Imagine Jupiter with its (as of 2012) 66 moons (subject which has come up before). Now imagine a Spelljammer-esque game of D&D set there. Ships sailing from frigid Europa (planet of frost giants, ice mephits and white dragons) to fiery Io (the kingdom of the Efreeti). Stopping off at tiny rocky Thebe to pick up a potion of Stone to Mud from the duergar who mine that lonely, isolated speck of stone. Plotting a raid on the Necromancer who has made the moon Praxidike his home, where he is guarded by spectres and banshees shrieking into the cold infinity of space. Afterwards feasting with the hook horrors of Callisto, communicating with your hosts through a sverfnebiln interpreter who taps out words to them in code with a complicated system of pebbles tied to his fingers. You hear a rumour from them that on the rings of Saturn lives a gold dragon, who has buried all his treasures in a huge hunk of ice. He is practically invincible, but on far away Pluto there is the shattered remnant of a gelugon's palace, said to house a trident of dragon slaying in its deepest oubliette....
That's my AS&SH campaign, basically. Just add Carcosa, Neptune, Uranus, and Yuggoth. :)
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI was working on a similar concept a couple years ago--Jupiter's moons as a sort of Phantasy Star/Spelljammer/Planescape science-fantasy mashup. The four Galilean moons were the elemental planes, the four inner moons are para-elementals, Jupiter's atmosphere is Limbo, the three retrograde moon groups are the various planes of Law, Neutrality, and Chaos, the smaller moons are various demi-planes and mega-dungeons, and...mumble-mumble. That's about as far as I got. There'd have to be a lot of terraforming and such to make some of these moons work as anything other than a single-locale destination. It's still an intriguing idea that I'd like to return to, though.
ReplyDeleteCool idea. I like the idea of Jupiter as Limbo. Packed to the rafters with slaad.
DeleteYeah, I've been thinking a lot about an "in-system" game setting, though probably not of the Spelljammer variety (though I LIKE Spelljammer). As you wrote in your other post, there's a ton of possibility/potential without leaving Sol'd sphere of influence.
ReplyDeleteAny thoughts/plans regarding the new "9th planet" just discovered? Nearly as large as the gas giants, perhaps this solid sphere could be your space mega dungeon awaiting exploration.
; )
This is about the coolest campaign idea I've heard in a LONG TIME. I must do this . . .
ReplyDeleteNow, to find a group willing to try it . . .