Next new setting for the server?

[zodiacspear]

Might I suggest Forlorn?  Not only out of personal preference with characters, but also because I think a setting that is truly hopeless and deadly (outside of Perfidus, but they have demons) is something that isn't truly on server. (That I've seen so far)  Almost all of the other lands have safe places and towns to return to, Forlorn would not have that.  It would be a place of constant danger, day or night, with little respite.  In a country where all of the people have been pushed to near extinction, the monsters there (namely the goblyns) would no doubt be on the upper edge of the danger spectrum.  So possibly a level 12-20 area maybe?

All in all, I think Forlorn would be an excellent addition to the server.

[herkles]

Might I suggest Forlorn?  Not only out of personal preference with characters, but also because I think a setting that is truly hopeless and deadly (outside of Perfidus, but they have demons) is something that isn't truly on server. (That I've seen so far)  Almost all of the other lands have safe places and towns to return to, Forlorn would not have that.  It would be a place of constant danger, day or night, with little respite.  In a country where all of the people have been pushed to near extinction, the monsters there (namely the goblyns) would no doubt be on the upper edge of the danger spectrum.  So possibly a level 12-20 area maybe?

All in all, I think Forlorn would be an excellent addition to the server.

There would need to be some sort of town, if only to gather supplies and get raised if one falls.  Now this could be set up ICly, I know Siobhan would jump at the chance to help out. Plus I adore folkloric monsters like the Fey and other similar things, you wouldn't be fighting undead(baring ghosts) or werebeasts, but all types of fey.

Of course, adding a new domain is no easy feat and it takes a lot of work.

[Arawn]

Might I suggest Forlorn?  Not only out of personal preference with characters, but also because I think a setting that is truly hopeless and deadly (outside of Perfidus, but they have demons) is something that isn't truly on server. (That I've seen so far)  Almost all of the other lands have safe places and towns to return to, Forlorn would not have that.  It would be a place of constant danger, day or night, with little respite.  In a country where all of the people have been pushed to near extinction, the monsters there (namely the goblyns) would no doubt be on the upper edge of the danger spectrum.  So possibly a level 12-20 area maybe?

All in all, I think Forlorn would be an excellent addition to the server.

There would need to be some sort of town, if only to gather supplies and get raised if one falls.  Now this could be set up ICly, I know Siobhan would jump at the chance to help out. Plus I adore folkloric monsters like the Fey and other similar things, you wouldn't be fighting undead(baring ghosts) or werebeasts, but all types of fey.

Of course, adding a new domain is no easy feat and it takes a lot of work.

There are no towns in Forlorn.

[herkles]

Might I suggest Forlorn?  Not only out of personal preference with characters, but also because I think a setting that is truly hopeless and deadly (outside of Perfidus, but they have demons) is something that isn't truly on server. (That I've seen so far)  Almost all of the other lands have safe places and towns to return to, Forlorn would not have that.  It would be a place of constant danger, day or night, with little respite.  In a country where all of the people have been pushed to near extinction, the monsters there (namely the goblyns) would no doubt be on the upper edge of the danger spectrum.  So possibly a level 12-20 area maybe?

All in all, I think Forlorn would be an excellent addition to the server.

There would need to be some sort of town, if only to gather supplies and get raised if one falls.  Now this could be set up ICly, I know Siobhan would jump at the chance to help out. Plus I adore folkloric monsters like the Fey and other similar things, you wouldn't be fighting undead(baring ghosts) or werebeasts, but all types of fey.

Of course, adding a new domain is no easy feat and it takes a lot of work.

There are no towns in Forlorn.

I know that, my point being is that every other server that people go to, baring dm only areas like Bleutspur, have a town of some sort so that people can get raised and supplies.

[Bentusi16]

I was actually curious about something regarding this; I understand Barovia is the biggest and current 'main' area, but are there any plans in the future to rotate the 'starting area' around?

[Arawn]

I know that, my point being is that every other server that people go to, baring dm only areas like Bleutspur, have a town of some sort so that people can get raised and supplies.

Any attempt to settle a town in Forlorn would result in the direct attention of the hordes of goblyns who inhabit it and who are actively involved in the annihilation of the tiny remaining population of humans in the domain. It is feasible that one of the hidden holds in Forlorn might be such a base, but the likelihood of the druids who inhabit them allowing just any passing adventurer entrance is low. I suppose one way around it would be to have Forfarmax as the base and allow PCs to roam across the Hazlani border into Forlorn, but that seems more like making Hazlan, part II, anyhow.

