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--- netherworld:the_world [2023/09/26 22:03] – [What Drives it?] johnb
+++ netherworld:the_world [2024/06/07 00:00] (current) – [Proposed Expansion] johnb
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 ===== What Drives it? =====
-Originally the home of a single, and undefined, Quasi-Deity (The Keeper) who ran the Inn and had interests in travellers and the oppressed, with a TN alignment.  As a reference we defined him as a Pathfinder high-tier mythic character - but without any real detail.  We added a second, lower tier, PF Mythic character, (Nishka) who was defined as a Powerful Mage, a follower of the god of magic and a Divine Source, capable of granting spells in her own right.  There were, of course, rumours that the two were lovers -  but that was never written into the setting.  It is administered, on a day-to-day basis, by The Librarian, who is an immortal half-elf - he was a sage, librarian and administrator in his earlier life.
+Originally the home of a single, and undefined, Quasi-Deity (The Keeper) who ran the Inn and had interests in travellers and the oppressed, with a TN alignment.  As a reference we defined him as a Pathfinder high-tier mythic character - but without any real detail.  We added a second, lower tier, PF Mythic character, (Nishka) who was defined as a Powerful Mage, a follower of the god of magic and a Divine Source, capable of granting spells in her own right.  There were, of course, rumours that the two were lovers -  but that was never written into the setting.  It is administered, on a day-to-day basis, by The Librarian, an immortal half-elf who was a sage, librarian and administrator in his mortal life.
 It is a bit convoluted, but it works fairly well. The Keeper has the ability to manage the physical structure of the plane, Nishka fuels the powers of those NPC adepts who think they are arcane casters, and The Librarian does the donkey work.
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 The Wing ends shortly after the last residential court, with a blank wall and a door.  If you open the door, you see a black void.  If you step through, you step out of another door, somewhere on a different world.
+------
+===== Possible Expansion =====
+==== Overview ====
+The Chronicler has a long term goal of encouraging more RP in Netherworld, and (eventually) encouraging the PCs to build strongholds in the Netherworld - and we have made a start on that.
+  * We have established a setup where players visiting Netherworld can talk directly to named characters (a couple run by players)  when they need to buy equipment / gear.  A Character's primary DM has the final say on whether an item is available -  but it seeds some element of cross-pollination between the game worlds.
+  * We have a single, unique, holding run by a PC on Netherworld (Esmerelda's Farm)
+  * We have an intermittent 'war', that always happens when the primary NPCs are away from home, which has to be resolved by those PCs who are currently staying on Netherworld.
+The Netherworld, is a Nexus, with DM controlled links to manage access between a number of worlds.  There are clear links to :-
+  * The Starfinder Universe  (Artifex runs a Starfinder campaign)
+  * Golorian - Paizo's Fantasy world (Artifex and Librarian both run campaigns set there)
+  * Oerth - Chronicler runs one-off groups there, often reforming parties from the pool of players available in Netherworld.  He also runs a single 'family based' campaign group, that only has occasional cast changes.
+  * My home brew Campaign World -  we are already in Sakar (an Al Qadim clone), and I suspect that we will return (to a different part of the world) later.
+  * The Director's setting (eventually)
+==== Current Projects ====
+There are a couple of projects in development.
+  * A new DM, The Director, has joined the game, intending to run one-off games set in an earlier D&D world (BECMI).  It adds another group of characters who, between games, will reside in Netherworld.  That will add a bit more flavour, and gives us a bigger pool of characters to work with.  **Challenge:** It makes probable that we will have  Pathfinder, 3.5 and BECMI characters playing together, at some point in the future.  We already have PF and 3.5 characters playing in groups together, especially during the ongoing 'war' when all characters based on Netherworld are invited to participate.    Perhaps we need to work out some sort of in house equivalence between the different systems? That way, we know we would know how to balance the encounters.
+  * -
+  * The Netherworld Crafters have small 'one-off' style adventures, to keep them occupied in the lulls between PC visits, and for these guys we have a 'flexible time'  arrangement, where the visits are assumed to happen during the times they are not adventuring -  and they can be in Netherworld talking to PCs (their primary role in the game) while they are off adventuring in a different timeline (a minor function to keep the players busy).  Recently, this has changed to a series of mini-adventures in strange and unusual places, based around trade, business opportunities and rare ingredients.  That should gain us an extra trader (in non-magical, but potentially exotic, items) in the Netherworld marketplace. It is intended to build a small amount of Player controlled access (for the crafter characters) into the worlds.  **Challenges:** 1) How to keep the balance between RP exploration and adventure  (it isn't right yet.  2)  How to manage the PC controlled planar access.
+  * -
+  * So far, we have tried a couple of systems to interest players in building homes in Netherworld, but neither have worked particularly well.  We have had some interest from Esmerelda, a little from a couple of the other crafters, but nothing beyond that - and they finished up getting a bit  'GM Decision' based.  **Challenge:**  Increase make the system easier and participation.
