Have a setting idea- need help

[Hell_Born]

I have a potential campaign setting idea rattling around my head, and I decided to create this topic to see if A: anyone thought it was an idea worth working on and B: if anyone would be interested in helping me put this setting together. The basic background, not that I have much of a one, was inspired by a mixture of Steampunk & Sorcery, Darkwatch, Deadlands and this Diablo 2-style game that’s coming out for the PC.

The world of the campaign setting was once a relatively normal fantasy setting, where mortals (I’m unsure as yet on whether or not to have non-human races, and if yes whether to use the PHB races or custom-breed) trembled beneath the overwhelming rule of dark spirits. Finally, the spirits of light arose and, with the aid of the mightiest mortal magi, drove back the powers of evil, finally sealing both themselves and their enemies away for all eternity behind an impregnable barrier. With the banishment of the spirits, mystic powers both arcane and divine also fled, but that was not such a curse- for from the mingled essence of slain celestial and slain infernal had emerged a strange new substance, a substance which revolutionised technology and led to the Golden Age of Steampunk.

But that Golden Age is long past; the world has steadily grown a darker and more evil place, and now after eons the barrier has broken and the spirits of evil are free to bedevil mortalkind once more. With the spirits of good either unable or unwilling to intercede on their behalf again, the mortal races must take up the vicious weapons of the Steampunk and, aided by those who would turn the darkness against itself, fight the evil once more.

So far, the classes I’m thinking of for use in this are Fighter (“upgraded” to use Steampunk weapons) and Rogue. Because of the background, no Divine spellcasting classes (and by extension no Paladins) are allowed, though the Ranger might still be usable with some tweaking. Finally, I have a group of four rudimentary classes custom-made for this setting, though whether they should be Core or Prestige eludes me.

The “Hellbound” sacrifices a portion of their soul to open a conduit between themselves and the darkness, willing drawing upon the corruption that now spills over the world to wield its arcane might, for good or ill.

The “Daemite” is a strange and bizarre being; a mortal being, possessed by the spirit of a raging daemon- a “lesser” spirit of the darkness. Though these two inseparable beings often despise each other, the combination of mortal intellect and inhuman powers makes them a formidable team.

The “Forsaken” is truly well named; for what better term is there for an undead hunter-slayer of the undead? Somehow, the Forsaken has lost a fragment of their mortality, which entraps them between the worlds of flesh and spirit. Slowly, inevitably, the world of mortals slips away from them and they become members of the undead, but the transformation is so gradual that they retain their former minds and spirits.

The “Scrapper” is the truest advocate of the power of steam and steel, so much so that he replaces steadily increasing proportions of his body with machinery, enabling him to match the muscles of the inhuman with the power of technology.

Well? So what do you think? Interesting? Or a fever-dream?

[Lord_Pruitt]

Fever-dream would be a cool name, but I'm not sure if it would be for this specific setting or not.

The Hellbound sounds like you could turn that into a core class, the others would be prestige classes.

Sounds like an interesting idea, but similar (as you said) to Midnight & Deadlands.

[Hell_Born]

The Hellbound was actually intended to be a Core class from the start; sort of a hybrid of Warlock (Eldritch Blast ability and Invocation spell-casting system) and Wizard (Int based spellcaster). Spells would be mixture of Warlock Spells (Hungry Darkness springs to mind instantly) and some unique ones (example: "Brimstone Blast"- a weaker [1/2 damage 1/2 affected area] Fireball that Frightens the affected).

And it actually isn't that similar to Midnight; for a start the Dark Powers (couldn't think of a better name) don't have domination- they've just started pouring out of the woodwork again, like the Reckoners from Deadlands.

But other than that, do you really think it's a good idea? I really would like to see this idea grow, but I just don't have the faintest idea how to go about setting it up right.

[Korumil]

NightWatch was a totally awsome movie, and Dark Watch was a freakin' sweet game. I'm not sure which you were going for, but they're both cool and would apply pretty easily to the setting you described.

My suggestions would be to emphasize the fact that the only people who delve into those forbidden arts such as Daemonology, Spirit Binding, and High Technology are as desperate as they are outcast. Keep the regular run of the mill NPCs simple commoners trying to scrape by in a seriously crappy world and the appearance/interferrance of the PCs threatens whatever good things the NPCs have going for them.

Other than that, just keep it oppressive and bleak without reducing it to a series of brutal scenes simply put there for "shock value."