So, do we have a map WIP or anything? Or is the current state of the world a blank slate?
Some good stuff to establish first is the "state of the world" in regard to major nations and territories. Need to figure out who the big players are. Classically, that'd perhaps be humans, dwarves and elves; they seem to be the most expansionist of the races, usually have the most legacy and prestige. But I think we could potentially throw in some other stuff.
What about a Dragonborn empire? Those guys could certainly stand to get some more representation.
What about gnomes? Are these ones still D&D flavor, and if so, how much has their Artificer-ing done to promote them in the world? Gnome empire mayhap?
Halflings usually remain pretty humble civilization-wise.
How about some of the big names like Dragons and Giants? Do they have any kind of remaining legacy or unity? Perhaps Dragons are involved in the aforementioned theoretical Dragonborn empire.
What about the goblinoid races? Goblins, Bugbears, Hobgoblins and Orcs. How much presence do they have? Are they still classically malevolent aside from rare cases? Are they united enough perhaps to have their own country that might be competing with or warring with the other "good" nations?
What about cosmology? Should we throw together a god pantheon?
Does anything like a classical "Adventurer's Guild" exist, and -if so- how expansive is it?
And, of course, in all this, we should figure out where the PCs are getting Battle Bus dropped.
So, do we have a map WIP or anything? Or is the current state of the world a blank slate?
Some good stuff to establish first is the "state of the world" in regard to major nations and territories. Need to figure out who the big players are. Classically, that'd perhaps be humans, dwarves and elves; they seem to be the most expansionist of the races, usually have the most legacy and prestige. But I think we could potentially throw in some other stuff.
What about a Dragonborn empire?
What about gnomes? Are these ones still D&D flavor, and if so, how much has their Artificer-ing done to promote them in the world? Gnome empire mayhap?
Halflings usually remain pretty humble civilization-wise.
How about some of the big names like Dragons and Giants? Do they have any kind of remaining legacy or unity?
What about the goblinoid races? Goblins, Bugbears, Hobgoblins and Orcs. How much presence do they have? Are they still classically malevolent aside from rare cases? Are they united enough perhaps to have their own country that might be competing with or warring with the other "good" nations?
What about cosmology? Should we throw together a god pantheon?
Does anything like a classical "Adventurer's Guild" exist, and -if so- how expansive is it?
And, of course, in all this, we should figure out where the PCs are getting Battle Bus dropped.
I could go on. :)
Ooooh...!
My thought for world building would be to start with the Cosmology first. That way, not only can we get a pantheon, but we can get general beliefs from World Creation Myths. Plus, with a fantasy setting, we can establish some locations that are maybe considered Holy or Cursed.
My thought for world building would be to start with the Cosmology first. That way, not only can we get a pantheon, but we can get general beliefs from World Creation Myths. Plus, with a fantasy setting, we can establish some locations that are maybe considered Holy or Cursed.
I'm usually not too great at Cosmology, tbh, but a good starting guideline might be using the Cleric domains for inspiration.
Off the top of my head we need: Head God (domain ???), Life, Death/Underworld, Earth, Sky, Sea, Forge, Love, War, Trickery, Sun, Moon, Nature, and Magic.
If we wanted to condense this list more for simplicity, Death/underworld/Earth might be the same god or even Life/Nature/Earth. And for a twist, perhaps Love and War are also the same god. Trickery might be with Moon too. A domain of Fire could go with either the Forge, Sun or both, and Light might also belong to Sun.
I'm usually not too great at Cosmology, tbh, but a good starting guideline might be using the Cleric domains for inspiration.
Off the top of my head we need: Head God (domain ???), Life, Death/Underworld, Earth, Sky, Sea, Forge, Love, War, Trickery, Sun, Moon, Nature, and Magic.
If we wanted to condense this list more for simplicity, Death/underworld/Earth might be the same god or even Life/Nature/Earth. And for a twist, perhaps Love and War are also the same god. Trickery might be with Moon too. A domain of Fire could go with either the Forge, Sun or both, and Light might also belong to Sun.
No worries. Generally, I don't think I'm very good at World-Building... (haven't done it enough...^^")
The Head God is typically of the Light Domain (in my opinion), like the Sun. But we could do something different and maybe have the Head God be the God of Magic?