[Olywynn]

I know that, my point being is that every other server that people go to, baring dm only areas like Bleutspur, have a town of some sort so that people can get raised and supplies.

Any attempt to settle a town in Forlorn would result in the direct attention of the hordes of goblyns who inhabit it and who are actively involved in the annihilation of the tiny remaining population of humans in the domain. It is feasible that one of the hidden holds in Forlorn might be such a base, but the likelihood of the druids who inhabit them allowing just any passing adventurer entrance is low. I suppose one way around it would be to have Forfarmax as the base and allow PCs to roam across the Hazlani border into Forlorn, but that seems more like making Hazlan, part II, anyhow.

I've been wanting to convert the Forfarian freeloaders, anyways.

[Mcskinns]

Forlorn would be an interesting place to go for testing ones mettle.

So my suggestions would be....

Place a small enclave of druids near the border who have knowledge of safe, secret pathways into and out of Forlorn.  The druids might even offer up a few quests or mention potential targets of interest in the area.  By speaking to one of the druids the party can be led through the hidden pathways and left at one of 3-4 random points of entry. 

To leave Forlorn, the party would need to locate one of the extraction points, activate a calling stone by some means, and then fend off any attackers to ensure the area is safe for the druid to return and lead them out.  Activating the calling stone in and of itself might cause a random spawn to "answer" the call in an attempt to prevent the PC's from escaping.

If such a wilderness were to be implemented, I'd love to see an abundance of herb nodes and potentially new herbs (that might be able to replace another herb found elsewhere in a mixture).

[zodiacspear]

An idea I had was that the Vistani only takes a caravan so far to Forlorn, perhaps far enough that it doesn't attract the notice of the Darklord and his minions and  have the players walk the rest of way with a clear path for them to follow.  Perhaps in the future a building or campsite could be built along the fringes of the Mists border of Forlorn for players to return to.  Though the idea of a place to sell items and get healing/raises doesn't seem plausible for the setting that Forlorn has.  Perhaps it could be one of those areas that forces the players to either carry their resurrection abilities or leave the setting entirely to bring back a fallen party member.  Would make the notion of trying to avoid death that much more important.

The main concern with the idea of selling items in Forlorn to the few human natives that are left, is that they do not have a monetary system.  They don't have coins and the like.  They barter with their fellow survivors, so gold would have little use to them.

More thoughts to come as I brain them. 

[HellsPanda]

I would rather see Tepest to Forlorn, because of the humans there it presents a more interesting domain.

[Theorem Of Neutrality]

Borca plz

plz

[Bentusi16]

I'd like to throw this out there: While many of the settings beyond Barovias domain are super interesting, they are also extremely sparsely populated. Adding in yet another area to the game where no one but a handful might go seems fairly counter-intuitive to the growth of things.

It's why I asked about switching main focus from barovia to another setting. Barovia is the 'beginner area' and like all PW it becomes the roleplay hub.

That's what I mean when I asked about switching focus; what if Port-a-Lucine (or insert major domain city) became the new 'newbie' area and the mists started dumping people there?

All places have the chance of horror in them, even if the type of horror may change from place to place. I certainly enjoy Barovias gothic-eastern setting, but there's more then one way to put a brain into a corpse and reanimate it with lightning.

[Ercvadasz]

Kartakass:P
Actually could be an extension for lower and mid level players and actually borders barovia:P
The removing and moving of the werewolves that roam currently Barovia could be solved with it as well. As in they are more common there than in Barovia.

[respawnaholic]

I'd like to throw this out there: While many of the settings beyond Barovias domain are super interesting, they are also extremely sparsely populated. Adding in yet another area to the game where no one but a handful might go seems fairly counter-intuitive to the growth of things.

It's why I asked about switching main focus from barovia to another setting. Barovia is the 'beginner area' and like all PW it becomes the roleplay hub.

That's what I mean when I asked about switching focus; what if Port-a-Lucine (or insert major domain city) became the new 'newbie' area and the mists started dumping people there?

All places have the chance of horror in them, even if the type of horror may change from place to place. I certainly enjoy Barovias gothic-eastern setting, but there's more then one way to put a brain into a corpse and reanimate it with lightning.

