fellow escaped thrall, a slave of the illithids who overcame them and escaped to Limbo like they did, kind of an honorary githzerai.
Sun, 2006-01-15 01:12
#20
help on new campaign
no, this isn't in limbo.... this is actually a prime. The sphere was created from pieces of limbo, but still resides on the material plane. how do I know you ask? Bacause I spent like four hours on the phone and two or three at a table helping perro work out the specks of the whole thing. I rather like it, and I love the elder brains little enclosement in the center of the radiant sphere itself, because I came up with that idea. I give full credit to perro though, when I was drawing, he was writing this whole thing up, and it was two notebook pages......... and this is just the beginning of it. Trust me, you guys will love what we came up with.
Sun, 2006-01-15 08:35
#21
help on new campaign
yep thanks for telling me rip and trust me this is only the begining right now i'm working on the details about the surface and yep it's on the prime still what would happen if the later gith found this existed I mean it's fairly sure they'd liberate it but then what
Sun, 2006-01-15 08:46
#22
help on new campaign
The only thing I dont like: The effort that must have gone into using raw chaos matter to do it. The illithid could easily come up with an easier way of creating a dyson sphere-like fortress world. Such as using spells to craft a small model of the the structure, the rough shapes of builings and all, and then yuse cumulative enlargement spells to make it grow to the size they desired. Then they could finish carving out the buildings, and do what they wanted.
However, if you still want Xaos matter in the equation, have the elder brain be an anarch, and have it use the Chaos matter as the ultimate tool.
Just a thought.
Sun, 2006-01-15 09:58
#23
help on new campaign
I needed to use xoas matter because it was the only way I could have the entire sphere be intellegent that i know of at least and it actuley is acting as an interference on the elder brain it harasses the thing and causes trouble just to get a reaction out of the illithids
The surface
"and i looked out and saw the dark and it saw me"
excerpt of forerunner scripture
well the trick to how this thrice dammed thing has remained secret is it's surface a polar opposite to the inner layer the surface is very uniform:cold,dark,and unplaesent.everywhere you go up top is in worse gloom than the plane of shadow.the only sights to see are it's few volcanoes,moutain ranges and the rifts
The rifts are arkuha's little creation a safe haven for the living stuck on it's surface.these are massive canyons filled with one way portals to the elemental plane of fire,the quasi elemental plane of ash and smoke and higher up portals to the elemental plane of water.this creates (at least near them)a plesant humid and warm atmosphere.many who are trapt on it's surface build around these and claim independance from the illithids
also for unknown reasons the undead and other nasties that roam the surfaces cold tundras won't come anywhere near them. the illithids want to keep an eye on their little world, and as such they built the shafts; Massive holes in the crust that act as trade route between the surface and inner layers and can also act as a land mark, considering most of the major illithid cities are built around one. Of course, they're heavily gaurded, and nearly impossible to get close to. Any of the sentient creatures Arkuha created that aren't illithids, food, or thralls reside on the surface. Most of these races are likely drow and gnomes(not living together mind you). Most other humaniods cannot survive here. Another interesting tid bit, for some unappearent reason, the sphere never created dragons or their reptilian kin(kobolds, lizardfolk, etc.).
Sun, 2006-01-15 17:54
#24
help on new campaign
If you made the sphere itself an intelligent Item it would probably be powerful enough to have an Ego score barely controllable by an elder brain. As such, the elder brain can keep the sphere from outright harming the the illithids or releasing the thralls, but it may have enough independence to, lets say, choose to ignore the fact that a thrall is escaping, only informing the illithids when it has a significant head start, enough of a lead to make recapturing it very difficult. When the illid built it, they commanded it to notify them of any escaped slaves, but they didnt say when, now did they?
Again, just a thought.
Tue, 2006-01-17 09:06
#25
help on new campaign
I like it I'm gonna edit that soon also I'm gonna post that things stats soon
Thu, 2006-01-19 20:38
#26
help on new campaign
I m sorry, Im a little late, but I threw in a drawing of a drow serface settlement.
