Setting a Base Layer

Defining limitations and parameters help create an immersive campaign world for any iteration of Dungeons & Dragons.

When creating the setting for Heirs of Argax I had some choices to make. These centered around a lot of different topics from theme and cultures to the role of magic and existing tech levels. Before going down many of these rabbit holes, I needed to set the base layer of the campaign and the setting. What do I mean by “base layer” for a setting? Essentially, it’s defining clear limitations and base assumptions for the options players have when it comes to the types of characters they can choose to play: in the case of Swords & Wizardry these are defined by classes and ancestries.

As this campaign is born out of an OD&D campaign, many classes are limited even by the minimum attribute scores required to qualify for the classes. However, these qualifiers weren’t enough for me. I wanted to state clearly which classes the players could even choose from and that doesn’t change with the setting being designed for Swords & Wizardry. In the older edition of S&W Complete, the old minimum attribute scores from OD&D were listed but the game got rid of these requirements as a base line. Instead, S&W defines the prime attributes needed for +5% XP bonuses. This doesn’t bar a player from choosing a class due to low attribute scores, but rewards them for picking the more “optimal” class choice.

Be that as it may, I still had to define which classes I would allow. Before diving into that list, the question that often comes up is why limit/define available classes to begin with? All too often, GMs don’t want to limit player choices out of some misguided belief that to do so is “mean” or “not fair.” I mean…it’s in the books so why not be able to choose whichever class or ancestry/race/kindred/etc. that the player wants to? The answer is actually fairly simple: because the world doesn’t allow it. Not every class or ancestry fits every location or setting. Modern Forgotten Realms (and modern fantasy TV & movies) has skewed this picture too much. Making a setting truly believable is to define existing cultures to which classes and ancestries belong. It’s the difference between a “player first” vs a “world first” approach to running games and Heirs of Argax falls squarely into the latter camp. This should be true of every single emergent sandbox campaign. Therefore, if you adopt a “world first” approach to a campaign you must set limits for your players.

The greater and expansive Argaxian setting could allow a greater variety of classes, but I’d veer away from an expansion in this regard and rather define the cultural uniqueness of a region by the prevalence of certain classes and ancestries, as well as their regional flavor. I do not want a “kitchen sink” setting.

With all that being said, I defined the available classes and ancestries to any new player in the core initial campaign region of the former imperial province of Gertania.

Ancestries are the easiest to define. Humans are the core ancestry. Beyond humans, players can choose dwarf or elf. Sorry…no halflings, half-elves, or gnomes. I find no place or use for them in the thematic inspirations for this world and campaign. Dwarves and elves are class and level limited as set in the OD&D/Swords & Wizardry core books.

Class options are also initially limited to fighter, magic-user, cleric, and thief. Since the premise of the campaign start tends to be that of the “new arrivals” to this region, these are the initial choices. I do, however, open up the class choices during the campaign as the PCs encounter other classes. This then introduces them to other class options for possible future new PCs (there tends to be some PC attrition in old-school campaigns). It’s almost like they “unlock” new class options as they discover the setting which is initially foreign to them. Additional “unlocked” class options include assassin, druid, paladin, ranger, bard, and barbarian.

Druids, rangers, bards, and barbarians are unique to this borderlands and wilderness region. It’s harder to be a “new arrival” and discover a region when your PC already comes from the region. But as mentioned, players will (most likely) encounter these classes and then gain access to them for hirelings, followers, and future new PCs. Assassins and paladins are a bit different. They aren’t from around these parts as much as the other classes are, but rather they are exceedingly rare Argaxian imports (more on that in future updates).

With that I have established the setting base layer for the campaign. Next I will be defining other core elements such as magic, religion, tech levels, and theme. If you want to follow as I develop the Heirs of Argax - Fantasy Adventure Campaign setting, I post more regular updates via my (free) Substack newsletter that you can find HERE.