+==== Proposed Expansion ====
+{{ :netherworld:netherworld_plan_4.png?200|}}The Chronicler has been asleep, for a while -  which accounted for his absence during the recent attack on Netherworld.  That made me think that he might have been 'dreaming' about Netherworld, its shape and structure, and carrying out a minor redesign  :)
+**Heroes Field**: an area with a much higher 'skyline'  -  perhaps 40' in height (to allow two-storey Buildings), apart from the central area, most public areas are only 10 feet before the 'plane' runs out.  Open Grassed area, a lake with wild flowers, bounded by trees, tall hedges and rocky outcrops, with building lots around the outside.  (it only needs a golf course!).  A much nicer area than most of the rest of Netherworld.  A 'country park' that is a suitable place for adventurers to build their homes, but still close to the central facilities.
+**Heroes Wood**: Set with trees that form a 40' woodland canopy - a space for nature loving heroes, again bounded by trees, hedges and rocky outcrops -  so we can build tree houses, cave houses and a most other sensible buildings, perhaps even 'rustic' fort (but not farms, or ranches as they need too much space).
+As both areas have plants, there will be streams and small ponds etc to make them even more habitable.  Perhaps that is where the wildflowers grow :P  However, created demi-planes don't ever have any wildlife.  **Opportunity:** I might be able to run a couple of adventures for the crafters -  or other characters - to collect some small, benign creatures - such as song birds or squirrels. Fish -  Plankton feeders and herbivores, turtles crayfish. freshwater mussels etc.
+==== Implementation ====
+**Managing Character Controlled Access to Netherworld** - One suggestion is that Characters can have tattoos that link 'The Door' exit to a nominated door on a different plane.  Character with the tattoo can exit through the door, while thinking about their destination, and just walk out through the other door.  Having Tattoos to control it means that characters can have more than one nominated door.  Initially this is for the Crafter/Merchant characters so that they can conduct trade and collect items/ingredients from those worlds easily.  However, we can make it so that they have to control the door for them to be nominated as a 'safe' door, and get a tattoo issued.  This would mean that the character would have to own some sort of property on the target plane.  ie Faiz, our merchant, would have to own (at least) as small property on Sakar, before he could get unrestricted access to that world/plane.  As they travel to new planes / worlds, he (or the rest of the group)  would also have to purchase property, to have that added to that location added to the 'Safe' list.  I have some ideas for property in the 500gp range, so that shouldn't be too onerous.
+However, that opens up the possibility of other characters establishing more permanent links with other worlds.  Thistletop and Sunrise Maiden (in Artifex's games) come to mind, perhaps in the character's ship (when they get one) in my Skull and Shackles game - which could facilitate PCs from campaign games, visiting Netherworld more frequently -  and thus generating more RP opportunities.  I am not sure if it will lead to many more visits, but it might add a few.
+**Encouraging PCs to build homes / strongholds in Netherworld** -
+**Make the system easier to use.**  I have been writing a new version of Campaign Rules for my homebrew games (although I will, probably, never run a game in my homebrew world again).  I am basing the system on GP values (rather than the craft values) from the Downtime Rules in PF, rather than the BP values used in Kingmaker.  For the last couple of weeks, I have been developing lists and descriptions of Standard Homes that can be used in Netherworld (as well as the overall campaign system), this will give  PCs a chance to cherry-pick discreet homes that can give they can use for RP elements or to get a minor 'crunch' advantage - although rarely more than  +2 on a Craft/Creation skill.  This enhances (and modifies) the build-your-own, menu like, system already in place.  There was always a plan for something like this -  I didn't get around to it in the previous system.  This is much more straight forward.
+**Encourage Characters to build homes / strongholds.**  We have an intermittent war, where attacks on Netherworld are increasing.  The PCs, at home in Netherworld, respond and plan rescues and defences while the Primary NPCs are 'unavailable'.  That is great, because it means PCs become more invested in Netherworld, and see it as their home, and somewhere that they should defend.  It also means they should be rewarded for that - not only standard adventure XP and treasure -  but also a Story Line reward that recognizes their contribution to the game world and the RP element of that.  I think that Story Reward should be in the form of Netherworld Credit that can be used to build a dwelling.  Some PCs might just ignore that, but if we can encourage one or two more characters, we might start a trend.  Zoho, one of my characters, could do something to get the ball rolling.
+**Expand the War.**  Maybe the next 'attack' includes a bunch of Orcs or Hobgoblins teleported into Netherworld -  perhaps trashing the residential areas, fields and orchard, or attacking the Central Hub, on their way into The Inn.  The lower-level characters take on the humanoids  (there might eventually be a number of new L3 characters from The Director's Game)  while the higher level characters deal with the main threat.  Damage to Netherworld isn't greatly significant, but food supplies are reduced for a while, commoners (and perhaps a PC) die.  That allows us to suggest that PCs add defences to their holdings, and (perhaps) encourage one or two PCs to start proper strongholds, with military defences.  They will, by necessity, be small -  but they will be legitimate strongholds.