So I find myself trying to create the beginning of a new campaign on short notice

[Ashikaider]

After a long period of not getting to play or run, most recently due to not wanting to run with a single player a series of brief hospital stays, a new player answered the ad that I put up over a year ago, maybe close to two now.

Since I hadn’t really thought about D&D in terms of a setting for a while, and not completely comfortable with established ones, I found myself in a quandary of sorts. So I went back to what worked for me for a B/X game, start with something simple and go from there. So I went trawling through some of the pdfs I’ve picked up over the past few years, and found one with tavern encounters.

However, once I started chatting with the players in Discord, and telling them that I was open to player contribution to settings, I started to get some ideas about where the campaign could go.

The new guy was playing a wizard, and wanted a psuedodragon familiar. I did a quick search, and found some variants, and shared the link. He took a liking to the fairy dragon, and asked if it could be ice/frost themed, which how he wanted to theme his wizard.

This sparked some ideas, and now the fairy dragon was from the Feywild, with connections to a potential warlock patron. He liked this, and after I said that I was allowing sidekicks, the other player said that he wanted his sidekick to be a penguin. Originally, he had a penguin from Adventure Time, but after I mentioned that my first idea when I heard penguin was Opus from Bloom County, he latched onto the idea.

One of the ideas that came to me after hearing about the fairy dragon was an area that was a weak place between the world and the Feywild, being sort border town/ trade hub.

From there I thought about what I wanted the fairy realms to be. Three concepts came to mind at that point :

Japanese Mascot characters
Wackyland from the old Warner Bros cartoons
the setting of Spririted Away

So I have a fairy realm that has elements of Japanese yokai/shinto folklore and old, anything goes cartoons.
Depending on how and when you look at it, it is somehow chaotic as all get out, yet has an orderly internal logic to it, especially when when making deals or contracts with them.

Because there’s a lot of of traffic between both realms, no one really bats an eye at cartoony animals or what might be a person in a costume, yet looks somewhat real at the same time - - there’s a novel series with an anime adaption called Amagi Brilliant Park that touches on the fact that the ‘players’ of an amusement park are treated as not having people inside them because here there isn’t anyone inside the suits because that’s what they are.

So if they look like there’s a person inside, yet they don’t at the same time, this can mess with people’s minds, so it is now an unspoken rule not to look at them too closely. In game terms this could be represented as a - 1 or +1 to AC depending on which system you fancy.

Since 5e is missing some parts that make the game more interesting, I tossed in some Basic compatible Morale rules and a simplified reaction table. Because it looked interesting, I’m probably going to add Patrick Stuart’s Ghibli-inspired reaction table for fairy beasties.
As is, I think works out quite well in that situation.

Finally, I’m tossing in an idea I had from 4 years ago and adding my variant goblins, who are themed by genres of metal music. So far I have the CG Power Metal Goblins (who are also speed and thrash), who dress in denim an leather which is adorned with chains, studs, and band patches. They have a bluish skin tone and sport some hair. The menfolk of their race have limbs similar to Popeye’s, and their noses are slightly broader and have a purple tone. The ladies are proportioned in scale to human and elven women, and their appearances range from very cute to rather striking. This had made them popular with other humanoid races, who have pursued some of them to be lovers or wives. Only the very lucky have succeeded, as most prefer to stay in their groups, which are centered around one or more Bards and their road crews/entourage.

The other faction is patterned of Black/Death metal, falling into one of the Evil alignments. They are either spindly and skinny or rather muscular in build. Their skin is a pale, pasty white with black accents around their eyes. They dress in the darkest of blacks, with rusty chains and extremely long spikes as accessories. When they speak, it is in a gutteral growl.

Finally, the Shadowfell is filled with angsty edgelords who tend to have a random body part wrapped in bandages, and mutter about whatever beastie happens to sealed in that part this week.

So what am I doing with this? Not completely sure, but I hope it’s really gonzo.

[Kingroy23]

Sounds like you’ve got a good handle on it! There’s a lot of gonzo supplements floating around, I’m sure some of our more experienced members could chime in if you want suggestions.