+1 this. I know adding new domains and areas is fun, and gives designers the opportunity to show their artistry and lore of the setting but we already have a ton of places that are seldom visited and not fully developed. I think the server overall is easily three times the size it was when I first joined, but by and large most of these areas are window dressing. Beyond the novelty of first time exploration there's little to draw players away from the old familiar hubs. Even the Mist Camp has somehow grown an extra area despite it being used for little more that a crafting hub or way station between Barovia and Port or Harakir.

[Olywynn]

By all that is holy, instead of asking for new domains, ask that the rest of Barovia, Hazlan, and Dementlieu are implemented.  You have three different tech groupings/societies there.  One, a feudal medieval setting, one a Eastern influenced land of magic and oppressing religion, and another a post-revolutionary France set in the Renaissance.

You can't argue that you don't have settings to work with, you just need to step outside of your comfort zone and go roleplay.

[Olywynn]

By all that is holy, instead of asking for new domains, ask that the rest of Barovia, Hazlan, and Dementlieu are implemented.  You have three different tech groupings/societies there.  One, a feudal medieval setting, one a Eastern influenced land of magic and oppressing religion, and another a post-revolutionary France set in the Renaissance.

You can't argue that you don't have settings to work with, you just need to step outside of your comfort zone and go roleplay.

To put it a bit more softly, Barovia in particular have several settlements not in the module.  You have Teufeldorf and Zeidenburg, where you Gundarakites can be in the majority.  Or Krezk, the most "advanced" city in Barovia where one might enjoy finer things, as well as hang out in the main temple of the Morninglord.  Or how about Immol, a town full of Thaani, Forfarians, and some Mulani merchants (and perhaps some Lawgivers too?). There's loads in Barovia still to be seen.  We don't need a backwater wasteland full of goblyns.

[The Prophet of Misinformation]

For the foreseeable future, I don't believe we'll be seeing any additional domains between limited developer resources and the mechanical limitations of the module.

That said -- Who knows? Darkon is dead in the water for the time being (gasp) while Sithicus is still ailing due to its incompleted-ness.

[Jeebs]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: personally I'd like to see a few areas added to the existing parts of Barovia. Connecting the road to VoB to the northern shore of Lake Zarovich, and a few more wilderness areas that offer ways to get around more discretely for example.

[Merry Munchkin]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: personally I'd like to see a few areas added to the existing parts of Barovia. Connecting the road to VoB to the northern shore of Lake Zarovich, and a few more wilderness areas that offer ways to get around more discretely for example.

+1

Bur tried to walk all the way around the lake once, and was very sad to find out that he couldn't.

[Dumas]

I agree with that notion as well. I'd love to see Barovia rounded out a bit more, more detail and depth... connected areas, such as letting player circumnavigate Lake Zarovich, etc.

[McNastea]

I don't really know anything about Forlorn, so I'm asking this out of genuine curiosity

Original post suggests lvl 12-20, does this mean that goblyn's are on par with demons/devils and even salt shadows/void spiders? It's possible that my understanding of these creatures is skewed, as I see them as threats to x lvl character, which perhaps shouldn't necessarily be the case. However, it just seem silly to me to think that goblyns would ever equate to the danger of a handful of pit fiends, or a mob of salt shadows. That being said, there's power in numbers. You could of course give them things like a high AB an debilitating effects like crippling strike so that while alone they're no threat, in large numbers (as I seem to undestand there are in Forlorn, from this thread) they pose a significant threat.

Of course, now I'm just talking mechanics and I'm sure most people who are interested in this don't care too much about that. Personally, however, I think there should be some sort of balance struck when considering these things in terms of their difficulty and how they compare to other encounters already present that could/should present an exponentially greater threat.

Having said that, I love the idea of new domains; and I believe that the lvl 12-17 characters could really use some love in terms of dungeons availabe-especially now that Perfidus is only accessible through the mists. With the recent updates to Hazlan, this seems a very plausible and interesting addition.

[DrXavierTColtrane]

I love the idea of new domains; and I believe that the lvl 12-17 characters could really use some love in terms of dungeons availabe

OTOH...

Another argument for enhancing Barovia is that as the start area it would encourage new characters (as well as new players). I play only one character, and the biggest deterrent to my wanting to build another is having to grind through the same places I've already become familiar with.

[EO]

A small team of developers is working on Ghastria at the moment. It's a small domain, a bit larger than Blaustein.

[Theley]

A small team of developers is working on Ghastria at the moment. It's a small domain, a bit larger than Blaustein.

Wha?  Like Midget developers? Sorta racist to call them small EO.. 

[EO]

They're Oompa-Loompas actually.