The only issue I see with a condensed list of gods and domains would be, for example, if someone wanted to play a Grave Cleric that basically accepts death and helps people move on, but fights against the undead (think Caduceus Clay from Critical Role Campaign 2), they would probably find issue with finding that the only god they can worship is an Evil Death God who promotes murdering innocent lives.
No worries. Generally, I don't think I'm very good at World-Building... (haven't done it enough...^^")
The Head God is typically of the Light Domain (in my opinion), like the Sun. But we could do something different and maybe have the Head God be the God of Magic?
The only issue I see with a condensed list of gods and domains would be, for example, if someone wanted to play a Grave Cleric that basically accepts death and helps people move on, but fights against the undead (think Caduceus Clay from Critical Role Campaign 2), they would probably find issue with finding that the only god they can worship is an Evil Death God who promotes murdering innocent lives.
Never implied the death god was evil. The "underworld" part is meant to imply a more benevolent type, like Hades. No reason Grave couldn't also be in there. Also means that for the purposes of "balancing" influence, "Earth" can go to the Life/Nature god, and Death/Underworld will have Grave too.
Never implied the death god was evil. The "underworld" part is meant to imply a more benevolent type, like Hades. No reason Grave couldn't also be in there.
Very true! Hades was cool enough to let Eurydice go back to Earth with Orpheus. Too bad Orpheus couldn't do that one thing Hades instructed him though. XD
Still, my point is making sure that the deity list allows for every possible cleric. ^^"
We can go worldbuilding in multiple ways. Random by asking ChatGBT to create some gods for us and then we edit them OR each player makes their own 3 or so divinities.
As a head of the pantheon I suggest we go away from Light is at the top trope. What if this time we'd have a Time deity? Time has, after all, control over everything in a way or the other. We could also go for like Chaos as the leader. Not evil, not good.
Giants would be awesome to have their own empire but as well the "smaller races". The Goblins, the slimes, kobolds etc. It's been bugging me for a long time that the minor races were always seen as tribal/monster like.
Alright, here's my pitch for some world-building, retaining some 5e lore.
Enclosed between two rumbling titans, the Realm trembles in fear and anticipation, as mighty relics encroach once more.
Giants once ruled the world, the mightiest beings that far predate elves and entered the world when even dragons were young. All giants originate ultimately from a single entity, being descendants of the God of Giant and his consorts from various races. Giants were conceived as masters of the world, birthed from the elements and given great height to look down on all they ruled. The giants set up an expansive empire, Ostoria, stretching to nearly every corner of the globe and trampling over any resistance with what they saw as their divine right to rule. Their empire filled the sea, and castles topped mountains and even clouds. All they observed was their dominion, and all creatures paid homage to them. Needless to say, the existing inhabitants of the world protested to this change in management.
Dragons -hardly saints in their own right in many cases- rose up in defiance with other races behind them. It wasn't for any single reason that they fought, but rather a culmination of things, and all it took to finally ignite the flames was the right charismatic and ambitious leadership. The metallic dragons fought for peace and liberation. The chromatics fought for greed and dominance. Yet, together, they were united in the purpose of ousting the giant overlords. The war they waged shook the world in what would become only whispered of as the Thousand-Year War. It was a brutal, lawless free-for-all of winner take all. There were no front lines or safe havens, only endless ambushes, sieges and atrocities committed against both sides.
In the end, none were left alive that remembered the war's beginning, and many had lived their entire lives in war. Both giants and dragons were shadows of their former selves, so reduced in number that even sustaining a population became troublesome. The great war did not end with a bang, but withered out with a whimper with no clear victor. The giants managed to preserve their capital, Voninheim, far to the north, but their dominion of the world was forever lost. In the face of this humiliation the Giant God forsook the giants, swearing to never look upon them again until they had reclaimed their birthright.
