All stories, at their core, are about people, and the stories you tell in Last Odyssey are no different. For safety and because we are social animals, human beings will almost always be found living together in settlements. In Last Odyssey, a settlement is a term that refers to a node or closely linked group of nodes where players can rest from traveling, buy goods and services, find information, and interact with NPCs in order to advance the plot of the campaign. While in a settlement, players have the chance for both free play and structured investigation. The following section presents a guide to creating settlements that closely fit the type of pattern that best facilitates the feeling of a Last Odyssey setting.
In Last Odyssey, settlements are rare, and large settlements are even rarer. Travel is difficult and trade even moreso, resulting in a settlement pattern much like that of the postclassical era of human history. When creating a new settlement in the overworld, GMs should take into consideration its population, its layout, its culture, and its architecture, as well as other sensory details. GMs are allowed and encouraged to break the mold, but the following section will focus on the major types of settlements that players will usually encounter.
Not every settlement or landmark in a given region needs to be counted in the overworld. The reason for this is that not every place in the world will ever be relevant to the campaign. Instead, the GM should focus on detailing settlements that meet one or more of the following criteria:
This section contains advice for creating five different kinds of settlement: