New Domains

[Jester of the FoS]

The lord was basicly a group. I was inspired by the Hellfire club, the historical society that has inspired references in Marvel comics and even an old Avengers episode (Emma Peel, mmMMmm). The idea being whomever lead the group ruled the domain and there was a continual power struggle in the club for leadership and, unwittingly, being the cursed lord.

Do you mean that they were *all* imprisoned in the club at the same time, but only one enjoying the darklord powers and curse at any one time? Or were the members free to come and go, only the current darklord being imprisoned?

Anyone other than the leader could come and go. He was essentially the darklord only he was answering for the sins of a group over an individual.

[Igor the Henchman]

Bite attacks deal normal damage to Lord Cake. Cretures without a bite attack routine but having teeth can attempt to attack Lord Cake via biting, but are not considered proficient with the use of the attack. Damage inflicted to Lord Cake via these "improvised" bite attacks is dependant on the attacker's size (strengh bonus applies normally):

Fine: 1
Diminutive: 1d2
Tiny: 1d3
Small: 1d4
Medium: 1d6
Large: 1d8
Huge: 2d6
Gargantuan: 2d8
Colossal: 4d6

Also: Regeneration 10?! That's huge! With Lord Cake's hit points pool, the fight will never end!

Hunger aura might be similar to waves of exhaustion that passes once the character has eaten an equivalent of one day's meal.

I'm impressed! Very nice stat work!

[Bloody Morgan]

I've been trying to figure out how to replace Bluebeard for some time, but with limited success. I was never that taken with him - yeah, he's evil, but he's also somewhat boring, and I've not seen anything like a curse on him.

I wanted to replace him with someone based on Captain Ahab. Cursed to keep hunting the whale - or possibly kraken - that took his leg. His curse is to forever be denied his vengeance, levied on him because he was so willing to sacrifice his original crew (and possibly family) to meet his goals. Now he sails the Sea of Sorrows, replacing the crew he leads to their death from the various islands & cities along the coastline. But no matter what happens, even if his ship is destroyed, he survives, washed up on the shores of one of the smaller islands. He has enough of a personal fortune amassed to build another ship and start again.

There are some problems though. Chiefly the fact that as a DL he wouldn't be able to even sail up to the coast of the Core "mainland". I was thinking of remedying this by having him keep his ship anchored offshore, and sending in his lieutenants to pressgang new crew, but that's still a little awkward. Mostly, I don't want him to have any inkling that his curse is so directly mystical. Something like having sworn a vow not to set foot on the mainland until he has cought his prey. But it's still a bit clunky. Also, he would have no particular power, and no ability to close his borders.

My original thought was to actually add the aforementioned Kraken as the DL of the Sea Below - basically leaving Bluebeard as DL of the surface of the sea. The idea of a tortured Kraken with frustrated dreams of divinity really appeals to me, especially since reading the Ecology article in Dragon about a year back. But I couldn't think of a suitable crime or curse, and the above evolved from the idea.

[Scarycount]

When you say bluebeard, do you mean Peiter van Reise? Blue Beard is trapped on one island, so having him sail the seas hunting for a kraken would be problomatic indeed.

On Kitchen Realm, I don't know much about the shadow rift. What exacly is a fracture? How big is KR? And what would a "table palace" be like?

[Bloody Morgan]

Damn my brain. Yes, I meant Peiter van Reise. He's the ghost-captain on the Sea of Sorrows, right?

[Igor the Henchman]

On Kitchen Realm, I don't know much about the shadow rift. What exacly is a fracture? How big is KR? And what would a "table palace" be like?

According to Gaz5, fractures are mystic passageways between the Shadow Rift and the surrounding realms. As the Rift's borders are kept permanently closed by Gwydion, fractures constitute the only known way to get into or out of the Rift. The most startling caracteristic of fractures is that mortal travelers who take them forget all of the details of their journey upon exiting. Kitchen Realm was developed on the idea of making fractures into fully-fledged adventure settings, rather than simple portals.

Kitchen Realm is so named because it looks a lot like a giant kitchen, with a distant ceiling constituting the "sky". Labyrinthine stack of giant crates and barrels constitute the natural terrain, small "valleys" housing small communities of fey. Packs of intelligent dire rats constitute a persistent menace.