To this day, they have failed to, though not for want of trying. The giants remain expansionist, yet humbled enough to show restraint and patience. Their poor birth rates and need for large amounts of resources to sustain their kind have kept their numbers low even centuries later. While there is no doubt the giants are a formidable world power, they simply lack the ability to hold anything they might conquer. Yet, even the long memories of giants fade in time, and the more ambitious among them had been pushing for more aggressive action, impatient to reclaim their lost glory. Small groups of rebels strike out as raiders to other lands, creating tensions and mistrust towards the rest of their kind. Yet, the giants have publicly denounced these elements as bandits and criminals while not doing anything about them, a state of affairs the rest of the world begrudgingly accepts for the sake of avoiding full-scale war. The rumblings of conflict tremble distantly through earth and prophesy, and the world seems subconsciously on edge, awaiting the spark that will send the unified Ordning marching to war once more.
The Giant God established an innate, instinctive hierarchy within the giants -called the Ordning- that generally ranks giant types: Storm, Cloud, Fire, Ice, Stone, Hill, Ettins, Giantkin (Firbolgs, Verbeegs, Fomorians), and Orges, in that order. Even the highest member of one segment of this caste social structure is still lesser than even the lowest member of a higher caste; even the Hill Giant leader is lesser than the lowest Stone giant. Despite this, discontent with this system is strangely rare among giants, and few do not simply align with it without question. Giants know that they are all kin, brothers and sisters in blood, ultimately united in purpose, and they accept that each giant has innate talants and weaknesses, and a place in their society that they are most suited to inhabit by birthright. Therefore, giants promote a culture of acceptance and laud mastery of each giant's "role", which directly contributes to their rank amongst their caste.
In the wake of the Thousand-Year war, dragons were scattered. In a way, it could be said they lost the war, but the goal was accomplished. The giants had been laid low, the favor of their god lost, and their dominion of the world almost entirely erased, the remnants having mostly congealed into one unified front in their capital. The dragons, meanwhile, took flight to all the corners of the earth, having not been much for civilization building prior, doing their best to simply survive and regroup. Even centuries later, dragons remain independent and territorial creatures, rarely uniting under a common banner due to pride. Dragons, much like giants, typically see themselves as inherently superior beings, born rulers, and they are loathe to tolerate any authority over them, not even another dragon.
The Draconic Empire was born from the exception to this rule.
Located on an island nation to the south, far from the giants, this imperial country was established by a coalition of primarily chromatic dragons. A few metallics number among them as mediating influence, but most metallics lack the patience to tolerate their tyranny. The dragons have established a country that from the top down is intended to serve the dragons desires above and beyond all else. As such, the greatest concern of all inhabitants is The Tithe, a periodical tax of wealth and goods to be sent to the hoards of the ruling dragons to appease their greed and hunger. Dragons, having an innate mastery of wealth through their perfect memory of their hoards can pick out even the slightest discrepancy in this Tithe and will levy destructive punishment upon any that attempt to cheat them. For the inhabitants of the Empire, the Tithe is a literally a matter of life and death, and any disruption to it is subject to the most capital of punishments.
The Dragonborn, the acting regents and rulers of the Empire, organize the Tithe and the country. Dragonborn maintain vast coffers, containing the wealth of the land, and they often build up reserves of wealth to compensate for any faltering in a settlement's taxes. After all, regardless of their culpability in a discrepancy, they prefer not to risk being lumped in with the culprits and handle punishing those that lack in a more "internal" manner.
In the meanwhile, the Empire cultivates not just its own wealth, but also seeks to take the wealth of others. After all, their nation only has so many resources to give to the black holes of the dragons' hoards, and so, to stave off collapse, they range outward. The Empire therefore maintains a navy, arguably the greatest navy in the world. The southern seas are the domain of the Imperial Navy, claiming vast swathes of the ocean as their territory and raiding and sinking any ships they come across that cannot -or refuse to- pay a heavy tax of a percentage of their cargo. Sea trade is considered extremely risky business, and while the Dragonborn have not yet resorted to outright land raids -that are sure to incite war with other nations, if it considered to likely be an inevitability.