@Ashikaider

. Originally, he had a penguin from Adventure Time,

Haha, that gives me a great idea for a character.

[Ashikaider]

The main hub of the setting is a currently unnamed city built over a ‘weak spot’ between the PMP and the Feywild. Because of the regular traffic between the two realms, elements of both have affected the other.

On the PMP side, this has resulted in nature going somewhat out of control, growing wild, and in strange, odd ways. On the other side, things are much calmer and sedate, making it different enough for the average fey to come and visit, if not cross over.

Between the hub city and the trade town where the campaign begins is a rather dense forest. The trees are overgrown, sometimes twisting in various directions. Everything, including the the paths that wind through it are covered in plant growth. There are some real world forests in England and Japan that evoke the visuals that I want to evoke with this forest.

In the outskirts it is easy to travel off the beaten path to explore and hunt/gather, deeper into the forest the trees literally form a tunnel through the woods that is the only way through. These tunnels are wide enough for two wagons to pass by one another, with footpaths to either side of them.

On the side of the city, the trees begin to start looking strange. On some treew leaves appear to be a shell around their branches, only to collapse into a pool of individual leaves once winter comes knocking. Other trees have leaves in various cube-like shapes, some stretched out in unusual blocky, three dimensional forms, with the remainder of the tree looking otherwise normal.

Somewhere there’s a bleak, snowy mountain range. It is in those desolate peaks that resides a monastery of storm warrior mages where one of the PC’s trained at before becoming a wizard.

[Ashikaider]

The Feywild in this setting is no stranger to incursions from other realms. In the far distant past, they were invaded by Infernal and Abyssal forces, and managed to drive them out, but not before some of their denizens becoming changed through the interactions with the invaders. While originally a more neutrally aligned plane, those changed began to exhibit signs of being both chaotic and lawful. It was at this point that fey began their long affiliation with contracts. Despite term not always being in one side’s favor, both sides were stringent about honoring them.

When the fey began to come out into the campaign setting, they found something far more entertaining than whatever it was that they were doing before. While there was some initial conflict between the denizens of the realms, some wiser heads prevailed, and the contracts and deals that the had dealt with were now revised, with mortals gaining some edge way in the deals. In addition, trade agreements were drawn up, and both sides began to benefit.

There were a few times in the past when other nations coveted the city between realms, but these ambitions were nipped in the bud when the messengers, ambassadors and enforcers were brought over to the Feywild, and left to experience that realm. Word quickly spread that while the trade goods were very attractive, the ones who dealt in them were not to be trifled with.

A number of races crossed over and ultimately settled in the mortal realm. This led to rise of races such as elves, gnomes, halflings, and goblins. It is still debated whether or not kobolds are a race of fey descent or a lesser draconian one that co-opted the name. This is because fey kobolds have the appearance of one of the smaller folk, with the addition of the ears and tails of dogs.

The Eladrin that crossed over settled in various areas where they pursued their interests, eventually becoming the High Elves, who focused on arcane research and arts of war; the Wood Elves, who continued live in synch with the forests of the new realm, eventually helping to create the druid and ranger professions; and finally the secretive Night Elves about whom are known little other than their blue skin, and their nocturnal tendencies.

The Night Elves that leave their hidden enclaves do not adhere any small groupings of professions, instead they could have any–or none at all. They do appear to be quick learners, and have no difficulty with learning any vocations, leading some to believe that they are similar to humans in how easily they can adapt and learn.

Goblins underwent the most changes after crossing over. A large majority of them fell from their previous heights, becoming little better than animals. These goblins are primarily True Neutral, but some end up under the control of evils forces.

And then there are the metal goblins.

Black/Death Metal Goblins fall squarely within the evil area of the spectrum, some having found a way into the Shadowfell, becoming even much more edgy than the Shadar-Kai. Black goblins have been found to possess the Barbarian, Fighter, Anti-Cleric, Anti-Paladin, Rogue, Warlock (Infernal or Star Pacts), or Necromancer professions in support of the Bards that lead their warbands.

[Ashikaider]

Power Metal Goblins are the subrace most commonly seen after the Wild Goblins.