"Table Palace" is so named because of its location: its built atop a giant kitchen table around the geographical middle of the domain. Few people are allowed on the surface of the table, as Lord Cake claims it as his personal grounds.

[Nathan of the FoS]

Kitchen Realm is so named because it looks a lot like a giant kitchen, with a distant ceiling constituting the "sky". Labyrinthine stack of giant crates and barrels constitute the natural terrain, small "valleys" housing small communities of fey. Packs of intelligent dire rats constitute a persistent menace.

"Table Palace" is so named because of its location: its built atop a giant kitchen table around the geographical middle of the domain. Few people are allowed on the surface of the table, as Lord Cake claims it as his personal grounds.

That's a lot like one of the "worlds" in Tad William's Otherland series--one of the virtual realities worlds there is an enormous kitchen of the sort you're describing.

[Igor the Henchman]

That's a lot like one of the "worlds" in Tad William's Otherland series--one of the virtual realities worlds there is an enormous kitchen of the sort you're describing.

Well, that's certainly possible. A giant kitchen world is a vivid enough idea to have been previously used in fantasy literature. I think my main inspiration was what little I remembered of the Nutcracker tale - funny that you happened to mention it earlier.

How about you? Your parrot idea, will you tell us? Some sort of tropical domain? Petshop Land?

[Nathan of the FoS]

That's a lot like one of the "worlds" in Tad William's Otherland series--one of the virtual realities worlds there is an enormous kitchen of the sort you're describing.

Well, that's certainly possible. A giant kitchen world is a vivid enough idea to have been previously used in fantasy literature. I think my main inspiration was what little I remembered of the Nutcracker tale - funny that you happened to mention it earlier.

Yes, "Lord Cake" made me think of "The Nutcracker", too. Now there's a weird mix of fantasy and Gothic for ya!

How about you? Your parrot idea, will you tell us? Some sort of tropical domain? Petshop Land?

Nothing so...picturesque.

The domain is loosely based on the Caribbean in weather, cultural themes, and so forth; a nobleman who was a fairly accomplished transmuter/alchemist and also a practiced vivisectionist. Among his ways of dealing with people he didn't like was turning them into animals and then dissecting them.

He carried on a long-running rivalry with a gris-gris woman which culminated with his attempt to turn her into a parrot--unfortunately, she was wearing an amulet of spell turning and it was he, not she, who was transformed.

MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE RANCH...

A rather stupid but cruel and vindictive sailor decided that what he needed to get his revenge on a captain who he felt had mistreated him was "powerful magic". He therefore set about doing "magic stuff"--invented sacrifices, rituals and so forth--and got nowhere. So he went to the (same) gris-gris woman and got instructions on how to become a "real wizard"--she told him the truth, because she figured he was too stupid to be able to learn any magic of importance anyway.

The sailor completed the ritual intended to make him a wizard (and bind a familiar to him) just as the nobleman was transformed into a parrot. The Dark Powers not being the sort of beings to pass up a joke like that, they made the nobleman, now a parrot, the sailor's familiar and grabbed up both together, along with the other inhabitants of their coastal city.

So, the normal power relationships between wizard and familiar are, obviously, all gummed up. The parrot is the one with the spellcasting ability (the sailor has Int 8 and can't even cast cantrips, although he does have wizard levels). They have the psychic link, which they both hate, and the sailor has to be the front man for the operation, because who on earth would pay attention to a parrot? (Not to mention, the nobleman would die of shame if his nature were revealed.) So it's embarrassing and awkward all around.

And, of course, the uncautious gris-gris woman got hers, because now she has to live in Ravenloft too--and the nobleman and the sailor are both mad at her. Unfortunately for them, she's a powerful magician herself and has kept them at bay.

The domain itself is rather Souragne-esque, albeit with more emphasis on ocean trade, pirates, and so forth. It may yet find its way into a cluster consisting of Nueva Aragona (see USS 2001) and another homebrew domain with a Caribbean theme, darklord based on Henry Morgan.

[Scarycount]

A thougt on hunger aura. If the only way to destroy lord cake is to eat him, why would he want to make his enemies hungery. This would be a great curse for lord Cake, but don't think it's feasable as an attack.