The Empire is ruled by a caste system that dominates all and shapes every inhabitant's worth in society. Unlike giants, however, blood is not everything; for dragons are far more meritocratic, putting great value on cunning and leadership. This meritocracy ultimately leads to a competitive air on a societal level, where the competition is who is the most "useful" to the Empire. No matter what your "base" rank, it is theoretically possible to be considered higher on the totem pole through sheer merit. Dragons sit at the top, followed by Dragonborn, Kobolds, Dragon Turtles, most other sentient races and Wyverns, in that order. Despite the flexibility a meritocracy provides, in practice, the caste system is the rule, and each caste is jealously protective of their rank, going out of their way to sabotage any "upstart" from a lesser caste while working to undermine higher castes for greater influences. At the pinnacle of this system sit the Dragonborn, who have dominated all comers, acting as the functional rulers of the country. While the Dragons ostensibly hold the highest authority, their aloof, reclusive and lazy nature leads to them being hands-off as long as the tithes keep flowing uninterrupted. As such, the Dragonborn treat them as figureheads and go to great lengths to keep anyone from making contact with them but themselves, acting as a filter with the outside world. The Dragonborn are therefore the unquestioned tyrannical rulers of the Empire, and they mean to keep it that way.
I admit, I'm struggling to come up with an actual proper name for this possible dragon empire. Something with "Imperial" in it maybe.
I didn't have a WIP map yet, but I had been toying with the idea of just making it a fantasy version of Earth so that we could use Google Maps for travel times and geography and stuff and then use real-world mythologies and kingdoms to an extent. Greek Gods, Norse Gods, Egyptian Gods, etc. As for the nations, I was thinking of things like a version of the Roman Empire that is modeled after the Targaryens in Old Valyria and has Dragonborn citizens as the ruling elite; Scotland as a Dwarf kingdom; Ireland as a Wood Elf kingdom with Druids as the ruling class; England and Wales as joint High Elf/Human kingdoms; America as an open land with the different states belonging to different races (Humans control the New England states, Elves control the Pacific Northwest, Dwarves control the Rocky Mountains, etc); Humans, Dwarves, Half-Orcs, and Goliaths control Scandinavia with Barbarians/Vikings as the ruling class; Half-Giant Fighters and Barbarians control Sparta, etc.
Since I won't be very involved in the RP (if at all), it's up to you guys what you want to do, but if you want to go the route mentioned above, I will at least flesh out the world and the lore some to help you guys out. I can also still write the intro post where everyone ends up in the new world.
@CaptainManbeard Oooo! Now that's an original idea. Our world but transformed into fantasy. Now that's awesome.
If someone has any talent at drawing the above, have at it. I can make maps in Inkarnate if needed, not the best at it but I've done a few in the past.
And because I got bored, I made this homebrew class:
*Hit Dice:* 1d10 *Proficiencies:* Armor: All armor, shields Weapons: Simple and martial weapons Saving Throws: Strength, Constitution Skills: Choose two from Arcana, Investigation, Perception, Survival
**Arcane Warden Abilities**
1. **Divine Resistance:** At 1st level, you gain advantage on saving throws against spells and magical effects. Additionally, you have a pool of Disruption Points equal to 5. You can spend Disruption Points to fuel your anti-magic abilities.
2. **Holy Retribution:** Starting at 2nd level, your weapon attacks deal additional damage to creatures that are affected by spells or magical effects. When you hit a creature that is concentrating on a spell, you can expend 1 Disruption Point to deal extra radiant damage equal to your proficiency bonus.
3. **Dispel Magic:** At 3rd level, you can expend 1 Disruption Point to cast *Dispel Magic* as a reaction when a creature within 30 feet of you casts a spell.
4. **Champion's Strike:** Starting at 6th level, when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can expend 2 Disruption Points to unleash a powerful attack that disrupts magic. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier) or have any magical effects they are concentrating on be immediately dispelled.
5. **Rallying Cry:** At 9th level, you can expend 3 Disruption Points to use *Mass Cure Wounds* as a bonus action, healing yourself and allies within 30 feet of you.
6. **Arcane Cleansing:** At 10th level, you can expend all of your Disruption Points to create an area of anti-magic around you in a 2-meter radius. All spells and magical effects within this area are suppressed for 1 minute.
**Disruption Points Regeneration:** You regain 1 Disruption Point after a short rest or all Disruption Points after a long rest.
**Arcane Warden Feats**
*Level 4 Feat*: **Radiant Aura:** You can spend 1 Disruption Point to emit a radiant aura, causing enemies within 10 feet of you to have disadvantage on their next saving throw against a spell or magical effect.
