Post by blakeryan on Jul 3, 2016 3:47:45 GMT
Many folks duplicate earth in nearly every way when creating their own homebrew planets.
But many concepts & ideas can be borrowed and modified from the other planets in our solar system.
If you don't want to modify your own world too much, you could have the pc’s visit an interesting moon or demiplane for a quest series.
There are plenty more things to find out about our solar system, this is a brief list.
Planet-Mercury
Fact : Rotates very slowly, so for months one side is cold/dark, other is hot/bright.
Idea : Creatures migrate across the surface (semi nomadic) or hibernate in the Underdark for periods of time, then return to their home town when their climate returns.
Fact : Very low gravity.
Idea : Hence you would anime leap everywhere if you could stand the temperature. Perhaps more creatures can fly or developed wings?
Planet-Venus
Fact : Hot planet, no oceans or polar areas and high evaporation rate.
Idea : Areas dominated by fire creatures such as Salamanders, Azer and Basilisk.
Fact : Rainstorms with sulphur and methane.
Idea : Perhaps some creatures thrive in sulphur (advantage to dex/con rolls) but wither/retreat in methane areas (disadvantage to dex/con rolls).
Planet-Mars
Fact : One of its moons is being torn apart and will turn into rings.
Idea : This could be turned into a plot-say the moons breaking will release energy and allow demons to invade. or prophesy-say when the moon breaks bahamut and tiamat will mate and their children shall go forth across the world.
Fact : Massive dust storms can last for months.
Idea : Perhaps there is a dust storm season where people don't travel or go into Underdark tunnels.
Planet-Juptier
Fact : Simply huge with 67 moons, never mind going to other planes, plenty of places on the prime material to checkout.
Idea : Maybe civilisation kept spreading out and no one has gone to the original homeland in centuries? what's there now!?!
Fact : Rapid rotation-very short day, 10 hours. could go two 'day's before long rest.
Idea : Perhaps magic recharges each night, including charged items, causing alot more magic flowing around...
Planet-Saturn
Fact : The rings of course! do they affect magic/creatures in some way? do any live there?
Idea : Maybe magic is stronger out on the rings or during certain moon conjunctions? this would change the goals for Arcane guilds.
Fact : High winds in the upper atmosphere.
Idea : Can make flying creatures only fly at low altitude, causing more fighting over food/territory between Dragons, Griffins, Phoenix Sphinx & Wyverns.
Planet-Uranus
Fact : Orbits the sun every 84 earth years. So if you put seasons in it they will either repeat or last a very long time.
Idea : People could measure age in seasons, or a 1 year=typical life span. For repeating seasons maybe different creatures are active in spring 1 compared to spring 2? Dragons/Reptiles could mate in spring 1 and breed in spring 4, while Mammals/Lycanthropes could mate in autumn 2 and breed in autumn 3.
Fact : Icy planet, with rock beneath.
Idea : So you could make the Underdark upper layer all ice, and scrub plains on your world can be tundra... the arctic poles could take up 25% of the surface, you'd have to ramp up the number of arctic variants of standard creatures, eg arctic dwarves, ice lizards, frost ravens. Bring on the Tauntauns!
Planet-Neptune
Fact : Had a storm the size of earth that lasted for five years. it frequently has winds over 600 mph.
Idea : Most towns and forts are subterranean, or atleast built into hills/mountains, so dominant dwarves, goblins etc.
Fact : Has a retrograde moon - this means it spins anticlockwise if the planet rotates clockwise, often this means it was a comet/asteroid that was captured by the planets gravity long after the planet established its orbit around the sun.
Idea : You could have a moon created/teleport there by some powering being for some purpose...
But many concepts & ideas can be borrowed and modified from the other planets in our solar system.
If you don't want to modify your own world too much, you could have the pc’s visit an interesting moon or demiplane for a quest series.
There are plenty more things to find out about our solar system, this is a brief list.
Planet-Mercury
Fact : Rotates very slowly, so for months one side is cold/dark, other is hot/bright.
Idea : Creatures migrate across the surface (semi nomadic) or hibernate in the Underdark for periods of time, then return to their home town when their climate returns.
Fact : Very low gravity.
Idea : Hence you would anime leap everywhere if you could stand the temperature. Perhaps more creatures can fly or developed wings?
Planet-Venus
Fact : Hot planet, no oceans or polar areas and high evaporation rate.
Idea : Areas dominated by fire creatures such as Salamanders, Azer and Basilisk.
Fact : Rainstorms with sulphur and methane.
Idea : Perhaps some creatures thrive in sulphur (advantage to dex/con rolls) but wither/retreat in methane areas (disadvantage to dex/con rolls).
Planet-Mars
Fact : One of its moons is being torn apart and will turn into rings.
Idea : This could be turned into a plot-say the moons breaking will release energy and allow demons to invade. or prophesy-say when the moon breaks bahamut and tiamat will mate and their children shall go forth across the world.
Fact : Massive dust storms can last for months.
Idea : Perhaps there is a dust storm season where people don't travel or go into Underdark tunnels.
Planet-Juptier
Fact : Simply huge with 67 moons, never mind going to other planes, plenty of places on the prime material to checkout.
Idea : Maybe civilisation kept spreading out and no one has gone to the original homeland in centuries? what's there now!?!
Fact : Rapid rotation-very short day, 10 hours. could go two 'day's before long rest.
Idea : Perhaps magic recharges each night, including charged items, causing alot more magic flowing around...
Planet-Saturn
Fact : The rings of course! do they affect magic/creatures in some way? do any live there?
Idea : Maybe magic is stronger out on the rings or during certain moon conjunctions? this would change the goals for Arcane guilds.
Fact : High winds in the upper atmosphere.
Idea : Can make flying creatures only fly at low altitude, causing more fighting over food/territory between Dragons, Griffins, Phoenix Sphinx & Wyverns.
Planet-Uranus
Fact : Orbits the sun every 84 earth years. So if you put seasons in it they will either repeat or last a very long time.
Idea : People could measure age in seasons, or a 1 year=typical life span. For repeating seasons maybe different creatures are active in spring 1 compared to spring 2? Dragons/Reptiles could mate in spring 1 and breed in spring 4, while Mammals/Lycanthropes could mate in autumn 2 and breed in autumn 3.
Fact : Icy planet, with rock beneath.
Idea : So you could make the Underdark upper layer all ice, and scrub plains on your world can be tundra... the arctic poles could take up 25% of the surface, you'd have to ramp up the number of arctic variants of standard creatures, eg arctic dwarves, ice lizards, frost ravens. Bring on the Tauntauns!
Planet-Neptune
Fact : Had a storm the size of earth that lasted for five years. it frequently has winds over 600 mph.
Idea : Most towns and forts are subterranean, or atleast built into hills/mountains, so dominant dwarves, goblins etc.
Fact : Has a retrograde moon - this means it spins anticlockwise if the planet rotates clockwise, often this means it was a comet/asteroid that was captured by the planets gravity long after the planet established its orbit around the sun.
Idea : You could have a moon created/teleport there by some powering being for some purpose...