Great parrot idea. I can just see the looks on my players faces when they have just deafeated their nemisis, only to realize the real villain was his pet bird!? (Once again, I wish there was an icon for "evil laugh")

Yes, Peiter is the darklord of the sea of sorrows. I got those two confused quite frequently once upon a time.

[Sorti]

A thougt on hunger aura. If the only way to destroy lord cake is to eat him, why would he want to make his enemies hungery. This would be a great curse for lord Cake, but don't think it's feasable as an attack.

Reasonable... What about this is in fact a problem for him, and he has to keep people far for this reason? Perhaps he fears a group of 7-8 people, even children, could eat him due to his Sheer Deliciousness, so he has only no more than 1 visitor at any time...

[Scarycount]

That would work great.

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

or flip it, make it an aura of extreme fullness... ??

[Rotipher of the FoS]

How about an aura of nausea, like you've just pigged out on a whole bag of stale Halloween candy?

[Vannax]

This is a short summary of the underground (double)domain idea t I bear in mind for some time. It si far more detailed but I don´t mean it is necessary to mention all about it now.
(I haven´t still thought up any names for it ....)

Underground domain
History: One of a few, rare iron mines on Athas was administrated by a respected, old man. The administration of the mine should inherit from him to his two sons after his death. Both sons had a quarrel about the administration right as no one of them wanted to share it with the other after their father´s demise. Their quarrels escalated to a fight in presence of their father. Finally, their old father was hit by accident during their fight and died later on. Not even this event stopped their quarrels and both brothers intrigued or fighted openly one against the other. In that time they attracted the attention of Dark powers.

Geography: Dark powers prepared a new domain for both hostile brothers in the underground iron mines very deep under domain of Keening and partially under Necropolis and Tepest. But Shadow Rift became its closest neighbour after worldwide affairs in the Mist land.

Cultural level: This domain has no comparable cultural level, however it can be treated as Iron age.

Other features: Newly created domain is in fact a huge mine complex of schafts, passages, tunnels and caverns and it is made of a living „material“. Immense mass of a living matter resembles a standard earth, but it sensitive to whatever is made to it.

Domain lords: Brothers X and Y. The domain can be ruled only by both brothers simultaneously. They are cursed to live only in the mine. One brother dwells in the bottom of a domain complex and he exercises control over volcanic vapours that well out to the tunnels. The volcanic vapours are the basic need for all living creatures in the mines as well as for both domain lords. The suplhureous fumes are the substitute for the air in all other domains and all beings need it to keep breathing.
The other of both brothers has a control over the living mass that makes the whole surrounding. All tunnels and shafts are formed in the the living mass. This domain lord can change these shafts, caverns etc. at will. He can change direction, create or perish a passage of standard size within one week. This brother lives in higher levels of a mine domain.
If one brother would stop welling out the volcanic fumes to the mines, all living beings will die within several days including the other of the brothers. If the other brother would let plug the connection passages, then one part of dwellers (in higher levels) will die because of lack of sulphureous fumes and the rest in the lower levels will die for the oversupply of breathing outs.
Thus both brothers are dependent one on the other and this makes the second and more dramatic part of their curse. Of course both of them try to find a way how to learn the power of the other and take over the control over the whole mine complex.

Ecology of the domain: The sulphur-fume environment, the absence of sunlight and higher temperatures make this domain unsuitable for normal beings from a world above. That´s why the former miner changed their physiology and overall body structure and size to be adapted in a new ambiance. Completly new animal, mold, slime and fungus species developed over the years and that resulted in a unique food pyramid in there.

Dwellers: Due to absence of sunlight, the majority of dwelers are albinos (without pigment). The social status is ordered by a colour that one can take on. Albions are the low-grades, one-colour beings have a higher social status and multicolour beings are the top class (and rare of course). The differences are in the shades of colours; the light coulour beings are treated as low-ranking and darker shades belong to higher-rankings.
All the beings in the mine-domain breath out the gaseous mixture which contents a portion of oxygen. A big portion of oxygen is deadly for the dwellers and that´s why they do not enter a world above (with exception of some magical protection).
On the other hand, to reside in the mine-domain would be dangerous for normal humanoids as well, because the concentration of oxygen in a mine ambiance is alarmingly low.