Most seen are the entourages of one or more bards that perform under a particular name, which aficionados can generally determine what bard/bards’ signature styles are.

It is unknown as to how or where they learned them, but average members of this race know 1-2 of the following cantrips that have served them in the preparation and performance of shows. Said cantrips are Dancing Lights, Mage Hand, and Prestidigitation. Lucky are the entourages who have a member of their race that have picked up the Spellcaster or Wizard professions. They tend to learn illusion spells that aid in the visual impact of the performances, saving them the trouble of dealing with potentially dangerous lights and pyrotechnics.

Power Metal goblins have a lifespan that tends to run between 150 and 300 years. Despite this lengthy lifetime, they tend to reach physical maturity within 12-13 years.

Several times in their lifetimes, PM goblins will retreat to their private enclaves to raise their children in peace. There they are taught the basic tenets of their race, and discover what their aptitudes are. If they discover that they have an aptitude that doesn’t fall within one of the more common professions, the young goblin is sent off to be trained under an appropriate master, before returning to their parents’ entourage in order to support it.

Those that train to be Bards spend a few years in apprenticeship to their band, and at the end of this period are either inducted into the band, or form their own. When this happens, various entourages will gather at a ceremony known as the “Battle of The Bands”. When a new band or solo act is formed, younger members of the myriad entourages will separate from their respective groups and form a new entourage. In addition, goblins wishing to settle down but are unable to find a partner take advantage of these events to find one if they do, leave for the nearest enclave.

These events are also gathering points for the bands’ respective audiences, and many will travel long distances to see them.

PM goblins are given two names at birth. One is their given name, and the other is that of the band/entourage that one or both parents are part of.
If a new band is formed, then the bards involved will change their second name to reflect this.

[Ashikaider]

With addition of Power Metal Goblins, this brings in anachronisms such as denim clothing and electrical instruments. Since I’m aiming for for gonzo, this perfectly fine.

This setting’s electrical instrument equivalents are magically powered, with a connection to a shape shifting creature that typically takes the form of a sphere no larger than volleyball or a basketball, the surface of which is covered in speaker cones.

These ‘Amplifier Beasties’ share a bond with both instrument and performer, which allows them to control volume and distortion on the fly, as well as changing form to a larger speaker typically used in combat. Bards and roadies with proficiency in these types of instruments can stan in place while the beastie can move to position cones of sonic attacks on enemies as needed.

Some bards that are in combat on a regular basis will establish bonds with 2-6 amp beasties in order to deal with attacks from most directions, saving the beastie the time of having to change positions in order to attack. There are those that consider the beasties to be a decent equivalent of a familiar for bards and musical wizards.

This is because they can transmit spells in their conical sonic blasts as a ranged touch attack. Normal sonics blasts do no damage, but can be used to distract enemies, or stun if the volume is at max.

Instruments of this type are guitars, bass guitars, and magical pianos that are able to create unique sounds that would be impossible for a normal piano to create.

There are rumors of new type of magical drum that produces sounds similar to those of the magical pianos, but more percussive.

Denim is unique type of fabric that is as strong as canvas yet is softer and easier to wear. While initially stiff when first woven sewn into clothing, it can soften with wear or through special alchemical prosesses that will in most cases lighten the color of the fabric, which is a darker blue on one side and a bluish white on the other. These processes soften the fabric but do not decrease its durability.

While blue is the most common color, batches of black and purple can be found without too much difficulty, with some other colors being only available by special order, which raises their prices.

While not useful as is for armor, it can be worn over mythral chain or light weight armor plates made from mythral or certain monstrous beastie hides can be sewn inside pants, jackets, or vests.

Normal demin can be considered as soft leather to prevent minor scrapes and scratches. With added armor it counts as studded leather for AC, unless magically enchanted.

While normally such fabrics might be expensive or hard to find, it is due to PM goblins making it their exclusive clothing as well as selling vests and jackets made of the material that has made it to be a common and relatively inexpensive type of clothing. It is because of this that hemp and canvas are almost never seen as clothing material anymore.