*Level 8 Feat*: **Purifying Strike:** When you use Champion's Strike, you can also remove one curse or magical effect from the target on a failed saving throw.
*Level 12 Feat*: **Vow of Purity:** When you use Arcane Cleansing, you can expend an additional Disruption Point to extend the suppression radius to 5 meters and also remove magical effects from yourself and allies.
The Warden of the Veil focuses on creating zones of anti-magic and controlling the battlefield by disrupting magic in specific areas.
**Enhanced Disruption (3rd Level):** Your mastery over anti-magic grows stronger. Your maximum Disruption Points increase by 2. Additionally, when you use a feature that expends Disruption Points, you can choose to spend an additional point to increase the effect. For example, you can spend an extra point when using Zone of Suppression to extend its duration by 2 minutes, or an extra point when using Veilbreaker to increase its radius to 20 feet.
**Zone of Suppression (7th Level):** When you use your Arcane Cleansing ability, you can choose to spend 1 additional Disruption Point to extend the suppression effect for an additional minute. Creatures within the area have disadvantage on spell attack rolls and must make concentration saving throws at disadvantage.
**Disruptive Aura (10th Level):** You emit an aura of anti-magic around you. Creatures within 10 feet of you have disadvantage on spell attack rolls and must make concentration saving throws at disadvantage. Allies within this aura gain advantage on saving throws against spells and magical effects.
**Veilbreaker (14th Level):** You gain the ability to create a focused zone of anti-magic. As an action, you can expend 3 Disruption Points to create a 10-foot radius sphere of suppressed magic centered on a point within 60 feet of you. Spells and magical effects within this zone are dispelled, and concentration is broken for any affected creatures. The zone lasts for 1 minute.
The Rune Enforcer delves into the art of inscribing protective runes and glyphs that disrupt magic and enhance your anti-magic abilities.
**Rune Mastery (3rd Level):** You gain proficiency with calligrapher's supplies. During a short rest, you can inscribe a number of runes equal to your proficiency bonus on non-magical items. You can expend 1 Disruption Point to activate a rune on a creature or object within 5 feet of you, granting you an effect based on the type of rune inscribed.
**Disruptive Glyph (7th Level):** As an action, you can expend 2 Disruption Points to inscribe a disruptive glyph on the ground. The glyph covers a 10-foot square and lasts for 1 minute. Creatures within the glyph's area have disadvantage on spell attack rolls and must make concentration saving throws at disadvantage.
**Runic Amplification (10th Level):** When you use your Dispel Magic ability, you can expend 3 Disruption Points to infuse the dispelling energy with runes. The dispelled creature or magical effect cannot be restored by magic for 1 minute.
**Rune Warding (14th Level):** Your mastery over runes is unparalleled. When you activate a rune using your Rune Mastery feature, you can choose to expend 1 extra Disruption Point to enhance the rune's effect. For example, you can grant yourself temporary hit points equal to your Arcane Warden level when activating a defensive rune.
The Arcane Adversary focuses on countering the abilities of magical races and creatures, using their anti-magic prowess to disrupt and nullify their magical traits.
**Racial Suppression (3rd Level):** You gain specialized knowledge about the magical abilities of various races and creatures. Choose one type of magical race or creature (e.g., dragons, fey, undead, etc.). You gain advantage on saving throws against spells and abilities of that type, and you can expend 1 Disruption Point to impose disadvantage on saving throws made by creatures of that type within 30 feet of you.
**Ethereal Disruption (7th Level):** You gain the ability to disrupt the ethereal plane, making it harder for ethereal creatures to manifest in the material plane. As an action, you can expend 2 Disruption Points to create an anti-magic aura in a 15-foot cone originating from you. Ethereal creatures entering or starting their turn in this area must succeed on a Constitution saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier) or be forced out of the Material Plane and return to the Ethereal Plane.
**Magic Nullification (10th Level):** Your mastery over anti-magic expands. When you use your Arcane Cleansing ability, you can choose to expend 3 Disruption Points to extend the suppression effect to a 5-meter radius. In this zone, magical creatures' abilities and magical effects are suppressed, and they have disadvantage on saving throws against spells and abilities.
