Option A has started to percolate and I've gotten some interesting ideas on plot on that one.
Still brainstorming but what about the following guidelines for character generation: (suggestions welcome) Characters may take arcane classes as their first level, but only classes which do not study for spells (ie, sorcerers are ok, but not wizards) Wizard, archivist etc characters will accessible once an in-game resource has been located. (Teacher, spellbook, etc) Divine classes are acceptable but should be taken from one of Earth's religions. All skills, proficiencies & feats must have an IC explanation. Even a 1st level fighter won't be automatically granted weapon proficiencies. Possible explinations could include a recreational hunter, martial arts hobbiest, soldier or police officer might have bow, sai, dagger(KA-BAR), or club (police baton) would be perfectly valid.
The premise would be something like this: in a small midwestern town (have not selected which) residents go to bed one evening on the winter solstice. Overnight, the town is brought through a rift. The transition rendered all chemical reactants basically inert (gunpowder, gasoline ceases to function) -the town received its power from another city and when those lines were severed, electrical power failed. Batteries & generators were wiped out. Electronics were all fried by the massive EM pulse associated with the rift.
They wake to find that not only have they been transported here, but that the towns children have been carried off in the night. Not simply vanished, but evidence of break ins that no one heard. (The transition rendered everyone unconscious for a time)
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