Mon, 2006-01-23 09:29
#27
help on new campaign
thank you!
heres some new material
Some basic rules
In arkuhan society there are some fundamental rules to the relativley ordered legal system of the empire which are comprised of seven basic rules
1.the most important a thrall cannot have magic or psionic power under any circumstances except under the supervision of it's master
2. a thrall can buy another thrall,but cannot buy it's freedom nor can a thrall enslave a illithid
3.if a thrall murders it's master it will be given 2 choices choice 1:public execution or choice 2: lobotamization
4.if a thrall steals from it's master it will have one finger and/or hand burnt off
5.if a thrall is caught running from it's master it will have one foot burnt off
6.if a thrall is caught murdering other thralls it will have one eye burnt out
7.if a thrall is found guilty of two or more crimes it will be publicly executed by it's fellow thralls
Society
empire life is highly stratified. divided into a caste system this causes extreme segragation
Illithid ranks
servitoe- the lowest rank these mindflayers are artists and rank and file soldiers.have no thralls
Brumo-the most common and broadest range of societythese are the shop keepers and minor officers.always have at least one thrall
Tuke-courtiers and milatary leaders.wealthy low ranked aritocrats.always have at least four thralls
Tomu-high society these are second only to the political laeders and congress.guild leaders and goverment officials.have at least eight thralls and one servitoe
Num-the congress and their select elite they are the highest and are always attended by at least twenty thralls and five servitoes
Razua-arcane casters and traitors to the empire these are wanted illithid criminals
Thrall ranks
Chuke-lowest caste these are the heavy labor and feedstock of the empire
Nuak-only slightly better off these the specialized wokers:artisans and the like
Muak-the entertainers in otherwords torture victims
Eutek-personal servants usualey forerunners from the muak stock
Mutek-personal bodyguards as well as gladiators these are usualey ogre or troll stock
Kume- the highest rank these are illithids to be
city states
arkuha is divided into four city states each ruled by a conclave member under an iron fist their is almost no sign of rebellion in the thralls
Penumbra-ruled by tao trarabuun XII(psion 10),a malicious and self serving creature who prides himself on his city's ordered structure and it's hold on the empire's flow of raw metals.the city proper is comprised of vast towers of stone circling the shaft.the left tower of the elevator is home to the commity the town council which doles out daily the schedules for the guilds,passes laws,and runs public executions(for the sake of the public of course)
Major Sites
tarbuun's collesium-a large ornate arena constructed in the early days of the illithids reign.this plays host to dozens of fights daily to appease the public
The grand market-located around the shaft this is the second largest slave market in the empire and is known for it's sale of precious metals and jewls
the breeders chamber- a vast underground complex that houses the broods for the future genaration of illithids
Talso
another industrious city.taslo is reknown for it's hundreds of foundries.the presiding member is the mysterious alklo(psion 9)a supposed master of thrall magic.the city is always surrounded by a haze(like the lower ward)
Major sites
the shaft- this is the most used trade route to the surface and is surrounded by the cities largest foundries
taashnar's arena-ran by the thrall breeder tashnar kiff.this ring is known for it's bloody fights
Talso's spire-unlike penumbra talso is ruled soley by the conclave and this is his palace which is always filled with servants and cuortiers
Tue, 2006-01-24 09:24
#28
help on new campaign
and heres ah few more.
Kloshu
a small city state. this prosperous little burg is ruled by the thuoroghly(even by illtihd standards) insane lihdun(wilder9)a twisted amoral being with a evil love for the arts.his lush palace is reflection of his twisted mind filled with what he calls masterpieces these range from a portrait of himself painted in blood to a petrified ogre that has been eviserated.kloshu is reknown for it's carpentry and "pharmecuticals"
major sites
the grand apothecary-this in entire sector of the city soley devoted to the manufacture and retail of drugs and medicine and poisons for a "fair" price
the circle-a decidley unplesant place the circle acts as the city arena.every few weeks klishtu holds a "grand fight"between his choice thralls and the city guilds.these remarkably gory fights are the city's main form of entertainment
Inquisitors' hall- this black ominous spire is home to the black conclave's secret police,the inquisition.it's said that no man is the same after entering this dark place
Castu
the city of thrall production this is the empire's premere sector in thrall rearing,training and breeding.it is led by the member nahtune(psion 10)a malicious creature who is intent on creating a new breed of "superior" thralls that will replace humans and thier kin one day
Major sites
nahtune's spire- a masive network actualey this protects the shaft and holds the conclaves labs and the elevator to the surface compound which holds the only portal into the radiant sphere and thus the elder brain
the stock yards-comprising more than 1/2 the city it is a vast and confusing maze of a slave market
the bleak court-the city arena and home to section of the inquisition
Wed, 2006-01-25 09:34
#29
help on new campaign
Regions
arkuha is divided into a few terrain types and are named for their aspects and planes they are linked to heres ah few
the burning lands- a land filled with links to the planes of fire and gehenna this is a harsh land filled with volcanoes and steam vents
the fields of iron-imagine someone took a piece of acheron and stuck it to a prime thats the fields vast wastes of metal landscapes and flaywinds it is where the dead are said to roam freely
mixed waters- one of the few large bodies of water on arkuha it is comprised waters from nearly everywhere there is some ranging from the styx to oceanus
demon's waste-this stretch of desert is linked to hottest sections of the lower planes and is filled with their inhabitants
the black-a small valley filled with portals to planes of shadow the congress is said to have a fortress here they use to expierement with shadows and the darkness
death's knell-another valley this is linked to the nagative energy plane andis used to breed entropic creatures as well as create undead
Tue, 2006-01-31 09:12
#30
help on new campaign
arkuhan drow-these are the predominat surface race and are far removed from their underworld dwelling ancestors.they are savages that live in nomadic tribes raiding the illthid surface outposts
all statistics apply cept for those noted here: +1 str.,+2 dex.,-2 int.,-3con
these drow are adapted to the harsh surface and are more bestial than thier predcessors
wepon profs.-longbow shortbow sap spears and dagger and battlehorn*(this will desribed later)
cold resist = to sr
languages- arkuhan(surface),arkuhan trade and drow sign
favored class-barbarian(male),driud(female)
no spell like ablities
+1 lvl adjust.
Mon, 2006-02-06 17:06
#31
help on new campaign
arkuhan drow-these are the predominat surface race and are far removed from their underworld dwelling ancestors.they are savages that live in nomadic tribes raiding the illthid surface outposts
all statistics apply cept for those noted here: +1 str.,+2 dex.,-2 int.,-3con
these drow are adapted to the harsh surface and are more bestial than thier predcessors
wepon profs.-longbow shortbow sap spears and dagger and battlehorn*(this will desribed later)
cold resist = to sr
languages- arkuhan(surface),arkuhan trade and drow sign
favored class-barbarian(male),driud(female)
no spell like ablities
+1 lvl adjust.
I would suggest giving them a charisma penalty if they are so bestial...and getting rid of the -3 con penalty. I would build them like this:
+2 Str, +2 Dex, -2 Int, -2 Cha (w/ no additional adjustments)
I guess to me, it didn't make much sense having a race's favored class be barbarian and having a big con penalty
Mon, 2006-02-06 20:13
#32
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yeah perro....I remember when I wrote that up for you, we had a CON bonus, not subtraction..... and their was a negative CHA modifier
Tue, 2006-02-07 04:42
#33
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um, how did the drow get there? I thought that the Illithids were using gith thralls, so when did the drow make an apperance?
Tue, 2006-02-07 12:15
#34
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Yeah, the drow seems kind of tacked on... I would even consider just getting rid of them....... Or maybe a Spelljammer type vessel got off course and crashed into this thing when the illithids were first building it in eons past. Their maps or whatever might not have accounted for this new planetary body? Over time, the drow evolved into a slightly different type barbaric race. I think that might be kind of a neat idea.
Wed, 2006-02-08 09:05
#35
help on new campaign
yeah sorry 
I sorta mis read that and I was going with a crash landing type deal
So you're working with a Dyson sphere basicly? It sounds like you're not intending to wander much outside of your sphere from your description - which makes this a very prime orriented campaign.
What planar aspects are you actually planning to have in your campaign?