Need ideas for a fantasy Egypt

[Jondor_Battlehammer]

I'm creating a fantastic version of ancient egypt for my current homebrew world, 3.5 D&D rules. Well, mostly 3.5, .

There is a great pyramid, which will be a big adventure site.

The population is made up of humanoid animals, jackal people, cat people, etc.

There is a ruling council of powerful priests and mages.

Due to historic events, the population has been cut of from the rest of the world, so most of the people will be commoners and experts, and have a mixed reaction of curiosity and xenophobia concerning outsiders.

I'm looking for ideas concerning just about anything, encounters, people, intrigue, customs, etc. Thanks!

 

[KrazyHades]

Alright, first of all, mummies should be the guards of the most important officials, such as the ruling council. Second, remember that real Egypt had a LOT of bronze and gold, but not too much iron/steel, and wood was very rare and valuable. The Egyptian culture resisted change, such as accepting new technologies. Perhaps there should be a monotheistic cult (like the one that glorified Ra, the sun god, which actually existed). Lots of chariots, archers, and spearmen, but not much in the way of swords. What swords there were were usually only sharp on one side, and were heavier near the end of the blade than at the hilt. Bladed chariots, perhaps (chariots with blades on the hubs of the wheels which cut up people to either side). You may want to add fierce nomadic bands roaming the desert, away from the safety of the River Nile or your campaign's equivalent (think the Wheel of Time's Aiel). The rise/fall of the river has a huge influence on culture, economy, and even religion (as in, more prayers to Osiris if a poor inundation is coming).

 

[Mark CMG]

Grab a free copy of CD-04 Tomb of Chaos.

 

[Imhotepthewise]

Read the Egyptain novels by Wilbur Smith. Adventure and intrigue. "The Seventh Scroll" "The Warlock" etc. While not Egyptian, "The Sunbird" is ancients with a good story.

 

[Rothe]

I'm creating a fantastic version of ancient egypt for my current homebrew world, 3.5 D&D rules. Well, mostly 3.5, .

There is a great pyramid, which will be a big adventure site.

The population is made up of humanoid animals, jackal people, cat people, etc.

There is a ruling council of powerful priests and mages.

Due to historic events, the population has been cut of from the rest of the world, so most of the people will be commoners and experts, and have a mixed reaction of curiosity and xenophobia concerning outsiders.

I'm looking for ideas concerning just about anything, encounters, people, intrigue, customs, etc. Thanks!

The feeling of being innately superior to outsiders was a very ancient Egyptian notion. Hence the incription "Lo' the vile asiatic!" And a great disdain for herder folk.

The great pyramid, and all such tombs were surrounded by cities dedicated to serving the entombed. The Egytians were incredibly concerned about the after life and how to navigate it to preserve your soul. The Book of the Dead is filled with guidance and spells on this. A central theme is that every night the sun god Ra (and all the just deceased travel with him on his boat) cross Taut the underworld (which has 12 sections) to reemerge in the east the next dawn. Along the way battles must be faught with fell beasts. One adventure is PC could help out with these journies. Another adventure is trusted advenuteres are sent into the tombs to keep the forces of chaos and Taut from disturbing the entombed's soul.

One spin is undead, at least certain ones like mummies, would not necessarily be evil. In fact mummies where usually not associated with evil in ancient Egypt but as guardians of the dead.

Ancient Egypt's history was also characterized by a lack of metals. Gold was obtianed by raids and tribute from Nubia, while copper by hegemony over what is now present day Israel. Outsiders certainly were not trusted and there is an ancient Egyptian "adventure story" about the Pharoah's man (a spy-soldier-thief) who went to the Levant to spy on Pharoah's enemies, there troop dispositions etc.

Any of the stories about Imhotep are also great fodder for adventures.

Magic was also a common part of the ancient Egytian's life, not really seperated from religion. Amulets were common, so in D&D terms a common magical item. Search the web for Egyptian Amulets and you'll find a bunch of stuff or I can post a list with D&D uses.

Finally a little bit of color ancient Egyptians considered gold the color of good and red the color of evil. Those with red skin (e.g., sunburnt northerners) would be viewed with suspicion.

 

[rom90125]

Grab a free copy of CD-04 Tomb of Chaos.

yoink! And another yoink! for Terror and Blasphemy.

Thanks Mark!

 

[Mouseferatu]

If I may humbly...?

http://www.greenronin.com/catalog/grr1407

If you aren't sure you want to spring for the boxed set sight unseen, you can purchase the first of the three books inside as PDF for a lot less.

 

[phindar]

Here's a link to Wargods of Aegyptus, a game I have never played and have no affiliation with. (I added that because I post this link so much I really should be getting some sort of commission.) But when I was putting together my Mythic History game, the Wargods stuff was helpful to me.

Most of the races on there exist in d20 in some form or another. Anubi and Basti are very similar to AE's Sibeccai and Litorian. Khemru are a lot like goatfolk from the MM3, or the Rhodin from AE. Heru and Tethru are similar to Kenku. If nothing else, the artwork should be helpful either as inspiration or visual aids for the players. (Also they make minis, metal and a little pricey, but nice quality. A friend of mine got an Anubi caster to use as a Sibeccai magister in an AE game, and it was very cool.)

Likewise, for real-world Egyptian tomb maps, you can't beat The Theban Mapping Project. KV 5 is a particular favorite of mine. All sorts of great pdf maps, 3-D models, and other assorted Resources, including satellite images. Its fascinating stuff on its own, but doubly valuable for GM's running Egyptian-inspired games.

Also, if you can lay your hands on the 3rd Season boxed set of Futurama, there's a good episode called A Pharaoh to Remember, where Bender gets made the emperor of an Egyptian world. Anubi and Tethru feature.

 

[grodog]

I'm looking for ideas concerning just about anything, encounters, people, intrigue, customs, etc. Thanks!

Two suggestions:

1 - Check out Gygax's Necropolis from Necromancer Games @ http://www.necromancergames.com/products.html
2 - read the Shaman's post about his Egyptian Valley of the Kings megadungeon description @
http://www.knights-n-knaves.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=168&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=135 (about 1/3 of the way down the page): good stuff there!

 

[CanadienneBacon]

The second edition AD&D supplement Al-Qadim: Arabian Adventures is an excellent product that contains what I feel is a treasure trove of information and ideas on the land, people, honor, familial structure, purity, hospitality, piety, fate, races, genie lore, haggling, horse/camel riding, and desert survival. Just to name a few of the sub-headings from the Table of Contents.

There are other interesting supplements in the Al-Qadim setting series. It's 2e, true, but a lot of it is edition-flexible.