**Counter Enchantment (14th Level):** You gain the ability to counter enchantments and control over your own anti-magic aura. When a magical effect or spell targets you or a creature within your Disruptive Aura, you can use your reaction and expend 2 Disruption Points to attempt to dispel the effect. If the effect is an enchantment, it has a 50% chance of being dispelled.
The Artificer's Bane focuses on neutralizing magical items, devices, and technology through their anti-magic prowess.
**Magitech Disruption (3rd Level):** You gain a deep understanding of magical items, devices, and technology. When you expend Disruption Points to use an anti-magic ability, you can choose to target a magical item or device instead of a creature. The targeted item must succeed on a Constitution saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier) or have its magical properties suppressed for 1 minute.
**Arcane Sabotage (7th Level):** You gain the ability to sabotage magical devices with precision. As an action, you can expend 2 Disruption Points to touch a magical item or device. The item must succeed on a Constitution saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier) or be rendered non-functional for 1 minute.
**Nullifying Grasp (10th Level):** Your mastery over anti-magic extends to touch. When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can expend 3 Disruption Points to impose a Nullifying Grasp. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier) or be unable to use magical abilities or items for 1 round.
**Lasting Disruption (14th Level):** You can permanently disable a single magical item or construct with your anti-magic energy. As an action, you can expend 5 Disruption Points to focus your anti-magic energy on a single target. The target item or construct must succeed on a Constitution saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier) or have its magical properties suppressed permanently. Constructs affected by this feature are also stunned for 1 minute.
Criticism is always welcome 😊
And I'm currently working on a Jack of all trades type of class. Just trying to make it balanced.
Hmm, I honestly feel that 'Our World, but Fantasy', is a little lazy, but I get the logic of not wanting to reuse maps.
More like, from what I can see, not so much "our world but fantasy", but the same geography, just like magic and such caused it to never really leave a medieval age. The history is rather vastly different I would assume.
Though, honestly, I'm semi in agreement that something about the concept itches at me. I think, primarily, it's the scale. It feels like everything is so spread out that the PCs will have trouble experiencing every corner of the world. Then again, this could be mitigated by such things as an organized teleportation circle system to certain places or something, but I guess I'm a little surprised by the size of it all. And admittedly, I don't really like the idea of limiting where races/nations go based on what's the most culturally equivalent; feels like it shoehorns the global/national state. Though, I'm open to being convinced otherwise.
It's just, I think, hard to make certain crises feel relevant if everything is so spread out, makes it harder for PCs to get to and address things if they feel like (or alternatively, have no choice but to get dragged into them). Like, for example, this broad concept I threw down -if you're reading between the lines- for "Giant v Dragon War: The Revengance, the Sequel, the Return". To make it feel more "urgent", ideally, this possible plot would rely on whatever nation the PCs are in/primarily established being sandwiched between the two forces. But on the other hand, I can think of a few ways to sorta adjust it to an Earth map.
More like, from what I can see, not so much "our world but fantasy", but the same geography, just like magic and such caused it to never really leave a medieval age. The history is rather vastly different I would assume.
Though, honestly, I'm semi in agreement that something about the concept itches at me. I think, primarily, it's the scale. It feels like everything is so spread out that the PCs will have trouble experiencing every corner of the world. Then again, this could be mitigated by such things as an organized teleportation circle system to certain places or something, but I guess I'm a little surprised by the size of it all. And admittedly, I don't really like the idea of limiting where races/nations go based on what's the most culturally equivalent; feels like it shoehorns the global/national state. Though, I'm open to being convinced otherwise.
It's just, I think, hard to make certain crises feel relevant if everything is so spread out, makes it harder for PCs to get to and address things if they feel like (or alternatively, have no choice but to get dragged into them). Like, for example, this broad concept I threw down -if you're reading between the lines- for "Giant v Dragon War: The Revengance, the Sequel, the Return". To make it feel more "urgent", ideally, this possible plot would rely on whatever nation the PCs are in/primarily established being sandwiched between the two forces. But on the other hand, I can think of a few ways to sorta adjust it to an Earth map.
You said it better than I can; I'd prefer a single continent, or two at the very most.
@Lewascan2 We could always play it out as Pangeea. One continent, linked together. That way we'll have a massive contient that, we can explore if we want and it's still based on Earth's geography albeit a very old one.
